At Florida State, he received honors twice as an All-American shortstop and set a school record with a batting average of .422 in 1956.

[1] He hit .280, stole 37 bases, scored 108 runs, and led American League shortstops in putouts and errors in his rookie season.

His major league career spanned eight seasons with three clubs – Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees.

As a manager at the major league level, Howser never finished lower than second place during his seven-year managerial career.

He made his debut in 1978, managing one game with the Yankees between Billy Martin's and Bob Lemon's first tours as skipper in the Bronx.

[citation needed] For the most part, though, Howser was stricter in enforcing team rules, more so than Martin and Lemon had been, in Tommy John's opinion.

The Yankees lost the ALCS in three games, and Howser submitted his resignation on November 21, although it is generally felt that Steinbrenner actually fired him.

The next year, Kansas City—his postseason rival on multiple occasions in previous seasons—hired Howser to manage the last 33 games of the strike-shortened 1981 season.

[citation needed] Kansas City expected 1984 to be a rebuilding year, but Howser guided the young team to a division title.

The Royals also commissioned a new bronze statue for their Outfield Experience to cap off the end of Kauffman Stadium renovations in 2009.