Tulare County Football: Mt. Whitney honors late coach Howard Wilson
Howard Wilson may have only coached football at Mt. Whitney High School for one season in 2022, but his impact on players left an impression.
Wilson died on Aug. 12. He was 50.
To honor Wilson this season and keep the memory of his coaching alive, the Pioneers are wearing an "HW21" sticker on their helmets. Wilson, a 1990 Mt. Whitney grad, wore the No. 21 when he played football in high school.
Pioneers head coach Nathan Chamberlain spearheaded that tribute.
More: Mission Oak coach Marty Martin scores 200th career win, rankings, 34 top performers
Wilson served as Chamberlain's freshman head coach last season. He was also a campus supervisor at Mt. Whitney and coached the junior varsity baseball team this past spring.
"He was good with all the kids," Chamberlain said. "It didn't matter if you were an athlete or a non-athlete. He treated people fairly. He had a good rapport with all the kids."
More than a coach
Wilson was one of the first coaches star sophomore receiver Israel Briggs met at Mt. Whitney.
As an incoming freshman in 2022, Wilson helped set the foundation for Briggs to grow as an athlete and human.
Briggs' mother, Lemasani, died when he was in the eighth grade.
When Briggs went out for freshman football, he immediately built a relationship with Wilson because of the coach's caring nature and personality.
Soon, it was Wilson whom Briggs leaned on for support on and off the field.
More: Tulare Union's Monica Diaz breaking barriers as female football coach
"He was more like a father figure for me and all the freshmen," Briggs said. "He had a big impact on all of us. Me personally, he helped me control my emotions because, at a very young age, I had a lot of stuff going on, including my mom dying. All this stuff. I was just overwhelmed. He helped me control my emotions moving forward as what I'm doing now. I'm trying to keep my team together."
Wilson had an eye for talent.
It didn't take him very long to notice that the 6-foot-4 Briggs belonged at the varsity level. Midway through his freshman season, Briggs was pulled up to varsity by Chamberlain.
Briggs scored his first career touchdown against Golden West and earned 2022 All-East Yosemite League first-team honors after recording 18 catches for 291 yards and four touchdowns during conference play. He was the only EYL freshman to receive that first-team distinction in football that season.
Wilson played a part in that success.
"He believed in me," Briggs said. "He took me in. We got to work. We did so much conditioning work. He's the main one who believed in me."
Wilson was also more than a coach.
"He was kind of the person I was trying to find to replace my mom," Briggs said. "No one can ever replace my mom, but he was sort of like someone that I look up to now. He was always at school with me, helping me with schoolwork and stuff. More importantly, he helped me with my mental health. I could never thank him enough."
'He was there all the time'
As a freshman, Mt. Whitney sophomore quarterback Micah Rodriguez played junior varsity baseball for Wilson.
Rodriguez started at shortstop and bonded with his coach when they would put in the extra time to hone their craft on the diamond.
"He was there all the time, like, we used to wake up early in the mornings at 7 o'clock, we would either go to pre-first or hit baseballs," Rodriguez said. "He was always there. He was someone who motivated me, someone that was always there for me. Very supportive."
Like Briggs in football, Rodriguez was also elevated to varsity as a freshman.
Two days before Mt. Whitney's game last season versus Golden West, Chamberlain told Rodriguez he would be the team's starting quarterback.
Rodriguez wasn't fazed.
He responded with 200 yards passing and two touchdowns, but the Pioneers fell 18-13 in the final seconds.
That breakout performance resulted from Wilson's ability to instill confidence in his players.
"He would always tell me, 'Go out there and do your thing. You're a leader. You're the quarterback. You're QB1. Do what you got to do,'" Rodriguez said.
What else did he learn from Wilson?
"Just treat everyone the same," Rodriguez said. "Like he was a funny guy. My personality, I'm not very open to everyone, but he taught me to be open with everyone. He was very open with anybody, anybody you see on campus."
Every time Mt. Whitney takes the field this season, they have a reminder of Wilson — the HW21 helmet sticker.
"It's great, man," Briggs said. "All the success that I've had, I credit it to him. He taught me everything that I know, and everyone out here who knew him, I feel like that's a good way to honor his name."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Football: Mt. Whitney honors late coach Howard Wilson
