Houston Oilers
Houston Oilers | |||||
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Established 1960 Ended 1996 Played in Houston, Texas | |||||
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League/conference affiliations | |||||
1969 )
National Football League (1970–1996)
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Uniform (1987–1996) | |||||
Mascot The Roughneck | | ||||
Personnel | |||||
Owner(s) | Bud Adams | ||||
General manager | Don Suman (1960–1961) Pop Ivy (1962–1963) Carroll Martin (1964–1965) Don Klosterman (1966–1969) Bob Brodhead (1970) John W. Breen (1971–1972) Sid Gillman (1973–1974) Bum Phillips (1975–1980) Ladd Herzeg (1981–1989) Mike Holovak (1990–1993) Floyd Reese (1994–1996) | ||||
Head coach | Lou Rymkus (1960–1961) Wally Lemm (1961) Pop Ivy (1962–1963) Sammy Baugh (1964) Hugh Taylor (1965) Wally Lemm (1966–1970) Ed Hughes (1971) Bill Peterson (1972–1973) Sid Gillman (1973–1974) Bum Phillips (1975–1980) Ed Biles (1981–1983) Chuck Studley (1983) Hugh Campbell (1984–1985) Jerry Glanville (1985–1989) Jack Pardee (1990–1994) Jeff Fisher (1994–1996) | ||||
Team history | |||||
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Championships | |||||
League championships (2)
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Conference championships (0) | |||||
Division championships (6) | |||||
Playoff appearances (15) | |||||
AFL: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1969 NFL: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 | |||||
Home fields | |||||
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This article is part of series of |
Tennessee Titans history |
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Houston Oilers (1960–1996) |
Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998) |
Tennessee Titans (1999–present) |
List of seasons |
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996. The Oilers began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and won two AFL championships before joining the NFL in the AFL–NFL merger of the late 1960s.
The Oilers competed in the AFL's
The Houston Oilers were the first champions of the American Football League, winning the
The Houston Oilers' main colors were Columbia blue and white, with scarlet trim, while their logo was a simple derrick. Oilers jerseys were always Columbia blue for home and white for away. The helmet color was Columbia blue with a white derrick from 1960 through 1965, silver with a Columbia blue derrick from 1966 through 1971, and Columbia blue with a white-and-scarlet derrick from 1972 through 1974, before changing to a white helmet with a Columbia blue derrick beginning in 1975 and lasting the remainder of the team's time in Houston.
The team was owned by
Later Houston-based football teams have paid homage to the Oilers. The
1960s
The Houston Oilers began in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. They were owned by Bud Adams, a Houston oilman who had made several previous unsuccessful bids for an NFL expansion team in Houston. Adams was an influential member of the eight original AFL owners, since he, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson were more financially stable than the other five. (All three would go on to own their franchises for over forty years, whereas the others pulled out by the 1980s.)
The Oilers appeared in the first three AFL championships. They scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed LSU's
The
1970s
The years immediately after the
The
Defeating Miami in the wild-card round, they then trumped New England, leading to immediately rebuilding of the Patriots. But in the AFC Championship, the Steelers routed them 34–5. In spite of the lopsided defeat, the Oilers returned home to a packed Astrodome for a pep-rally uncommon in professional sports.[5]
The 1979 season was a near rerun of 1978 as the Oilers finished 11–5 with Campbell gaining 1,600 yards in the regular season, and again earned a wild card spot. Beating the Broncos in the first home playoff game in Houston in over a decade, the Oilers' performance suffered with injuries to Campbell, quarterback Dan Pastorini and top receiver Ken Burrough. They did manage to edge past the high-flying San Diego of Dan Fouts in the divisional round, partly thanks to the play of Vernon Perry (4 INTs and a blocked FG) as well as the outstanding line coached by Joe Bugel. The Oilers returned to the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row, only to get knocked down by the Pittsburgh Steelers again, in spite of a terrific effort by Dan Pastorini—the Steelers had shut the ailing Campbell down, yet Pastorini nearly succeeded with the modest receiving corps of Mike Renfro, Rich Caster, and Ronnie Coleman venturing into the Steelers excellent defense. A controversial out-of-bounds call nullified a touchdown by wide receiver Mike Renfro resulting in a 27–13 victory for Pittsburgh. Once again, after a tough loss, the Oilers returned to their then-adoring fans who packed the Astrodome for an impromptu pep-rally for the second year in a row.
1980s
Before the
Renovation to the Astrodome
The Oilers' resurgence came in the midst of a battle for the franchise's survival. In 1987, Adams threatened to move the team to Jacksonville, Florida (later the home of Jacksonville Jaguars), unless the Astrodome was "brought up to date". At the time the Astrodome seated about 50,000 fans, the smallest capacity in the NFL. Not willing to lose the Oilers, Harris County responded with $67 million in improvements to the Astrodome that included new AstroTurf, 10,000 additional seats and 65 luxury boxes. These improvements were funded by increases in property taxes and the doubling of the hotel tax, as well as bonds to be paid over 30 years. However, Adams' increasing demands for greater and more expensive accommodations to be funded at taxpayer expense sowed seeds of tension that assisted the team's departure from Houston.[citation needed]
1990s
The Oilers briefly rose to become a league power once again in the first half of the 1990s. In 1991, the Oilers won their first division title in 25 years, and their first as an NFL team. However, only two minutes away from their first conference title game in 13 years, they were the victims of an 80-yard march by John Elway and the Denver Broncos before David Treadwell kicked a 28-yard field goal to win the game 26–24. In 1992, the Oilers compiled a 10–6 regular season record, but made history against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card playoffs by blowing an NFL record 35–3 lead and eventually losing 41–38 in overtime, a game now known simply as "The Comeback".
In the
Final years in Houston
At the same time, Adams again lobbied the city for a new stadium, one with club seating and other revenue generators present in recently built NFL stadiums, and he committed to pay for 25% of the cost of a new stadium. His idea called for a downtown domed stadium that could also be reconfigured to accommodate the
After the move was announced, support for the Oilers in the Houston area dried up almost overnight. As a result, the 1996 season was an unmitigated disaster. Only three games attracted crowds of more than 30,000 people. Games were so quiet that it was possible to hear conversations on the field from the grandstand.[citation needed] Meanwhile, the team's radio network, which once stretched across the state of Texas, was reduced to flagship KTRH in Houston and a few affiliates in Tennessee. By October 1996, KTRH was cutting off games prior to their finish in favor of Houston Rockets preseason games.[8] The Oilers got off to a 5–2 start, but a stretch of four losses in five games took them out of playoff contention. The team went 8–8, finishing 6–2 in road games and only 2–6 in home games. The team's final game in Houston, against the Bengals on December 15, attracted just over 15,000 people—by at least one estimate, the smallest crowd in franchise history. Adams, the city and the league were unwilling to see this continue for another season, so a deal was reached on May 8, 1997 to let the Oilers out of their lease a year early and move to Tennessee.[6] The Oilers lost their final game in Houston 21–13.
In 1999, Robert McNair was awarded, at a cost of $1 billion, an expansion team which replaced the Oilers in Houston. The franchise became the Houston Texans, which adopted a similar red, white and blue team color tandem, albeit in darker shades and inherited the sports complex the Oilers had played in, but not the Oilers' former home; what is now called NRG Stadium (formerly Reliant Stadium) would be built next door to the Astrodome in 2002.
Notable players
Retired numbers
Houston Oilers retired numbers | ||||
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No. | Player | Position | Years played | Retired |
1 | Warren Moon | QB | 1984–1993 | October 1, 2006 |
9 | Steve McNair | QB | 1995–1996 | September 15, 2019 |
27 | Eddie George | RB | 1996 | September 15, 2019 |
34 | Earl Campbell | RB | 1978–1984 | August 13, 1987 |
43 | Jim Norton | P |
1960–1968 | |
63 | Mike Munchak | OG |
1982–1993 | November 6, 1994 |
65 | Elvin Bethea | DE | 1968–1983 | August 4, 1983 |
74 | Bruce Matthews | OT |
1983–1996 | December 8, 2002 |
Pro Football Hall of Fame members
Houston Oilers Hall of Famers | ||||
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Players | ||||
No. | Inductee | Class | Position | Seasons |
65 | Elvin Bethea | 2003 | DE | 1968–83 |
16 | George Blanda | 1981 | QB/K | 1960–66 |
52 | Robert Brazile | 2018 | LB | 1975-84 |
34 | Earl Campbell | 1991 | RB | 1978–84 |
87 | Dave Casper | 2002 | TE | 1980–83 |
78 | Curley Culp | 2013 | DT | 1974–80 |
29 | Ken Houston | 1986 | S | 1967–72 |
35 | John Henry Johnson | 1987 | FB | 1966 |
18/40 | Charlie Joiner | 1996 | WR | 1969–72 |
74 | Bruce Matthews | 2007 | OT | 1983–96 |
1 | Warren Moon | 2006 | QB | 1984–93 |
63 | Mike Munchak | 2001 | OG |
1982–93 |
12 | Ken Stabler | 2016 | QB | 1980–81 |
Coaches and Executives | ||||
Inductee | Class | Position | Seasons | |
Sammy Baugh | 1963 | Coach | 1964 | |
Sid Gillman | 1983 | Coach | 1973–74 |
Houston Oilers Hall of Fame
Bud Adams established the Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame after the 40th season of the franchise to honor past players and management.[9]
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
Houston Oilers Hall of Fame | ||||
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No. | Name | Position | Years | Inducted |
65 | Elvin Bethea | DE | 1968–83 | December 9, 1999 |
16 | George Blanda | QB/K | 1960–66 | |
34 | Earl Campbell | RB | 1978–84 | |
— | Mike Holovak | GM
|
1989–93 | |
29 | Ken Houston | S | 1967–72 | |
63 | Mike Munchak | G
|
1982–93 | |
43 | Jim Norton | P | 1960–68 | |
74 | Bruce Matthews | OL | 1983–96 | December 8, 2002 |
1 | Warren Moon | QB | 1984–93 | October 1, 2007 |
— | Bud Adams | Owner/founder | 1959–96 | September 7, 2008 |
27 | Eddie George | RB | 1996 | October 27, 2008 |
9 | Steve McNair | QB | 1995–96 | |
41/89 | Frank Wycheck | TE | 1995–96 | |
52 | Robert Brazile | LB | 1975–84 | October 14, 2018 |
— | Bum Phillips | Coach | 1975-80 | September 26, 2021 |
— | Jeff Fisher | Coach | 1994-96 | November 21, 2021 |
— | Floyd Reese | Coach/GM | 1986-96 | |
84 | Billy "White Shoes" Johnson | WR | 1974–80 | December 17, 2023 |
Texas Sports Hall of Fame
See also
- List of Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans seasons
- History of the Tennessee Titans
- History of the Houston Texans
- Texans–Titans rivalry
References
- ^ "Oilers Change Name To Titans". CBSNews.com. November 14, 1998. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Rachuk, Stephan (2021-04-09). "Houston Roughnecks Forced to Abandon Logos in Trademark Dispute". XFL Newsroom. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- ^ "Houston Cougars Unveil Glorious Oilers-Themed Football Uniforms for Season Opener - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (September 2, 2012). "Shirt claims Texans '61 AFC champs". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Wesseling, Chris (August 6, 2015). "Remembering the hysteria, love affair with the '70s Houston Oilers". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Robertson, Dale (December 15, 2016). "The long goodbye: Revisiting the Oilers' finale in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ George, Thomas (May 1, 1996). "PRO FOOTBALL;N.F.L. Owners Approve Move To Nashville By the Oilers". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Timothy W. (October 22, 1996). "Oilers Hope to Prove Lame Ducks Can Soar". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame" (PDF). 2020 Tennessee Titans Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. July 28, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
External links
- NFL.com/Oilers (1996 archive)
- Smith, Brian T. (2013-12-26). "'Oh my God:' The oral history of the 1993 Houston Oilers". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-01-01.