Athletic Director Joe Worlund has announced the hiring of Frank Howell as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach for the 2016-17 season.
“I am excited to have Frank join the Yellowjackets coaching staff. His family ties to Graceland and his long term success as a high school coach in Iowa, provide a great foundation for the jump to college coaching,” Worlund said. “I am looking forward to working with him. His enthusiasm for the game is obvious and I am sure it will be contagious and have an immediate impact on the program.”
Howell is looking to turn the tides, after the Yellowjackets finished the 2015-16 season with a mark of 1-25 overall and 1-21 in the Heart.
“I have had an amazing 13 years at Cedar Rapids Washington, but I am ready for a new and exciting opportunity at Graceland University. It has always been my dream to be a head coach at a four-year university or college, and having the opportunity to become that at Graceland University, where both of my parents graduated from, is a dream come true,” stated Howell. “I would especially like to thank Joe Worlund and the entire Graceland community for allowing me to be the head coach of the women’s basketball program. I look forward to working with our student-athletes to help them to achieve their academic and athletic goals. I cannot wait to get started on what promises to be an amazing journey.”
Howell spent 13 years coaching and teaching social studies at Cedar Rapids Washington High School, where he compiled an overall record of 224-83. During that time, the Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors made a total of six state tournament appearances, including four-straight from 2005-2008. Howell also coached the Warriors to State Runners-up three times and the State semi-finalist for one season. The Warriors won six conference championships during the Howell era, as he was named the conference and metro coach of the year four times each.
Prior to working at Cedar Rapids Washington, Howell was hired by Audubon High School as a Social Studies teacher and basketball coach in 1994. In 1994 he served as the 9th grade coach and varsity assistant. The following year, he took over as the head coach, where he would remain until 2003. In eight seasons as the Wheelers varsity coach, he complied a mark of 111-77 overall.
Audubon made back-to-back state tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, the Wheelers made the school’s first Class 2-A semi-finalist appearance in 20+ years. The following year, Wheelers won the Class 2-A state championship, the school’s first in 75 years. Howell was named the AP Class 2-A Coach of the Year in 1999.
Dallas Center-Grimes High School hired him as a head coach for the 1994-94 season, where the team was District Champions. Before that, Howell spent one season (1992-93) as a varsity assistant coach and head JV and ninth grade coach at his alma mater, Perry High School. In that lone year, Perry made a state tournament appearance.
Howell is a member of the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association, where he has served as the Northeast Iowa District Representative for Class 4-A/5-A since 2006. He has also coachesd at numerous camps and held various coaching positions at all-star games over the years, most recently as an assistant coach for the IBCA all-star games in 2016. Howell was inducted into the Iowa Girls Coaching Association Hall of Fame with the Class of 2016.
A native of Perry, Iowa, Howell graduated from William Penn College in Oaskaloosa, Iowa in 1992 with a Bachelors of Arts in History and Political Science. He played basketball for two seasons before becoming the team manager for a season. He also competed in tennis for two years and cross country for a season.
As a graduate of Perry High School, Howell started 23 games his senior season, leading his team to a 23-2 record overall and a state championship (Class 2-A).
Howell will graduate with a Master’s Degree in Pre-K through 12th grade education from the University of Northern Iowa in July 2016.
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