Robert Michael Howfield (born 3 December 1936), commonly known as Bobby Howfield, is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 former professional sportsman who played both association football and American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

.

Early and personal life

Howfield was born in Watford

Watford

Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...

, and his son Ian Howfield

Ian Howfield

Ian Michael Howfield is a former American football placekicker, who kicked in nine games for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League in 1991....

 kicked for the Houston Oilers in 1991.

Association football

Howfield played as a forward, known for his volatility. Howfield began his association football career with local side Bushey F.C., before signing amateur terms with Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 in May 1957. He became a professional with Watford

Watford F.C.

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

 in September 1957, playing for the club until July 1959, when he moved to Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra F.C.

Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

. In October 1959, however, he moved to Aldershot

Aldershot F.C.

Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...

, where his 23 league goals in the 1961–62

1961-62 in English football

The 1961–62 season was the 82nd season of competitive Football in England.-Overview:The season was notable for the remarkable achievement of Ipswich Town winning the League Championship. Under the managership of Alf Ramsey, the club progressed from the old Third Division South to the First Division...

 season were a club record for a number of years. He played for the club until July 1962 when he returned to Watford for a "substantial fee".

Howfield moved to Fulham

Fulham F.C.

Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

 in November 1965 for £6000, having made 101 appearances and scored 25 goals in his two spells with the club. He scored three goals for Fulham in the last ten goal performance by a top-flight club.

During 1965 Howfield went to play with the New Yorkers of the International Soccer League

International Soccer League (1960-1965)

The International Soccer League was a U.S. based soccer league which was formed in 1960 and collapsed in 1965. The league, affiliated with the American Soccer League, featured guest teams primarily from Europe and some from Asia, South America, Canada and Mexico.-History:In 1960, William Cox, a...

. He returned to Aldershot in August 1965, playing for the Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 club until 1967, before playing non-League football with Chelmsford City

Chelmsford City F.C.

Chelmsford City F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Chelmsford, Essex. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Melbourne Stadium.-Chelmsford:...

.

American football

Known for his powerful shooting, Howfield returned to America to take up American football as a place kicker. Between 1968 and 1970 he played for the Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, before moving to the New York Jets

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

in 1971, playing for them until 1974.

Later life

After his retirement from sport he worked in the insurance department of a Denver bank, and he still lives close to the city.