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2d ago

Billy Howton, NFL’s Oldest Living Player and First NFLPA President, Dies at 95

His on-field feats underpinned early union victories that laid the groundwork for modern player pension benefits.

Wide receiver Billy Howton of the Green Bay Packers makes a catch during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on November 2, 1952.
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Overview

  • Bradshaw-Carter Funeral Home confirmed Howton died on August 4 in Houston at age 95, ending his distinction as the NFL’s oldest living former player.
  • The second-round pick out of Rice University in 1952, Howton became the first NFL rookie to surpass 1,000 receiving yards with 1,231 and led the league in yardage twice.
  • He set the Packers’ single-game receiving record with 257 yards in 1956 and caught Green Bay’s first Lambeau Field receiving touchdown in 1957.
  • Elected as the NFL Players Association’s first president from 1958 to 1961, Howton’s advocacy secured the league’s inaugural pension fund and expanded player benefits.
  • After retiring in 1963 as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions (503) and yards (8,459), he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1974.