Michael Lionel Howell (July 5, 1943 – August 1, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Howell played college football for the Grambling State Tigers and was selected 111th overall by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1965 NFL draft.Palmer, Pete; Pullis, Ken; Lahman, Sean; Silverman, Matthew; Gillette, Gary (Eds.). The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia: First Edition, p. 1402. Sterling Publishing, 2006. .
A college quarterback,Peticca, Mike. "Cleveland Browns' 100 best all-time players: No. 89 -- Mike Howell (video)". Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 16, 2012. Retrieved on May 11, 2013. Howell converted to defensive back in the NFL. He felt he had no chance playing quarterback in the NFL due to his race. At the time African-Americans were stereotyped as not being able to successfully play the position. "I know I'm not going into the NFL as a black quarterback," is what Howell told his coach, the legendary Eddie Robinson. So, he changed to cornerback, winning a starting job in 1966, and moved to free safety in 1968. Howell did not miss a league game during his career in Cleveland, and intercepted 27 passes during his NFL career.Neft, David S. & Cohen, Richard M. The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional NFL Football from 1892 to the Present, p. 478. St. Martin's Press, 1991. .
In 2012, the Cleveland Plain Dealer selected Howell as one of the 100 best players in Browns history.
Howell died on August 5, 2016 at the age of 73.
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