Howard James Twilley Jr. (December 25, 1943 – February 5, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 1976. He played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and was the runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1965. Twilley and tackle Norm Evans were the only two players on the original 1966 Dolphins squad to play on the 1972 Dolphins team that had the NFL's only perfect season and won Super Bowl VII. He was also on the Dolphins team the following year when it again won the championship in Super Bowl VIII.[1]

College career

During his 1965 season at Tulsa, Twilley set NCAA records for the most receiving yards in a season (1,779), a record that stood until broken by Nevada's Alex Van Dyke in 1995, and for the most receptions in a season (134), which stood until broken by Houston's Manny Hazard in 1989.[2] In 1992 Twilley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished his three seasons at Tulsa with 261 receptions for 3,334 yards and 32 touchdowns, and was enshrined in the school's athletic hall of fame in 1984.[3]

Professional career

Twilley finished his NFL career with 212 receptions for 3,064 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass in the Dolphins' Super Bowl VII win over the Washington Redskins.

Business career

After Twilley's football career ended, he pursued a career in business. He owned 28 The Athlete's Foot sporting goods stores before selling them in 1990, and worked in an investment firm. In 1994, he actively considered a run for the United States House of Representatives to succeed Jim Inhofe in Oklahoma's 1st congressional district when Inhofe decided to run for the United States Senate[4] but he ultimately decided to support the candidacy of another conservative Republican former NFL star, Steve Largent.[5] He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[6]

Death

Twilley died on February 5, 2025, at the age of 81.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43736594/howard-twilley-wr-undefeated-dolphins-team-dies-81
  2. ^ "Weekend College Report", The Washington Post, November 20, 1995, via HighBeam Research.
  3. ^ "Howard Twilley - Hall of Fame".
  4. ^ Doug Ferguson, "Ex-receivers take same path to politics", Associated Press in The Daily News (Bowling Green, Kentucky), June 12, 1994.
  5. ^ "Howard Twilley: Campaign support for Steve Largent", Associated Press in The Gadsden Times, June 20, 1994.
  6. ^ Howard Twilley Archived 2013-04-15 at archive.today at Jim Thorpe Association Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (accessed 2012-02-22).
  7. ^ Maupin, Jennifer (February 6, 2025). "University of Tulsa mourns Hall of Famer Howard Twilly". KJRH. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Twilley
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