Mike Howell

Last updated

Mike Howell
No. 34, 43
Date of birth (1943-07-05) July 5, 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Career information
Position(s) Defensive back
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
US college Grambling State
AFL draft 1965 / round: 15  / pick: 118
Drafted by San Diego Chargers [1]
NFL draft 1965 / round: 8 / pick: 111
Drafted by Cleveland Browns
Career history
As player
1965–1972 Cleveland Browns
1972 Miami Dolphins

Michael Lionel Howell (born July 5, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Howell played college football for the Grambling State Tigers and was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1965 NFL draft. [2]

A college quarterback, [3] Howell converted to defensive back in the NFL. He felt he had no chance playing quarterback in the NFL due to his race. At the time African-Americans were stereotyped as not being able to successfully play the position. "I know I'm not going into the NFL as a black quarterback," is what Howell told his coach, the legendary Eddie Robinson. [4] So, he changed to cornerback, winning a starting job in 1966, and moved to free safety in 1968. [3] Howell did not miss a league game during his career in Cleveland, [3] and intercepted 27 passes during his NFL career. [5]

In 2012, the Cleveland Plain Dealer selected Howell as one of the 100 best players in Browns history. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ Palmer, Pete; Pullis, Ken; Lahman, Sean; Silverman, Matthew; Gillette, Gary (Eds.). The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia: First Edition, p. 1402. Sterling Publishing, 2006. ISBN   978-1-4027-4216-3.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Peticca, Mike. "Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 89 -- Mike Howell (video)". Cleveland Plain Dealer , August 16, 2012. Retrieved on May 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ Schalter, Ty. "Why African-American QBs Are Systemically Trained to Abandon Mechanics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ Neft, David S. & Cohen, Richard M. The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional NFL Football from 1892 to the Present, p. 478. St. Martin's Press, 1991. ISBN   0-312-05089-5.


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