Chuck Howley
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| Chuck Howley | |
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| Position(s): Linebacker |
Jersey #(s): 54 |
| Born: June 28, 1936 Wheeling, West Virginia |
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| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1958–1973 | |
| NFL Draft: 1958 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | |
| College: West Virginia | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| Sacks | 26.5 |
| Interceptions | 25 |
| Touchdowns | 2 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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Charles Louis Howley (born June 28, 1936 in Wheeling, West Virginia) was an American football linebacker in the NFL who spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys.
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[edit] Collegiate career
While attending West Virginia University and playing college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, Howley was a 3-time All-Southern Conference selection and was the Southern Conference Player of the Year in 1957. Howley not only lettered in football, but also in track, diving, gymnastics, and wrestling. Howley played guard and center during his three years at varsity, and the Mountaineers compiled a 21-8-1 mark during the tenure, including a 21-7 victory over Penn State which would be the last until 1984. Howley played in three college all-star games -- the East-West Shrine Game, the College Football All-Star Game and the Senior Bowl, which gained notice by the Chicago Bears.
[edit] Pro career
Drafted out of West Virginia University by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft, Howley played for the Bears for two seasons before retiring after what appeared to be a career-ending knee injury during the 1959 season. When Howley decided to make a comeback in 1961 following a West Virginia alumni game, the Bears traded his rights to the Dallas Cowboys for two future draft picks in 1963. Tom Landry, the head coach of the newly formed Cowboys, made the gamble to try to perfect his 'Doomsday Defense'.
Howley played with the Cowboys for 165 games over thirteen seasons, playing in two NFL Championships and helping the Cowboys to two Super Bowls. Howley played mainly outside linebacker with his blazing speed. Howley was also named Super Bowl MVP for Super Bowl V, intercepting 2 passes and recovering a fumble in the Cowboys 16-13 loss to the Colts. It was the first time that a defensive player received the honor and the first and so far only time a player from the losing team won the award. The following season, Dallas made it back to the Super Bowl, and again Howley had a great performance, recording a fumble recovery and a 41-yard interception in the Cowboys 24-3 win to the Miami Dolphins. Howley's great performance was under MVP-consideration, but his teammate Roger Staubach won the MVP honor.
During his career, Howley intercepted 25 passes, returning them for 399 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also recovered 17 fumbles, returning them for 171 yards and 1 touchdown. Howley is second in Cowboys' history with his 16 fumbles recovered. Howley also had a large number of tackles and quarterback sacks, but these statistics were not compiled until after Howley's career ended so his unofficial sack total is 26.5 according to the Dallas Cowboys with a career high of 5-1/2 sacks in 1965. Howley was named All-Pro six times in his career, was a six-time Pro Bowler and was named to the All-Eastern Conference team in 1963. He retired after the 1973 season. His 14-seasons as a Cowboy is the second-longest tenure in team history.
In 1976, Howley was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium, the fourth player to receive that honor. However, he has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while being inducted into the West Virginia Athletics Hall of Fame.
Howley lives in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of north Dallas.
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[edit] External links
| Preceded by Len Dawson |
NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl V, 1971 |
Succeeded by Roger Staubach |
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