By Dana Williams
, "Stump the Schwab." No matter where you have seen Howard "Howie" Schwab, you probably know by now that the sports trivia expert has made a name for himself as an ESPN personality.
After graduating from Baldwin High School in 1978, Schwab, 46, headed to St. John's University in Queens to study athletic administration. While studying for exams and living the college life, he also began his sports career by working at the school's newspaper and radio station, until he graduated in 1982.
Known by many as "The Schwab" - and for his bag of chips rating system - Schwab says his love for sports has helped him to live an exciting and eventful life. His job as a freelance researcher for ESPN evolved into a coordinating producer position on shows such as SportsCenter on the network, and his success has continued to present day.
The Herald recently chatted with ESPN's resident sports statistician in a telephone interview, where spoke about his love of sports, and how he's occasionally stumped by a contestant.
Herald: Did you hear that Baldwin was named one of Money magazine's top places to live in the country?
Schwab: My parents actually sent me that and I was thrilled when I read it. I love Baldwin because it's a great place to live and it has a great community.
H: So you grew up in Baldwin?
S: I was born in Brooklyn, but I lived in Baldwin for a very long time. I went to Baldwin High School and I graduated in 1978. It's just a great place.
H: ESPN's headquarters is in Connecticut, is that where you live now?
S: Yeah, we tape in Bristol, CT, but I live in West Hartford. I've lived here about 17 years now.
H: How's the television life treating you?
S: It's going great. We have a good time taping the shows.
H: How often do you tape "Stump the Schwab?"
S: We are actually finished with taping that show. We did 80 tapings overall, and now they are in re-runs on ESPN Classic all the time.
H: Have you ever been stumped?
S: Yeah, there were some contestants that stumped me. That's what makes the show fun.
H: What does it take to be ESPN's resident trivia guru?
S: I think you have to have a passion for what you're doing. In my case, I really have a passion and love for sports, and it works for me.
H: We heard St. John's presented you with an award for helping to promote Red Storm sports?
S: Yeah, I was actually at the Final Four in Atlanta when I received the phone call that I was being honored. It was on April 30, and that evening was really special for me. I'm really proud of my alma mater and I'm always rooting for the teams, and I do whatever I can to help St. John's.
H: What new projects are you working on?
S: I'm preparing for a new show called ESPN Fantasy Insider and it starts on August 12.
H: Fantasy meaning Fantasy Football?
S: Yeah, the show's going to be on Sunday mornings during the football season, and it's going to be an analysis of fantasy football. I'm one of the people that will be talking about football, and it's going to be a lot of fun.
H: The NFL season will be starting soon, who's your team?
S: I'm leaning towards the Patriots.
H: If you weren't on television, where would you be working right now?
S: That's a really good question [pauses]. If I wasn't here at ESPN, I would probably being doing something in radio.
H: Like a DJ?
S: [Laughs] Oh yeah, if I had a few million dollars and I could do whatever I wanted, I would probably be a DJ sitting in Aruba [laughs].
H: DJ Schwab, that's different.
S: [Laughs]. I'm good here at ESPN, though. I have made relationships here with a lot of great people, and I'm going to keep doing this for as long as I can. I have fun and I just enjoy life everyday.
