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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | (1943-01-07)January 7, 1943 (age 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | USC |
| Position: | Center |
| Career history | |
As a coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
Hudson Houck (born January 7, 1943) is an American former professionalfootball coach who was anoffensive line coach in theNational Football League (NFL) for 40 years.[1]
Houck attended and graduated from Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles. In 1960 he was selected first string All City Center.
Houck was acenter for the Trojans ofSouthern California from 1962 to 1964. He won a national championship as a member of the 1962 team.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach forCrescenta Valley High School inCalifornia. Following two years in theUnited States Army, Houck resumed his role at Crescenta Valley.
In 1970 Houck coached the freshmen team at Southern California, and after two years he became theoffensive line coach atStanford. There he coached the first Stanford 2-time All-Pac-8 offensive guard and Hall of Famer, Alex Karakozoff and sent several players to the NFL including Gary Anderson, Bill Reid and tutoring eventual All-American and first round NFL draft pickGordon King.
Houck returned to his alma mater in 1976, coaching the offensive line at Southern California. During this time, he helped send numerous Trojans to theNational Football League includingMarvin Powell,Pat Howell,Brad Budde,Anthony Muñoz,Keith Van Horne,Chris Foote,Roy Foster,Bruce Matthews,Don Mosebar andTony Slaton, among others. This group helped lead the way forHeisman Trophy-winning running backsCharles White andMarcus Allen, in addition to another USC great,Ricky Bell, an NFL first-round draft choice in 1977.
Houck's first pro coaching experience came with theLos Angeles Rams, where he coached theoffensive line from1983 to1991.
Over that time with the Rams, there were seven different individual 1,000-yard rushing seasons and four individual league rushing titles, including an NFL-record 2,105yards by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Over that stretch, five different Rams offensive linemen were voted to a combined 21 Pro Bowls, including Jackie Slater (7 trips), Doug Smith (6), Kent Hill (3), Dennis Harrah (3) and Tom Newberry (2). In the final three years of Houck's tenure with the Rams, quarterback Jim Everett passed for more yards than any other signalcaller over this span, and he also did not miss a start from 1988 to 1991 in part due to the pass protection by Houck's blockers.
Houck spent one season as offensive line coach for theSeattle Seahawks in1992. Seahawks running backChris Warren logged the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career with Houck tutoring his blockers.
Houck spent the next nine years coaching theoffensive line for theDallas Cowboys. At times during Houck's tenure the Cowboys' line was one of the most dominant in the history of the game. The 203 sacks they allowed in nine years under Houck were the fewest of any NFL team in that span. Six offensive linemen earned 22 trips to thePro Bowl under Houck, includingLarry Allen (7),Nate Newton (5),Erik Williams (4),Ray Donaldson (2),Mark Stepnoski (2) andMark Tuinei (2). Hall of Fame running backEmmitt Smith earned a pair of rushing titles during Houck's tenure, and rushed for over 1,000 yards every season. He was also the assistant head coach from 1994 to 1997.
After the firing ofChan Gailey in2000, he was considered as one of the candidates to take over the head coaching duties of theDallas Cowboys, which eventually went toDave Campo.[2]
With theSan Diego Chargers from2002 to2004, Houck transformed one of the league's worst offensive lines to one of the best.Running backLaDainian Tomlinson rushed for more than 1,300 yards in each of Houck's three seasons with the team. With five new starters on the line in 2004, the Chargers ranked tenth in total offense and sixth in rushing. The Chargers allowed fewer than 25 sacks per season under Houck.
Houck was hired to work for theMiami Dolphins head coachNick Saban. During his first year with the Dolphins in2005, Houck'soffensive line ranked fourth in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed. In2007, Houck was reunited[vague] with then Dolphins head coachCam Cameron. Houck and Cameron worked together in San Diego when Cameron wasoffensive coordinator for the Chargers.
After the Dolphins' 1-15 2007 season, Houck was fired along with most of the Dolphins' coaching staff by incoming Vice President of Football OperationsBill Parcells.[citation needed]Jerry Jones re-hired Houck when Parcells hired Cowboys line coach Tony Sparano to serve as the Dolphins' head coach.
