Howlett hired as new soccer coach
By Aaron Garland
On March 6, 2013
The Buffalo State men's soccer program inaugurated a new era Monday with the hiring of head coach
Mark Howlett.
The Bengals finished this past season 1-16-1, which led to the firing of coach Rudy Pompert in November
after 13 years of heading the Bengals.
In a field of 105 applicants for the vacancy from all over the country and even a few from overseas,
sports information director and chair of the search committee, Jeff Ventura, said Howlett was the clear
choice to replace Pompert.
"He emerged as an early frontrunner and through the phone interviews and campus interviews, his
preparation was outstanding and above and beyond what anything else brought to the table," Ventura
said. "He has an enthusiasm for the game that I think the program really needs right now and I have full
confidence that he's going to really lead a turnaround for the men's soccer program."
Howlett, from Portsmouth, England, was the head coach at SUNY Canton the last three years, compiling
a record of 26-26-4. He noted the head coaching position at Buffalo State appealed to him because he
has a desire for success on par with the college and athletic programs.
"My coaching philosophy matched with the mission statement of the college and the athletic program,
and I saw that they are very passionate about being successful," Howlett said. "... They have the facilities
and everything in place, or getting them in place. And that just coincided with what I believe in and how
I want to go about my job, and it's an exciting challenge."
During Howlett's tenure at Canton, the program transitioned from being part of the National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics to now becoming recognized as an NCAA Division III team. Turning around a
one-win team is not a completely different situation than adjusting to play against stiffer competition in
Division III.
Howlett said the experience of adapting from the NAIA to NCAA can help with his new job.
"When I came (to Canton), the program was in a worse state than Buffalo is in now," he said. "I think I
can definitely apply that (at Buffalo State). I think the skills that I have recruiting and the contacts I have,
we can make it a seamless transition and make it something that we can start being successful soon."
With recruiting being a vital task for a collegiate program to sustain success, Athletics Director Jerry
Boyes feels Howlett possesses the ability to recruit the appropriate players to help build the program
back to relevancy.
"Mark is an established recruiter and has great knowledge and a passion for the sport of soccer," Boyes
said. "I look forward to watching him transform our men's soccer program into a consistent contender in
the State University of New York Athletic Conference."
Aaron Garland can be reached by email at garland.record@live.com and on Twitter @AA_Garland.
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