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Charles Louis Howley was drafted in the first round of the 1958 draft by the Chicago Bears. He was the seventh player selected overall.

Howley went to college at West Virginia University, where he was a tremendous athlete who starred in five different sports while with the Mountaineers. He was named the 1956 Southern Conference Athlete of the Year and helped his diving team win a championship.

He was used as an offensive lineman on the gridiron, playing guard and center. He was named All-Conference three times, and his senior year saw him named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Howley is an inaugural member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Roehnelt, a 19th round draft pick that year, beat Howley out for a starting job, but the two rookies shared the position during games and Howley picked off a pass. He blew out his knee early in 1959. Assuming his career was over due to the severity of the injury, Howley retired.

During and alumni game in the spring of 1961, Howley discovered his knee was healthy again. A former Bears teammate, guard Don Healey, had joined the Dallas Cowboys and told Hall of Fame head coach Tom Landry that Howley could really help a team that won no games in their 1960 expansion year.

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