Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer and NFL Players Association inaugural president Billy Howton died Monday at the age of 95. He was believed to be the oldest-living NFL player, according to The Associated Press.
“We are saddened by the passing of Billy Howton,” the NFLPA wrote in a statement posted to X Friday. “He was a key figure in the NFLPA’s formation and a pioneer for player rights.
“Because of Billy’s advocacy as our first president, today’s players have a pension, disability benefits and a voice of their own in the business of football.”
Howton notably represented the Packers at the first-ever NFLPA Board of Player Reps meeting in December 1956. That’s when, according to the NFLPA website, Howton brought forth a list of grievances, which included his teammates’ demand for clean towels, T-shirts, socks and athletic supporters for the back half of two-a-day training camp practices.
Howton attended every NFLPA player rep meeting from 1956-61 and was elected the NFLPA’s first President in 1958. The following year, he pushed for what became the Bert Bell NFL Player Retirement Plan, ensuring a pension plan for players.
He stepped down as NFLPA president in 1961 while finishing out his playing career. But, even after retirement, he served as an NFLPA representative on the pension committee until 1970.
Born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1930, Howton attended Rice University, where he became an All-American wide receiver. The Packers selected him the second round of the 1952 NFL Draft.
Reunited with his old college quarterback, Tobin Rote, Howton immediately established himself as a star in the league. He led the NFL with 1,231 receiving yards a rookie, catching 53 passes and 13 touchdowns in the process. Howton once again finished atop the league’s receiving leaderboard in 1956, collecting 1,188 yards and 12 touchdowns that year.
The next season, the 6-foot-2 wideout caught the first touchdown pass in what is now known as Lambeau Field. Later that same year, he set the Packers single-game record with 257 receiving yards against the Los Angeles Rams.
Howton wound up playing 12 years in the NFL, also spending time with the Cleveland Browns (1959) and Dallas Cowboys (1960-63). When he retired, he was the league’s record holder for career receptions (503) and receiving yards (8,459). Those marks have since been reset several times.
Howton was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1974. He remains an important part of the franchise’s history, as well as that of the NFLPA.
