Howard Twilley

Howard James Twilley Jr. (December 25, 1943 – February 5, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 1976. He played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and was the runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1965. Twilley and tackle Norm Evans were the only two players on the original 1966 Dolphins squad to play on the 1972 Dolphins team that had the NFL's only perfect season and won Super Bowl VII. He was also on the Dolphins team the following year when it again won the championship in Super Bowl VIII.

College career

Twilley began his college career as a cornerback before switching to receiver midway through this sophomore year. During his 1965 season at Tulsa, Twilley set NCAA records for the most receiving yards in a season (1,779), a record that stood until broken by Nevada's Alex Van Dyke in 1995, and for the most receptions in a season (134), which stood until broken by Houston's Manny Hazard in 1989. Among his many dazzling games that season was a five-touchdown, 230-yard effort against Louisville. Twilley also had four more games where he amassed over 200 yards. Following the regular season, Twilley was chosen as the captain of the Academic All-American team and was the MVP of the 1966 Senior Bowl. In 1992 Twilley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career Twilley finished his NFL career with 212 receptions for 3,064 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass in the Dolphins' Super Bowl VII win over the Washington Redskins.

NFL/AFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1966 MIA 6 1 10 128 12.8 20 0 1967 MIA 14 10 24 314 13.1 42 2 1968 MIA 14 14 39 604 15.5 40 1 1969 MIA 4 1 10 158 15.8 33 1 1970 MIA 14 10 22 281 12.8 23 5 1971 MIA 14 12 23 349 15.2 41 4 1972 MIA 13 11 20 364 18.2 44 3 1973 MIA 6 0 2 30 15.0 19 0 1974 MIA 13 9 24 256 10.7 21 2 1975 MIA 14 8 24 366 15.3 32 4 1976 MIA 8 6 14 214 15.3 39 1 Career 120 82 212 3,064 14.5 44 23

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1970 MIA 1 1 1 14 14.0 14 0 1971 MIA 3 3 8 111 13.9 23 0 1972 MIA 3 3 4 61 15.3 28 1 1973 MIA 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1974 MIA 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career 11 7 13 186 14.3 28 1

Business career Having earned an MBA from the University of Miami in 1971, after Twilley's football career ended, he pursued a career in business. He owned 28 The Athlete's Foot sporting goods stores before selling them in 1990, and worked in an investment firm. In 1994, he actively considered a run for the United States House of Representatives to succeed Jim Inhofe in Oklahoma's 1st congressional district when Inhofe decided to run for the United States Senate but he ultimately decided to support the candidacy of another conservative Republican former NFL star, Steve Largent. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Death Twilley died on February 5, 2025, at the age of 81.