Arizona Rookie Adds Depth to Rattlers
Patrick Daly
Friday May 4, 2001
It’s tough to call Horn a rookie based only on his experience in the Arena Football League. Horn’s indoor background does include a stint in the Indoor Football League with the Billings Thunder Bolts last year where he earned all-star recognition for the 2000 season. But the IFL isn’t the AFL.
“There’s a few things that are quite a bit different,” said Horn. “Different restrictions on defenses. Of course, we didn’t a have a net. That adds a whole new element.”
In 1999, Horn finished his college career at Rocky Mountain College, an NAIA school in Montana, and his mind was on continuing his football career. Unfortunately, his abilities did not catch the eye of NFL scouts, nor did he get much of a look from the CFL.
“That was my goal coming out of college,” Horn said. “Coming from a small college it made it tougher. I didn’t get too many looks at all from any NFL teams or anything like that. I tried the CFL because they pay attention to a few of the Montana schools being that we’re so close there. I had a couple of them kind of interested, but that kind of fell through.”
With no offers for the outdoor game, Horn landed a spot at wide receiver with the Thunder Bolts and posted big numbers, scoring 33 touchdowns (28 receiving and 5 rushing) and grabbing 109 passes for 1184 yards in 14 regular season games.
For a young player, finding a good teacher is very important, and Horn certainly has one of the best in the game to learn from in Hunkie Cooper. “I’ve got a great teacher,” said Horn of the AFL Ironman of the Year for 1999 and 2000. “He’s like a coach. He’s constantly giving me tips. He’s played so many years, he knows. I’d be stupid not to listen. He’s made the transition pretty easy for me.”
Cooper began his career as an offensive specialist before taking on linebacker duties, which should help Horn since, like Cooper, he’ll need to learn the defense after focusing on offense. This combination of offensive and defensive positions requires speed, strength, intelligence and a different frame of mind on each side of the ball, which can make the learning process more difficult. Playing time may be short for now, but Horn knows and accepts the situation.
“I understand my role,” he said. “I’ll get to play when [Cooper] needs breaks, basically. All I’m trying to do when he comes out to get a breather is make sure we don’t miss a step.”
In addition to having the right teacher, Horn suits up for one of the league’s model franchises. “I’ve been impressed basically from day one the way it runs here,” stated Horn.
After two games, Horn has two catches for seven yards, three tackles and his first AFL touchdown, a two-yard run against the Avengers. Only time will tell whether or not Chris Horn will make his mark in the AFL, but keep your eye on number 11. It’s a sight that will definitely be worth watching.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
