Former Miami Dolphins WR Howard Twilley Passes Away
The man who scored the Miami Dolphins’ first Super Bowl touchdown, Howard Twilley, died this week at the age 81, days before the latest Super Bowl takes place.
Twilley was a wide receiver from the University of Tulsa who spent his entire 11-year professional career with for the Dolphins from 1966-76.
He opened the scoring in the Dolphins’ 14-7 victory against Washington in Super Bowl VII when he caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Bob Griese late in the first quarter. The Dolphins were making their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but had been held to only a field goal in their 24-3 loss against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI.
Twilley joined the Dolphins as a 10th-round pick in the 1966 AFL draft, though he also was a 14th-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL draft.
Twilley started 82 games for the Dolphins, including 11 in that 1972 season when Miami produced the only perfect season in NFL history.
Before he joined the Dolphins, Twilley was a two-time All-American selection at Tulsa and the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1965.
Twilley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and his number 81, which he wore in college and with the Dolphins, was retired by Tulsa.
