Tim Howard – Scoring Off the Football Pitch
Great accomplishments are possible even under adversity. The football (soccer) star, Tim Howard has, in his short life, overcome such adversity to excel in much more than just the sports arena. Tim was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome as a child. While Tourette’s can be the cause of spontaneous profanity that is a rare manifestation of a neurological disorder that causes motor and vocal tics to develop. Its most usual exhibition is facial twitches or involuntary sounds created by air moving through the mouth, nose or throat.
Despite this early handicap, it was observed that Tim had great potential for sports. By high school, he was excelling not only on the football pitch but in baseball and basketball. With the help and coaching of numerous people beginning with Tim Mulqueen, the Assistant Coach of the USA’s U-17 National Soccer Team, he has earned his place in the sports world. Adding to the physical prowess he has demonstrated Tim has also made an indelible mark in the world as a humanitarian.
Rather than suppress the fact he has Tourette’s, Tim has dedicated his life to helping children who suffer the affliction along with him. His success with this work earned him the Major League Soccer Humanitarian of the Year award in 2001. Through his continued efforts with Athletes in Action, Tim continues to score real life points as he leverages his sports popularity to show disadvantaged children that it is possible to overcome adversity and find their way to success in whatever field of endeavor they dream of pursuing.