He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1991, and was selected fourth overall in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

Howard captured 85 percent of the first-place votes in balloting for the Heisman, the largest margin in history at that time.

21 jersey was to wear a patch recognizing Howard, and dress at a locker bearing a plaque with his name and time of tenure at Michigan.

He met with Michigan counselor Greg Harden, who helped him to build his confidence and achieve success on and off the field.

[5] Howard told 60 Minutes in 2014: "If Greg Harden wasn’t at the University of Michigan…I don’t win the Heisman.

"[6] On December 12, 2014, the Big Ten Network included Howard on "The Mount Rushmore of Michigan Football", as chosen by online fan voting.

On November 28, 2015, Howard had his #21 officially retired along with Gerald Ford (48), Tom Harmon (98), Ron Kramer (87), Bennie Osterbaan (47), and Albert, Alvin, and Whitey Wistert (11) at a ceremony before the Michigan game against Ohio State.

[9] Ohio State coach John Cooper ordered his team to avoid giving Howard chances to score.

The punt that Howard returned for a touchdown in the game was supposed to go out of bounds, so the Ohio State special teams players were unprepared for him.

Comparing his act to Muhammad Ali's taunting of opponents, Steve Rushin observed that although Howard's pose did not closely resemble that of the statue, "that looks more like the Heisman Trophy of our imagination than the Heisman trophy itself ... thousands of people must have instantly picked up some object and tried to do the same thing".

Howard later said that "all of a sudden, everyone was doing it"; many have imitated the act, including fellow athletes, celebrities, and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

[11] The pick was considered a luxury for the Redskins, who had just won Super Bowl XXVI and had receivers Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders on the roster.

[12] Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs remarked of Howard "This guy doesn't have any flaws.

Still, the Packers won the game and eventually reached Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots.

Bill Parcells, the Patriots' head coach, commented after the game: "We had a lot of momentum, and our defense was playing better.

He appears as an in-studio personality and, in 2005, began traveling with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit to marquee matchup sites during the season for the pregame show ESPN College Gameday.