Hull F.C. The start of the 2008 season saw Houghton gain a regular place in the first team, often being used from the bench. Houghton quickly established himself as Hull's starting , and was also handed the vice-captaincy of the team. He was in Hull's
2013 Challenge Cup Final team, losing out to
Wigan Warriors by a score of 16–0. Houghton had his most successful season to date in 2016. He starred in Hull's
Challenge Cup-winning team, making a try-saving tackle in the final minutes as Hull beat
Warrington Wolves 12–10. As a result of Houghton's incredible season he was awarded with the
Man of Steel award for
Super League player of the year, the first Hull F.C. player to win the award. He also won the
Super League Hit Man award for most tackles in a season with 1289 tackles, an award that he had previously won on three occasions, and was included in the 2016
Super League Dream Team. Houghton's success would continue in 2017 when Hull F.C. won the Challenge Cup for a second year in a row with an 18–14 win over the
Wigan Warriors at
Wembley Stadium, a repeat of the 2013 final that he had also played in. In January 2018, Houghton was appointed as the Hull F.C. captain. He played 14 games for
Hull F.C. in the 2020 Super League season including the club's semi-final defeat against
Wigan as they got to within one game of the grand final. In April 2021, Houghton broke the rugby league record for the most tackles in a single match. He made 85 tackles against
Warrington Wolves, surpassing the previous record held by
Elijah Taylor, who made 77 tackles for
Wests Tigers in a match against
North Queensland Cowboys in 2015. Houghton played 22 games for Hull F.C. for in the
Super League XXVIII season as the club finished 10th on the table. On 30 August 2024, Houghton announced that he would be retiring from rugby league at the end of the 2024 Super League season.
Representative career Houghton represented the
England Knights, making his debut against
France in 2011. He was selected as the Knights' captain for the
2012 European Cup tournament. He is eligible to represent
Scotland, but turned down the opportunity to play for them, as he hoped to be selected for
England. He was called up by England for the first time in 2017 for a training camp as part of the team's preparations for the upcoming
World Cup, but is still uncapped. ==Honours==