After waiting for over four decades, Chuck Howley, the only player to win Super Bowl MVP on a losing team, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.
Howley played in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Bears and Cowboys from 1958-73. He made six Pro Bowls and was First-Team All-Pro five times, but he’s most well-known for his stellar Super Bowl V performance.
In a game where both teams combined for 11 turnovers, Howley forced three, recording two interceptions and a forced fumble. Despite a 16-13 Cowboys loss to the Colts, Howley was the game’s interception leader and earned MVP honors.
The Cowboys would win their first Super Bowl title the following year. Howley excelled again, tallying an interception and fumble recovery in a 24-3 victory over the Dolphins.
Two years later, Howley retired. Shortly after, former Cowboys HC and HOF Tom Landry said, “I don’t know that I’ve seen anybody better at linebacker than Howley,” per The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore.
He is the only Cowboy to finish a career with 20 interceptions and 20 sacks and one of 34 players in NFL history.
Booking a trip to Canton, Ohio, cements the 86-year-old’s important place in NFL history. “It’s a bucket-list item,” Howley’s son, Scott, told Moore before he was nominated.
Howley will join eight new members during the enshrinement ceremony on Aug. 5.
