Behind the Facemask: Tyler Horn
June 6, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — They want to tell their story. They want you – their loyal fans – to get to know them better. Over the next two months, HurricaneSports.com will continue the unique journey into the lives of each and every one of Al Golden’s Hurricanes.
Tyler Horn| Offensive Line | Senior | Memphis, Tenn.
I secretly wish that in fourth grade, when my coach weighed me to see if I was over the limit, he would have let me slide. I started off as tight end and wide receiver, and the weight limit was 100 pounds. If you were over the limit, you couldn’t carry the ball. You could play, you could block, but you couldn’t carry the ball. I was a beast at tight end. Some of the coaches must have complained, because after a couple games, they weighed me I was like 101 or 102. I looked at my coach and said, “Do we have to tell them?” and he said, “Yeah, we have to.” I learned a bit about integrity and honesty, but that affected my entire football career.
I was raised in a divorced household. I was lucky, because my mom and dad get along very well. The fact that they got along made it easier for me, because I had friends whose parents did not get along. I grew up in a big family. I have five little sisters plus all these aunts and uncles on both sides, so the holidays are always hectic but I was raised in a big, very loving household. If we lived in the 70’s, we’d have our own variety show (laughs).
Memphis is where I get my soul and personality. But that’s the whole South in general, just grit and grind. That’s what Memphis means, and that’s what’s been instilled in me.
Playing football has given me an opportunity to get my education. I know it’s cliché, but honestly, I’m getting an education from a Top-50 school. If it wasn’t for football, I never would have been able to do that.
You never know what people are really thinking. People put on fronts, they can do all this stuff, but you never know what people’s true intentions are.
The Golden Era is change. A lot of things have changed, some for the better. It’s very, very exciting to be around the University of Miami program right now with Coach Golden here. He’s brought a lot of energy that a lot of guys have noticed has been lacking. He’s holding people accountable. At the end of the day, it’s making the team so much better because of what he’s brought.
Everybody can criticize but until you go out there and try and do it yourself, you have no idea. You have no idea what college football is until you’re out there on the field.
Protecting the quarterback is job number one. You don’t let the quarterback get hit, you win games. That’s what it comes down to as an offensive lineman. There’s no worse feeling than having your guy hit the quarterback, because he’s defenseless back there. He can try and run away, but at the end of the day, it’s on us to protect him, so if we don’t, we’re not doing our job.
Teamwork is the only way to win. You can have all these awesome players that go out there, you can have a running back that makes 100 people miss. But if he doesn’t have his offense line, he won’t be able to do anything. Same thing goes for the offensive line, because I need a running back to make me look good sometimes. So much these days you have the individual and you forget about teamwork, but I think that year in year out, the team that wins has the most teamwork.
I didn’t think in a million years I would be at the University of Miami. Growing up, I was a Southern boy from Memphis. Who would have thought I’d be going down to Miami? I had no idea until a couple weeks before signing day that this might actually happen. I still wasn’t real until I got on that plane to come down here that summer.
I’m the oldest boy of five sisters. I have one sister, she’s a freshman in high school and a stud at soccer. She’s also starting to get interested in boys. My mom calls me, “Tyler you need to come home I need you to take care of this. You have to call your sister.” (laughs) It’s one of those things when I go home, I always go to her school, puff my chest out a little bit, and let these guys know this is my sister, don’t you dare try to talk to her. If I hear any of you all coming within five feet of her, even in class, there’s a two desk minimum. I’m very protective, and I’ve tried to help raise them a little bit. I’ve always looked out for them and tried to get them on the right path.
When I go home, the stewardess gets on the microphone and says, “Please turn off all electronic devices.” I’ll make sure to get a window seat, because I’ll cover my ears and look out the window and pretend I don’t have my headphones in and I’ll play “Walking in Memphis” as we’re landing. It’s something I’ve done every time I’ve flown home since I came to college. It sounds a little cheesy, but it makes me happy that I’m finally home. I don’t get to go home very often, so when I do, I like to make the most of it. Memphis has had a huge effect on who I am.
We are all accountable for our actions, no matter what. At the end of the day, you could be a big hotshot football player, or you can have all the money in the world, but you’re accountable for what you do. That’s what I’ve been taught since I’ve grown up.
Coach Stoutland told me when I first got here a long time ago, everyone leaves a legacy. Even when you’re here, you’re writing your legacy. I hope that my legacy will be that I turned this thing around. In my last year, after four years of up’s and down’s and being heartbroken, I was one of those seniors that got this program turned around.
The U is all about legacy. When you think of the U, you think of all of Miami’s history. It’s not a burden, but it’s something that, as players, we have to uphold.
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