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The two-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the Miami Dolphins' undefeated 1972 team, Howard Twilley has died at the age of 81. The National Football Foundation announced on Wednesday, February 5 but did not provide the cause of his death.
Miami Dolphins' Howard Twilley dies at the age of 81
Before making his debut for the Miami Dolphins, Howard Twilley used to play at Tulsa. In the year 1965, Twilley was a unanimous All-American and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after averaging 13.4 receptions per game, which is still now according to the NFF an FBS record.
Howard Twilley was one of the greatest receivers in college football history with an uncanny ability to get open and change the course of a game, NFF chairman Archie Manning said in a statement. He simply redefined what it meant to be a dominant receiver, and his performance at Tulsa during the 1965 season remains one of the greatest in our sport's history.
Both the AFL's Dolphins and NFL's Minnesota Vikings picked him in the late rounds of their 1966 drafts but Twilley ended up at the Miami Dolphins. He spent a total of 11 seasons with them and won back-to-back Super Bowl championships with the Dolphins after the 1972 and 1973 seasons. During the 120 career games he featured in, Twilley had 82 starts in which he had caught 212 passes for 3,064 yards and had 23 touchdowns to his name.
In the year 1972, Howard Twilley started all the three playoff games and had four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Howard Twilley, a founding player for the Dolphins in 1966, the Dolphins said in a statement. His touchdown in Super Bowl VII helped the Dolphins cap the NFL's only perfect season and his contributions to the organization will be forever remembered.
After hanging up his boots from the sport, Howard Twilley owned a chain of sporting goods stores and even worked for an investment firm.
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