Billy Howton, believed to have been the oldest living NFL player, dies at 95
Advertisement
Howton scored the Packers' first receiving touchdown at Lambeau Field in 1957. He was a second-round selection by the Packers in 1952 and became the first NFL rookie with a 1,000-yard receiving season after recording 1,231 yards that year. He led the league in receiving yards twice, was named to four Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
He holds Green Bay's single-game franchise record with 257 receiving yards in a 1956 game against the Los Angeles Rams, and when he retired in 1963, he was the NFL's all-time leading receiver in receptions (503) and receiving yards (8,459). He was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1974.
'For my money, Howton is the toughest pass receiver to cover in the National League,' Hall of Fame safety Emlen Tunnell said before the 1958 season, which was Howton's last with the Packers.
Advertisement
After seven years in Green Bay, Howton was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1959 and then to Dallas as a member of the Cowboys' inaugural team in 1960. He spent the rest of his career there, playing for coach Tom Landry with quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith.
Howton was a consistent presence in the NFLPA during its early years and attended every player rep meeting between 1956 and 1961. He represented the Packers at the first NFLPA meeting in 1956 and brought with him a list of four grievances that famously included a need for clean towels, shirts, and jock straps for second practices — when NFL teams held two practices a day.
He was elected as the organization's first president in 1958 and threatened to bring an antitrust suit against the NFL if it didn't establish a pension plan for retired players. The league's pension plan was subsequently created in 1959.
Howton was an All-American in college at Rice and is a member of the Rice Hall of Fame. He is survived by his three children, Karin, Kimberly, and William.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Panthers film review: Rookies flash in preseason opener against Browns
Carolina Panthers fans got just the second full look at their team this summer on Friday night, when they hosted the Cleveland Browns for the preseason opener. And now, it's time to get a second peek at that second look. With the NFL finally returning to some real in-game action, we took a dive into the All-22 film for some lessons from the 30-10 defeat. While sloppy at times, the Panthers proved to be a physical squad—bringing their effort despite the not-so-successful results. We also learned a few things about a few notable players. Here are a handful of key takeaways from the film . . . Bobby Brown III could be a huge piece in 2025 Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had operated without a true nose tackle during his previous two years in Carolina. That has changed, now that the Panthers have added former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Bobby Brown III. The 6-foot-4, 332-pounder should end up being a significant upgrade for this Panthers defense, which allowed a league-worst (by far) 179.8 rushing yards per contest in 2024. He has the ability to take on double teams and can be effective on passing downs, as evidenced by his team-high five pressures on Friday. Brown showed his power, quickness and penetration skills throughout the contest . . . Austin Corbett has the lead in the center battle The battle for the starting center job between Austin Corbett and Cade Mays may be the biggest one of all in Carolina this summer. And on Friday, Corbett showed why he's currently listed as the first-stringer. Corbett may have already returned to form after missing 12 games last season due to a biceps injury. He was consistent at resetting his hands and base when needed, anchoring well to stonewall interior rushes. Mays is a good mover for his size and will bully defenders as he so chooses. There were some instances where he contained stunt/twist games up front, with emphasis on anchoring and hand placement. However, there were times when defenders succeeded in attacking his outside shoulder, and he lost a rep or two in the process. This should be a competitive fight to the end, but Corbett has the lead and may not look back. Nic Scourton flashes potential 2025 third-round pick Nic Scourton shined, eating up space with quickness and impressive movement skills in the open field. There were times when he played out of control in his rushes, but he still brought consistent pressure off the edge. The rookie outside linebacker displays outstanding effort and pursuit ability, as evidenced by his chase-down sack of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. While there will be a learning curve for the soon-to-be 21-year-old, the explosiveness and power from Scourton already translates. Dan Morgan's latest undrafted gem Former Louisville cornerback Corey Thornton has been one of the standout rookies in Panthers training camp this summer. He's really forced himself into the forefront over the past week, filling in for starter Jaycee Horn both at Fan Fest and in this exhibition outing. Thornton has good size and length at 6-foot-1 and possesses the physical temperament that could be helpful in man-to-man looks. He is physical in coverage, especially press-man, though some false steps cost him at times. One of the highlights of the night came off an end-around by Cleveland in the second quarter—where Thornton accelerated downhill, came to balance, then picked up and threw the ball carrier to the ground. Quick hitters Jalen Coker is making a case to be the No. 2 target on this Panthers offense. His ball skills, football intelligence and route running flashed in a big way, including on a 5-yard touchdown reception. Inside linebackers Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom will benefit from Carolina's upgrades on the defensive line. Wallace, for example, was able to collect a run stop in the first quarter when the interior front swallowed up double teams to help free the B-gap. With offensive coordinator Brad Idzik calling plays last night, the cadence, communication and play-call tendencies were drastically different. In short, it was a 'vanilla' approach Friday evening, which may partially explain the drop in play from the first-team to the second-team unit. The same can be said for Evero's defense, which was being called by defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. Like the offense, the defense had different tendencies, cadences, calls and more. However, the similarities between both unites exemplified a physical brand of football for all four quarters, despite the blowout. Not the news that Demani Richardson fans were wanting to hear, but the second-year safety still has a lot of room for improvement. He took bad angles to the ball and was responsible for giving up a few big plays. He may be losing ground to 2025 fourth-round pick Lathan Ransom and veteran Nick Scott, one of the two current starters at the article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers film review: Rookies flash in preseason opener against Browns
USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
Panthers film review: Rookies flash in preseason opener against Browns
Carolina Panthers fans got just the second full look at their team this summer on Friday night, when they hosted the Cleveland Browns for the preseason opener. And now, it's time to get a second peek at that second look. With the NFL finally returning to some real in-game action, we took a dive into the All-22 film for some lessons from the 30-10 defeat. While sloppy at times, the Panthers proved to be a physical squad—bringing their effort despite the not-so-successful results. We also learned a few things about a few notable players. Here are a handful of key takeaways from the film . . . Bobby Brown III could be a huge piece in 2025 Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had operated without a true nose tackle during his previous two years in Carolina. That has changed, now that the Panthers have added former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Bobby Brown III. The 6-foot-4, 332-pounder should end up being a significant upgrade for this Panthers defense, which allowed a league-worst (by far) 179.8 rushing yards per contest in 2024. He has the ability to take on double teams and can be effective on passing downs, as evidenced by his team-high five pressures on Friday. Brown showed his power, quickness and penetration skills throughout the contest . . . #Panthers needed a true NT, and made one of my favorite signings in FA by adding Bobby Brown III. He flashed against Cleveland what he could bring to the table this take on dbls; long, powerful, massive human; impressive array of initial moves to win. Austin Corbett has the lead in the center battle The battle for the starting center job between Austin Corbett and Cade Mays may be the biggest one of all in Carolina this summer. And on Friday, Corbett showed why he's currently listed as the first-stringer. Corbett may have already returned to form after missing 12 games last season due to a biceps injury. He was consistent at resetting his hands and base when needed, anchoring well to stonewall interior rushes. Mays is a good mover for his size and will bully defenders as he so chooses. There were some instances where he contained stunt/twist games up front, with emphasis on anchoring and hand placement. However, there were times when defenders succeeded in attacking his outside shoulder, and he lost a rep or two in the process. This should be a competitive fight to the end, but Corbett has the lead and may not look back. Nic Scourton flashes potential 2025 third-round pick Nic Scourton shined, eating up space with quickness and impressive movement skills in the open field. There were times when he played out of control in his rushes, but he still brought consistent pressure off the edge. The rookie outside linebacker displays outstanding effort and pursuit ability, as evidenced by his chase-down sack of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. While there will be a learning curve for the soon-to-be 21-year-old, the explosiveness and power from Scourton already translates. It's fun watch Nic Scourton's power and explosiveness. Like most rookies, there's room for improvement. With Scourton, playing with more control to reset is key. However, there's plenty to like from the #Panthers 2nd round pick. Dan Morgan's latest undrafted gem Former Louisville cornerback Corey Thornton has been one of the standout rookies in Panthers training camp this summer. He's really forced himself into the forefront over the past week, filling in for starter Jaycee Horn both at Fan Fest and in this exhibition outing. Thornton has good size and length at 6-foot-1 and possesses the physical temperament that could be helpful in man-to-man looks. He is physical in coverage, especially press-man, though some false steps cost him at times. One of the highlights of the night came off an end-around by Cleveland in the second quarter—where Thornton accelerated downhill, came to balance, then picked up and threw the ball carrier to the ground. #Panthers UDFA and former Louisville CB Corey Thornton is quickly becoming a winner from training camp/ good size and length. Plays physical in all aspects. Adequate closing/recovery room for growth. Let's see how he does the rest of the way. Quick hitters Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
an hour ago
Mitchell scores 26 to lead injury-riddled Fever past Sky 92-70
INDIANAPOLIS -- Kelsey Mitchell scored 26 points and Lexie Hull scored 17 points and the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky 92-70 on Saturday. Sophie Cunningham scored 10 of her 16 points before halftime and Aliyah Boston scored 15 points for Indiana (18-14). Hull was inserted into the starting lineup after the Fever ruled Friday that Sydney Colson would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn left ACL while fellow guard Aari McDonald was also ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken bone in her right foot. Indiana was again without guard Caitlin Clark who hasn't played since July 15 when she aggravated a previous groin injury during a game against Connecticut. There is no timetable for Clark's return to action. For its part, the Sky didn't have the services of Angel Reese due to a back injury. She's missed five straight games and there is no set timetable for her return. She's only played twice since the All-Star break. The Fever built a 48-37 halftime lead shooting 17 for 33 (51.5%) and finished 33 for 70 (47.1%) overall. Hull shot 4 for 6 from 3-point range and Mitchell 4 for 8 from distance. Rachel Banham scored 11 points and reserve Maddy Westbeld scored 10 for Chicago (8-23). Indiana started the third quarter with an 8-0 run and cruised from there. Mitchell's shot with 2.9 seconds left in the quarter gave Indiana its first 20-point lead.
