Ken Houston (football player)

Ken Houston
Position (s): Safety	Jersey numbers: 29, 27
born November 12, 1944 in Lufkin , Texas
Career information
Active : 1967 - 1980
AFL Draft : 1967 / Round: 9 / Pick: 214
College : Prairie View A&M University
Teams
Houston Oilers ( 1967 - 1972 ) Washington Redskins ( 1973 - 1980 )
Career statistics
Games	196
Interceptions	49
Touchdowns	12
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards
12 × Pro Bowl + AFL-Star Game Wahl ( 1968 , 1969 , 1970 , 1971 , 1972 , 1973 , 1974 , 1975 , 1976 , 1977 , 1978 , 1979 ) 12 × All-Pro election (1968–1979) NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team The 70 Greatest Redskins Washington Redskins Ring of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame (1986) Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1994) All-Time Texas High School Football Team Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall of Fame (1992)
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Kenneth Ray "Ken" Houston (* 12. November 1944 in Lufkin , Texas ) is a former American American football player and - coaches . He played safety in the National Football League (NFL) with the Washington Redskins and the Houston Oilers , who played in the American Football League (AFL) and NFL.

youth

Ken Houston was born the son of a cleaning contractor . He has a brother and two sisters and attended high school in the town where he was born . At the school he was active as a baseball and football player, as well as a swimmer . After graduating from high school, Ken Houston was only offered a scholarship from Prairie View A&M University .

Player career

College career

Kenneth Houston studied at Prairie View A&M University from 1963 to 1966. He was a member of the swimming and athletics teams . In the lower-class football team, he played in the offense as a center but switched to the position of linebacker after a year of study . Because of his athletic achievements, he was chosen in the league selection.

Professional career

The fact that Ken Houston had played on a sub-class college football team initially did not serve his professional career. However, he was noticed by an athletics coach from Grambling State University , who was also serving as a scout for the Houston Oilers. The Houston- trained team from Wally Lemm drafted him in the ninth round in 214th place. The late signing gave Houston little hope of a long professional career. The Oilers used Houston as a safety, on the third day of the AFL season he was a starter in this position. On the fifth day of the season, he drew national attention. In a game against the New York Jets he intercepted a pass from their quarterback Joe Namath and scored a touchdown . He scored another touchdown with a blocked field goal . The game ended in a 28-28 draw. In the 1967 season he moved with his team into the play-offs , where he and his team were defeated by the Oakland Raiders 40: 7. It would be Houston's only play-off game with the Oilers. In 1971 he was able to achieve an NFL annual high. He got four touchdowns through interceptions .

In exchange for five players, Kenneth was given to the Washington Redskins after the game round in 1972 by the Oilers. With the team from Washington, DC , he moved into the play-offs in 1973 and 1974. In 1973 the Redskins failed at the Minnesota Vikings with 20:27 and in 1974 at the Los Angeles Rams with 10:19. In 1976 Houston should move into the finals for the third time with the Redskins. But also this year the team failed prematurely at the Vikings. In the 20:35 defeat of his team, he managed an interception against quarterback Fran Tarkenton . Ken Houston ended his playing career after the 1980 NFL season .

Coaching career

Immediately after his playing career, Houston coached two high school football teams in Houston. From 1982 to 1985 he was an assistant coach with the Oilers. He took responsibility for the team's defensive backs . From 1986 to 1990 he held the same office at the University of Houston .

Off the field

Ken Houston has been married since 1967 and has two children. He currently represents the Houston Texans and has numerous social responsibilities.

Honors

Kenneth Houston played twelve times in the Pro Bowl or in the AFL All-Star Game, the final game of the best players of the season. He was elected all-pro twelve times . He is a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team , NFL 1970s All-Decade Team , Pro Football Hall of Fame , Texas Sports Hall of Fame , All-Time Texas High School Football Team, and Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall of Fame. The Washington Redskins honor him in the FedExField on the Ring of Fame.

Web links

• Short biography (PDF; 30 kB)
• Biography ( Memento from January 22, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
• Player and coach career
• Ken Houston on the All-Time Texas High School Football Team
• Ken Houston with the Redskins ( Memento from March 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
• Ken Houston with the Tennessee Titans

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jets vs. Oilers game 1967, statistics
2. ^ Annual statistics of the Oilers 1967
3. ^ Statistics play-off game Oilers vs. Raiders 1967
4. ^ Annual statistics of the Redskins 1973
5. ↑ Annual statistics of the Redskins 1974
6. ↑ Statistics play-off game Redskins against Vikings 1973
7. ↑ Statistics play-off game Redskins versus Rams 1974
8. ↑ Annual statistics of the Redskins 1976
9. ↑ Statistics play-off game Vikings vs. Redskins in 1976