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.
 In the 1960's the Cowboys had a pair of second hand WR's for
the ages. Second hand meaning they started their careers on
another team. Tommy McDonald, played for the Cowboys for 1
year in 1964. McDonald gained most of his fame and status
with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1957 - 1963. McDonald was brought into
Dallas to fill a void left when WR Billy Howton retired after
the '63 season. Billy Howton gained most of his fame as a
Green Bay Packer from 1952 - 1958. Howton played for the Browns
in 1959 and then came to the expansion Cowboys in 1960 where
he played until his retirement in 1963.
 One
of these 2 players is in the NFL Hall of Fame, the other is
not. If you look at these 2 players career statistics you
may be unsure who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both
players played for 12 seasons. McDonald caught 495 passes
for 8,410 yards. Howton caught 503 passes for 8,459 yards
in 10 fewer games. McDonald averaged 17.0 yards per catch,
Howton averaged 16.8. Neither player ever led the league in
catches per season but Howton
did lead the league twice in yards per season and once in
TD receptions. McDonald led the league once in yards per season
and twice in TD's receptions per season. The one statistic
that does stand out is the total career TD receptions, Tommy
McDonald had 84 and Billy Howton had 61. Plus Tommy McDonald
returned Punts and Kickoffs during his career.
Most of you already know that Tommy McDonald
is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and deservedly so but
I bet you didn't know Billy Howton was that good a football
player, in fact Billy Howton is in a Hall of Fame, the Green
Bay Packer Hall of Fame!
Billy Howton with his son William on the sidelines of an early
1960's Dallas Cowboys game!
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