Horton was traded to the Buccaneers 2 games into the 1978 season, where he would play both sides of the line; first the left guard, and finish the season as the right guard position. Little did he know he would take part in an amazing sports story, the "Worst to First" ride of the Bucs, from 0-26 expansion losers to 10 points away from a Super Bowl; in only 4 years.
Unlike previous years, the 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the season with two important things; A 4th Ranked Defense in 1978, and a Quarterback named Doug Williams who was capable of throwing the ball downfield. In hindsight however, the greatest asset of the 1979 Bucs was their Offensive Line. Anchored by Left Tackle Dave Reavis, Super Bowl winning lineman from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Horton at Left Guard, the line blocked the Buccaneers offense into history. Only Right Tackle Charlie Hannah missed any time, not able to play the final two games of the regular season and first playoff game. It was this continuity that propelled running back Ricky Bell to a 1200+ yard rushing season, the 8th ranked of the season.
Behind the Offensive Line, QB Williams was only sacked 12 times, in a 16-game season. Winning their first ever NFC Central Division Championship, The Offensive Line opened holes in the playoffs for Ricky Bell's 38 rushing attempts for 142 yards, setting an NFL playoff record for most attempts! Suddenly these young Bucs found themselves hosting an NFC Championship game. Tampa Bay ended up losing to the Los Angeles Rams, Horton's former team. The next season Tampa Bay used a draft pick to select Ray Snell out of Oklahoma as a Guard. Horton was cut during the 1980 Training Camp.
Referencesedit
^Greg Horton NFL & AFL Football Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
^"Former Rams and Redlands High standout Greg Horton dies". 11 November 2016.
^. NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
January 01, 1970
greg, horton, gregory, keith, horton, january, 1951, november, 2016, professional, american, football, player, played, offensive, lineman, angeles, rams, tampa, buccaneers, 64position, guardpersonal, informationborn, 1951, january, 1951san, bernardino, califor. Gregory Keith Horton January 1 1951 November 11 2016 was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 2 Greg HortonNo 63 64Position GuardPersonal informationBorn 1951 01 01 January 1 1951San Bernardino California U S Died November 11 2016 2016 11 11 aged 65 Redlands California U S Height 6 ft 4 in 1 93 m Weight 245 lb 111 kg Career informationHigh school Redlands CA College ColoradoNFL draft 1974 Round 3 Pick 56Career historyLos Angeles Rams 1976 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1978 1979 Los Angeles Rams 1980 Career NFL statisticsGames played 63Games started 34Fumble recoveries 2Player stats at PFR Horton was traded to the Buccaneers 2 games into the 1978 season where he would play both sides of the line first the left guard and finish the season as the right guard position Little did he know he would take part in an amazing sports story the Worst to First ride of the Bucs from 0 26 expansion losers to 10 points away from a Super Bowl in only 4 years Unlike previous years the 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the season with two important things A 4th Ranked Defense in 1978 and a Quarterback named Doug Williams who was capable of throwing the ball downfield In hindsight however the greatest asset of the 1979 Bucs was their Offensive Line Anchored by Left Tackle Dave Reavis Super Bowl winning lineman from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Horton at Left Guard the line blocked the Buccaneers offense into history Only Right Tackle Charlie Hannah missed any time not able to play the final two games of the regular season and first playoff game It was this continuity that propelled running back Ricky Bell to a 1200 yard rushing season the 8th ranked of the season 3 4 Behind the Offensive Line QB Williams was only sacked 12 times in a 16 game season Winning their first ever NFC Central Division Championship The Offensive Line opened holes in the playoffs for Ricky Bell s 38 rushing attempts for 142 yards setting an NFL playoff record for most attempts Suddenly these young Bucs found themselves hosting an NFC Championship game Tampa Bay ended up losing to the Los Angeles Rams Horton s former team The next season Tampa Bay used a draft pick to select Ray Snell out of Oklahoma as a Guard Horton was cut during the 1980 Training Camp References edit Greg Horton NFL amp AFL Football Statistics Pro Football Reference com Former Rams and Redlands High standout Greg Horton dies 11 November 2016 1979 Bucs Participation Chart bucpower com NFL Stats By Team Category NFL com Archived from the original on 2016 11 17 Retrieved 2016 11 16 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Greg Horton amp oldid 1219479554, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
