Bill Howton

Billy Harris Howton (July 3, 1930 – August 4, 2025) was an American professional football player who played end for 12 seasons in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and the expansion Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Rice Owls, earning first-team All-American honors in 1951. As an NFL rookie with Green Bay, he caught 13 touchdown passes, a rookie record that was tied but not broken until 1998. With the Packers he was a two-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. Over his career Howton caught 503 passes for 8,459 yards, surpassing then-leader Don Hutson to become the all-time leader in both receptions and yardage, and making him the first receiver with 500 catches in professional football history. In the more than half century since his retirement, the rise of improved passing has seen him drop into the top 50 in those categories. He retired after the 1963 season, following four years with Dallas. In 2004 he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good. Despite his credentials, he has yet to be named a finalist or semifinalist in Pro Football Hall of Fame balloting.