Beloved coach and a Tri-Cities Olympian inducted into Bulldog Hall of Fame
Two distinguished Bulldog alumni were inducted into the Pasco High School Hall of Fame last week.
Marisa Howard, a 2010 salutatorian, is an Olympian who ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Paris in 2024. She currently works as an assistant track and field coach at Boise State.
Robert Booth, a 1991 graduate, was a dedicated Chiawana Riverhawks football coach, teacher and father who died in 2023 from a medical condition.
Both were honored at a Thursday ceremony in the Pasco High School auditorium. Staff also recognized CTE and STEM student achievement with the Golden Bulldogs Award, a tradition of more than 15 years.
In an Instagram post, Howard said she was “very, very honored” to be inducted.
Howard, whose maiden name is Vander Malle, broke multiple school records in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races, earning her top podium finishes at state competitions.
She ran for the Orange and Blue from 2010 to 2015 in long distance events, earning the title of an NCAA All-American, school record-holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She also led her team to the women’s cross country nationals.
She earned a top spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team by running a qualifying steeplechase time of 9:07, the eighth-fastest time in the world, according to her Boise bio. She’s competed in two Pan American Games, and took home a silver medal in 2019.
Howard is currently preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Honored coach
Booth was an all-league Bulldog athlete in both football and basketball. He was named the Washington State Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1990.
Booth went on to play for the famed WSU defensive squad “Palouse Posse” from 1991 to 1996, with appearances in the Copper Bowl and Alamo Bowl.
He wore the #52 — a jersey number that was passed down to his kids, who attended and participated in Chiawana athletics. He and his wife, Becky, together raised four children.
Booth began working for the Pasco School District in 2003. He taught at Emerson Elementary, Marie Curie STEM Elementary and McLoughlin Middle School.
He also previously coached basketball at Pasco High and football at Ochoa Middle School, and was remember by co-workers as “an engaged educator who created a positive learning environment that supported student learning.”