Billy Howton, a Green Bay Packers icon and one of many NFL’s most efficient extensive receivers of the pre-Tremendous Bowl period, handed away on August 4, 2025, in Houston, Texas, at 95.
Born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930, Howton was not solely a record-setting participant but additionally a founder and the primary president of the NFL Gamers Affiliation (NFLPA).
Document-breaking rookie season
Chosen within the second spherical by the Inexperienced Bay Packers in 1952, Billy Howton made a right away impression. He grew to become the primary NFL rookie to surpass 1,000 receiving yards, recording 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns in simply 12 video games. These marks stay Packers rookie information, outpacing Don Hutson’s earlier crew benchmark.
Howton’s outstanding efficiency earned him three All-Professional picks and 4 Professional Bowl nods throughout his seven years with Inexperienced Bay.
Billy Howton’s milestones
Billy Howton set a franchise single-game report in 1956 with 257 receiving yards on seven catches in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams, a report that also stands. He led the NFL in receiving yards twice (1952 and 1956) and in touchdowns in 1956 with 12.
One other historic second got here on September 29, 1957, when he caught the primary landing move at what’s now Lambeau Discipline, a 37-yard rating from Babe Parilli in a 21-17 win over the Chicago Bears.
Billy Howton’s NFL journey and stats
After Inexperienced Bay, Howton was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1959 and later joined the Dallas Cowboys’ inaugural crew in 1960, enjoying below coach Tom Landry.
Over his 12-year profession, he amassed 503 receptions, 8,459 yards, and 61 touchdowns, retiring in 1963 because the NFL’s all-time chief in receptions and receiving yards.
Corridor of Famer Raymond Berry praised his talent, saying, “Howton was extraordinarily skilled in his move routes. He knew what he was doing to maneuver and faux to get open.”
Billy Howton and NFLPA
Billy Howton’s impression prolonged past the sphere as a founding father of the NFLPA in 1956, serving as its first president. His management helped set up higher working circumstances and rights for gamers, a legacy that endures at this time.
Billy Howton’s legacy
Inducted into the Packers Corridor of Fame in 1974, Billy Howton was additionally an All-American at Rice College, the place he’s honoured within the faculty’s Corridor of Fame and stadium ring of honour. His outstanding profession and advocacy work proceed to encourage. Billy Howton’s life, marked by athletic excellence and management, has left a mark on the NFL.
