Penn College head baseball coach Chris Howard will be inducted into the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. The ceremony is scheduled for November 9 at the Genetti Hotel & Suites in Williamsport.
The 2025 induction class includes Lon Balum, Darrell Blackman, Kathy Fedorjaka, Melissa Kellogg, Shawn Kunes, Dan Merk, Brycen Mussina, Joe Person, Kayla (Kline) Zimmerman, Blaise Alexander Jr. (posthumously), Floyd “Lanny” Reed (posthumously), and Volunteers of the Year Bob Cellini and Kooch Chu. Rachel (Houseknecht) Anderson and Hannah (Allison) Harris were also selected but will be inducted in 2026 due to their inability to attend this year.
Howard’s athletic career began at the University of Oklahoma where he played both football and baseball. He was a member of the Sooners’ 1985 national championship football team. In baseball, he earned Second Team All-Big 8 honors as a designated hitter before transferring to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for his senior year. At Louisiana, Howard set a school record with 77 RBIs in 1988 and received both Newcomer of the Year from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and a spot on its first team.
After college, Howard was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 41st round of the 1988 MLB draft. He played nine seasons professionally—including two years with the Williamsport Bills—and spent parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball with Seattle.
As Penn College’s head baseball coach for 18 years, Howard has achieved a record of 371 wins and 277 losses. Under his leadership, Penn College has reached seven conference championships and won three titles. He has also been named conference coach of the year three times.
