Howfield tried out with several NFL teams before making the final roster with the Houston Oilers. In August 1991, Howfield eventually beat out Teddy Garcia and Raul Allegre for the Oilers' kicking position after making all three field goal attempts (38, 54, 29 yards) in his preseason debut against the Dallas Cowboys. Howfield made 13 of 18 field goal attempts and 25 of 29 extra point attempts for Houston. However, after he missed a potential game-winning field goal against Washington (the undefeated Redskins won on their own made field goal in overtime), Howfield was released the following day by the Oilers. Howfield signed practice squad contracts in following years with the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 1993, Howfield joined the Dallas Texans of the Arena Football League, where he was 7 for 27 (25.9%) in field goals and 19 for 23 (82.6%) in extra points.[2] He moved to the Fort Worth Cavalry in 1995, where he made 10 of 29 (34.5%) field goals and 40 of 53 (75.5%) extra points.[3]
1995 saw his first full season in the AFL with the Las Vegas Sting, during which he led the league in scoring for kickers with 120 points, a then-league-record field goal percentage at 71.4 (20 of 28), field goals made (20), extra point percentage (91 percent), and longest field goal (61 yards against the Miami Hooters). He was named Micatin Arena League Kicker of the Year and Second-team All-Arena for his season.[4][5]
He joined the Anaheim Piranhas in 1996, where he went 21 for 43 (48.8%) in field goals and 63 for 73 (86.3%) in extra points. In 1996, he led the league in field goals made with 21 and was second in FG percentage at 48.8.[6] The following year, he had a league-best 21 field goals made with a 47.7 conversion percentage, along with 62 for 74 on extra points.[7]
Howfield was in a life-threatening car accident that cut his career short at the end of the 1997 season in Las Vegas. He received two disk fusions in his lower back and an entire right knee cartilage replacement, and was out of football for five years recovering from the injuries (1998 to 2002).[8][9] He made a comeback in 2003 with the Tampa Bay Storm.[10] In his first game back from the car accident, he made all three field goals.[11] Howfield moved to the New York Dragons later that year, and concluded the season with a league-best 66.6 conversion percentage (10 of 15), followed by a 31-yard game winner in the playoffs as time expired to advance to the quarterfinals.[12][13]
He retired at the end of the 2003 season, but came back in 2004 with the Las Vegas Gladiators, where he played four games to fill in for injured kickers. He was three for five (60%) in field goals and 18 for 21 (85.7) in extra points.[14]
At the time of his final retirement, he held various league and team records and stats:
