with his 17 fumbles recovered. His 97-yard return of a fumble during a game against the Atlanta Falcons on October 2, 1966, is still the second longest in Cowboys history. He also had a large number of tackles and quarterback sacks, but these statistics were not compiled until after Howley's career ended so his unofficial sack total is 26.5 according to the Dallas Cowboys with a career-high of 5.5 sacks in 1965. Howley was named first-team All-Pro five times in his career, was a six-time Pro Bowler and was named to the All-Eastern Conference team in 1963. Howley suffered a left knee injury from a crackback block by Charley Taylor in the win over rival Redskins late in the 1972 regular season. He missed the playoffs and retired in June. In 1973, he made a brief return to the team and appeared in one game, before retiring for good. His thirteen seasons for the Cowboys ties him for the second longest tenure in franchise history. In 1977, Howley was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium, the fourth player to receive that honor. He also was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was among the 17 finalists to be seniors candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The website notinthehalloffame.com ranks Howley as the third-greatest player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Professional Football Researchers Association named him to the PFRA Hall of Very Good. On August 17, 2022, Howley was announced as one of the three finalists nominated by the senior committee for induction in the 2023 NFL Hall of Fame class.On February 9, 2023 Chuck Howley was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Personal life Following retirement, Howley ran a uniform rental business in Dallas and is now involved in a foundation dedicated to breeding quarterhorses at Happy Hollow—located in Wills Point, Texas. His broodmare herd consists of more than 50 mares. He lives in Dallas. References External links Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor: Chuck Howley Dallas Cowboys Top 50 players West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame – Chuck Howley West Virginia University – Academy of Distinguished Alumni – Charles L. "Chuck" Howley 1936 births Living people American football linebackers Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players National Conference Pro Bowl players People from Wills Point, Texas Players