After the 1992 football season ended, Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault stepped down to focus on his duties as the university's athletic director. Horton was Ault's hand-picked successor, and he returned from Las Vegas to take over as head coach of the Wolf Pack. Horton lead Nevada to a 7–4 record and a second-place finish in the Big West Conference. On November 22, 1993, Horton accepted the position of head coach at UNLV.
Head coach at UNLV
Following the 1993 season, Horton accepted the head coaching position at in-state rival UNLV, a move commonly referred to as the "Red Defection" by Wolf Pack fans.[1] In his first season in 1994, the Rebels won a share of the Big West title (officially the first and only conference championship in program history) and the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl, winning Horton that conference's Coach of the Year award.
However, this would not last, and Horton would win only six more games over the next three years. He was fired after the Rebels finished 0–11 in the 1998 season, the only winless season in school history until the 2020 UNLV team finished 0–6 under head coach Marcus Arroyo.
Wisconsin
After being fired, he was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Wisconsin Badgers. The quarterbacks during his tenure (Jim Sorgi, Brooks Bollinger, and John Stocco), rank first, second, and fourth in Badgers history in passing yards.
St. Louis Rams
Horton was hired as the special assistant/offense to the St. Louis Rams. In that position, he assisted head coach Scott Linehan with administrative duties, offensive play-calling, and preparation.
Detroit Lions
Horton spent one season (2009) with the Detroit Lions as the quarterbacks coach.
Minnesota
Horton was hired by Minnesota coach Tim Brewster in January 2010, after Jedd Fisch left to be the quarterbacks coach for the NFL Seattle Seahawks. On October 17, 2010, Brewster was relieved of his head coaching duties. Horton was tapped to replace Brewster on an interim basis. He went 2–3 as coach, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 27 to win the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. It was the first trophy-game win for the Gophers since 2006. Jerry Kill was hired as Minnesota's next coach and Horton was not retained on the staff.
San Diego State
Horton spent 12 years at San Diego State before retiring. His roles included running backs coach, offensive coordinator, and associate head coach. In 2016, San Diego State made NCAA history as it became the first program to ever produce a 2,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season. Once dubbed a "running back whisperer" in the press, the Aztecs were bowl eligible in all twelve seasons under Horton at San Diego State and won three Mountain West titles.[2][3]
