August 2026 marks nine years since Jim Howell moved up to the four-year level for the first time as the sports information director for Grand Canyon University’s extensive Club Sports department – one of the largest club sports departments of any university in the country. During that time, he’s helped build the department’s new website from Sidearm, assisted with the ever-growing Club Sports Leadership Class, and overseen Club Sports web, media and social media and streaming efforts. He’s also steadily increased his role as the play-by-play ‘Voice of GCU Women’s Basketball’ on the NCAA level over the past eight years, first as a fill-in play-by-play on GCU TV for two years (along with filling in GCU’s Men’s Basketball and Baseball teams as well); then spending five years as the main voice on ESPN+ for home games; then in 2025-26, expanding to be the voice - both home and away - for every Lopes' Women's Basketball game on the brand-new GCU Radio Network. He’s also broadcast the NIRSA Region VI Basketball Tournament and done play-by-play for GCU Men’s Rugby.
Before coming to GCU, Howell spent 13 years as the ‘Voice of the Matadors’ at Arizona Western College in Yuma – the last eight of those as the school’s first-ever full-time sports information director and Matador Athletic Association Coordinator. Howell then moved to Phoenix and became Phoenix College’s SID, Assistant Athletic Director and ‘Voice of the Bears’ – the first full-time sports information director in the history of the now-century-old college, and to date, the only full-time SID the Maricopa Community College District has ever had.
During his nearly two decades on the mic at the NJCAA level, Howell has broadcast championship events in numerous sports. At AWC, he was on the call for the Matadors’ Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams’ trips to the NJCAA DI Basketball Tournaments in Kansas; as well as AWC Football’s storied runs to the 2009 Mississippi Bowl, 2010 CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl, and two El Toro Bowls - including the 2011 NJCAA National Championship Game. Howell also brought basketball fans the sights and sounds of PC Men’s Basketball march to Arizona’s first-ever NJCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 2014; national tournament journeys for both Bears’ Women’s Basketball (2015) & Baseball (2017); and four straight trips to Clinton, Mississippi for the NJCAA DII Softball Championships with Bears’ Softball. Jim was also the voice for the 2014 & 2015 NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championships, and just recently broadcast the 2021, 2022 and 2025 NJCAA Division I Softball Championships – including the championship game.
While in Yuma, Howell hosted Matador Mania, a weekly coaches’ show, for 11 years; spent time as Director of Media & Public Relations and play-by-play voice for two different minor league baseball organizations, and got his start on the air in local television, spending eight years as Sports Director for KYMA-TV, the NBC affiliate for both Yuma and El Centro, California; and three years as the station’s News Director, Managing Editor, and Main News Anchor.
Howell is a Phoenix native, an alumnus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (and Phoenix College), a devout follower of Christ, and the incredibly proud father of his son, Trevar.
