Dakota Howard's Willingness to Fail Fueled his Success

By Will Locklin

Staff Writer

December 7, 2021

BLACKSBURG — Failure isn’t a new concept to Dakota Howard. Rather, it's something that he's dealt with since he was eight years old.

The 197-pounder lost the first 36 matches of his life, experiencing defeat week in and week out on the mat.

“I was still [so young] and it was very discouraging,” Howard recalled in a recent interview with 3304 Sports. “Especially for someone who was a beginner at the sport [who hasn’t] had the feeling of winning.”

His father signed him up for wrestling, mainly because he wanted his son “to be tougher” and in good shape to play other organized youth sports. Despite the slow start to his career, Howard’s father knew he would make a turnaround.

“My dad said you will get better if you stick with the sport and he gave me a lot of wisdom and helped me persevere,” Howard added.

And that’s exactly what he did — persevere — and eventually it led to his first victory on the mat.

He won his first match in overtime at a wrestling tournament at his future middle school, and when the referee raised his hand to signal the win, Dakota threw his hands up in celebration. He said that his parents took him to get ice cream afterwards, but he wanted more. That winning feeling that itched inside him for so long soon turned into a burning passion.

Since then, Howardhas had a considerable amount of success on the mat, finishing runner-up in two Ohio state championships, and winning the freestyle championship in 2017.

In his time at Virginia Tech he placed third in the ACC Championship and earned an ACC Wrestler of the week award last season. As the 2021 wrestling season kicks into gear, Howard has set his sights on the ultimate goal in the sport.

“I want to be an NCAA champ,” he said. “I feel like that’s everyone's goal on the team. If it’s not your goal then you’re in the wrong place.”

Improving his technique and skills on the mat will be critical if he wants to accomplish this goal, which is something he recognizes.

“Be more aware of what I’m doing on the mat and be more in the zone,” Howard said. “I need to be aware of my technique because I know I can go forever.”

The physical side isn’t an issue for him. Howard excels in all the physical aspects of wrestling. However it’s the mental side that he knows he must improve upon if he wants to accomplish his lofty goal.

So far in his wrestling career Howard has had many influences that have helped him get to where he is now. But when asked about the best piece of advice he’s received, he repeated what his high school coach told him years ago.

“Don’t focus on what’s going on in the match as a whole, just focus on scoring the next point,” he recalled. “Whether you’re down, up or tired, just focus on scoring the next point and the match will take care of itself.”

After his time at Virginia Tech is over, Howard intends to pursue a mixed martial arts career as a fighter in the UFC. Some of his family members have been involved in the MMA world and he wants to follow in their footsteps.

Having a wrestling background can be very useful for UFC fighters, Howard said.

“A lot of UFC champions started out as wrestlers. It builds you for any kind of fighting and can give you some natural advantages. You don’t have to deal with cutting weight and there’s just overall less wear and tear on your body.”

Expanding outside of the fighting world, Howard wants to start his own business on top of his fighting career. He’s a business major at Tech and it’s another passion Howard had.

“My business teacher told me that no matter how much money you put into a business you have to be willing to take risks,” Howard added. “You can’t be scared to fail or else you won’t succeed.”

He ventured to the business side when the NCAA approved Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes over the summer. He noted that, while wrestling isn’t a sport with massive financial opportunities, it can still be quite lucrative for those that want it.

Howard is currently sponsored by the company Defense Soap, which sells anti-fungal soap specifically to wrestlers. Howard also has plans to make a profit off artwork on t-shirts for his future personal brand, Junkyard Dog — his nickname that’s been embraced, not only by his team, but the Blacksburg community.

Howard has grinded through his entire career to get to where he is now. He didn’t start out as a natural at the sport, but through hard work and determination he made it as a college wrestler.

The challenges, failures, and lessons have all made him more prepared to face what is to come in both the business and wrestling world.