Mike Howell

Michael Lionel Howell (born July 5, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Howell played college football for the Grambling State Tigers and was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1965 NFL draft.^[1][2]

Key Information

No. 34, 43
Position	Defensive back
Personal information
Born	(1943-07-05) July 5, 1943 (age 82) West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Grambling State
NFL draft	1965: 8th round, 111th overall pick
AFL draft	1965: 15th round, 118th overall pick
Career history
1965–1972	Cleveland Browns
1972	Miami Dolphins
Stats at Pro Football Reference
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A college quarterback,^[3] Howell converted to defensive back in the NFL. He 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]

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
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 November 20, 2017.
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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