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SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame running back Armando Allen was supposed to settle a friendly disagreement today.
At a party near their Miami-area homes this summer, Allen and former Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard debated who would win when the Irish (6-4) and Huskies (4-5) played at 2:30 p.m. today in Notre Dame Stadium.
“We talked a little smack, it was like three minutes,” Allen said. “And then it was kind of like, ah, whatever, I’ll talk to you later.”
But tragedy took the chance for the two friends to settle their debate on the field.
Howard was stabbed to death after a party in Connecticut’s Student Union on Oct. 18, the morning after the Huskies defeated Louisville 38-25 and Notre Dame lost 34-27 to USC. Connecticut has not won a game since Howard’s death.
“It made me think not to take anything for granted,” Allen said of his reaction to Howard’s death. “You never know what is going to happen and what may happen at any given moment. It kind of made me appreciate a lot of things that goes on beyond football. It kind of made me realize that football is not everything.”
Allen and Howard had never played against each other.
Allen said Howard was in a lower weight division in little league football, and their two high schools never played.
But the two would work out together at Miami Northwestern High School with other players during the offseason.
Allen said the thing that stood out the most about Howard was his desire to get better.
“If we were working out together and the workout ended, (he would say) let’s do some extra stuff,” Allen said. “(Howard was) one of those guys who was willing to do whatever to be the best at whatever he’s doing.
“He was one of those guys – very, very motivated to work hard. He was a great kid.”
