Desmond Howard facts for kids
Howard in 2018
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| Position: | Wide receiver Return specialist |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 15, 1970 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 188 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Michigan (1988–1991) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1992 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||||||||
| Expansion draft: | 1995 / Round: 28 / Pick: 55 | ||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is a famous American former professional football player. He played as a wide receiver and a return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he won the important Heisman Trophy in 1991.
Howard was chosen fourth overall in the 1992 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He spent most of his career on special teams, where he was a top return specialist. He even holds the NFL record for the most punt return yards in a single season. With the Green Bay Packers, Howard was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI. He earned this award after returning a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown, which was the longest return in Super Bowl history at that time. He is the only special teams player ever to win this award. In 2010, he was honored by being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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Desmond Howard's Early Life
Howard was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a star athlete at St. Joseph High School in Cleveland. During his senior year, he was named All-American and All-Ohio as a tailback. He scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,499 yards. He also showed his skills on defense by intercepting 10 passes.
Throughout his high school career, he rushed for a total of 5,392 yards. He earned three varsity letters in both track and football, and one in basketball.
College Football Career
Howard played college football at the University of Michigan. During his time there, he set or tied five NCAA records and twelve school records. This included 19 receiving touchdowns in one season, which is still the program's record.
In 1991, Howard had an amazing year. He caught 62 passes for 985 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns. He also ran for 180 yards and gained 694 yards on special teams. He averaged 27.5 yards per kickoff return and 14.1 yards per punt return. For his outstanding performance, he won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award. He was also named a unanimous All-American. Howard received 85 percent of the first-place votes for the Heisman, which was the largest margin in history at that time.
Howard earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 1992. In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was also honored as the first Michigan Football Legend. This program honors former players, similar to retiring a jersey number. Any Michigan player wearing Howard's No. 21 jersey would wear a special patch and use a locker with his name on it. Howard finished his three seasons at Michigan with 249 rushing yards, 134 receptions for 2,146 yards, 1,211 kickoff return yards, and 339 punt return yards. He scored a total of 37 touchdowns.
Howard initially struggled to get playing time when he first arrived at Michigan as a tailback. He met with Michigan counselor Greg Harden, who helped him build his confidence. Howard later said that if Greg Harden hadn't been at Michigan, he wouldn't have won the Heisman.
In 2014, the Big Ten Network included Howard on "The Mount Rushmore of Michigan Football." This was chosen by fans voting online. Howard was honored alongside other Michigan legends like Charles Woodson, Tom Harmon, and Anthony Carter.
On November 28, 2015, Howard's #21 jersey was officially retired. This happened in a ceremony before the Michigan game against Ohio State. Howard said it was special to have his name mentioned with famous people like Gerald Ford.
The Famous Heisman Pose
Desmond Howard grew up in Cleveland, so he knew a lot about the big Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry. During the 1991 season, when he was a top Heisman contender, Howard decided he would do "something special" during the Ohio State-Michigan game. It was a way to give a "shout-out" to people back in Ohio.
Ohio State's coach, John Cooper, told his team to stop Howard from scoring. The punt that Howard returned for a touchdown in that game was supposed to go out of bounds. Because of this, the Ohio State special teams players were not ready for him.
In the end zone, Howard wanted to do a backflip but decided not to. Instead, he copied the pose of the football player on the Heisman trophy. This immediately got a lot of attention from the media. Many people have copied this pose since then, including other athletes, celebrities, and even Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Howard said that the pose has become a way for fans to greet him.
Professional Football Career
After college, the Washington Redskins chose Howard in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft. He was the fourth player picked overall. The Redskins had just won Super Bowl XXVI, so picking Howard was a bonus for them. They traded up to get him because they were worried the Green Bay Packers would pick him next. Howard was the highest Redskins draft pick since 1964. Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs said Howard didn't have any weaknesses.
Howard was known more for his amazing skills as a punt and kickoff returner than as a receiver during his 11-year career. Even though he caught 92 passes in his first four seasons, he was truly outstanding at returning kicks and punts.
Howard played one season for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. He was chosen by them in the 1995 NFL expansion draft. He had 26 receptions and one touchdown that year.
His most famous professional season was in 1996 with the Green Bay Packers. He led the NFL in many categories for punt returns:
- Most punt returns (58)
- Most punt return yards (875)
- Best punt return average (15.1 yards per return)
- Most punt return touchdowns (3)
His 875 punt return yards in 1996 set a new NFL record. During the 1996 NFL postseason, Howard returned a punt for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers. He also had a 46-yard punt return that helped set up another score.
The Packers went on to reach Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots. The Packers were leading 27–14 at halftime. But the Patriots scored a touchdown in the third quarter, making the score 27–21. The Patriots kicked off, and Howard made a game-changing play. He returned the kickoff 99 yards for a Packers touchdown! This play crushed the Patriots' hopes of a comeback. The Packers won the game 35–21.
Bill Parcells, the Patriots' coach, said after the game that Howard's return was "the game right there." Howard set a Super Bowl record with 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards, plus his touchdown. His total of 244 all-purpose yards also tied a Super Bowl record. His amazing performance earned him the Super Bowl MVP award. This made Howard the only player ever to win the award just for his special teams play. His kickoff return touchdown in the Super Bowl was the only one of his entire career.
After that season, Howard became a free agent and signed with the Oakland Raiders. In 1997, he led the NFL in kickoff returns (61) and kickoff return yards (1,381). He played for the Raiders in 1998 before returning to the Packers in 1999.
In the middle of the 1999 season, the Packers released Howard due to injuries and not playing as well. Four days later, the Detroit Lions signed him. He played for the Lions until he retired after the 2002 season. In his first game with the Lions, he scored a special teams touchdown. In February 2001, he made his only Pro Bowl appearance as the NFC's kick returner.
Over his 11 NFL seasons, Howard caught 123 passes for 1,597 yards. He also rushed for 68 yards. He returned 244 punts for 2,895 yards and 359 kickoffs for 7,595 yards. He scored a total of 15 touchdowns (7 receiving, 8 punt returns). Overall, Howard gained 12,155 all-purpose yards in his professional career.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl MVP | |
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Punt returns | Kick returns | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
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| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FC | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1992 | WAS | 16 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 6.7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 84 | 14.0 | 55 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 462 | 21.0 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | WAS | 16 | 5 | 23 | 286 | 12.4 | 27 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 405 | 19.3 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | WAS | 16 | 15 | 40 | 727 | 18.2 | 81 | 5 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | JAX | 13 | 6 | 26 | 276 | 10.6 | 24 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 246 | 10.3 | 40 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 178 | 17.8 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | GB | 16 | 0 | 13 | 95 | 7.3 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 875 | 15.1 | 92 | 3 | 16 | 22 | 460 | 20.9 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | OAK | 15 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 210 | 7.8 | 31 | 0 | 20 | 61 | 1,318 | 21.6 | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 | OAK | 15 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 541 | 12.0 | 75 | 2 | 13 | 49 | 1,040 | 21.2 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1999 | GB | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 93 | 7.8 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 364 | 19.2 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DET | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 115 | 19.2 | 68 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 298 | 19.9 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | DET | 15 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 457 | 14.7 | 95 | 1 | 24 | 57 | 1,401 | 24.6 | 70 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2001 | DET | 14 | 1 | 10 | 133 | 13.3 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 201 | 9.1 | 34 | 0 | 19 | 57 | 1,446 | 25.4 | 91 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | DET | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 48 | 5.3 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 587 | 22.6 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 156 | 29 | 123 | 1,597 | 13.0 | 81 | 7 | 77 | 244 | 2,895 | 11.9 | 95 | 8 | 118 | 359 | 7,959 | 22.2 | 91 | 0 | 12 | 5 | |
Broadcasting Career
After retiring from playing, Howard started a career in broadcasting. He now works for ESPN as a college football analyst. He appears in the studio and travels with the show ESPN College Gameday. On this show, he joins Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit at big college football games.
He also worked as a color commentator for Detroit Lions pre-season games for two years. He called games for the NFL on Fox for one season.
Desmond Howard's Personal Life
Desmond Howard was featured on the cover of the college football video game NCAA Football 06.
He has two sons, Desmond Howard Jr. and Dhamir Howard, and a daughter, Sydney Howard.
Howard practices meditation. He also supports the University of Michigan through the Desmond and Rebkah Howard Scholarship Fund.
See Also
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly receiving leaders
