His playing days are over. He tried coaching but found it too unstable.

Howard Scarborough’s passion for sports still burns. So, he’s taken a different career path to remain in sports.

The administration and management side.

“You make the decisions, you have that influence,” said Scarborough, a defensive back for the Missouri State football team from 2009-2013. “What better way to be involved in something?”

Internships lead to degree and new job

Scarborough completed the professional studies (MPS) graduate program.

He specialized in sports management. The program has earned national recognition.

In June 2018, he became a domestic eligibility representative with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in Kansas City. He accepted the job a few weeks before graduating, thanks in part to a prior internship there.

“(The MPS program) gave me experience, it challenged me. It pushed me out to do internships and get involved in my community.”

“I assist (athletes) who are looking to attend and play sports for a NAIA school,” he said. “I make sure they’re eligible grade-wise and athletically.”

Scarborough credits the internships and learning experiences he had in the MPS program.

Helping other MSU athletes

He was an academic advisor intern at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Academic Achievement Center for the spring 2018 semester. He advised freshmen on the Missouri State men’s basketball team.

“The biggest thing for me was to hold our students accountable and keep them on top of their grades. Make sure they know what it entails to be a student-athlete,” Scarborough said. “You see student-athlete, it’s student first.”

Achievement Center director Dan Raines oversaw Scarborough’s internship. The two had a connection dating back to Scarborough’s senior year of high school.

“He was hard on me, but he had that loving attitude toward me and kept me pepped up to do my work,” Scarborough said. “I had some tough times here as a student-athlete, getting adjusted. Dan Raines, for me, he had a big impact on me.”

From intern to new employee

In March, Scarborough interned for the NAIA during its men’s basketball national tournament.

“I did whatever I was asked, me and about 25 other interns,” Scarborough said. “I was a liaison for cheer squads and bands, I worked the information booth, I did marketing and media production.

“It helped me get my feet wet. I (learned) what was for me and what wasn’t for me.”

During that internship, Scarborough saw an online job posting for a full-time job with the NAIA.

“I told the people I was working with at the NAIA, ‘Hey, I applied for a job here. I really want to come here,’” Scarborough said. “By Thursday (two days later), I knew I had an interview set. It was a great experience and it worked out in my favor.”

Thinking big and adding change

Scarborough wants to be an athletic director, whether it’s at the college or high school level.

He’d bring diversity to a field that currently doesn’t have much.

“You look at the business: 8-to-10 percent of ADs are African-Americans,” Scarborough said. “There’s not a lot of us. That’s a goal for me.”