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{{short description|English footballer, coach, manager, and pundit}}
{{for|the association footballer of the 1930s, '40s and '50s for Bolton Wanderers|Don Howe (footballer, born 1917)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name      = Don Howe
| fullname = Donald Howe
| image = Don Howe.jpg
| caption = Don Howe in 1967
| birth_date = {{birth date|1935|10|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Springfield, Wolverhampton|Springfield]], [[Wolverhampton]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|12|23|1935|10|12|df=y}}
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Right back]]
| years1 =   1952–1964
| years2 =  1964–1966
| clubs1 =   [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]
| clubs2 =  [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| caps1 =    342
| caps2 =    70
| goals1 =  17
| goals2 =  1
| totalcaps = 412
| totalgoals = 18
| nationalyears1 =   1957–1959
| nationalteam1 =    [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps1 =    23
| nationalgoals1 =   0
| manageryears1 =   1971–1975
| manageryears2 =  1975–1976
| manageryears3 =  1983–1986
| manageryears4 =  1989–1991
| manageryears5 =  1992
| managerclubs1 =   [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]
| managerclubs2 =  [[Galatasaray|Galatasaray SK]]
| managerclubs3 =  [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]
| managerclubs4 =  [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]
| managerclubs5 =  [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]
}}
'''Donald Howe''' (12 October 1935 – 23 December 2015) was an English [[association football|football]] player, coach, [[manager (association football)|manager]] and pundit.<ref>{{cite news |title=Don Howe obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/24/don-howe |access-date=24 December 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Peter |last=Mason |date=24 December 2015}}</ref> As a [[Defender (association football)|right back]] Howe featured for clubs [[West Bromwich Albion]] and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] together with the [[England national football team]] in his playing career. He also went on to manage sides West Brom, Arsenal, [[Galatasaray]], [[Queens Park Rangers]] and [[Coventry City]]. Howe was also a successful coach and has been described as one of the most influential figures of the English footballing game.<ref name=LMA/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-survivor-with-the-know-how-simon-ohagan-meets-don-howe-the-enduring-figure-in-englands-1446574.html%3Famp|title=Football: Survivor with the know-how: Simon O'Hagan meets Don Howe, the enduring figure in England's coaching set-up|date=4 September 1994|work=The Independent}}</ref>

==Playing career==
Howe was born in the [[Springfield, Wolverhampton|Springfield]] area of [[Wolverhampton]] in 1935 and spent his secondary education at [[St Peter's Collegiate School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/editors-picks/2014/02/07/voice-of-cycling-is-taking-to-the-ice/|title=Voice of cycling is taking to the ice|website=Shop Shire Star.com|date=7 February 2014 }}</ref><ref name=England>{{cite web|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersH/BioHoweD.html|title=Don Howe|website=England Football Online.com}}</ref>

Howe joined the West Bromwich Albion ground staff after leaving school,<ref>Soccer Who's Who compiled by Maurice Golesworthy Sportsmans Book Club London 1965</ref> joining the club as a youth player in December 1950. He turned professional in November 1952, but did not make his debut until 1955, against [[Everton F.C.|Everton]].<ref name=WBA>{{cite book | last = Matthews | first = Tony | title = The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion | publisher = Breedon Books | year = 2005 | isbn = 1-85983-474-4 | page = 117}}</ref> In all he played 379 league and cup games scoring 19 goals for the Baggies in twelve years.<ref name=WBA/><ref name=LMA/>

Howe was signed by [[Billy Wright (footballer born 1924)|Billy Wright]]'s [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in 1964, and was made club captain. However, in March 1966 he [[broken leg|broke his leg]] playing against [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] and only played two further first team games both in September 1966. Firstly against Manchester City in the League on the 10th and then on the 13th against Gillingham in the League Cup.<ref name=Arsenal>{{cite news|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/329/don-howe|title=Don Howe: Profile|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104204208/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/329/don-howe|archive-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Howe made 70 appearances for Arsenal altogether.<ref name=LMA/>

In 2004, he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.<ref>{{cite news
 |date        = 4 August 2004
 |url         = http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0,,10366~547701,00.html
 |title       = The wraps come off 125th anniversary mural
 |publisher   = West Bromwich Albion F.C.
 |access-date  = 10 May 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080202125701/http://www.wba.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/0%2C%2C10366~547701%2C00.html
 |archive-date = 2 February 2008
}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
Howe retired from playing and became Arsenal's reserve team coach under [[Bertie Mee]], then stepping up to first team coach after the departure of [[Dave Sexton]] in October 1967. Arsenal won [[Double (association football)|the Double]] in 1971 with Howe playing a crucial role.<ref name=Arsenal/>

Not long afterward he returned to his old club, West Bromwich Albion, as manager. Howe's tenure at WBA was not a success, as the club were relegated to [[Football League Second Division|Division Two]] in 1973. Howe then joined [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] as a coach, later becoming assistant manager under [[Jimmy Armfield]], before moving on to manage Turkish club [[Galatasaray S.K. (football team)|Galatasaray]] in 1975. Howe rejoined Arsenal in 1977 as head coach, under [[Terry Neill]].<ref name=Arsenal/>

After Neill's sacking on 16 December 1983, Howe became Arsenal caretaker-manager and was appointed permanently after the game against [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] on 28 April 1984. Despite introducing young players including [[Tony Adams (footballer)|Tony Adams]], [[David Rocastle]] and [[Niall Quinn]] to the team during the mid-1980s, he was unable to win trophies, as Arsenal finished either 6th or 7th under him, although they did briefly top the league in October 1984.<ref name=Arsenal/>

After just over two years in the job, Howe resigned on 22 March 1986, shortly after Arsenal's match against [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]. [[George Graham (footballer, born 1944)|George Graham]] succeeded him. This was subsequent to circulated reports that the board were looking at the time at [[FC Barcelona]] manager [[Terry Venables]].<ref name=Arsenal/>

Howe later joined [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]] as assistant to [[Bobby Gould]] in 1987, and helped them win the [[FA Cup]] with a shock win over [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in [[1988 FA Cup final|1988]]. His coaching expertise earned him a great deal of credit for Wimbledon's cup triumph.<ref name=Feature>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-survivor-with-the-know-how-simon-ohagan-meets-don-howe-the-enduring-figure-in-englands-1446574.html|title=Football: Survivor with the know-how|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

Howe then left Wimbledon to manage [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]] between November 1989 and May 1991, with Gould briefly assisting him in the first half of the [[1990–91 in English football|1990–91 season]].<ref name=Feature/>

In early 1992, Howe assisted [[Barry Fry]] with defensive work at [[Barnet F.C.|Barnet]].<ref>Tony Thornton 'The Club That Wouldn't Die' Tiger Publications 1994</ref>

Shortly after leaving QPR, he became assistant manager to [[Terry Butcher]] at [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] and became manager in January 1992 when Butcher was sacked. Howe secured a place in the new [[FA Premier League]] for Coventry, who missed relegation by one place, and just after the end of the [[1991–92 in English football|1991–92 season]] Gould rejoined him as joint manager of the [[Highfield Road]] club. However, Howe resigned as manager before the [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93 season]] began.<ref name=Feature/>
He returned to Arsenal in 1997 as part of the [[Arsenal F.C. Academy|Academy]] setup wherein as the head youth coach.<ref name=Arsenal/>

Howe also moved into journalism and broadcasting, becoming a pundit for [[Channel 4]]'s coverage of [[Serie A]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,,1034723,00.html |title=First and last |work=The Observer |first=Lee |last=Honeyball |date=7 September 2003 |access-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

==International career==
[[File:England national football team, 11 April 1959.jpg|thumb|300px|[[England national football team]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Empire Stadium]], London 11 April 1959. From the left, standing: [[Ronnie Clayton (footballer, born 1934)|Ronnie Clayton]], [[Billy Wright (footballer, born 1924)|Billy Wright]] (captain), Don Howe, [[Eddie Hopkinson]], [[Ron Flowers]], [[Graham Shaw (footballer, born 1934)|Graham Shaw]], [[Joe Shaw (footballer, born 1928)|Joe Shaw]]; front row: [[Bryan Douglas]], [[Peter Broadbent (footballer)|Peter Broadbent]], [[Bobby Charlton]], [[Johnny Haynes]] and [[Doug Holden]]]]
As a defender, he featured regularly in the [[England national football team]]. Howe played in the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]], and won 23 caps.<ref name=Feature/><ref name=Death/>

He became part of the England national team's coaching setup in 1981, working under [[Ron Greenwood]]. When Greenwood retired a year later, Howe continued to work for the national team under new manager [[Bobby Robson]].<ref name=Feature/><ref name=Death/>

Howe became assistant for [[England national football team|England]] under [[Terry Venables]] from January 1994 to June 1996, finishing with England's semi final appearance as host nation at [[Euro 96]].<ref name=Feature/><ref name=Death/>

==Retirement==
Howe retired from coaching in the summer of 2003 after more than 30 years.<ref name=LMA/> He though still ran youth coaching schemes across the United Kingdom. He occasionally wrote as a pundit for the [[BBC Sport]] website. He also held a regular column in the official Arsenal magazine.

Towards the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, he worked with the [[Football Association of Ireland|Football Association of Ireland (FAI)]] as part of a three-man panel to appoint [[Giovanni Trapattoni]] as the new national team manager.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/ireland-happy-to-break-bank-to-land-trapattoni-781891.html|title=Ireland happy to break bank to land Trapattoni|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

==Death==
Howe died, aged 80, in December 2015.<ref name="Death">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35171937 | title=Don Howe: Former Arsenal and England coach dies aged 80 | publisher=BBC Sport | access-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>

==Honours==
===Player===
====Club====
'''West Bromwich Albion'''<ref name=LMA>{{cite web|url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/managers/don-howe/|title=Don Howe|website=League Managers.com|access-date=2 August 2017|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703173536/https://leaguemanagers.com/managers/don-howe/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====England====
*[[British Home Championship]]: [[1958 British Home Championship|1958]], [[1959 British Home Championship|1959]], [[1960 British Home Championship|1960]]<ref name=England/>

===Assistant Manager===
'''Arsenal'''<ref name=LMA/><ref name=Arsenal1>{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-gb/amp/news/2914/champions-league/2014/11/04/5768061/the-greatest-night-highbury-ever-witnessed-arsenal-3-0|title=The greatest night Highbury ever witnessed – Arsenal 3-0 Anderlecht, 1970|publisher=Goal}}</ref>
*[[Inter Cities Fairs Cup]]: 1970
*[[Football League First Division|First Division]]: [[1970–71 Football League First Division|1970–71]]
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1970–71 FA Cup|1970–71]]

'''Wimbledon'''
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1987–88 FA Cup|1987–88]]

===Manager===
'''Arsenal'''
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1978–79 FA Cup|1978–79]]<ref name=LMA/>
*[[FA Youth Cup]]: [[FA Youth Cup Finals of the 2000s|2000]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2009/08/21/thomas-debt-of-gratitude-to-howe/|title=Thomas debt of gratitude to Howe|website=Express and Star.com|date=21 August 2009 }}</ref>
*[[FA Youth Cup]]: [[FA Youth Cup Finals of the 2000s|2001]]<ref name=FAYouthCup2001>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/may/23/newsstory.sport4 |title=Young Gunners keep their Cup |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Individual===
*[[League Managers Association|LMA Special Merit Award]]: 2004<ref name=England/>
*FA Licensed Coaches Club Hall of Fame: 2013<ref name=FA>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/st-georges-park/discover/education/the-fa-licensed-coaches-club-coaching-awards-2014|title=THE FA LICENSED COACHES' CLUB COACHING AWARDS 2014|website=The FA.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{soccerbase (manager)|id=379|name=Don Howe}}
*England stats – https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=762
*{{FIFA player|51041|Don Howe}}

{{Navboxes
| title = England squads
| bg = white
| fg = #0B0B3F
| bordercolor = #0B0B3F
| list1 =
{{England squad 1958 FIFA World Cup}}
{{England squad 1962 FIFA World Cup}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Don Howe managerial positions
|list1=
{{West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers}}
{{Galatasaray SK managers}}
{{Arsenal F.C. managers}}
{{Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers}}
{{Coventry City F.C. managers}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Don}}
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:England men's B international footballers]]
[[Category:England men's under-23 international footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Wolverhampton]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Turkey]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. players]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Galatasaray S.K. (football) managers]]
[[Category:West Bromwich Albion F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Coventry City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:1958 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1962 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Süper Lig managers]]
[[Category:Men's association football fullbacks]]
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[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:English Football League managers]]
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[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]