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Has The Super Bowl MVP Ever Come From The Losing Team?

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Has The Super Bowl MVP Ever Come From The Losing Team? Chuck Howley Stands Alone

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley was the last player to win the Super Bowl MVP on a losing team in NFL history. Howley won the award in Super Bowl V at the Orange Bowl in Miami against the Baltimore Colts.

Super Bowl V was played on January 17, 1971. The game was the first modern-era NFL championship, and it was the first Super Bowl played after the completion of the AFL–NFL merger.

Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Chuck Howley Was The First Non-Quarterback To Win Super Bowl MVP

Chuck Howley was the first non-quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP honors and remains to this day the only player from a losing team to receive the accolade.

Although the Colts pulled off a come-from-behind win, Howley dominated the stat sheet with two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two tackles to lead the way in a losing effort.

The West Virigina native said afterward that the only reason he accepted the MVP award was because it came with a brand-new station wagon. He gave it to his wife Nancy as a gift.

Super Bowl V is widely regarded as one of the most forgettable championship games in NFL history. The game is often referred to as the “Blunder Bowl,” “Blooper Bowl,” or “Stupor Bowl” because this particular matchup showcased poor play, a blocked PAT, penalties, turnovers, and officiating miscues.

The two teams combined for a Super Bowl record 11 turnovers, with five recorded in the fourth quarter alone. The Colts’ seven turnovers remain the most committed by a Super Bowl champion.

Dallas also set a Super Bowl record with 10 penalties, costing them 133 yards. The Colts sealed the victory when rookie kicker Jim O’Brien made a 32-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation time, then a Super Bowl record for least time in the lead for a champion.

Baltimore overcame a 13-6 deficit after three quarters and the loss of its starting quarterback Johnny Unitas to an injury in the second quarter. While Super Bowl V was one of the worst Super Bowls ever played, the championship was a much-needed title for a Colts franchise that needed a victory after losing Super Bowl III.

Chicago Bears Traded Howley To Dallas Following A Training Camp Injury In 1960

Howley was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1958 NFL draft out of West Virginia University. However, he retired after just two seasons following a training camp injury in 1960 and returned home to a blue-collar job running a filling station.

But when he decided to make a gridiron comeback in 1961, the Bears traded Howley’s rights to the Cowboys.

“I went back because I decided there were better things to do than run a gas station,” Howley said. “Also, I thought it would be a unique opportunity to play for Dallas, a team that was just getting started.”

His decision to come out of retirement proved to be the right move. Howley played 165 games for the Cowboys over the next 13 seasons, earning six Pro Bowl honors and being named a first-team All-Pro five times.

Howley helped the Cowboys win their first title in Super Bowl VI, recovering a fumble and an interception in the 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins as part of the intimidating “Doomsday” defense.

According to Pro Football Reference, Howley still ranks second in Cowboys history with 17 fumble recoveries over his 15-year career and has the franchise’s second-longest fumble return, a 97-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons on October 2, 1966.

The Cowboys inducted Howley into their Ring of Honor in 1977, just four years after he retired for the second time. On February 9, 2023, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was formally enshrined on August 5.