By Chris Garvin
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The longstanding tradition of honoring former Otterbein University football player and student-athlete Josh Worthington gained another recipient, as new head coach Tommy Zagorski and staff chose local journeyman Tayon Howard to wear the prestigious No. 5 jersey this season.
The annual honor, typically earned by a senior or established veteran, is distributed to a player that routinely displays positive characteristics and key pillars of the program.
Worthington, who wore No. 5, was a promising freshman quarterback before he was tragically killed by a drunk driver (early Christmas morning) in 2004 after his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. He is remembered for the hard work, dedication and commitment he showed as a promising young player.
“There were a couple guys that we had in mind, but he (Tayon) has gone above and beyond,” head coach Tommy Zagorski said. “I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Josh, but everyone has told me the story and stressed his mark of being an incredible teammate with remarkable character. Tayon has been lifting people up constantly and we are honored to have him wear 5 this fall.”
Howard, a sixth-year veteran, dealt with adversity early in his college career at a pair of Division II stops. Urbana University closed down as a result challenges from COVID, and his time at University of Findlay was also cut short after the pandemic.
A graduate of Westerville South High School, he returned home and transferred into Otterbein just days before the 2021 campaign. The hybrid outside linebacker ultimately played in seven games while getting acclimated, and then saw the field in all ten last fall as a key piece of the defense (seventh in tackling).
“I just want to lead by example, make sure I’m saying the right things and (more so) doing the right things,” Howard said. “I came back for a reason and now I feel like Coach Z has done this for a reason. I’ve seen past leaders take that responsibility and now it’s my turn to follow them. We are turning a new page here and it’s time to get it rolling.”
The redshirt senior, returning this fall to complete his degree in sport management, met with the new coaching regime over the spring and ultimately decided to give it one final go-around. He was a coaching intern at Marymount University (Arlington, Va.) over the summer and hopes to get into the profession soon enough.
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