He played college football for the Long Beach State 49ers and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL draft.
Although Horan played for five different teams during his career, he is best known for having punted for the Denver Broncos during their Super Bowl runs of the 1980s, and with the St. Louis Rams in their Super Bowl XXXIV victory over the Tennessee Titans.
[1] He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1988 season, and named All-Pro, in which he had a 37.8 net average.
[4] In 2008, Horan was inducted to the Fullerton College Athletic Hall of Fame.
[5] Horan was selected in the ninth round (235th overall) of the 1982 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, however he failed to make the team.
The next year, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers, but failed his physical.
[9] Horan then signed with the Denver Broncos after head coach Dan Reeves was informed by then New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells that Horan could potentially help the Broncos, who had already used two punters during the season.
He recorded 37 punts for 1,681 yards, with seven inside the 20 and one touchback,[7] before suffering a major knee injury that ended his season.
[12] On November 10, 1993, Horan signed with the New York Giants after the team waived punter Sean Landeta.
[7] On September 22, 1998,[15] he signed with the Chicago Bears after Todd Sauerbrun tore his ACL in the third game of the season.
[7] The final game of his career was the Rams' victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.
After retiring, Horan began giving punting lessons in and around the Los Angeles, California area.