NY Mets Manager Art Howe UW Homecoming Grand Marshal

Oct. 15, 2003 -- New York Mets Manager Art Howe and his wife, Betty, are the grand marshals of the University of Wyoming Homecoming parade Saturday, Oct. 18.

The parade begins at 11 a.m. and starts at 13th and Ivinson streets, runs west to Second Street, turns south to Grand Avenue, and then east on Grand Avenue back to 13th Street.

Howe, a Pittsburgh native, played third base in 1967 and 1968 for the UW Cowboys baseball team before switching to shortstop in 1969, where he earned all-Western Athletic Conference honors his final season. He earned a business degree from UW.

He finished his three-year UW career with a .242 batting average, spread over 109 games. Howe collected 57 RBIs and hit seven career home runs for the Cowboys.

Howe played for three major league baseball teams, beginning in 1974 with his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. He later played for the Houston Astros and ended his playing days in 1985 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Howe compiled a career bating average of .260 and hit 43 home runs while driving in 293 runs. He hit a career high .296 with the Astros in 1981, which included a then-club record 23-game hitting streak.

Always described as an intelligent player and a hard worker, Howe was considered managerial material even during his playing days. Within a month after his release from the St. Louis Cardinals, Howe found work as a coach for the Texas Rangers. He managed Houston from 1989-1993 and was hired as the Oakland A's manager in 1996. After a last place finish in his first year, Howe turned the A's around, winning American League West Division titles in 2000 and 2002 and leading the club to three straight playoff appearances. He finished second in the American League voting for manager of the year four times during his career.

After the 2002 season, Howe left the A's and signed on as manager of the New York Mets.

In his 12-year managerial career, Howe has posted 942 wins, fifth among active managers. He trails only Tony LaRussa of St. Louis, Atlanta's Bobby Cox, Joe Torre of the New York Yankees and Lou Pinella of Tampa Bay.

The Howes have two daughters, Stephanie and Gretchen (a UW graduate), and a son, Matt.

Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2003