'It's been a while': Former Bengals Ray Horton, Anthony Muñoz reunite at Maulers practice

CANTON — Pittsburgh Maulers head coach Ray Horton had quite the birthday present last week: A reunion with a former NFL teammate.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz hasn’t seen Horton in 20 years. The two had played together with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1983-88. They reconnected once Muñoz found out Horton was in Canton as head coach for the Maulers. They exchanged texts, and Muñoz, now the Hall of Fame's relationship officer, promised to come to a practice and speak to his players.

Muñoz came to a Maulers practice at the Hall of Fame Village on April 12 — the day Horton turned 63 — and talked to the team.

“It’s been a while, and I told the players on the field that if there is a teammate you spent time with on the field playing, and you don’t see him for 15 to 20 years, and all of a sudden it feels like the old times,” Muñoz said.

More Pittsburgh Maulers: Former Alabama football star Reuben Foster is trying to make his mark in USFL with Maulers

Muñoz spoke about different topics after practice. He talked about his NFL career and his past experiences. He encouraged taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them.

“He was great," Horton said. "He talked about his career. His life as a man and his life as a football player. He talked about the opportunity to be great and the integrity. We preached that to our guys all the time."

However, he specifically emphasized the importance of commitment.

“Some guys will say that they want to be the best, but they are not committed,” Muñoz said. “The things you do will show that you are committed. When you are committed, you are going to find ways to do things. You’re not going to make excuses. You’re just not going to do it occasionally.”

Muñoz was an All-Pro left tackle for the Bengals, while Horton was a starting cornerback. Muñoz described Horton as a smart player, and it didn’t come as a surprise that he would become a long-time NFL coach.

“When you see guys, they come in and they are excellent players, but they are very smart,” Muñoz said. “You know they are going to be successful on the field and after they finish playing. Whatever they do, they will be successful. Ray is a smart guy. You can tell that he was very smart back then, so it doesn’t surprise me that he has done so well coaching and now head coaching.”

Muñoz loves that Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium gets a chance to host football games in the spring as the home field for both the Maulers and New Jersey Generals this season. The two play each other at 1 p.m. Sunday in their first game in Canton. Both opened the USFL season with losses on the road last weekend.

Muñoz plans on keeping up with the USFL season and supporting his former teammate.

“I’m sure I’ll watch with a little bit more interest now that I know that my buddy and my former teammate, Ray is coaching, and a couple of other guys that I know," Muñoz said. "But I get to watch it closer now.”

More USFL in Canton: ‘He was my role model’: New Jersey Generals star Darius Victor plays for his late brother

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz talks to Maulers at practice