Anyone who regularly watched ESPN in the early aughts knows the name Howie Schwab.
Back before we had access to every stat we ever wanted or could tune into Sports Jeopardy! (which Schwab worked on), ESPN’s Stump The Schwab was the gold standard of sports nerdom and Howie was the undisputed trivia king. Many tried to defeat him on the series hosted by the late Stuart Scott. Few came close to succeeding.
On Saturday, ESPN announced Schwab’s death at age 63 according to his family:
Schwab joined ESPN in 1987 and worked for the company through 2013. Along with his work on multiple ESPN shows, he was perhaps best known as the final challenge on “Stump the Schwab,” where contestants would attempt to outduel him in a trivia showdown for cash prizes. The show aired from 2004 to 2006.
It’s a profound loss for a generation of sports fans and many immediately began mourning his passing by sharing their fondest memories.
