Longtime Nashville Sportscaster Mark Howard Dies at 65: 'A Great, Great Talent'

Amanda Taheri
·2 min read
Mark Howard, Longtime Nashville TV sports anchor and radio personality Mark Howard dies at 65
Mark Howard, Longtime Nashville TV sports anchor and radio personality Mark Howard dies at 65

1045TheZone/Twitter

Beloved Nashville sportscaster and radio host Mark Howard died at his home Sunday at age 65, his wife Debra shared with The Tennessean.

The West Hartford, Connecticut native spent over 20 years as a sports anchor at NewsChannel 5, making him a popular, established figure in sports reporting.

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After hosting a local political talk show, Howard transitioned to sports reporting as co-host of "Wake Up Zone" on The Zone 104.5 FM. Howard and co-hosts Kevin Ingram and former Tennessean Titan Frank Wycheck successfully made it Nashville's top-ranked radio show.

In 2020, after 21 years with The Zone, Howard left the show, saying "It's been a great run." He added, "they were some of the best years of my life. I've got nothing really but good things to say about my experiences there."

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Fans and colleagues expressed their sadness and gave their condolences to Debra and their son Jack on social media.

"My heart's broken," retired NewsChannel 5 sports director Hope Hines told The Tennessean. "I've lost one of my best and dearest friends. He was more like a son to me and he felt the same way, I was a father-like figure in many ways to him. I'm heartbroken for Jack, his son, and Debra. He was a great, great talent."

Howard's cause of death is unknown at this time.

The Zone 104.5 dedicated their Monday show to Howard, writing in a tweet Sunday that "all day tomorrow we will honor, share stories and pay tribute to the late Mark Howard. If you would like to share some of your favorite Mark Howard moments with us, our hosts and special guests, give us a call tomorrow at 615-737-1045."

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Former Director of News and Communications for Tennessee Tech University, Joe Fischer, said on the show, "He was the ultimate [sports] talk radio host. He would vocalize what I thought." Fischer later added on Twitter, "He was a unique wonderful personality in this town."