View source for Chuck Howley

{{Infobox NFLretired
|image= File:Chuck_howley_cowboys.jpg|250px
|Color=#152F86
|fontcolor=#B7BFCC
|caption = Signed photo of Howley with the Dallas Cowboys
|position=[[Linebacker]]
|number=54
|birthdate={{Birth date and age|1936|6|28|mf=yes}} in Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
|deathdate=<!--{{Death date and age|20YY|MM|DD|1936|6|28|mf=yes}}--> 
|Height_ft=6
|Height_in=3
|Weight_lbs=228
|draftyear=1958
|draftround=1
|draftpick=7
|debutyear=1958
|finalyear=1973
|debutteam=[[Chicago Bears]]
|finalteam=[[Dallas Cowboys]]
|high_school=[[Wheeling, West Virginia#Education|Warwood]]<br>(Wheeling, West Virginia)
|college=[[West Virginia Mountaineers football|West Virginia]] (1954–1957)
|teams=<nowiki></nowiki>
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1958}}–{{NFL Year|1959}})
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] ({{NFL Year|1961}}–{{NFL Year|1973}})
|highlights=
* [[Super Bowl]] champion ([[Super Bowl VI|VI]])
* [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]] ([[Super Bowl V|V]])
* 5× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1966 All-Pro Team|1966]]–[[1970 All-Pro Team|1970]])
* Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1971 All-Pro Team|1971]])
* 6× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1966 Pro Bowl|1965]]–[[1970 Pro Bowl|1969]], [[1972 Pro Bowl|1971]])
* [[Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor]]
* 3× [[Southern Conference|All-SoCon]] (1955–1957)
|stat1label=[[Interception]]s / Int. Yards
|stat1value=25 INT, 399 yards
|stat2label=[[Touchdown]]s / Fumbles recoverd
|stat2value=2 TDs, 18 fumbles recovered
|stat3label= Games played
|stat3value= 180 
|nfl=Chuck-Howley
|pfr=HowlCh00
| HOF = chuck-howley
}}

'''Charles Louis "Chuck" Howley''' (born June 28, 1936, in Wheeling, West Virginia) is a former American football [[linebacker]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He spent his first two seasons with the [[Chicago Bears]], who selected him seventh overall in the [[1958 NFL Draft]], before playing the remainder of his career for th [[Dallas Cowboys]]. Recognized as an original member of the Doomsday Defense, Howley received six [[Pro Bowl]] and five first-team All-Pro selections, while appearing in two consecutive [[Super Bowl|Super Bowls]] and winning [[Super Bowl VI]]. Howley was also named the MVP of [[Super Bowl V]] and is the only player on a losing team to receive the award. He will be inducted in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2023.
==Playing career==
Howley played with the Cowboys for 165 games over thirteen seasons, in two [[History of the National Football League championship|NFL championship games]] and two [[Super Bowl]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/226864-best-linebackers-not-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame/page/0|title = Canton Conundrum: The Best Linebackers Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame|website = [[Wikipedia:Bleacher Report|Bleacher Report]]}}</ref> He was also named [[Wikipedia:Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|most valuable player]] of [[Super Bowl V]], after intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble in the Cowboys' 16-13 loss to the [[1970 Baltimore Colts|Colts]], making him the first defensive player and non-quarterback to receive the honor. To date, he is also the only player from the losing team to win the award. Howley stated that he did not care about the award, which meant nothing to him since Dallas had lost, and only accepted the honor because it included the awarding of a brand-new station wagon that he could give to his wife as a gift.

The following season, Dallas made it back to [[Super Bowl VI]], and Howley recorded a fumble recovery and a 41-yard interception in the Cowboys 24-3 win over the [[1971 Miami Dolphins|Miami Dolphins]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1241&dat=19720117&id=HkUPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8IUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6310,382996&hl=es | title=Dallas Dumps Dolphins |work=news.google.com | accessdate=February 19, 2016}}</ref>

During his career, Howley [[interception|intercepted]] 25 passes, returning them for 399 yards and two [[touchdown]]s. He finished with more than 100 yards in interception returns for both the [[1968 NFL season|1968]] and [[1971 NFL season|1971]] seasons. He also recovered 18 fumbles, returning them for 191 yards and one [[touchdown]]. He is second in Cowboys' history with his 17 fumbles recovered. His 97-yard return of a fumble during a game against the [[Atlanta Falcons]] on October 2, 1966, is still the second longest in Cowboys history. He also had a large number of tackles and [[quarterback sack]]s, 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 5.5 sacks in [[1965 NFL season|1965]]. Howley was named first-team [[All-Pro]] five times in his career, was a six-time [[Pro Bowl]]er and was named to the All-Eastern Conference team in [[1963 NFL season|1963]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2512&dat=19730601&id=zxJIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gQANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4821,82213&hl=es | title=Chuck Howley Retires From Pro Football |work=news.google.com | accessdate=June 15, 2023}}</ref>

Howley suffered a left knee injury from a [[Wikipedia:Glossary of American football#C|crackback block]] by [[Charley Taylor]] in the win over rival [[1972 Washington Redskins|Washington Redskins]] late in the [[1972 Dallas Cowboys]] regular season.<ref name=lbclmirk >{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iTgcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_1kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7249%2C1935303  |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas |title=Illegal blocking claim irks Dallas' Alworth |date=December 13, 1972 |page=2B}}</ref> He missed the [[1972–73 NFL playoffs|playoffs]] and retired in June.<ref name=dpoffbd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0blQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5F8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4340%2C413697 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |agency=Associated Press |title=Dallas playoff-bound without Howley |date=December 11, 1972 |page=4C }}</ref><ref name=injhmum>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qQVIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w4AMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6302%2C1785959 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas |agency=Associated Press |title=Injured Howley mum concerning retirement |date=December 12, 1972 |page=1B |accessdate=June 15, 2023}}</ref> In 1973, he made a brief return to the team and appeared in one game, before retiring for good.<ref name=dheret>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rWk0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=zQkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2748%2C3835677 |newspaper=Wilmington Morning Star |location=North Carolina |agency=UPI |title=Dallas' Howley ends retirement |date=September 19, 1973 |page=3C }}</ref> His thirteen seasons for the Cowboys ties him for the second longest tenure in franchise history. In 1977, Howley was inducted into the [[Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor|Ring of Honor]] at [[Texas Stadium]], the fourth player to receive that honor. He also was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>[http://tshof.org/inductees/index.html?staff_id=388 Texas Sports Hall of Fame website]</ref>

In 2007, he was among the 17 finalists to be seniors candidates for the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. The website notinthehalloffame.com ranks Howley as the third-greatest player not in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.notinhalloffame.com/football/1154-6-chuck-howley|title=6. Chuck Howley|website=www.notinhalloffame.com|language=en-gb|accessdate=2019-04-11}}</ref> In 2006, the [[Professional Football Researchers Association]] named him to the PFRA Hall of Very Good.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/hall-of-very-good.html|title=Hall of Very Good|work=ProFootballResearchers.org|accessdate=June 15, 2023}}</ref> On August 17, 2022, Howley was announced as one of the three finalists nominated by the senior committee for induction in the 2023 NFL Hall of Fame class.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/joe-klecko-ken-riley-chuck-howley-named-as-finalists-for-2023-hall-of-fame-induction/amp/|title=Joe Klecko, Ken Riley, and Chuck Howley named as finalists for 2023 Hall of Fame induction}}</ref>On February 9, 2023 Chuck Howley was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After Long Wait, Chuck Howley Gets HOF Call |url=https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/after-long-wait-chuck-howley-gets-hof-call |accessdate=2023-02-11 |work=www.dallascowboys.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[/Magazine covers|Magazine covers]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikipedia-short link}}
{{Stub}}
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys players]]
[[Category:Super Bowl champions]]
[[Category:Super Bowl MVPs]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]