Desmond Howard

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Desmond Howard

Desmond Howard as featured on the cover of
Sports Illustrated
Date of birth May 15, 1970
Place of birth Cleveland, Ohio
Position(s) WR, KR, PR
College Michigan
NFL Draft 1992 / Round 1 / 4th Overall
Pro Bowls 2000
Awards 1996 Super Bowl MVP,
1991 Heisman Trophy
Statistics
Team(s)
1992-1994
1995
1996
1997-1998
1999
2000-2001		 Washington Redskins
Jacksonville Jaguars
Green Bay Packers
Oakland Raiders
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions

Desmond Howard (born May 15, 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a former American football wide receiver and kick returner in the NFL. He played for the Washington Redskins (1992-1994), Jacksonville Jaguars (1995), Green Bay Packers (1996, 1999), Oakland Raiders (1997-1998) and Detroit Lions (1999-2002). Prior to his professional career, he attended the University of Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1991. Howard also was voted the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI.


Contents

[edit] Michigan Career

During his college career at the University of Michigan, Howard set or tied five NCAA and 12 Michigan records. He also lead the Big Ten Conference in scoring with 138 points during the 1991 season on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and earning an All-American selection. Howard captured 85% of the first place votes in balloting for the Heisman, the largest margin in the history of the trophy. His Heisman was virtually clinched when he returned a punt for a touchdown against Ohio State, after which he made his now famous Heisman pose which is featured on the cover of NCAA Football 06.

[edit] NFL career

[edit] Washington Redskins

After college, Howard was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round, 4th overall in the 1992 NFL Draft. Howard's performance as a receiver was secondary to his skills as a punt and kick off returner throughout his 11 year career, though he recorded 92 receptions in his first 4 seasons. However, he excelled as a punt and kickoff returner on special teams throughout his career.

[edit] Jacksonville Jaguars

1995 was his one and only season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That season he had 26 receptions and 1 touchdown, with only 10 kick returns.

[edit] Green Bay Packers

His most notable professional season was in 1996 when he was playing for the Green Bay Packers. He led the NFL in punt returns (58), punt return yards (870), punt return average (15.1), and punt return touchdowns (3), while also gaining 460 kickoff return yards and catching 13 passes for 95 yards. His 870 punt return yards were an NFL record, easily surpassing the old record of 692 yards set by Fulton Walker in 1985. During the 1996 NFL post season, Howard contributed a punt return for a touchdown in a game between the Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers reached Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots, where Howard would have both the defining game and moment of his pro career.

The Packers took the lead at halftime 27-14 but Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe led his team on a short drive that ended with Curtis Martin's 18-yard touchdown run to pull the Patriots within six late in the third quarter. With new life, the Patriots boomed the ensuing kickoff to the one-yard line, but Howard effectively shattered the Patriots' hopes for a comeback with a Super Bowl record 99-yard kickoff return for a Packers touchdown. His return and the Packers' subsequent two-point conversion closed out the scoring of the game, and the Packers eventually won 35-21. Howard totaled a Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with a touchdown; his 244 all-purpose yards also tied a Super Bowl record. His performance won him the Super Bowl MVP award, making Howard the first player to ever win the award based solely on a special teams performance.

[edit] Oakland Raiders

Like Larry Brown in the previous year, Howard became a free agent after the season and used his status to collect a hefty contract from the Oakland Raiders. He led the NFL in kickoff returns (61) and kickoff return yards (1,381). Howard spent the 1998 football season with the Raiders before re-joining the Packers in 1999.

[edit] Detroit Lions

In the middle of the season, he was traded to the Detroit Lions, where he spent the rest of his career until his retirement after the 2002 season. In 2000, he made his first and only Pro Bowl appearance as the NFC's kick returner.

In his 11 NFL seasons, Howard caught 123 passes for 1,597 yards, rushed for 68 yards, returned 244 punts for 2,895 yards, and gained 7,595 yards returning 359 kickoffs. He also scored 15 touchdowns (7 receiving, 8 punt returns). Overall, Howard gained 12,155 total offensive yards.

[edit] Cover athlete

On May 6, 2005, EA Sports announced that Howard would be the cover athlete for their latest installment in the NCAA Football video game series, NCAA Football 06. This announcement is a departure for the series, which has traditionally featured college athletes who went to the NFL the previous year on its covers. He was chosen to highlight the new feature "Race for the Heisman," and his cover picture showed him striking his famous Heisman pose while at Michigan. He struck this pose after a punt return for a touchdown during the 1991 Michigan-Ohio State game.


[edit] References

Preceded by
Ty Detmer		 Heisman Trophy Winner
1991		 Succeeded by
Gino Torretta
Preceded by
Ty Detmer		 Maxwell Award
1991		 Succeeded by
Gino Torretta
Preceded by
Raghib Ismail		 Walter Camp Award
1991		 Succeeded by
Gino Torretta
Preceded by
Larry Brown		 NFL Super Bowl MVPs
Super Bowl XXXI, 1997		 Succeeded by
Terrell Davis
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