Howard Twilley

Who is Howard Twilley?

Howard James Twilley, Jr. was the 1965 Heisman Trophy runner-up at the University of Tulsa and a former American professional football wide receiver with the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and the National Football League. He was a member of the 1972 Dolphins team that had the NFL's only perfect season and won Super Bowl VII.

At Tulsa, he set an NCAA record for the most receiving yards in a season, a record that stood until broken by Nevada's Alex Van Dyke in 1995. In 1992 Twilley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

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.

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 he 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.