Why it took 45 years before a Seniors’ Committee granted Warwood native Chuck Howley his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame remains a mystery to most because his on-field resume is so obviously impressive.
- A letterman in five sports at West Virginia University – football, track, wrestling, gymnastics, and swimming.
- The seventh overall selection by the Chicago Bears in the 1958 draft.
- Six Pro Bowls.
- Five trips to the Pro Bowl.
- A Super Bowl champion following a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 1971.
- The Super Bowl MVP in 1970 with two interceptions and a forced fumble in a 16-13 loss to the Colts. He was the first defensive player ever to claim MVP honors, and the only player ever to win the award as a member of the losing team.
But it wasn’t until January 24 when several of Howley’s former teammates, including Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, visited the legendary linebacker in Arizona to let him know his wait was over.
“There’s no doubt his induction is long overdue,” said Sean Duffy, a lifelong resident of the Warwood neighborhood in Wheeling. “And he’s one of our own so I believe we need to do something special to honor Chuck and his career in professional football.”
That is why Duffy, the director of Adult Programming and Local History for the Ohio County Public Library, has re-launched a fundraising effort to create and erect signage in Howley’s native neighborhood.
“The primary reason why I’m doing this is that I’m a lifelong resident of Warwood and this is where Chuck was raised,” Duffy explained. “For someone to come out of Warwood, make it to the NFL, and then be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is fairly remarkable and has never happened before, so I believe a very nice sign would be a terrific thing to honor him and his accomplishments.
“There aren’t even 400 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite the fact that thousands have played in the NFL over the years, so for Chuck to finally be named I believe we need to pay tribute to him and his career and let everyone know we’re proud of our Warwood boy.”
There has been a small sign attached to a telephone pole on the right side of W.Va. Route 2 when heading north, but Duffy believes more stately signage is necessary and that is why he launched a GOFUNDME campaign.
“The sign that’s in place now is in bad condition because it’s been through a lot over the years. Plus, it really doesn’t have much on it other than his name, the year of the Super Bowl when he was the MVP, and the year,” Duffy reported. “I think we need something more that’s in better condition and is much more visible.
“For whatever reason, this time I knew he was going to get in,” he said. “And finally, after all of these years of deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, he’ll be enshrined, and now I believe it’s time to prepare to do what I feel is the right thing in the community where he spent his childhood and young adult years.”
A Steeler Fan, Yes, But …
Yes, Howley was a member of the Dallas Cowboys, and yes, finally, the legendary linebacker finally will take his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame come August.
And yes, Duffy is a Steelers fan, and Pittsburgh and Dallas have been rivals since the two franchises went head-to-head in the Super Bowl back in the 1970s.
So, is Duffy fearful his fan card will be revoked by Steelers Nation?
“I have spoken with Chuck in the past, but I didn’t know who he was until my father gave me his autograph after Howley had come home during his playing career. I’ve been a Steelers fan my entire life, so I had no idea how good of a player he was at the time,” Duffy admitted. “But then I started to figure out who he was because I looked up his career, and that’s when I realized he was from Warwood and I thought that was pretty cool.
“That’s when I became a fan of his after the fact, so as a Steelers fan, I think I can be forgiven for being a fan of a Cowboy because he was a Warwood guy and a West Virginia guy before he was a Cowboy,” he chuckled. “Plus, he wasn’t just a player on the Cowboys, he’s a real cowboy because he has had a ranch in Texas since the end of his playing days. So, he’s a real-life cowboy, too.”
Duffy said he’s had preliminary conversations with a representative of the City of Wheeling pertaining to his signage idea, and he is hopeful the initiative can be moved forward in quick fashion.
“I have spoken with the vice mayor, Chad Thalman, who is the council representative for the Warwood area, and he has the idea of renaming the field at Garden Park in Chuck’s honor. He also wants to place a sign along Route 2 in the front of the park for everyone to see as they drive by,” Duffy said. “I think that would be terrific, but I do think we need both signs to honor Chuck and that’s why I’m trying to raise some money for the effort.
“That way we’ll have some seed money when the time comes for all of the ideas to become final decisions,” he said. “It just needs to be figured out and that will take place when all of the stakeholders come together soon. I would like to see something be accomplished by June 28 because that’s his birthday, or definitely by August because that’s when he’ll be inducted in Canton.”
