Mike Howell
No. 34, 43
Born: (1943-07-05) July 5, 1943 (age 80)
West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Safety
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
CollegeGrambling State
AFL draft1965 / Round: 15 / Pick: 118
Drafted bySan Diego Chargers[1]
NFL draft1965 / Round: 8 / Pick: 111
Drafted byCleveland Browns
Career history
As player
1965–1972Cleveland Browns
1972Miami Dolphins
Career stats

Michael Lionel Howell (born July 5, 1943) is a former American football defensive back who played with the National Football League (NFL)'s Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. Howell was drafted by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1965 NFL Draft out of Grambling State.[2]

A college quarterback,[3] Howell converted to defensive back in the NFL. Howell felt he had no chance playing quarterback in the NFL due to his race. At the time African-Americans were stereotyped as not being able to successfully play the position. "I know I'm not going into the NFL as a black quarterback," is what Howell told his coach, the legendary Eddie Robinson.[4] So, he changed to cornerback, winning a starting job in 1966, and moved to free safety in 1968.[3] Howell did not miss a league game during his career in Cleveland,[3] and intercepted 27 passes during his NFL career.[5]

In 2012, the Cleveland Plain Dealer selected Howell as one of the 100 best players in Browns history.[3]

References

  1. ^ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Palmer, Pete; Pullis, Ken; Lahman, Sean; Silverman, Matthew; Gillette, Gary (Eds.). The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia: First Edition, p. 1402. Sterling Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-1-4027-4216-3.
  3. ^ a b c d Peticca, Mike. "Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 89 -- Mike Howell (video)". Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 16, 2012. Retrieved on May 11, 2013.
  4. ^ Schalter, Ty. "Why African-American QBs Are Systemically Trained to Abandon Mechanics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  5. ^ Neft, David S. & Cohen, Richard M. The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional NFL Football from 1892 to the Present, p. 478. St. Martin's Press, 1991. ISBN 0-312-05089-5.


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