Best NFL Players of All Time: Ken Houston. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Ken Houston

As a safety in the passing revolution that eventually became the AFL’s signature, Ken Houston made his professional football debut. As the San Diego Chargers’ head coach, Sid Gillman led the charge. Both Weeb Ewbank in New York and Al Davis in Oakland did likewise. In Kansas City, Hank Stram took the same action.

It became evident that quarterbacks such as Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Daryle Lamonica, and John Hadl were necessary for success in the AFL. It also became evident that you needed a defensive back with incredible athleticism, brains, guts, and playmaking ability if you were going to withstand an attack from one of those quarterbacks.

Willie Brown played for the Raiders, Johnny Robinson for the Chiefs, and Kenny Houston for the Houston Oilers. At 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, Houston possessed all the physical attributes necessary to be an excellent safety. Together with his quickness and agility, he had a long stride. He was a perfect fit for pass defense because of those abilities, but he was also a powerful tackler.

He was chosen for ten Pro Bowls and two AFL All-Star games during the course of a 12-year span, from 1968 to 1979. As the best strong safety of his time, he retired after the 1980 season. He received recognition in 1994 when he was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. 49 of the passes he intercepted were returned for 898 yards. Along with recovering 21 fumbles, he also scored 12 touchdowns—nine on interceptions, one on a blocked field goal return, one on a punt return, and one on a fumble return.

After being selected in the ninth round out of small Prairie View A&M, he immediately made an impression on the rest of the league during his rookie season. He scored two touchdowns in an early-season game against the New York Jets, going 71 yards on a blocked field goal and 43 yards on an interception by Joe Namath. The Oilers were able to tie the game 28–28 thanks in large part to both plays. Houston proved he was everything but a bashful rookie, displaying no fear of taking on the league’s elite squad in the nation’s largest metropolis.

In the AFL, Ken Houston was a hidden treasure. With his ability to play from sideline to sideline, he was unstoppable. In 1971, he had an incredible season with the Oilers, leading the league in interceptions with nine and touchdown returns on four of them. In addition, he recovered two fumbles, forced two more, and returned one for a touchdown. That season, the Oilers only managed four victories, with three of those coming primarily from Houston’s interceptions.

Up until the Oilers dealt him to the Washington Redskins in 1973 for five veterans, Houston was kept a secret in the industry. Houston quickly established himself as one of head coach George Allen’s favorite players after joining the Redskins’ “Over-the-Hill Gang” and became a fixture in Washington.

Houston’s expertise on the football field and his ability to be in the correct place to make a play almost always captivated Allen. Knowledgeable veterans were preferred above athletic newcomers by Allen, who had constructed a winning Los Angeles Rams team in the late 1960s and understood the pro game as an assistant with the Bears under George Halas. Allen believed in “win now,” and his prospects of leading his club to the postseason and competing in the NFC were reliant on his ability to execute and avoid errors.

For the Redskins, Houston performed flawlessly in every facet of the game. In 1983, Allen remarked, “You could see he was really a tremendous defensive back.” “Every stride he took on the eld was intended.” He played a significant role in our work with the Redskins because of this. It is really beneficial when a player can perform just as his coaches are describing. It is far more efficient than a coach using words since it instructs the other players on what needs to be done. It’s the greatest illustration for other seasoned gamers who comprehend.

When Houston was traded to the 1973 Redskins, the club was poised to explode. In a season that saw them win 10 games and earn a position in the NFC playoffs, he may have made the game-winning play.

With 16 seconds left in a game on October 8, 1973, Washington was ahead 14-0 against the Dallas Cowboys, their rivals. Following a swing pass by Cowboys running back Walt Garrison, Dallas found itself with a fourth-and-goal position and the ball. Just inches short of the goal line, Houston halted Garrison in his tracks with a clean hit. Houston became well-known in Washington after that play, and the Redskins managed to hold on for the victory.

To quote Houston, “It’s the biggest tackle I’ve ever made in my life,” Post. “I searched for that play. All night long, they had been trying to hit that place. I got up when Dallas quarterback Craig Morton performed a pump motion. Despite Garrison’s strength, I felt he should have scored, but I stopped him.

Even though the tackle was only one play, it embodied everything that Houston stood for. He was a natural pass-defender, but when it came to running, he hit like a truck and never gave up. “Houston was as good as any of the players I coached with the Bears, Rams, and Redskins,” Allen remarked. He had extraordinary knowledge, and he was able to use that information to create a powerful play.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Ken Houston Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk	AV
1967	23	HOU	SS	29	14	9	4	151	2	78	0	1	0	0	0	5
1968	24	HOU	SS	29	14	14	5	160	2	66	0	1	0	0	0	9
1969	25	HOU	SS	29	14	14	4	87	1	51	1	3	7	0	0	11
1970	26	HOU	SS	29	14	14	3	32	0	9	0	0	0	0	0	7
1971	27	HOU	SS	29	14	14	9	220	4	48	2	2	71	1	0	10
1972	28	HOU	SS	29	14	14			0		2	4	24	0	0	7
1973	29	WAS	SS	27	14	14	6	32	0	32	0	5	8	0	0	12
1974	30	WAS	SS	27	14	14	2	40	0	37	1	0	0	0	0	10
1975	31	WAS	SS	27	14	14	4	33	0	19	0	2	6	0	0	14
1976	32	WAS	SS	27	14	14	4	25	0	12	1	1	0	0	0	10
1977	33	WAS	SS	27	14	14	5	69	0	31	3	2	0	0	0	10
1978	34	WAS	SS	27	16	16	2	29	0	29	0	0	0	0	0	13
1979	35	WAS	SS	27	13	13	1	20	0	20	0	0	0	0	2	8
1980	36	WAS	SS	27	13	5			0						2	3
Career					196	183	49	898	9	78	10	21	116	1	4	129
8 yrs		WAS			112	104	24	248	0	37	5	10	14	0	4	80
6 yrs		HOU			84	79	25	650	9	78	5	11	102	1	0	49

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk
1967	23	HOU	SS	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1969	25	HOU	SS	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1973	29	WAS	SS	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1974	30	WAS	SS	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1976	32	WAS	SS	1	1	1	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career				5	5	1	8	0	8	0					0	0
3 yrs		WAS		3	3	1	8	0	8	0					0	0
2 yrs		HOU		2	2			0							0	0

 

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