Former Phenix City Mayor, successful high school football coach Sammy Howard dies
Sammy Howard, who served as mayor of Phenix City, coached local high school football teams and became a successful banker, has died.
Howard died at 81 Sunday in St. Francis Hospital, according to Vance Brooks Funeral Home. The cause of death was unavailable.
Howard was a star for Central High School in the 1950s. He was named an All-American in 1958 while playing halfback for Southwest Mississippi Junior College.
Injuries limited his playing career after he signed with coach Bear Bryant at Alabama, but he remained involved in the game as a high school coach.
After going 18-3 in two seasons (1968-69) with Yazoo City, Mississippi, he returned to the Chattahoochee Valley to coach Hardaway High School from 1970-72.
Howard crossed back over the Chattahoochee River in 1973 to become the coach at Glenwood School, where he also served as principal. In five seasons, he led the Gators to 113 wins in 140 games and a state championship.
He began his finance career as a trainee at F&M Bank in 1978. Two years later, he became president of the bank, which eventually merged with Synovus.
Howard was mayor of Phenix City for one term, from 1995-98.
Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe, the city’s first Black mayor, told the Ledger-Enquirer that Howard helped him succeed professionally and politically.
“He had courage,” said Lowe, senior vice president for business development at the Synovus branch in Phenix City. “He had courage to hire me and start my banking career, and also he probably set the tone for me having the opportunity to be mayor.”
Lowe also credits Howard for using his influence to get a youth center built in Phenix City.
“He could relate to all people,” Lowe said. “… He would speak up when things weren’t going the correct way or someone wasn’t doing right.”
Synovus spokesman Lee Underwood emailed the Ledger-Enquirer a statement from the company that says, “Sammy Howard was a big-hearted man who cherished his family, student athletes, customers and Phenix City neighbors. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sammy’s family and the many people who loved him throughout the Chattahoochee Valley.”
A memorial service to honor Howard is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday in Golden Acres Baptist Church, followed by visitation with the family in the church.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 11:01 AM.
