Desmond Howard
A Heisman winner who redefined the kick return as a game-breaking weapon, sealing a Super Bowl title with one unforgettable sprint.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American football player·Birthday: May 15·Generation X
Biography
Desmond Howard's legacy was cemented in a single, electrifying play, but his path there was one of consistent brilliance under the brightest lights. At the University of Michigan, he wasn't just a receiver; he was a human highlight reel, whose iconic 'Heisman pose' touchdown against Ohio State in 1991 became the symbol of a trophy-winning season. His NFL journey as a wide receiver had fits and starts, but he found his true, devastating calling as a return specialist. In the 1996 season with the Green Bay Packers, Howard became the most dangerous man on special teams, leading the league in punt returns. His crowning moment came in Super Bowl XXXI, where he fielded a kickoff, found a seam, and raced 99 yards to the end zone, a play that broke the New England Patriots' spirit and earned him Super Bowl MVP honors—a rarity for a special teams player.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Desmond was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Desmond Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Desmond's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Heisman Trophy in 1991 as a wide receiver and returner for the University of Michigan.
- Named Super Bowl XXXI Most Valuable Player after a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown for the Green Bay Packers.
- Set the NFL single-season record for punt return yards (875) in the 1996 season, a record that stood for over a decade.
- Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 for his storied career at Michigan.
Did You Know?
He is the only primarily special teams player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP.
His famous 'Heisman pose' strike against Ohio State was spontaneously called by broadcaster Keith Jackson as it happened.
He won the Super Bowl MVP despite catching only one pass for seven yards in the entire game.
After his playing career, he became a longtime analyst and commentator for ESPN's *College GameDay*.
“You practice the return so that in the moment, you just react.”
