Howard Twilley obit

University of Tulsa mourns Hall of Famer Howard Twilley

 

He was not on the list.

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa announced former football player Howard Twilley passed away at 81.

Twilley set numerous NCAA receiving records in 1964 and 1965, catching 261 passes for 3,343 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career at TU.

His school record for career receiving yards stood for nearly 60 years, until being surpassed in 2022 by Keylon Stokes, the university said.

Twilley had 95 receptions for 1,178 yards and 12 TDs in 1964, and 134 catches for 1,779 yards and 16 TDs in 1965, while leading Tulsa to Bluebonnet Bowl appearances in each of those two seasons.

Twilley was also a two-time All-American and finished his career as the 1965 Heisman Trophy runner-up.

Twilley was inducted into the Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1995. His jersey, No. 81, was retired by the university.

Twilley also won two Super Bowls and played in three with the Miami Dolphins. He played for the team from 1966 to 1976.

He 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.

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