Desmond Howard: Difference between revisions

Desmond Howard
	Desmond Howard in Austin, TX
No. 18, 80, 81
Position:	WR / Return specialist
Career information
College:	Michigan
NFL draft:	1992 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Career history
	Washington Redskins (1992-1994); Jacksonville Jaguars (1995); Green Bay Packers (1996, 1999); Oakland Raiders (1997-1998); Detroit Lions (2000-2001);
Career highlights and awards
	1x Pro Bowl selection (1999); 1991 Heisman Trophy Winner; Super Bowl XXXI MVP; Longest TD kickoff return in Super Bowl history (99 yards);

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Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a former American football wide receiver, punt returner, and kick returner in the National Football League.

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, and the only special teams player to win the award.

Biography

High school career

Howard earned All-America and All-State honors as a tailback during his senior season at St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, Ohio, scoring 18 touchdown and 10 interceptions on defense. He earned three varsity letters each in track and football, as well as one in basketball.

College 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 a First Team 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 at that time. Howard also earned a Bachelors degree in Communications in 1992.

NFL career

Washington Redskins

After college, Howard was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round, fourth overall in the 1992 NFL Draft. The pick was considered a luxury for the Redskins, who had just won Super Bowl XXVI. In fact, the Redskins traded up to the number four spot (with Cincinnati), trading the sixth and twenty-eighth pick to move up.

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 only recorded 92 receptions in his first four seasons, he excelled as a punt and kickoff returner throughout his career.

Jacksonville Jaguars

He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft. Howard only played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. That season he had 26 receptions and one touchdown, with only 10 kick returns.

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.

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 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. Bill Parcells, the Patriots' head coach, commented after the game; "We had a lot of momentum and our defense was playing better, But [Howard] made the big play. That return was the game right there. He's been great all year and he was great again today". Howard totaled a Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one touchdown; his 244 all-purpose yards also tied a Super Bowl record. His performance won him the Super Bowl MVP award, making Howard the only player to ever win the award based solely on a special teams performance.

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.

Detroit Lions

In the middle of the 2000 season, he was traded to the Detroit Lions, where he spent the rest of his career until his retirement after the 2002 season. In February 2001, 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 all-purpose yards.

Broadcasting career

Howard now works for ESPN as a college football analyst. He appears as an in-studio personality and, in 2005, began traveling with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit to marquee matchup sites during the season for the pre-game show ESPN College Gameday.

He is also currently the color commentator for Detroit Lions pre-season games on The Detroit Lions Television Network.

In popular culture

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.

Sources

Jon Robinson (2005-05-05). "NCAA Football 06: Heisman State of Mind". IGN.
"Super Bowl Recaps: Super Bowl XXXI". NFL.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
"Heisman Trophy Profile". Heisman.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
"Desmond Howard". umich.edu. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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
Preceded by Larry Fitzgerald	NCAA Football cover athletes NCAA Football 06	Succeeded by Reggie Bush

Template:EA-NCAAFB-Athlete

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 His most notable professional season was in [[1996 NFL season|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 NFL season|1985]]. During the [[NFL playoffs, 1996-97|1996 NFL post season]], Howard contributed a [[special teams|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]].
-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 [[special teams|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. [[Bill Parcells]], the Patriots' head coach, commented after the game; "We had a lot of momentum and our defense was playing better, But [Howard] made the big play. That return was the game right there. He's been great all year and he was great again today". Howard totaled a Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one touchdown; his 244 all-purpose yards also tied a Super Bowl record. His performance won him the [[Super Bowl MVP]] award, making Howard the only player to ever win the award based solely on a special teams performance.
+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 [[special teams|kickoff]] to the one-yard line, but Howard effectively shattered the Patriots' hopes for a comeback with a 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. [[Bill Parcells]], the Patriots' head coach, commented after the game; "We had a lot of momentum and our defense was playing better, But [Howard] made the big play. That return was the game right there. He's been great all year and he was great again today". Howard totaled a Super Bowl record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one touchdown; his 244 all-purpose yards also tied a Super Bowl record. His performance won him the [[Super Bowl MVP]] award, making Howard the only player to ever win the award based solely on a special teams performance.
 ====Oakland Raiders====

v t e Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XXXI champions
4 Brett Favre 7 Kyle Wachholtz 9 Jim McMahon 13 Chris Jacke 17 Craig Hentrich 18 Doug Pederson 21 Craig Newsome 25 Dorsey Levens 27 Calvin Jones 28 Roderick Mullen 30 William Henderson 32 Travis Jervey 33 Doug Evans 34 Edgar Bennett 36 LeRoy Butler 37 Tyrone Williams 39 Mike Prior 40 Chris Hayes 41 Eugene Robinson 46 Michael Robinson 51 Brian Williams 52 Frank Winters 53 George Koonce 54 Ron Cox 55 Bernardo Harris 56 Lamont Hollinquest 58 Mike Flanagan 59 Wayne Simmons 62 Marco Rivera 63 Adam Timmerman 64 Bruce Wilkerson 65 Lindsay Knapp 67 Jeff Dellenbach 68 Gary Brown 71 Santana Dotson 72 Earl Dotson 73 Aaron Taylor 75 Ken Ruettgers 77 John Michels 80 Derrick Mayes 81 Desmond Howard (MVP) 82 Don Beebe 83 Jeff Thomason 84 Andre Rison 85 Terry Mickens 86 Antonio Freeman 87 Robert Brooks 88 Keith Jackson 89 Mark Chmura 90 Darius Holland 91 Shannon Clavelle 92 Reggie White 93 Gilbert Brown 94 Bob Kuberski 95 Keith McKenzie 96 Sean Jones 98 Gabe Wilkins
Head coach: Mike Holmgren
Coaches: Todd Bowles Larry Brooks Nolan Cromwell Gil Haskell Johnny Holland Sherman Lewis Jim Lind Tom Lovat Marty Mornhinweg Andy Reid Gary Reynolds Barry Rubin Fritz Shurmur Harry Sydney Bob Valesente

v t e Michigan Wolverines football
Venues	Washtenaw County Fairgrounds (1883–1892) Regents Field (1893–1905) Ferry Field (1906–1926) Michigan Stadium (1927–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Chicago (defunct) Illinois Michigan State Minnesota: Little Brown Jug Northwestern: George Jewett Trophy Notre Dame Ohio State (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	Early years Yost era Kipke years Crisler years Oosterbaan years Elliott years The Ten Year War Snow Bowl 1969 Ohio State game 1973 Ohio State game Miracle at Michigan 2001 Michigan State game 2006 Ohio State game 2007 Appalachian State game 2015 Michigan State game Sign-stealing scandal Biff M Club banner "The Victors" "Varsity" "We Don't Give a Damn" "Mr. Brightside" Marching band
People	Head coaches Trainers Players All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold