Cowboys' new Hall of Famer has a record that will never be broken
While DeMarcus Ware stole the spotlight this weekend after being announced as a 2023 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he wasn't alone. Dallas Cowboys legendary linebacker Chuck Howley, now 86 years old, also got the nod to finally become a part of the exclusive gold-jacket club. For Howley, it was a long, […]
While DeMarcus Ware stole the spotlight this weekend after being announced as a 2023 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he wasn't alone. Dallas Cowboys legendary linebacker Chuck Howley, now 86 years old, also got the nod to finally become a part of the exclusive gold-jacket club.
For Howley, it was a long, 45-year-long wait. One that even included written letters from Chuck's son to the Hall of Fame. But a worthwhile one, nonetheless.
You simply can't tell the Cowboys' complete history without bringing up Howley, one of the original members of the renowned Doomsday Defense. A five-time All-Pro, he was the fourth player inducted into the iconic Ring of Honor in 1976.
And it was a career that almost didn't happen, too. In fact, Howley planned to permanently retire before even becoming a member of the Cowboys. He had suffered a knee injury with the Chicago Bears and started working at a gas station before deciding to try it out one more time, this time with a Star on his helmet.
He wore it for 14 seasons for the Cowboys and was right there with them as the team played in multiple Super Bowls and gained a following that would later become the biggest one in the NFL.
In Super Bowl V, Howley earned a record that will never be broken: the only Super Bowl MVP to have played for the losing team.
Although Howley would've rather had the win, it's still quite a feat. It was a low-scoring affair in which the Cowboys lost 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts.
Howley finished with two interceptions in the game as the Colts turned the ball over a whopping seven times. Some call it the "Blooper Bowl."
With the way the game is covered nowadays and how there are stats for everything, there's simply no way a player from the losing team wins it again even if the rules don't forbid it.
Chuck Howley has a record that will never be broken in the history of the league. That means when the lights go out in Canton and the busts talk to each other as John Madden described in his own induction ceremony, the Cowboys' legend will have bragging rights no one else will ever have.
Take a bow, Chuck. The wait is over.
Featured image via Green Bay Press-Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK
