Wes Horton
 Horton with the Carolina Panthers | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
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| Born: | January 18, 1990 Chatsworth, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, California) | ||||||||||
| College: | USC | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Wes Chandler Horton[1] (born January 18, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at USC. He is the brother of former Toronto Argonauts linebacker Shane Horton.[2] He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and spent the bulk of his seven NFL seasons with the team.
Early life
[edit]
Horton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[3] He attended Notre Dame High School. As a junior, he was selected to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass second-team and also was named to Los Angeles Daily News All-Area first-team and All-Serra League first-team.[2] As a senior, he was selected to the Prep Star All-American, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West teams.[2] He also was selected to the All-CIF Pac-5 Division first-team and Los Angeles Daily News All-Area second-team.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Carolina Panthers
[edit]On April 28, 2013, he signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.[4] In his rookie season, Horton played in 10 games and recorded eight tackles and two sacks.
On November 23, 2015, Horton was suspended for four games by the National Football League for violating the NFL Performance Enhancement Drug Policy after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.[5] On December 28, 2015, the Carolina Panthers waived Horton.[6]
On February 7, 2016, Horton's Panthers played in Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[7]
Horton re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal on February 16, 2016.[8] On September 4, 2016, Horton was released by the Panthers.[9] He was re-signed by the team on October 14, 2016.[10]
On February 27, 2017, Horton signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers through the 2018 season.[11]
New Orleans Saints
[edit]On May 21, 2019, Horton signed with the New Orleans Saints.[12] He was released on September 9, 2019.[13]
Carolina Panthers (second stint)
[edit]On November 6, 2019, Horton signed with the Carolina Panthers.[14]
Horton retired on February 4, 2020, citing a desire to preserve his health and mentor younger athletes at the high school level.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Wes Horton's father is Michael (Myke) Horton, former UCLA offensive lineman who played nine years as a backup on various NFL, CFL, and USFL teams before becoming nationally known as "Gemini", one of the original American Gladiators (1989–1992).[16][17] His brother, Shane Horton, is an American football linebacker who played college football at USC, and is now currently a free agent.
References
[edit]- ^ "ESPN Profile". ESPN.com.
- ^ a b c d "USC Profile". usctrojans.com.
- ^ "Q&A: Carolina Panthers defensive end Wes Horton". charlotteobserver.com. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- ^ "Panthers agree to terms with 13 undrafted rookies". observernewsonline.com. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ "Panthers DE Horton suspended 4 games for PEDs". ESPN.com. November 23, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Carolina Panthers waive DE Wes Horton". FanSided. December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (February 16, 2016). "Panthers re-sign DE Wes Horton to one-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (September 4, 2016). "Panthers claim defensive end Lavar Edwards from the Bills". NBCSports.com.
- ^ "Panthers sign Wes Horton, waive Damiere Byrd". Panthers.com. October 14, 2016.
- ^ Strickland, Bryan (February 27, 2017). "Panthers re-sign Wes Horton". Panthers.com.
- ^ Williams, Charean (May 21, 2019). "Saints sign Wes Horton, waive Darrell Williams". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Alper, Josh (September 9, 2019). "Saints promote Mitchell Loewen, cut Wes Horton". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Henson, Max (November 6, 2019). "Panthers bring back defensive lineman Wes Horton (again)". Panthers.com.
- ^ "Wes Horton announces retirement". Panthers.com. February 4, 2020.
- ^ Eric Sondheimer, Signs Are Good for These Sons of `Gemini', Los Angeles Times, October 6, 2006, accessed June 21, 2015.
- ^ David Newton, Meet Wes Horton, son of a TV 'gladiator', ESPN.com, September 19, 2014, accessed June 21, 2015.