More often than not, the team that comes out on top in the Super Bowl also boasts the game’s MVP. However, there’s one notable exception to this rule: the curious case of Chuck Howley, who didn’t walk away with a championship ring from the Dallas Cowboys, but was still named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
On January 17, 1971, Tom Landry‘s Cowboys and the Baltimore Colts faced off in Super Bowl V at the Miami Orange Bowl. The victory ultimately went to Don McCafferty’s team, with a 16-13 score, leaving Dallas empty-handed.
Despite the disappointment and heartbreak of not securing the coveted ring, the Dallas Cowboys had the privilege of having the game’s best player on their roster: the talented linebacker Chuck Howley. In that game, Howley played alongside Lee Roy Jordan and Dave Edwards.
In this way, Chuck Howley became the first—and so far, the only—player in the history of the sport to lose a Super Bowl final and still be recognized as the MVP of the event.
Howley’s journey with the Cowboys
Chuck Howley spent his college days wearing the colors of West Virginia. After a standout campaign with the Mountaineers, the linebacker decided to enter the draft, where he was ultimately selected by the Chicago Bears with the first pick in the 7th round. The year 1958 would not be just another in Howley’s life—it marked his arrival in the NFL.
In 1961, he was traded to none other than the Dallas Cowboys, where he would spend his entire NFL career. There, he went on to win Super Bowl VI, defeating Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins 24-3. Prior to that, he played in Super Bowl V, where, although he didn’t secure the championship, he earned the MVP honors for his outstanding performance.
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“I went back because I decided there were better things to do than run a gas station. Also, I thought it would be a unique opportunity to play for Dallas, a team that was just getting started,” Howley stated after being traded to the Cowboys, according to talkoffametwo.com.
In 1973, he decided to retire from his professional playing career, having achieved numerous milestones, including being named a 6-time Pro Bowler. Additionally, he earned a place in the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.
Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys watches from the sideline during a game in the 1988 season. Tom Landry coached the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988, leading them to two Super Bowl victories.
The MVP without a title
The Cowboys’ great run under Landry in the early 70s culminated in the long-awaited Super Bowl. The fifth edition of this monumental event would see Dallas face off against the then-Baltimore Colts, coached by Don McCafferty. In front of nearly 80,000 fans at the Miami Orange Bowl, the AFC team would ultimately claim the title.
Despite the loss, the standout performance of the game came from linebacker Chuck Howley, who was ultimately named the MVP of that Super Bowl without securing a championship. Howley intercepted two passes and forced a fumble, cementing his status as one of the game’s biggest stars.
“It was one of those kind of games when I was in the right place at the right time, all the time,” Howley told Bob Barnett and Bob Carroll in “Chuck Howley” from The Coffin Corner (Vol. 6, Nos 9 and 10). “Even when I made mistakes and was out of position, I was in the right place.”
