Howard Pride
Class of 2016
Howard Pride’s place in Butler High School basketball history is secure. In the long line of stars produced under legendary coach Jack Doss, Pride belongs among the very best. Doss, who built championship programs at three Alabama schools and won five state titles at Butler alone, once called Pride “the best leader I ever had because he’s so unselfish.” Coming from a coach with that résumé, the praise carried enormous weight.
Even before high school, Pride was already making a name for himself. As a seventh- and eighth-grader at Stone Middle School, he was drawing television coverage and newspaper headlines. At Butler, he stepped immediately into the spotlight, starting as a true freshman and never missing a game in four varsity seasons. Doss called him “The General,” a nickname that captured his poise, command and leadership on the court.
Pride averaged more than 20 points a game as both a junior and senior while leading the Rebels in scoring and assists. His senior season in 1993 brought the highest honors in Alabama high school basketball when he was named Class 6A Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball. He then took his talents to Vanderbilt, choosing the Commodores over Alabama, Auburn and Northwestern.
At Vanderbilt, Pride became a four-year letterman under Eddie Fogler and Jan van Breda Kolff. He helped the Commodores reach the NIT three times, earned Most Inspirational Player honors in 1995 and 1996, and as a senior in 1997 was team captain and a member of the All-SEC Academic Team.
After graduating with a degree in Human and Organizational Development and a minor in Sociology, Pride moved into coaching. His career included assistant stops at Belmont and Alabama, followed by head coaching positions at Decatur, Montgomery Bell Academy, Warren County, Westminster Christian and Alma Bryant. He later returned home to join Danny Petty’s staff at James Clemens, continuing a basketball life defined by leadership, humility and service. He became head coach at Cleveland (Tenn.) High in 2025.
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