Richard James Howard (born 10 June 1943) is a retired professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He moved to Canada from England in 1967 and went on to appear for Canada internationally. After retiring from playing in 1974, he became an educator, long-time FIFA coaching instructor, coach, author, and a print and broadcast journalist on soccer in Canada and abroad. Howard was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. Playing career Howard made one appearance for Chester in the English Football League Fourth Division during 1965–66. During this time, he received a diploma in physical education from the Chester College of Education in 1965. He moved to Canada and played for the Hamilton Primos of the National Soccer League in 1967, making it to the championship finals before losing to Windsor Teutonia. Later that year he played several matches for the Rochester Lancers in the American Soccer League before playing in the inaugural season of the North American Soccer League for the Detroit Cougars in 1968. When the team folded at the end of the season he returned to Rochester who was playing in the American Soccer League at the time. The Lancers joined the NASL in 1970 and he was a member of the team that won the championship that year. Howard graduated from the nearby State University of New York at Brockport with a degree in physical education. He was acquired from the Lancers by the Toronto Metros in 1971 and played in Toronto through the 1974 season. He was also a member of the Canadian national team during 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification. In 1977, he was named to the Rochester Lancers Team of the Decade. Post-playing career From 1972 to 1986 he was Director of Athletics and Head of Physical Education at Crescent School, a private school in Toronto. During this time he served on the coaching staff of Canadian national youth teams and in 1981 was assistant coach of the World Cup team for 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification, as the team came within one goal of qualifying for the 1982 World Cup. Howard was appointed Technical Director of the Canadian Soccer Association from 1986 to 1992 and also served as Canada's first National Goalkeeping Coach. He attained a unique treble in 1986 as the first person in Canadian soccer to have played, managed and coached in the national program.