tennessee titans history
tennessee titans history
There is an air of mystery that Tennessee Titan ticket holders will be associating with the 2005 NFL Season. After being one of the league’s elite teams for the past five years, the Titans stumbled in 2004. Their MVP quarterback Steve McNair went down with a bruised sternum midway through the season, and the Titans’ playoff chances followed soon after. Soon Tennessee Titan ticket holders were forced to watch a rudderless ship stumble through the season. No one likes to rebuild, least of all a team with a veteran quarterback with limited time to make another run at the Super Bowl. But the Titans are back younger and faster, and McNair may have another Music City Miracle up his sleeve.
This franchise has known success from the very beginning, when it was born in Houston, and known as the Oilers. Started in 1960, as one of the original AFL franchises, the Oilers actually won the very first AFL championship. Their high-powered offense, triggered by George Blanda dominated in the early 60’s.
In 1970, the Oilers joined the NFL. They struggled until a charismatic coach named Bum Phillips led Houston to the playoffs in 1975. The franchise cemented their place among the AFC elite by acquiring a bruising running back named Earl Campbell in 1978.
A player like Campbell only comes along once in a blue moon. The Oilers had to wait until 1987 to get their Moon. His name was Warren Moon, a quarterback from the Canadian Football Leagues Edmonton Eskimos. Over looked by NFL scouts, who wanted to turn him into a wide receiver, Moon went north and shredded defenses with his cannon of a right arm, until Houston came calling. Moon led a revamped Oilers squad to 7 straight playoff appearances.
1990 brought a brand new wrinkle to the table: a spread offense called the “Run and Shoot.” Featuring no tight ends, and four wide receivers, the offense was custom-made for Moon’s quick mind and accurate passing. The system made stars of wideouts, Haywood Jeffries, Drew Hill, and Earnest Givens. It also propelled them to the 1992 AFC title game, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Buffalo Bills.
The franchise had their final season on Houston in 1996. Sad fans filed into the Astrodome for a final time to say goodbye. After playing one year in Memphis as the Oilers, the team moved to their new home in Nashville, and became the Tennessee Titans. They moved into a brand new stadium there, called Adelphia Coliseum and got very comfortable in their new digs, becoming one of the toughest home teams in the NFL. In 1999, the franchise made their new identity official by reaching the Super Bowl as the Tennessee Titans, a feat they were never able to accomplish as the Oilers.
What will the future hold for the Titans? It’s well known in the NFL that any team led by McNair can never be counted out. Tennessee Titan tickets promise to be a hot commodity regardless. The city loves its new team, win or lose. McNair and head coach Steve Fischer are going to compete every week; and young guns like corner back Adam “Pacman” Jones will only get better as the season progresses. How fast the Titans can gel the old with the new is anyone’s guess. But it’s well known that the combination of experience and raw talent and have a won a few games through the years in the NFL. McNair and company look to do the same in 2005.
