Houston Texans
Professional Football in Houston dates back to 1960 when oilman Bud Adams founded the Houston Oilers, a charter member of the American Football League. The Oilers appeared in the first three AFL championships, winning the first two before falling in double overtime to the Dallas Texans in 1962. The Oilers became the first professional football team to play in a domed stadium, when they moved into Houston's Astrodome for the 1968 season. The Oilers had success in the late 70’s (known as the Luv Ya Blue era) with running back Earl Campbell and head coach Bum Phillips. They would advance to the AFC Championship game in 1978 and 1979, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers both times. They would find success again in the late 80’s and early 90’s with quarterback Warren Moon, making the playoffs seven consecutive seasons, yet never advancing past the second round. A string of playoff futility that included infamously coughing up a 32-point second half lead to the Buffalo Bills in 1992. The Oilers drafted Steve McNair in 1995 and Eddie George in 1996, but fans in Houston were forced to watch them play most of their careers in another city.
Adams alienated many fans in Houston with his questionable decisions, including firing the extremely popular Bum Phillips and threatening in 1987 to move the team to Jacksonville, Florida if improvements were not made to the Astrodome. The city agreed to pay $67 million in renovations which included the removal of the iconic center field scoreboard. When the city refused to help finance a new stadium just a few years later, he moved the franchise to Tennessee for the 1997 season. After playing two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers, they were renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999. The city of Houston is still paying back the debt from the renovations they made to the Astrodome in 1987.
The Houston Texans are a National Football League team based in Houston, Texas. The Texans are a member of the AFC South division. The city's previous franchise, The Houston Oilers, moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997 and are now the Tennessee Titans.
Founded: The 32nd NFL franchise, awarded in October 1999. Began
play in 2002.
Home stadium: Reliant Stadium
Uniform colors: Steel blue, Battle red, and Liberty white
Helmet design: Blue helmet with a bull head in the red, white, and
blue colors of the Texas flag
Owner: Bob McNair Head Coach: Dom Capers
