Ethan Shane Horton (born December 19, 1962) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played one season as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs (1985), and seven seasons as a tight end for the Los Angeles Raiders (1987, 1989–1993), and the Washington Redskins (1994).

College career

Horton played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of North Carolina, where he was an all- ACC running back and 1984 ACC Player of the Year. In 1981, he was named the co- MVP of the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...

, and in 1982 he shared MVP honors with two teammates in the

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

. Horton rushed for 1,107 yards as a junior and 1,247 as a senior. Overall, he rushed for 3,074 yards, caught 46 passes for 495 yards, and scored 27 touchdowns.

Professional career

Horton was selected by the Chiefs with the 15th pick of the

1985 NFL draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also hel ...

. He caught 28 passes in his rookie season, but had a dismal year running the ball, finishing the season with just 146 rushing yards. He was widely considered a bust and cut by the Chiefs at the end of the year. Horton managed to sign on with the Raiders in 1987, but played in just four games and was cut during training camp in 1988. He then returned to North Carolina as an athletic counselor, but was called back to the Raiders in 1989 by owner

Al Davis Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in ...

, who had him converted to the tight end position. Although he saw limited playing time in 1989, this ultimately paid off as he caught 33 passes in 1990, and scored a 41-yard touchdown reception in the team's divisional playoff win in the postseason. Horton had his best season in 1991, when he caught 53 passes for 650 yards and five touchdowns, which earned him his only career selection to the pro bowl. He added 77 more receptions with his next two years on the Raiders, and finished his NFL career with the Redskins in 1994. Horton finished his career with 212 receptions for 2,360 yards and 17 touchdowns, along with 241 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing the ball.

References

1962 births Living people People from Kannapolis, North Carolina American football running backs American football tight ends North Carolina Tar Heels football players Kansas City Chiefs players Los Angeles Raiders players Washington Redskins players American Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League replacement players {{tightend-1960s-stub