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Former Green Bay Packers star wide receiver Billy Howton recently passed away on August 4 at the Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home. Widely considered one of the most prolific pass catchers of the pre-Super Bowl era, Thornton died in the Houston, Texas-based facility and was believed to be the oldest living NFL player.
Howton was more than a legendary player. He was also the founder and first president of the NFL Players Association, serving from 1958 to 1962 in an era when player rights were almost nonexistent. The death came due to natural causes, per The Score.
Selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1952 NFL Draft following an All-American career at Rice University, Howton quickly made his mark in the league. He became the first rookie in NFL history to record a 1,000-yard receiving season, finishing his debut year with 1,231 yards.
By the time he retired in 1963, he had become the league’s all-time leader in receptions (503) and receiving yards (8,459), surpassing Hall of Famer Don Hutson. Alongside his 61 career touchdowns, Howton is often regarded as the player who characterized the modern wide receiver.
Howton’s contributions to the Packers remain etched in franchise history. He scored Green Bay’s first-ever receiving touchdown at Lambeau Field in 1957 and still holds the team record for most receiving yards in a single game (257 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in 1956).
He’s also one of just two Packers receivers, along with Don Hutson, to record multiple 200-yard receiving games. His tenure in Green Bay spanned seven seasons, during which he caught 303 passes for 5,581 yards and 43 touchdowns, earning four Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro honors.
Howton was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1959, just a season before Vince Lombardi began his reign as the Browns’ head coach. However, he quickly moved to the Dallas Cowboys in 1960, where he spent four season and led the team in receptions with 56 catches in 1961.
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