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The Tennessee Titans began in 1960 as the
Houston Oilers, charter members of the American Football League.
The Oilers appeared in the first three AFL championships.
They scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed
LSU's Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy
Cannon. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as
quarterback George Blanda, flanker Charlie Hennigan, running
back Charlie Tolar, and guard Bob Talamini. After winning
the first-ever AFL championship over the Los Angeles Chargers
in 1960, they repeated over the same team (then in San Diego)
in 1961. They lost to the Dallas Texans in the classic 1962
double-overtime AFL championship game, at the time the longest,
and still one of the best professional football championship
games ever played. In 1962, the Oilers were the first AFL
team to sign an active NFL player away from the other league,
when wide receiver Willard Dewveall left the Bears to join
the champion Oilers. Dewveall that year caught the longest
pass reception for a touchdown in professional football history,
99 yards, from Jacky Lee, against the San Diego Chargers.
The Oilers won the AFL Eastern Division title again in 1967,
then became the first professional football team to play in
a domed stadium, when they moved into Houston's Astrodome
for the 1968 season.
Even before the Oilers relocated, they established the future
cornerstone of their offense by drafting Steve McNair in 1995.
The soon-to-be Tennessee Titans spent 1997 in Memphis as the
short-lived Tennessee Oilers. The Oilers played their home
games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium while waiting for
their new stadium to be finished in their permanent home city,
Nashville. They played the 1998 season at Vanderbilt Stadium
in Nashville. In 1999, Adelphia Coliseum, now known simply
as The Coliseum, was completed and the newly christened Tennessee
Titans were well received by their new fans in Tennessee's
state capital. The Titans made the playoffs in their inaugural
year in the "Music City", which was capped off by
their unbelievable first round playoff victory over the Buffalo
Bills and a third win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 1999
first round win was due to a lateral from tight end Frank
Wycheck to Kevin Dyson on a late 4th quarter kickoff return;
Dyson returned the pass 75 yards for a touchdown to win the
game. This game qualifies as one of the greatest games in
NFL history and became known as the "Music City Miracle".
The Titans' Cinderella season led to a trip to Super Bowl
XXXIV, where they lost a heartbreaker to the St. Louis Rams
when Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard short of the endzone
as regulation time expired.
In
2003, quarterback Steve McNair won the MVP award, sharing
it with Peyton Manning.
The
Titans made the 2003 playoffs, winning their first-round game
over the Baltimore Ravens and losing in the AFC semifinals
to the New England Patriots.
The
2004 season was disappointing for the Titans, who suffered
an unusual number of injuries to key players. Their 5-11 record
turned out to be their worst in a decade.
Founded:
1960 As the Houston Oilers, charter members and first Champions
of the American Football League (Joined NFL in 1970 merger).
Formerly known as: Houston Oilers (1960-1996),
Tennessee Oilers (1997-98), adopted current name in February
1999
Home stadium: Jeppesen Stadium (1960-1964)
Rice Stadium (1965-67), Houston Astrodome (1968-96), Liberty
Bowl (1997), Vanderbilt Stadium (1998), The Coliseum (originally
Adelphia Coliseum) (1999-present).
Uniform colors: Columbia blue, Sky blue,
White, and Red
Helmet logo: A circle with three stars, similar
to that found on the flag of Tennessee; a large "T";
and blue and red flames
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Arizona
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