Dana Howard (American football)

Dana Cortez Howard (born February 27, 1972) is a former American college and professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for the University of Illinois, was recognized as an All-American and won several national awards. A fifth-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, he played professionally for the NFL's St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.

Early years
Howard was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Howard attended East St. Louis High School, where he played for the East St. Louis Flyers high school football team coached by Bob Shannon.

College career
While attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Howard played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team from 1991 to 1994. He was a member of Illinois' talented linebacker corps that included fellow standouts John Holecek, Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice. As a senior in 1994, he won the Dick Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Award, both presented annually to the best linebacker in college football. Howard earned first-team All-American honors in 1993, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 1994. He is the all-time leading tackler in Fighting Illini history, with 595.

Professional career
Howard was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1995 NFL Draft (168th pick overall). He signed with the St. Louis Rams and played in 16 games in 1995. In 1996, he played in three games with the Chicago Bears.

Howard also played with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 1999.