Ted Horstead (2014) - Hall of Fame - Troy University Athletics

Ted Horstead

Induction:
2014

One of the all-time great running backs in Troy history, Ted Horstead becomes the second player from Troy’s 1984 NCAA Division II National Championship team to be inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. He joins Mike Turk, as well as the team’s head coach, Chan Gailey.

The Elba, Ala., native turned in his best season during Troy’s 1984 National Championship season.

A sophomore, Horstead rushed for 1,123 yards on 238 carries as the Trojans went 12-1 and won the NCAA Division II title. He was the first player in Troy history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.

At the time, the 238 carries and 1,123 yards were both single-season school records. Now, they rank as the third and fifth best marks, respectively.

A fullback, Horsted was the centerpiece of Troy’s wishbone offense, and nobody knew that better than Turk, the team’s quarterback that made sure Horstead got the ball.

“He was a workhorse,” Turk said. “Our objective was always to establish the fullback. We were going to hand him the ball and make sure he got his yards. When you have a guy like Ted that is that hard to bring down, it made what we did offensively really go.

“Defenses always tried to make sure Ted didn’t get the ball, because he was going to damage them. He was going to get chunks of yards right up the middle, and for a defense that is demoralizing.”

Horstead earned All-Gulf South Conference honors in 1984 and 1985 and helped the Trojans to Gulf South Conference Championships in 1984 and 1986.

“He was just physically and mentally tougher than the people we played against,” Turk said. “He was a weapon for his entire career.”

Horstead was a leader for the Trojans, but didn’t need to be very vocal to do it.

“His presence on the field was so different than his presence off of it,” Turk said. “He wasn’t a rah-rah guy and wasn’t real vocal. But, you could always count on him to do what he was supposed to do.

“He was always leading by example. He was such a solid football player on the field that his presence was noticeable, and you knew you wanted him on your team on Saturday.”

Horstead’s career was cut short due to an injury during his senior season. Despite that, he finished his playing career as Troy’s all-time leading rusher with 2,926 career yards, a mark that stood for 17 years and is now second in Troy’s history. Horstead’s 638 career carries also rank second all-time.

Horstead is tied for second all-time in Troy history with eight 100-yard rushing games for his career. He ranks sixth, seventh and ninth on the Troy single-season rushing yards per game list and third all-time with a 75.0 yards per game average for his career.

“Teammates like Ted are the reason I’m in the Hall of Fame,” Turk said. “He obviously deserves to be in, but we’re both in because of the teammates that we had.

“It’s really cool to look at the big picture and see all of the other people that are in the Hall of Fame and to know what they meant to Troy. But, to see one of my teammates go in is even more special.”

Horstead has worked professionally in Mississippi and Alabama and has been actively involved in coaching youth football. He also served on the board for the Holcut Foundation, which created after-school programs for disadvantaged youth.