Former Green Bay Packers star Billy Howton, who was also the first president of the NFL Players Association, has died. He was 95.
Howton “passed away peacefully” Aug. 4 in Houston, according to his obituary.
Born July 3, 1930, in Littlefield, Texas, Howton starred at Rice University before being drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 1952 NFL Draft.
Howton rocketed to NFL stardom as a rookie, recording 53 receptions for a league-leading 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro honors. In 1957, Howton’s sixth season in the NFL, he became the first player to catch a touchdown pass at the Packers’ home Lambeau Field. Howton also holds the Packers’ single-game franchise record with 257 receiving yards in a game against the Los Angeles Rams in 1956, according to the team’s website.
After seven seasons in Green Bay from 1952-58, Packers legendary head coach and general manager Vince Lombardi traded Howton to the Cleveland Browns for defensive end Bill Quinlan and halfback Lew Carpenter. He played one season in Cleveland and four with the Dallas Cowboys before retiring after the 1963 NFL season.
For his 12-year NFL career, Howton retired with 503 receptions for 8,459 yards and 61 touchdowns in 142 games, including 133 starts. He earned four Pro Bowl selections with the Packers, two All-Pro First Team selections and one All-Pro Second Team honor.
During his NFL career, Howton helped spearhead the creation of the NFLPA in 1956. He represented the Packers at the union’s first-ever meeting in December 1956 and was elected the NFLPA’s first president in 1958, according to its website. He stepped down as NFLPA President in 1961 and, following his NFL retirement in 1963, remained involved as a representative of retired players.
Howton is survived by his sister, Sylvia Baker, her daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, Fletcher; his three children: Karin and her daughter Katie, Kimberly and her husband Chris, and William and his wife Rita and step-daughter Gabriella.
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