Tennessee Titans

Founded: 1960 (charter AFL member, 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), Adelphia Coliseum[?] (1999-present). Presently (2003) known as Nashville Coliseum[?].

Uniform colors: Navy blue, Sky blue, White, and Red

Helmet logo: A circle with the Tennessee flag, a large "T", and blue and red flames

League championships won: 1960 (AFL), 1961 (AFL)

Super Bowl Appearances: 2000 (XXXIV) Lost to St Louis

Franchise history

The Tennessee Titans began in 1960 as the Houston Oilers and were a charter member of the American Football League. After winning two AFL championships in the early 1960s, the Oilers steadily dropped from the AFL elite teams. The years immediately following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger proved to not be much brighter. In 1978, the Oilers' fortunes changed when they drafted University of Texas football star Earl Campbell[?], who was both Rookie of the Year and MVP that year and led the Oilers to their first NFL playoff appearance. From 1978 through 1980, the "Luv Ya Blue" Oilers would make the playoffs each year but three postseason losses prompted owner Bud Adams[?] to fire head coach Bum Philips[?] and signaled the decline of the Oilers for a few years. In 1984, the Oilers won a bidding war for CFL legend Warren Moon but didn't turn return to the playoffs until 1987, where the Oilers nearly went to the Super Bowl. From 1987 through 1993, the Oilers were one of the most successful teams in the AFC, making the playoffs each year but failing to reach the Super Bowl. The mid-1990s signaled the decline of the Houston Oilers and the ill-fated "run and shoot" offense and by 1997, owner Bud Adams[?] moved the team out of Houston.

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 while waiting for their new stadium to be finished in their permanent home city, Nashville. In 1999, Adelphia 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.

Players of note

• Earl Campbell[?]
• Ken Houston[?]
• Mike Munchak[?]

Current stars:

• Eddie George
• Steve McNair[?]
• Jevon Kearse[?]

Retired numbers:

Not to be forgotten:

• Al Del Greco[?]
• Warren Moon
• Webster Slaughter[?]

Tennessee Titans official web site (http://www.titansonline.com/index)