Percy Howard
Encyclopedia
Percy Lenard Howard is a former American football
wide receiver
in the National Football League
for the Dallas Cowboys
in 1975. He was an unlikely star for the CowBoys in Super Bowl X
.
where he played basketball
and football
. He went on to play college basketball
at Austin Peay University, where he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during three varsity seasons (1972-73 through 1974-75). The 6-4, 215-pound forward was an All-OVC
selection in 1974-75 and averaged seven points and seven rebounds per game in four NCAA Tournament
contests in 1973 and 1974. He was also a teammate of the legendary James "Fly" Williams
.
at Austin Peay University; he exclusively played college basketball
while at the school, but the Dallas Cowboys
saw a tremendous athlete and signed him to a rookie free agent contract. He is one of only a handful of college athletes to reach the NFL without playing any college football
.
In the first preseason game, while returning a kick against the Los Angeles Rams, his cheekbone was fractured when one of his teammates knocked a defender into his path just as he was speeding toward a hole. The injury set back him several weeks, but he still made the team as a wide receiver
and kickoff returner. Howard was the third receiver
on the Cowboys during the 1975 season
, but the top two receivers
Drew Pearson
and Golden Richards
played virtually every offensive snap, and the Cowboys did not use formations which used three receivers
. He played primarily on special teams during the regular season, and his only statistical contributions were a pair of kickoff returns for 51 total yards.
That season the team reached Super Bowl X
, which ended up being something of a homecoming for Howard because the Cowboys were encamped in Fort Lauderdale. In fact, when the Dallas charter landed at the airport, the Dillard High School
marching band was there to greet him.
Late in Super Bowl X
, Howard got a rare opportunity to play on offense when Richards broke a rib. With the Pittsburgh Steelers
leading by 11 points with less than two minutes to go, Howard caught a 34-yard touchdown
pass from Roger Staubach
over Mel Blount, to cut the deficit to four points. A late turnover by the Steelers gave Dallas a shot to win the game at the end, and Howard was again involved on a last-second Hail Mary pass
by Staubach, however he had three Steelers on him, and when he leaped to make the catch, the ball was tipped away.
The following year big things were expected from Howard, but in a 1976
preseason game against the Denver Broncos
, he severely injured his right knee while running a reverse. He spent the rest of the season rehabilitating the knee, only to have it give way again during a practice in the 1977
training camp, causing him to miss the entire season. He would never recover from his injury and the Cowboys eventually released him in 1978
.
The 34 yard touchdown
catch in Super Bowl X
turned out to be Howard's only reception and last game in the NFL. Still, he would become part of the Cowboys lore and the biggest one hit wonder in team history.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in 1975. He was an unlikely star for the CowBoys in Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
.
Early years
Howard attended Dillard High SchoolDillard High School
Dillard High School is a historic public high school located in Fort Lauderdale of Broward County, Florida. Dillard is available to all of Broward County. This school was established in 1907...
where he played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He went on to play college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at Austin Peay University, where he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during three varsity seasons (1972-73 through 1974-75). The 6-4, 215-pound forward was an All-OVC
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
selection in 1974-75 and averaged seven points and seven rebounds per game in four NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
contests in 1973 and 1974. He was also a teammate of the legendary James "Fly" Williams
Fly Williams
James "Fly" Williams is a retired American professional basketball player. He once scored 100 points in an IS8 League a game in 1978.-Early life:...
.
Professional career
Howard didn't play footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Austin Peay University; he exclusively played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
while at the school, but the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
saw a tremendous athlete and signed him to a rookie free agent contract. He is one of only a handful of college athletes to reach the NFL without playing any college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
.
In the first preseason game, while returning a kick against the Los Angeles Rams, his cheekbone was fractured when one of his teammates knocked a defender into his path just as he was speeding toward a hole. The injury set back him several weeks, but he still made the team as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and kickoff returner. Howard was the third receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
on the Cowboys during the 1975 season
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
, but the top two receivers
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
and Golden Richards
Golden Richards
John Golden Richards is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. Richards was a starter for the Cowboys in Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers...
played virtually every offensive snap, and the Cowboys did not use formations which used three receivers
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
. He played primarily on special teams during the regular season, and his only statistical contributions were a pair of kickoff returns for 51 total yards.
That season the team reached Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
, which ended up being something of a homecoming for Howard because the Cowboys were encamped in Fort Lauderdale. In fact, when the Dallas charter landed at the airport, the Dillard High School
Dillard High School
Dillard High School is a historic public high school located in Fort Lauderdale of Broward County, Florida. Dillard is available to all of Broward County. This school was established in 1907...
marching band was there to greet him.
Late in Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
, Howard got a rare opportunity to play on offense when Richards broke a rib. With the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
leading by 11 points with less than two minutes to go, Howard caught a 34-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
pass from Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
over Mel Blount, to cut the deficit to four points. A late turnover by the Steelers gave Dallas a shot to win the game at the end, and Howard was again involved on a last-second Hail Mary pass
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
by Staubach, however he had three Steelers on him, and when he leaped to make the catch, the ball was tipped away.
The following year big things were expected from Howard, but in a 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
preseason game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, he severely injured his right knee while running a reverse. He spent the rest of the season rehabilitating the knee, only to have it give way again during a practice in the 1977
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
training camp, causing him to miss the entire season. He would never recover from his injury and the Cowboys eventually released him in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
.
The 34 yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
catch in Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
turned out to be Howard's only reception and last game in the NFL. Still, he would become part of the Cowboys lore and the biggest one hit wonder in team history.
External links
- Catch Of A Lifetime
- The Time Of His Life
- JT-SW.com - Career stats