Sunday, September 9, 2018
Mr. Bruce Howard aka "Pops", a true Notre Dame man through and through, was and will always be a part of my high school football experience (ND, Class of 2000) that I could not be more thankful for and will never forget.
I was a kid from a rough area of Bridgeport that fortunately had a young mother who knew she needed to put me in the private school system to keep me focused - away from negative influences and distractions - and obtain the type of education and guidance to put me in position to achieve the goals that I should and would eventually achieve.
The issue was - I wasn't really sure what those were yet. Cue Pops' entry into my life.
As anyone who has ever donned the gold helmet for the NDHS Lancers during his era could tell you at different lengths, Pops, for me, was a father figure on the sidelines. He was a first-to-show
-up and last-to-leave type of guy, a motivator, hard worker, believer and full of pride - someone to truly aspire and emulate with my approach to football, being a good person in society, representative of my high school and eventually father & husband.
There are countless stories and recollections of our interactions over the years dating back to the moment I decided to play football in high school to as recent as the past year and now having a son playing high school football.
But 3 quick highlights for me include 1) the pride-filled hug I received following my high school graduation 2) having him travel to South Bend, IN to watch me play for the Irish and 3) the phone call I received after he learned that I was inducted into the NDHS Hall of Fame - Pops never missed a beat.
With the rough and tough exterior, inside there was a loving and proud man - who will be truly missed.
Much love Pops, now and forever, and Go Irish!
-- JSapp
