Willard Dewveall

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1936–2006)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Willard Dewveall

| image = Willard Dewveall 1961.jpg

| position = End

| number = 88

| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|04|29}}

| birth_place = Springtown, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|11|20|1936|04|29}}

| death_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lbs = 224

| draftyear = 1958

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 18

| high_school = Weatherford
(Weatherford, Texas)

| college = Southern Methodist

| pastteams =

• Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1958)
• Chicago Bears (1959–1960)
• Houston Oilers (1961–1964)

| statlabel1 = Receptions

| statvalue1 = 204

| statlabel2 = Receiving yards

| statvalue2 = 3,304

| statlabel3 = Touchdowns

| statvalue3 = 27

| pfr =

| cfl =

| afl =

| highlights =

• Grey Cup champion (1958)
• AFL champion (1961)
• AFL All-Star (1962)
• Second-team All-SWC (1957)

}}

Willard Charles Dewveall (Pronounced: DOO-vawl) (April 29, 1936{{spaced ndash}}November 20, 2006) was an American football end. He was the first player to jump from the National Football League (NFL) to the American Football League (AFL).

He left the Chicago Bears of the NFL after the 1960 season to play for the AFL champion Houston Oilers.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GuJHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rIAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6345%2C1787888|newspaper=Victoria Advocate|location=Texas|agency=Associated Press |title=Chicago Bears veteran Dewveall joins|date=January 14, 1961|page=8}} He was the only one to switch leagues for five years, until kicker Pete Gogolak went from the AFL to the NFL in 1966.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C7xaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LFADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2862%2C2718730 |newspaper=Ludington Daily News |location=Michigan |agency=Associated Press |title=Signing of Gogolak could trigger football battle |date=May 18, 1966 |page=12 }}

In 1962, Dewveall caught the (then) longest pass reception for a touchdown in professional football history, 98 yards, from Jacky Lee, against the San Diego Chargers. It is still the longest receiving touchdown in Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise history. He was an American Football League All-Star in 1962.

He was Dandy Don's favorite receiver, and All-American at SMU.

Selected by the Bears in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft, Dewveall played a year in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1958 under head coach Bud Grant,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IN5QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ciUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3681%2C3509954 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Sports shorts |date=January 9, 1958 |page=19, part 2 }} and they won the Grey Cup. He returned to the United States and played for the Bears for two seasons in 1959 and 1960.