1. Millard Fleming "Dixie" Howell was an American football and baseball player and coach.
17 Facts About Dixie Howell
1. 2.
Dixie Howell played college football as a halfback at the University of Alabama from 1932 to 1934 and with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League in 1937.
3.
Dixie Howell coached at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1935.
4.
Dixie Howell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.
5.
Dixie Howell played professional baseball in eight minor league seasons following college.
6.
Dixie Howell threw two touchdown passes to Hutson and ran for two more; he is a member of the all-time Rose Bowl team.
7.
In 1937, Dixie Howell briefly played professional football in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, who had just relocated from Boston.
8.
Dixie Howell was a reserve quarterback for the Redskins, behind starter Sammy Baugh.
9.
Dixie Howell became a collegiate head coach in 1938 and ended his football playing career.
10.
Dixie Howell played baseball for the Crimson Tide and originally indicated he would finish out the college baseball season in 1935 and turn pro that June.
11.
Dixie Howell's career tailed off and he spent the rest of his baseball career in lower leagues.
12.
Dixie Howell was a finalist for the open job at Idaho in 1941 to succeed Ted Bank, which went to Francis Schmidt, then resigned his position at Tempe in the spring of 1942 and joined the US Navy as a physical training instructor for naval aviators.
13.
Dixie Howell served until his discharge as a lieutenant commander in November 1945, then returned to Tuscaloosa in January 1946 as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach for the Crimson Tide.
14.
Dixie Howell felt compelled to publicly deny rumors in April that he would leave before the 1950 season.
15.
Dixie Howell had an uncredited role in the 1936 movie, The Adventures of Frank Merriwell as a football player.
16.
Dixie Howell got out of coaching and later worked in the Los Angeles area in sales and public relations.
17.
Dixie Howell had two operations for intestinal cancer in 1969 and 1971 and died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in March 1971 at age 58.