Ken Houston
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Position: | 1967 / Round: 9 / Pick: 214 | ||||||||||
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Kenneth Ray Houston (born November 12, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Houston played for the AFL's
Early life
Houston was born in Lufkin, Texas and was the third of four children. His father, Herod, owned a dry cleaning business.[1] Houston attended Dunbar High School where he played basketball and football.[1]
College career
The only school that recruited Houston after high school was Prairie A&M College (now Prairie View A&M University).[1] Bishop College initially offered him a scholarship, but then withdrew it. (The school had yet to be desegregated.)[1]
Houston attended and played
Houston also ran track, and was on the swim team during the four years he was at Prairie View.
Professional career
Houston was an all-league free safety player for twelve consecutive years: an
Throughout his career, he had an extraordinary ability to know where the ball was going. Houston intercepted 49 passes, recovered 21 fumbles, gained 1,498 return yards (on interception, fumble, blocked field goal, kickoff, and punt returns), and scored 12 touchdowns. He is a member of the 1986 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[2]
Houston Oilers
Houston was
In 1971 he set an NFL record with five touchdown returns (four interceptions and one fumble). This would stand until surpassed by Devin Hester's six return touchdowns in the 2006 season.[4] His defensive touchdown record was unequaled until it was tied by DaRon Bland in 2023.
Washington Redskins
After six years with the Oilers, Houston was traded to the
Coaching career
After his retirement in 1980, Houston served as a head football coach for
After football
Since 1990, Houston has served as a
Personal
Houston has a wife, Gustie, a daughter, Kene; and a son, Kenneth Christian.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Whatever Happened to … Ken Houston". Extreme Skins. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Ken Houston's HOF Profile". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ "Football's 100 Greatest Players". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ Pedulla, Tom; Mihoces, Gary (February 1, 2007). "Addai, Hester step lightly, make impact". USA Today. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
- Ken Houston at the Pro Football Hall of Fame