Mike Howell Explained

Mike Howell
Birth Date:5 July 1943
Birth Place:West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Number:34, 43
Position1:Safety
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:195
College:Grambling State
Nfldraftedyear:1965
Nfldraftedround:8
Nfldraftedpick:111
Nfldraftedteam:Cleveland Browns
Afldraftedyear:1965
Afldraftedround:15
Afldraftedpick:118
Afldraftedteam:San Diego Chargers[1]
Playing Years1:1965–1972
Playing Team1:Cleveland Browns
Playing Years2:1972
Playing Team2:Miami Dolphins
Databasefootball-Archive:https://web.archive.org/web/20151024134714/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=HOWELMIK01
Nfl-New:mikehowell/2516905

Michael Lionel Howell (born July 5, 1943) is a former American football defensive back who played with the National Football League (NFL)'s Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. Howell was drafted by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1965 NFL draft out of Grambling State.[2]

A college quarterback,[3] Howell converted to defensive back in the NFL. Howell 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. Howell did not miss a league game during his career in Cleveland, 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.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1965 AFL Draft. March 23, 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170225154441/http://profootballarchives.com/1965AFLDraft.html. February 25, 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. .
  3. 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. News: Why African-American QBs Are Systemically Trained to Abandon Mechanics. Schalter. Ty. Bleacher Report. 2017-11-20. en-US.
  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. .