 Horton with the Browns in 2013 | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | (1960-04-12)April 12, 1960 (age 64) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Tacoma (WA) Mount Tahoma | ||||||||
| College: | Washington (1979-1982) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1983: 2nd round, 53rd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season: | USFL 4–6 (.400) | ||||||||
| Postseason: | USFL 1–1 (.500) | ||||||||
| Career: | USFL 5–7 (.417) | ||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||
Raymond Anthony Horton (born April 12, 1960) is anAmerican football coach and former player. He playedcollege football atWashington and was drafted in the second round of the1983 NFL draft by theCincinnati Bengals.
In 1978, Horton graduated early fromMount Tahoma High School inTacoma, Washington, where he was a prepAll-American. In 1999, he was named to the second-team defense of the Washington High-School Football Team Of The Century by theSeattle Times newspaper.[1]
Horton accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Washington, where he played as acornerback andspecial teams from 1980 to 1982 after a redshirt year. As a sophomore, he started 9 games. As a junior, he was a first-team All-Pac 10 selection and honorable-mentionAll-American. In his last year, he started 9 games, missing 3 contests with an ankle injury (where he was replaced byVince Newsome).
He finished as a three-year starter with 10 career interceptions, 22 passes defensed, including 14 (school record) in 1981 and played in twoRose Bowls.[2][3] He was also one of the toppunt returners in the nation.
Horton was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the second round (53rd overall) of the1983 NFL draft. He also was selected by theLos Angeles Express in the third round (25th overall) of the1983 USFL Draft. Horton decided to sign with the Bengals.
He earned the job as a startingcornerback with Cincinnati by the second game of the season (5 starts), finishing with a franchise rookie record 5 interceptions, including one returned for atouchdown.[4] The next year, Horton was named the regular starter atright cornerback after the retirement ofKen Riley, posting 66 tackles and 3 interceptions, including one returned for atouchdown.
In1986, he was passed on the depth chart by rookieLewis Billups and was moved to thenickel back role, making 55 tackles and one interception as theBengals barely missed the playoffs despite finishing 10-6. In 1987, Horton started 8 games, while replacing an injuredLouis Breeden, tallying 53 tackles.
In1988, he was moved to safety and played mainly nickel back. He recorded 26 tackles, 3 interceptions and one sack as the Bengals won their second AFC Championship. InSuper Bowl XXIII, after being up 13–6 over theSan Francisco 49ers at the beginning of the fourth quarter, driving from the Bengals 10-yard line, quarterbackJoe Montana threw a pass towards Billups that he dropped in theend zone. On the next play, the 49ers scored atouchdown, tying the game at 13. Towards the game's conclusion, Montana threw a 10-yardtouchdown pass toJohn Taylor who was being covered by Horton, for a 20–16 lead with 34 seconds left and the eventual championship.[5] He also was the team's punt returner during the game.
On March 14,1989, theDallas Cowboys signed Horton as aPlan B free agent with the intention of playing him atsafety.[6] He was named the startingfree safety, helping anchor the secondary and calling the defensive signals. He collected 116 tackles (second on the team), 8 passes defensed (second on the team), 2 forced fumbles (led the team), one interception and one sack.
In1990, he sprained his left knee in the fourth game against theNew York Giants, that forced him to miss one contest and slowed him the rest of the season. He posted 69 tackles, 6 passes defensed, one interception and 4 fumble recoveries.
In1991, he finished third on the team in tackles (105), recorded 8 passes defensed, one interception and scored in back-to-back games: a fumble return in a 21-16 win against theNew York Giants and a 65-yard interception return in a 20–17 win over theGreen Bay Packers. He became the first player in franchise history to score a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games and the third player (Jim Ridlon, 1964 andLarry Cole, 1968) ever to have 2 defensive touchdowns in the same season.
In1992, he started the first 7 games before tearing his rightACL (he chose not to have surgery) and missing 4 games.[7] He was replaced withJames Washington who took over the starting job. He still was able to be part of the championship team inSuper Bowl XXVII.
Horton was released on June 1,1993, with the Cowboys looking to give more opportunities to Washington andDarren Woodson.[8] He finished his career with 19 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries, 3 sacks and 5 defensive touchdowns.
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Horton began his coaching career in 1994 as a defensive assistant with theWashington Redskins. He was hired byNorv Turner, who knew him from Dallas where Turner was an offensive coordinator. Horton was the defensive backs coach for the Bengals (1997–2001) and theDetroit Lions (2002–03). He was the assistant defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004 to 2006, before being promoted to defensive backs coach in 2007.[9]
On February 9, 2011, Horton was named defensive coordinator for theArizona Cardinals.[10] In 2013, Arizona head coachKen Whisenhunt was fired, though Horton was initially retained and considered for promotion to head coach.[11] On January 17, 2013, Horton was passed over for the promotion in favor of his former fellow Pittsburgh assistantBruce Arians, leading to his prompt departure from Arizona.[12] During that same off-season, Horton also interviewed for head coaching positions with the Browns and theBuffalo Bills.[13]
On January 18, 2013, Horton was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Browns.[14] On January 18, 2014, Horton agreed to become the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.[15] Following the 2015 season, Horton was interviewed by the Titans for their open head coaching position, which was ultimately filled by the team's interim head coachMike Mularkey.[16] In 2022, Horton joined a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit filed by formerMiami Dolphins head coachBrian Flores. Horton alleged that his 2016 interview with the Titans was a sham conducted solely to comply with theRooney Rule. Mularkey had previously revealed that the Titans had promised him the job before they interviewed Horton.[17]
Browns coachHue Jackson hired Ray Horton to be the Browns defensive coordinator going into the 2016 season. After a single season, Horton was fired by the Browns on January 7, 2017.[18] He was hired as the Redskins' defensive backs coach on January 24, 2019.[19]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | |||
| PIT | 2023 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 1st | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost2023 USFL Championship Game toBirmingham Stallions 12-28 | |
| Total | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | TBD | 1 | 1 | .500 | |||