Houston grew up in Denver, Colorado and attended Thomas Jefferson High School.
He rushed for 332 yards and one touchdown on 66 carries over three games before suffering an injury that ended his season.
[5] As a sophomore, Houston was part of a running back rotation with Brian Calhoun and Chris Brown and saw curtailed playing time.
[6] He frequently clashed with his running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who often criticized Houston for what he believed to be a lack of toughness and unwillingness to play hurt.
In his junior year (2002), Houston played in only four of Colorado's games due to a partially torn ligament in his knee and rushed for 49 yards.