Gregory Keith Horton (January 1, 1951 – November 11, 2016) was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[1][2]
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
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| Born: | January 1, 1951 San Bernardino, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | November 11, 2016 (aged 65) Redlands, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Redlands (CA) | ||||||||
| College: | Colorado | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1974 / round: 3 / pick: 56 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Horton was traded to the Buccaneers 2 games into the 1978 season, where he would play both sides of the line; first the left guard, and finish the season as the right guard position. Little did he know he would take part in an amazing sports story, the "Worst to First" ride of the Bucs, from 0-26 expansion losers to 10 points away from a Super Bowl; in only 4 years.
Unlike previous years, the 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the season with two important things; A 4th Ranked Defense in 1978, and a Quarterback named Doug Williams who was capable of throwing the ball downfield. In hindsight however, the greatest asset of the 1979 Bucs was their Offensive Line. Anchored by Left Tackle Dave Reavis, Super Bowl winning lineman from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Horton at Left Guard, the line blocked the Buccaneers offense into history. Only Right Tackle Charlie Hannah missed any time, not able to play the final two games of the regular season and first playoff game. It was this continuity that propelled running back Ricky Bell to a 1200+ yard rushing season, the 8th ranked of the season.
Behind the Offensive Line, QB Williams was only sacked 12 times, in a 16-game season. Winning their first ever NFC Central Division Championship, The Offensive Line opened holes in the playoffs for Ricky Bell's 38 rushing attempts for 142 yards, setting an NFL playoff record for most attempts! Suddenly these young Bucs found themselves hosting an NFC Championship game. Tampa Bay ended up losing to the Los Angeles Rams, Horton's former team. The next season Tampa Bay used a draft pick to select Ray Snell out of Oklahoma as a Guard. Horton was cut during the 1980 Training Camp.
References
edit- ^ Greg Horton NFL & AFL Football Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ^ "Former Rams and Redlands High standout Greg Horton dies". November 11, 2016.
- ^ 1979 Bucs Participation Chart - bucpower.com
- ^ "NFL Stats: By Team Category". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.