Howard Twilley, a receiver for undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins and Super Bowl winner, dies at age 81

Howard Twilley, a cardinal receiver for the Miami Dolphins during the team's cleanable 1972 play and a Heisman Trophy runner-up astatine the University of Tulsa, has died. He was 81.

Twilley died Wednesday, according to a Tulsa spokesperson, who confirmed the decease with his family. No origin of decease was given.

Twilley caught a touchdown walk successful Super Bowl 7 against the Washington Redskins, a 14-7 triumph that capped Miami's 17-0 season. He besides played for the squad that repeated arsenic Super Bowl champions the pursuing season. 

He had 212 receptions for 3,064 yards and 23 touchdowns during an 11-year pro vocation that lasted until 1976.

At Tulsa, Twilley enactment up eye-popping numbers during the mid-1960s -- an epoch erstwhile teams usually stuck to the crushed game. He caught 261 passes for 3,343 yards and 32 touchdowns successful college. His schoolhouse grounds for vocation yards receiving stood until Keylon Stokes broke it successful 2022.

In 1965, Twilley was the Heisman runner-up to Southern California´s Mike Garrett. He had 134 catches for 1,779 yards that play -- NCAA records that stood for much than 2 decades. He caught 5 touchdown passes against Louisville and had 230 yards receiving. He had 267 yards connected 16 catches against Memphis, 242 yards connected 18 receptions against Southern Illinois, 226 yards connected 14 grabs against Cincinnati and 214 yards connected 19 catches against Colorado State.

Twilley was the skipper of the Academic All-America squad successful 1965, and the MVP of the 1966 Senior Bowl.

Minnesota selected Twilley successful the 14th circular of the 1966 National Football League draught and Miami chose him successful the 12th circular of the American Football League draft. He chose the Dolphins, a first-year team, and stayed with them his full pro career.

After leaving football, Twilley owned and operated sporting goods stores successful Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. He considered moving for Congress successful Oklahoma successful 1994, but chose alternatively to enactment different erstwhile Tulsa receiver, Steve Largent.

Twilley was inducted into the Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame successful 1984, the College Football Hall of Fame successful 1992 and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame successful 1995. Tulsa has retired his No. 81 jersey.