Joe Horn

Joe Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American professional football wide receiver who played in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him in the fifth round of the 1996 draft, and he later suited up for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Memphis Mad Dogs of the Canadian Football League. He played college ball at Itawamba Community College. After retiring, he worked as an assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Horn attended Douglas Byrd High School, where he played quarterback, tailback, wide receiver, and punter under legendary coach Bob Paroli. His only all-star recognition came as a punter on the Mid-South 4A team. He also started every game as point guard for the basketball team. Horn nearly signed with the University of South Carolina and had other Division I offers, but his grades and SAT score kept him out of those programs.

At Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, Horn played two seasons (1991–1992), catching 54 passes for 878 yards and seven touchdowns while also returning punts. Still unable to qualify for Division I, he returned to Fayetteville and worked at a fast-food restaurant and a furniture factory. He then went two full years without playing football. Down to his last few dollars, he rented a Jerry Rice workout video from Blockbuster, studied the drills, made a highlight tape of his own workouts, and mailed it to pro teams across the U.S. and Canada.

Horn tried out for the CFL’s Baltimore Stallions but only made the practice squad and never played a game. He also had a brief stint with the Shreveport Pirates. On March 28, 1995, the Memphis Mad Dogs signed him. With Memphis, he posted 71 catches for 1,415 yards in 1995, catching the eye of NFL scouts.

The Chiefs drafted Horn in the fifth round (135th overall) in 1996. Over four seasons in Kansas City, he mostly played special teams and served as a reserve wideout, starting just two games and totaling 53 receptions for 879 yards and seven touchdowns.

In 2000, Horn signed with the New Orleans Saints and immediately ranked in the top ten league-wide in receptions (7th), yards (8th), and touchdowns (9th). Nicknamed “Hollywood” during his Chiefs days for his flashy style, he became a premier NFL receiver with the Saints. He made the Pro Bowl four times in seven seasons, set single-season franchise records for receiving yards (1,399) and receiving touchdowns (11, tied with Marques Colston), and held the career franchise record for receiving touchdowns (50) until Colston surpassed it in 2012. Horn also holds the Saints’ all-time mark for 100-yard receiving games with 27. His 2004 season was his best, with 1,399 yards—second in the league, just six behind Muhsin Muhammad. The Saints gave him a six-year contract extension in 2005.

After Hurricane Katrina, Horn became a public face of the team’s community efforts, visiting evacuees in San Antonio and the Houston Astrodome. He criticized the NFL for not doing more to secure the Saints’ future during the crisis. He continues to donate time, energy, and money to New Orleans charities. Following the 2006 season, the Saints asked the 35-year-old, who had dealt with groin and hamstring injuries, to take a pay cut. He refused and requested his release, which they granted. He left the Saints with 523 receptions, 7,622 yards, and 50 touchdowns—second in franchise history in catches and yards at the time.

In March 2007, Horn signed a four-year, $15 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2008, he asked to be traded, saying he didn’t want to be a “just-in-case guy.” The Falcons cut him on August 19, 2008. In his lone Atlanta season, he made 27 catches for 243 yards and one touchdown in 12 games.

Horn worked out for the Lions, Titans, and Giants but none signed him, and he sat out the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In May 2010, he was selected for the Saints Hall of Fame. On June 23, 2010, he signed a contract with the Saints, and two days later announced his retirement as a member of the team. Since retiring, he has focused on creating and selling his own “Bayou 87” barbecue sauce.

Horn was known for his spirited, outspoken personality. During a 2003 Sunday Night Football game against the New York Giants, he celebrated a touchdown by pulling out a cell phone and pretending to make a call—a move that made headlines.