David Howard

David Howard (born December 8, 1961) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. He also was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League. He played college football at Long Beach State University. Early years Howard attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he was the city co-player of the year in 1978. He accepted a football scholarship from Oregon State University and was a starter as a freshman at linebacker, but decided to transfer to Long Beach State at the end of the season. He was named the starter at middle linebacker as a sophomore. As a senior, he registered 89 tackles (51 solo), 6 tackles for loss and 2 fumble recoveries. He finished his career with 242 tackles, 17 sacks, 6 interceptions and 16 passes defensed. In 1998, he was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame.