Former Dolphins WR Howard Twilley dies at 81
No cause of death was given.
'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Howard Twilley, a founding player for the Dolphins in 1966. His touchdown in Super Bowl VII helped the Dolphins cap the NFL's only perfect season and his contributions to the organization will be forever remembered,' the Dolphins said in a statement.
Twilley caught a 28-yard touchdown pass, the first touchdown in Super Bowl VII that was won by the Dolphins 14-7 over Washington. It capped Miami's 17-0 season.
He also played for the Dolphins in 1973 as the team repeated as Super Bowl champions.
Twilley made 212 receptions for 3,064 yards and 23 touchdowns during an 11-year pro career that lasted until 1976.
He was even better in college, finishing second in the Heisman race to USC's Mike Garrett in 1965. Twilley made 134 catches for 1,779 yards that season, setting NCAA records that stood for more than two decades.
He ended his college career with 261 receptions for 3,343 yards and 32 touchdowns. His school record for career receiving yards stood until Keylon Stokes broke it in 2022.
The Vikings selected Twilley in the 14th round of the 1966 NFL draft, and Miami chose him in the 12th round of the AFL draft. He chose the Dolphins, a first-year team, and stayed with them his entire pro career.
After retirement, Twilley owned sporting goods stores in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.
He earned induction into the Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1995. Tulsa has retired Twilley's No. 81 jersey.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
American Express Adds to its Expansive Global Sports and Entertainment Portfolio with New Partnerships with Hard Rock Stadium, the Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Dolphins
Amex Presale Tickets™ for the Formula 1® Miami Grand Prix Will Be On-Sale August 20 Through August 25, exclusively for Card Members NEW YORK, August 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express will now offer even more access and perks for Card Members in South Florida as the new Official Payments Partner of Hard Rock Stadium, the FORMULA 1® MIAMI GRAND PRIX and the Miami Dolphins. The new, multi-year partnership will provide eligible Amex® Card Members with access to Amex Presale Tickets™, special fan experiences, exclusive lounges and more. "As Amex continues to grow its powerhouse portfolio of sports and entertainment sponsorships globally, these new partnerships in Miami elevate the access and experience for our Card Members and enhance the value of their Membership," said Bess Spaeth, Executive Vice President, Global Brand Management and Experiences, American Express. "We're committed to showing up for our Card Members at the moments they love the most, and offering unique ways to make them even more special." "We are excited to partner with American Express to bring even more value to fans across our events at Hard Rock Stadium, including Miami Dolphins games and the FORMULA 1® MIAMI GRAND PRIX," said Jason Green, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins and the FORMULA 1® MIAMI GRAND PRIX. "This partnership is rooted in our shared commitment to enhance the customer experience and we are thrilled to work with Amex to bring a host of new benefits for our guests and their Card Members to enjoy here in Miami Gardens." Amex's sponsorship of the FORMULA 1® MIAMI GRAND PRIX follows its 2025 expansion into more than 20 races around the world. At the 2026 FORMULA 1® MIAMI GRAND PRIX – scheduled for May 1-3, 2026 – Amex will create an immersive Fan Experience, provide perks for Card Members like the beloved Amex Race Radios to listen to all of the track action, and more. Beginning today, August 20th, at 12pm ET through August 25th at 12pm, Card Members have access to Amex Presale Tickets™ for Grandstand seats while supplies last. Tickets and perks available while supplies last. Terms apply. Learn more here. As part of this new deal, Hard Rock Stadium will join the American Express Venue Collection™, a benefit for eligible Card Members which includes an assortment of perks at arenas and entertainment venues around the globe, beginning with 2025 Miami Dolphins regular season games and entertainment events at Hard Rock Stadium. As a part of the American Express Venue Collection™, eligible Card Members can enroll to access an exclusive concession offer, plus all Card Members have access to Amex Presale Tickets™ and a dedicated Card Member entrance. Platinum Card® Members will also have access to an exclusive lounge in Hard Rock Stadium located on the Empower Club and Suite Level in the West Endzone. Tickets available while supplies last. Capacity limitations and terms apply. These new sponsorships enhance American Express' world-class portfolio of sports and entertainment partnerships around the globe, across basketball, tennis, golf, music, theater, and more. ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS American Express (NYSE: AXP) is a global payments and premium lifestyle brand powered by technology. Our colleagues around the world back our customers with differentiated products, services and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Founded in 1850 and headquartered in New York, American Express' brand is built on trust, security, and service, and a rich history of delivering innovation and Membership value for our customers. With over a hundred million merchant locations across our global network, we seek to provide the world's best customer experience every day to a broad range of consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, and large corporations. For more information about American Express, visit and ABOUT HARD ROCK STADIUM Hard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination and curator of world-class events. The best-in-class venue is home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami Hurricanes football team, the Orange Bowl, Formula 1® Miami Grand Prix, Miami Open presented by Itaú, major concerts, the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game and FIFA World Cup 2026™. Due to its overall sustainability efforts, the multifunctional venue holds Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation rating. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contacts: American Express Curt Hard Rock Stadium / Miami Dolphins / F1 Miami Grand Prix Brett Brecheisenbbrecheisen@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
Buccaneers land versatile linebacker in PFF's 2021 NFL re-draft
The NFL Draft remains the second-biggest event in the NFL calendar behind the Super Bowl. Like it or not, it remains one of the biggest things fans and media enjoy revisiting to see "what could have been." Pro Football Focus has done a good job this offseason by starting a re-draft series that we have been tracking here on Bucs Wire. In their latest draft, they looked back on, it just so happens to be one of the more impactful ones in recent memory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise: The 2021 NFL Draft. Coming off a Super Bowl, the roster was expected to compete for another with a returning Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and Lavonte David. Jason Licht went for a home run and selected Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, which did not work out. Fast forward a few years, and the former Washington Husky is now with the Cleveland Browns. Ironically, that team is where we get the alternate pick for the Bucs in this re-draft in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The versatile linebacker would be a dynamic pick for the Bucs, as Trevor Sikkema explains. "The Buccaneers had Devin White with Lavonte David in their linebacker room at the time of this draft, but as we now know, that was not for the long haul. They have since been searching for a long-term answer at linebacker. JOK posted single-season PFF WAR marks of 0.25 in 2023 and 0.25 in 2021, good for sixth best and 12th best at the position. He also earned a 76.0 PFF overall grade in three of his four seasons, as well as a 91.7 PFF run-defense grade in 2024. Owusu-Koramoah is set to miss all of 2025 with a neck injury, which does cloud his projection moving forward." Sadly, Owusu-Koramoah is now dealing with some injuries and is going to miss the 2025 season. He remains one of the more prominent young linebackers in the NFL, and at age 25, he is one of the best at his position.
Axios
15 minutes ago
- Axios
The NFL's Surface tablets get an AI upgrade
The National Football League's ubiquitous — and oft-maligned — Surface tablets are getting an AI-infused upgrade, officials from the league and Microsoft tell Axios. Why it matters: The league is trying to give coaches faster access to the data they want, while stopping short of letting the AI make decisions. Driving the news: The NFL and Microsoft on Wednesday announced an expanded, multiyear extension to their longtime partnership. As part of the upgrade, Microsoft is providing teams 2,500 new Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ tablets leaguewide. The tablets, which arrived before the start of the 2025 preseason, allow coaches and players to use Copilot to quickly pull up video clips from specific scenarios such as scoring plays or those on a certain down. Zoom in: Coaches up in the booth will have access to AI copilots that help them navigate massive Excel spreadsheets to track things like personnel groupings and snap counts. In the past, coaches would track everything in the game using Excel, but often resorted to pen and paper to do their analysis of the data. The league is also expanding its use of Microsoft devices to help folks on the business side with game-day operations. Some teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, have already been using AI to help with tracking wait times at entrances and concessions. (The league has let teams experiment with AI for non-football operations on game day but has, until now, prohibited on-field use.) Catch up quick: The NFL has been using Microsoft's tablets since 2014. There were initial glitches and frustrations — including a few memorable moments of players and coaches manhandling the tablets. "Whatever's in their hand is going to be the receiving end of the displeasure of the results," NFL deputy CIO Aaron Amendolia told Axios. Adding insult to injury, the Microsoft-branded tablets were regularly referred to as " iPad-like tools." The big picture: Harnessing massive amounts of data to make better decisions has been a trend in sports for some time. The key is to ensure the technology is reliable and equitable, Amendolia said. The NFL is also using AI to help identify unsafe plays and develop better protective gear and practices, in partnership with Amazon, as Axios showed off at last year's AI+ Summit in New York. Yes, but: The league — at least for now — is using AI to allow coaches and players to get to the information they want faster, but not allowing the technology to offer its own play call suggestions. Between the lines: The league hopes that the new devices relieve frustrations rather than adding to them. The primary goal of the tablets has always been to get teams more information faster. Coaches only have about 40 seconds between plays. Before the Surface, it used to take several minutes to see data on what worked and what didn't in a play. "There was this time lag that was preventing coaches and players from making faster decisions," Microsoft corporate VP Bryson Gordon told Axios.
