Jasper Howard
Video:
http://j.mp/4pYUunEx-Miami Edison star Jasper Howard killed
Jasper Howard, a 20-year-old defensive back at the University of Connecticut, was stabbed to death after a party celebrating the team's victory against Louisville.
Photos BY MANNY NAVARRO AND ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
mnavarro@MiamiHerald.comIt's the type of early-morning phone call no football coach wants to receive -- news that one of his guys is gone.
Corey Bell, the director of football operations at the University of Miami, got one of those calls early Sunday morning as news of the stabbing death of University of Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard began to spread. Howard was 20.
Bell, who coached Howard at Miami Edison High, was stunned and saddened to learn of the tragedy.
``I'm real close to all my guys, but Jazz and I were real close,'' said Bell, who awoke at 6 a.m. to phone calls and text messages from Edison alumni. ``We spoke at least once every week. He's a great kid, coachable, dependable, real tough mentally and talented. He's like most of the kids from that area in Little Haiti. He had dreams of getting to the next level and making it and taking care of his mom and his sister.''
Howard, a former defensive back at Edison, died Sunday following an on-campus stabbing at UConn, hours after the team's victory Saturday night against Louisville.
The Hartford Courant reported the stabbing happened following the end of a school-sponsored dance at the university student union. It reported that an altercation occurred outside a building after someone pulled a fire alarm.
SUSPECT AT LARGE
Howard reportedly was one of two people stabbed at the center of campus. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he died. The second victim, who was not named, survived and was treated and released from the hospital.
The newspaper reported that the suspect in the stabbings was still at large early Sunday, according to a statement posted on the university's website.
UConn president Michael Hogan told The Associated Press that the stabbing is a tragedy for the entire university community. He says state police are working with campus police.
``Jasper was never a kid in any kind of trouble,'' said Miami Norland High coach Daryle Heidelburg, Howard's coach his senior year at Edison. ``Whenever there were any problems on the team, he was the peacemaker. He would try to squash things before they got worse. He was never confrontational.''
BROKEN FAMILY
UConn players and coaches gathered Sunday to console each other after learning of the junior's death. They said they would offer support to Howard's family, including his girlfriend, who is pregnant with their first child.
``Hearing the news that he's a father breaks my heart,'' said Desi Cullen, one of Howard's teammates at UConn, during a news conference Sunday afternoon. ``The idea that [the baby] will grow up without a father to raise him will be extremely tough for that child. Along with Jazz looking down on him, that child will have 105 uncles to look up to. As a team, we're going to make sure that we don't just get through these times, but that we grow from it and become better men because of Jazz.''
Howard was an accomplished athlete in Miami-Dade County during his high school career.
Howard earned first-team All-Dade football honors at Edison in 2007, as well as a first team All-Dade track and field long jumper. Howard, who also played wide receiver in high school, had 27 catches for 604 yards and seven touchdowns and intercepted two passes to go along with 42 tackles his senior season. He also earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Nike Dade-Broward All-Star game that season.
Howard was credited with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in UConn's 38-25 victory Saturday over Louisville. He led the Big East in punt returns average last season 11.8.
``I remember the last day I was at Edison before I came to UM,'' Bell said. ``All the kids were sad and upset with me. Jazz stood up and said, `We should be happy for coach. He always pushes for us to get the next level. We should be happy for him, too.' I'll never forget that. That's the type of kid Jazz was.''
HEARTBREAK
Bell said Howard was close friends with current UM offensive lineman Brandon Washington and Clemson cornerback Chris Chancellor, who were his teammates at Edison.
``He was really starting to come into his own,'' Bell said. ``A lot of kids who don't end up coming here need to get out of Miami to get away from the things in their neighborhood.
``You coach them up to do the right thing and make the right decisions when trouble starts. I know Jazz. He knew how much his family was depending on him. When you get a phone call like this, it just breaks your heart.''
