It’s been well over 50 years, but Chuck Howley still has the distinction of being the only Super Bowl MVP of a losing team. Howley, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Friday, was named Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl V despite his Cowboys losing the first Super Bowl that was decided by a field goal.
Outside of Howley’s MVP award, Super Bowl V is largely remembered for three other things:
- A record 11 combined turnovers committed by the Cowboys and Colts. The last one, an interception of Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton by Colts linebacker Mike Curtis, set up Baltimore’s game-winning score.
- Baltimore tight end John Mackey’s then-Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown catch that came off of a deflected pass.
- Kicker Jim O’Brien making the first game-winning field goal in Super Bowl history, which occurred with just nine seconds left in the game.
In a game fraught with mistakes, Howley was a diamond in the rough. He recorded a then-Super Bowl-record two interceptions while becoming the first defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP honors.
Howley isn’t just remembered for his performance in Super Bowl V, though. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro during his 15-year playing career. In 2023, his career was finally immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after decades of waiting.
In 1972, a year after his team’s heartbreaking defeat, Howley and the Cowboys finally got their day in the sun in Super Bowl VI. In fact, it was Howley’s interception late in the game that set up the Cowboys’ game-clinching score. Dallas ultimately drubbed Miami 24-3 en route to the franchise’s first of five Super Bowl wins.
