Latest news with #Howton
Epoch Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Epoch Times
Packers Star Billy Howton, Believed to Have Been the Oldest Living NFL Player, Dies at 95
HOUSTON—Billy Howton, a former Green Bay Packers star regarded as one of the most productive wide receivers of the pre-Super Bowl era who was a founder and the first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95. Howton died in Houston on Monday, according to an obituary. Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed his death on Friday.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Billy Howton, believed to have been the oldest living NFL player, dies at 95
'We are saddened by the passing of Billy Howton,' the NFLPA said in a post on X. 'He was a key figure in the NFLPA's formation & a pioneer for player rights. Because of Billy's advocacy as our first president, today's players have a pension, disability benefits & a voice of their own in the business of football.' 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.
UPI
a day ago
- Sport
- UPI
Billy Howton, Green Bay Packers star, founder of NFLPA, dies at 95
Green Bay Packer and founder of the NFL Players Association has died at 95. File Photo by Kevin M. Cox/UPI | License Photo Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Billy Howton, former Green Bay Packers star and founder and first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95. Howton, born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930, is regarded as one of the most productive wide receivers of the pre-Super Bowl era. He was believed to be the oldest living NFL player. Howton died in Houston on Monday, according to an obituary. The funeral home confirmed his death Friday. Howton played for Green Bay from 1952 to 1958. He was two-time All-Pro and caught 303 passes for 5,581 yards and 43 touchdowns. He still has the franchise record for single-game receiving yards in a game in 1956 against the Los Angeles Rams. He was the first rookie to pick up more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He was traded to the Browns before Vince Lombardi's first season with the Packers. He ended his career playing for the Cowboys from 1960 to 1963. His career finished with 503 catches for 8,459 receiving yards. At the time of his retirement, both of those statistics ranked first in NFL history. He was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1974. He helped found the NFLPA in the 1950s and was its president from 1958 to 1962.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Ex-Packer Billy Howton, believed to have been NFL's oldest living player, dead at 95
HOUSTON — Billy Howton, a former Green Bay Packers star regarded as one of the most productive wide receivers of the pre-Super Bowl era who was a founder and the first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95. Howton died in Houston on Monday, according to an obituary. Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed his death on Friday. Howton was born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930. He was believed to have been the oldest living NFL player. 'We are saddened by the passing of Billy Howton,' the NFLPA said in a post on X. 'He was a key figure in the NFLPA's formation & a pioneer for player rights. Because of Billy's advocacy as our first president, today's players have a pension, disability benefits & a voice of their own in the business of football.' 3 Billy Howton is pictured in 1958 after a conference on the feasibility of a player pension plan. AP 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. 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. 3 Billy Howton is pictured in 1956. The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images 3 Billy Howton is pictured in 1961. AP 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.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Early Cowboys star, former all-time leading receiver Billy Howton passes away at 95
One of the earliest stars in the Cowboys galaxy has dimmed. Wide receiver Billy Howton died on Aug. 4, according to a Houston obituary. At 95, Howton was believed to have been the oldest living NFL player. Howton rose to fame in the 1950s, a second-round draft pick by the Packers out of Rice University. Over seven losing seasons in Green Bay, he made four Pro Bowls, was a two-time first-team All-Pro, led the league in receiving twice, and was the first president of the NFL Players Association. But Vince Lombardi traded Howton away upon his arrival in 1959, sending him to Cleveland for what turned out to be the only winning season of his pro career. He originally told the Browns he planned to retire before the 1960 season, but there was one more chapter of his NFL story to be written. The Dallas Cowboys came into existence in 1960, and Howton wanted to return to his home state for one last ride. His request was granted, and the expansion Cowboys gave up a draft pick to acquire him. Howton suffered through the team's dreadful inaugural campaign but did provide one of the very few bright spots. It was his 11-yard touchdown grab of an Eddie LeBaron pass late in the fourth quarter of a Week 11 game at Yankee Stadium against the powerhouse New York Giants that tied things up, 31-31, in December 1960. The Dallas players celebrated like they had won a championship. In truth, it was just the first non-loss in franchise history (after 10 straight defeats), but it led Howton to sign a three-year deal to stay with the Cowboys. Howtonwent on to lead the Cowboys in receiving in 1961 and 1962 with back-to-back 700-yard seasons; his 56 receptions in 1961 were a personal best. Howton actually became the NFL's all-time receiving leader early in the 1963 season, at a time when the Cowboys lacked much else in the way of star power. He retired at the end of that year with 503 catches for 8,459 yards, walking away as the league's all-time leader in both categories. Passing stats have changed dramatically since then, but Howton's totals still rank him in the NFL's all-time top 100 in receiving yards, ahead of names like Greg Jennings, Golden Tate, and Sterling Sharpe. His 2,368 receiving yards as a Cowboy place him 28th among the franchise's historical leaders, in front of notables including Joey Galloway, Preston Pearson, Pettis Norman, and Golden Richards. Despite his accomplishments, Howton has never been a finalist or even a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nevertheless, Howton lived "a long and lucky life," according to his obituary. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
