Chuck Howley

The only player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP on the losing team.

Charles Louis Howley is a former NFL linebacker best known for being the only player to win Super Bowl MVP while playing on the losing team. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, he played college football at West Virginia University before being drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Bears in 1958. After two seasons and a brief retirement due to injury, he joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1961, where he spent thirteen seasons. A core member of the Doomsday Defense, Howley won Super Bowl VI and was named MVP of Super Bowl V despite the loss. He earned six Pro Bowl selections and five first-team All-Pro honors before retiring permanently after a brief return in 1973.

Quick Facts

Position: Linebacker
Born: 28 June 1936
Birthplace: Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
High school: Warwood (Wheeling)
College: West Virginia (1954–1957)
Draft year: 1958
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 7

Lore & Background

Howley's journey began at West Virginia University, where he became the only athlete in school history to letter in five sports: football, track, wrestling, gymnastics, and swimming. He earned three consecutive All-Southern Conference selections and was named conference player of the year in 1957. After being drafted by the Chicago Bears, his career nearly ended in August 1959 following a knee injury at training camp in Rensselaer, Indiana. He retired to run a gas station but returned in 1961 after an alumni game. The Bears traded him to Dallas for second and ninth-round picks in the 1963 draft. In Dallas, he started as a strongside linebacker before switching to weakside in 1963. His resilience defined his tenure; he missed the 1972 playoffs due to a crackback block injury from Charley Taylor but returned briefly in 1973 before retiring for good.

Reader's Guide

He was an original member of the legendary Doomsday Defense and appeared in two consecutive Super Bowls, winning one. His accolades include six Pro Bowl selections and five first-team All-Pro nods. In 1977, he became the fourth player inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. On November 4, 2023, West Virginia University retired his number 66. Howley was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 9, 2023, and formally enshrined on August 5, with his son Scott delivering the speech. Beyond football, he founded Happy Hollow Ranch in Texas in 1977 for cattle and quarter horse operations.

Did You Know?

He accepted his Super Bowl V MVP award primarily because it included a new station wagon he could give to his wife.
Howley's 97-yard fumble return against the Atlanta Falcons on October 2, 1966, remains the second-longest in Cowboys history.
He was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 before finally being elected in 2023.