NFL player Billy Howton, presumed to be the oldest surviving athlete in the league, passes away at 95 years old.
Billy Howton, Legendary NFL Wide Receiver and Founder of the NFL Players Association, Passes Away
Billy Howton, a former Green Bay Packers star and the founder of the NFL Players Association, passed away on Monday in Houston. He was 91.
Howton had a highly productive NFL career as a wide receiver, playing from 1952 to 1963. He finished with 503 receptions, 8,459 receiving yards, and 61 touchdown catches. Upon retirement, he was the NFL's all-time leader in both receptions and receiving yards [1][2][5].
Key achievements and career highlights include:
- First NFL rookie to record a 1,000-yard receiving season, with 1,231 yards in 1952 [2][4].
- Led the NFL in receiving yards twice, in 1952 and 1957 [2][3].
- Led the league in touchdown receptions in 1956 [3].
- Four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection [2][3][4].
- Holds Green Bay Packers single-game receiving yards record with 257 yards in 1956, one of only two Packers receivers with multiple 200-yard games (alongside Don Hutson) [2][4].
- Scored the Packers' first receiving touchdown at Lambeau Field in 1957 [2][4].
- Played primarily for the Green Bay Packers (1952–58), then the Cleveland Browns (1959), and finished with the Dallas Cowboys (1960–63), where he led the Cowboys in receptions in 1961 [2].
Beyond his playing career, Howton was a founder and the first president of the NFL Players Association, serving from 1958 to 1961, playing a significant role in player representation and rights development [2][3][4][5].
He was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1974 [3][2]. These accomplishments made Howton one of the most notable wide receivers of the 1950s NFL era.
Howton was born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930. He was a second-round selection by the Packers in 1952. Hall of Fame safety Emlen Tunnell stated that Howton was the toughest pass receiver to cover in the National League before the 1958 season [2].
During his time with the Dallas Cowboys, Howton played for coach Tom Landry with quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith [2]. He spent the rest of his career in Dallas.
The Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed Howton's death on Friday. He was a two-time All-Pro and an All-American in college at Rice, where he is a member of the Rice Hall of Fame.
Howton's contributions to the NFL extend beyond his impressive statistics. As the founder of the NFL Players Association, he played a crucial role in shaping the future of player representation and rights in the league. His legacy will continue to be remembered and celebrated by football fans and players alike.
[1] - Pro Football Hall of Fame: Billy Howton [2] - Green Bay Packers: Billy Howton [3] - NFL: Billy Howton [4] - Sports Reference: Billy Howton [5] - Rice University Athletics: Billy Howton
American football, specifically NFL, lost one of its legendary wide receivers as Billy Howton, the founder of the NFL Players Association, passed away at the age of 91. Known for his impressive statistics and significant contributions, Howton was a two-time All-Pro and an All-American in college football at Rice, cementing his status as a key figure in the development of football, not just in the NFL, but across American sports.
