Rob Houghtlin (January 4, 1965) is a former kicker for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

's football team from 1985 to 1987. He made four game-winning field goals in his career, the most memorable of which led

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

to a victory over

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

in 1985.

Early life

Rob Houghtlin attended

New Trier High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school whose main campus for sophomores through seniors is in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, with a campus in Northfield, Illinois, for ...

in Winnetka, Illinois. He played for one season at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

before transferring to the

, walking on as a sophomore before the 1985 season. Houghtlin success with dramatic, game-winning kicks began at an early age. With less than a minute to play, his Winnetka Chiefs 8th grade football team marched 92 yard to tie Antioch in the Northern Illinois championship. Forgoing the traditional one point run, Winnetka chose to kick for two points; Houghtlin nailed the game-winner as time expired. By 1982, his senior year in high school, Houghtlin was considered one of the best kickers in the state of Illinois. Facing fierce rival Evanston High School in the state quarterfinals, Houghtlin kicked a 50-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to end Evanston's playoff run. In addition to kicking, he also played defensive back throughout his high school career.

College career

On October 19, 1985, the Iowa Hawkeyes were ranked #1 in the nation, while the Michigan Wolverines were ranked #2. Michigan came to Iowa City for a rare matchup of the top two teams in the nation. Iowa trailed, 10–9, with two seconds to play in the game. Houghtlin kicked a 29-yard field goal from the right hash mark as time expired to give Iowa a 12–10 win. Later that season, he made a 25-yard field goal as time ran out to beat Purdue, 27–24. Houghtlin was an all-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

selection after his sophomore season. As a junior in 1986, he missed a 52-yard field goal at the end of a 27–27 tie game against

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

; however, a Minnesota penalty gave Houghtlin another opportunity, and he made a 37-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Gophers, 30–27. Iowa's final game that year was the 1986

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in San Diego, California. Operating since 1978, its current conference tie-ins are with the Pac-12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The bowl is held at Snapdragon S ...

against

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

, where Iowa trailed, 38–36, with four seconds remaining.

Chuck Hartlieb Charles Gregory Hartlieb (born March 12, 1966) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1984 to 1988 and started at that position from 1987 to 1988. He was a high school stan ...

caught a high snap, and Houghtlin booted a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a 39–38 victory. Houghtlin was again an all-Big Ten selection as a senior in 1987, eventually leaving Iowa as the school's all-time leader in field goals and points.

Professional career

Houghtlin was not drafted by the NFL, but in 1988 was invited to training camp with both the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

; he did not make the final roster for either club. The following spring, he signed with the

Chicago Bruisers The Chicago Bruisers were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They were founded in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League (AFL). They played their home games at Rosemont Horizon. History Founding (19 ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

. There would be no thrilling, last-second kicks for Houghtlin with the Bruisers; in fact, he missed all twelve attempts in the 1989 regular season, still an AFL record for most field goal attempts without success. (Houghtlin did kick one field goal in four attempts in what would be his last pro game, a 43-10 playoff loss to the

Detroit Drive The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit ...

.) That same year, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, with Houghtlin as the team's kicker.Iowa All-Time team

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghtlin, Rob Iowa Hawkeyes football players 1965 births Living people Chicago Bruisers players