With less than a minute to play, his Winnetka Chiefs 8th grade football team marched 92 yard to tie Antioch in the Northern Illinois championship.
Chuck Hartlieb caught a high snap, and Houghtlin booted a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a 39–38 victory.
[5] Houghtlin was again an all-Big Ten selection as a senior in 1987, eventually leaving Iowa as the school's all-time leader in field goals and points.
[6] Houghtlin was not drafted by the NFL, but in 1988 was invited to training camp with both the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears; he did not make the final roster for either club.
(Houghtlin did kick one field goal in four attempts in what would be his last pro game, a 43-10 playoff loss to the Detroit Drive.)