Cowboys Champion Ray Horton Guides Team to USFL Playoffs

How 'bout them ... Maulers? Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion Ray Horton will get another chance at gridiron championship hardware, as his Pittsburgh Maulers will compete in the upcoming United States Football League postseason. Horton took over the Maulers' head coaching duties in January and coached them to the playoffs after a disappointing debut under Kirby Wilson last season.

The journey was completed on Saturday afternoon behind a dominant defensive effort. The Maulers (4-6) conquered the New Jersey Generals 26-6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH. Such a showing took on a special meaning on Father's Day weekend, as Horton's son Jarren serves as the Maulers' defensive coordinator.

With the top two teams in each USFL division going to the playoffs, Pittsburgh clinched no worse than a second-place showing in the North with its win over New Jersey (3-7). Horton and the Maulers will face the winner of Sunday night's North finale between the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars (6 p.m. CT, Fox) next weekend in Canton.

Head Coach Ray Horton and the @USFLMaulers are the self-proclaimed Hub Champions 😂

Coach Horton also spoke about how special it was to win alongside his son, the Mauler's DC, so close to Father's Day ❤️ pic.twitter.com/B2h1XLZN4A
— USFL (@USFL) June 17, 2023

"I've been in big games before. It means more (considering) what this team has done, coming from last place, the worst team in the USFL last year, to have resilience, to work hard," Horton told USA Network/NBC Sports' Caroline Pineda after the game. "They would do whatever I'd ask them to do. They are unequivocally behind me and I love these guys for that ... all we try to do is do things the right way with hard work, professionalism, and (going) out and, basically, (keeping) our mouths shut and going to work."

Upon his entry into the Pittsburgh franchise, Horton oversaw one of the biggest turnarounds in year two of the rebooted USFL. The Maulers finished a league-worst 1-9 last season and went viral among football fans for a bizarre incident where Wilson cut a player for choosing to eat pizza rather than a chicken salad, a release broadcast on a league-produced docuseries on Fox Sports.

Horton spent the final four seasons of his playing career (1989-92) with the Cowboys. His time at the Pittsburgh helm is his first head coaching opportunity after over two decades as an assistant coach in the NFL which began in Washington in 1994 under former Cowboys coach Norv Turner.

In Dallas lore, Horton is perhaps best known for being the first Cowboys defender to score a touchdown in consecutive games.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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