Background
Cann was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a family of accomplished sportsmen. His father, Frank Cann, was the director of physical education at New York University, which both Howard and his younger brother Tedford Cann attended.
Cann was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a family of accomplished sportsmen. His father, Frank Cann, was the director of physical education at New York University, which both Howard and his younger brother Tedford Cann attended.
Howard first attended Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey, and then the High School of Commerce in New York City. He briefly attended Dartmouth College and then transferred to New York University.
He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player. Tedford was an Olympic swimmer and world-record holder in the 200 meter freestyle. During his freshman year in 1914, Howard was the leading scorer on the New York University Violets men"s basketball team
He was captain of the 1916-1917 football team, where he played as a tackle, a punter, and also played in the backfield.
Howard resumed his studies at New York University in 1919, after the end of the war. A group of newspaper sportswriters also named him as the greatest player in the history of basketball to that date.
He participated in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp as a shot putter, finishing the competition in eighth place with a throw of 13.52 meters. He had originally been scheduled to compete as a hurdler, but broke his legal
That same year, Cann graduated from New York University with a degree in engineering.
Basketball
Football
He also served as Director of Physical Education at New York University from 1931 to retirement in 1958 and is commemorated in seven Sports Halls of Fame.
At Commerce he was captain of the basketball team, member of the track team and member of the Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity.