 Bayne was considered by many to be Mears greatest intimidator, “Howard was the greatest intimidator I have ever had on a basketball team,” Mears told the Knoxville Journal's Ben Byrd in “The Basketball Vols.” “When Howard went after the ball, there weren’t many people who felt like arguing with him.”

He was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the 15th round (107th pick overall) of the 1966 NBA draft.He played for the Kentucky Colonels (1967–68) in the American Basketball Association for 69 games.As a Colonel, Bayne was known as an "enforcer skilled primarily at fouling the opposition".