The Houston
Oilers fielded strong teams in the now-defunct American Football
League (AFL), capturing two league titles and reaching the playoffs
five times before the AFL and NFL completed their merger in 1970.
From 1978 to 1980 running back Earl Campbell, a four-time rushing
champion, powered Houston to three straight playoff appearances.
The Oilers were one of the AFC’s most consistent teams during
the late 1980s and early 1990s, making seven consecutive postseason
appearances from 1987 to 1993.
The Oilers became
charter members of the AFL in 1960, and that same year the franchise
won the AFL’s first championship. Houston won another AFL
championship a year later under head coach Wally Lemm, who oversaw
a powerful offense with lineups that featured quarterback-placekicker
George Blanda, running back Billy Cannon, and wide receivers Bill
Groman and Charley Hennigan. The four helped the Oilers score an
average of 36.6 points per game. Houston was so dominant that half
of the team’s starting lineup played in the AFL All-Star Games
following the 1961 and 1962 seasons.
Lemm left the
Oilers after the championship but returned five years later to guide
the club to the postseason in 1967 and 1969. A new Houston powerhouse
emerged behind quarterback Pete Beathard, running back Hoyle Granger,
and offensive guard Bob Talamini. Safeties Ken Houston and Jim Norton
anchored one of the league’s toughest defenses.
Houston joined
the NFL in 1970 as part of the NFL-AFL merger. After four losing
seasons under four different coaches, the Oilers posted their first
NFL winning record in 1975. Former defensive coordinator Bum Phillips
led the team as head coach, and Houston posted a 10-4 win-loss record.
In 1978 Houston
drafted Earl Campbell, who became one of the most prolific runners
in NFL history, capturing four consecutive rushing titles from 1978
to 1981 and two straight most valuable player (MVP) awards in 1978
and 1979. Campbell led the Oilers to consecutive appearances in
the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979, but the Pittsburgh Steelers,
the eventual Super Bowl champions, defeated Houston in both of these
contests.
As injuries
slowed Campbell, Houston slumped during a six-year period from 1981
through 1986. The team began its turnaround by drafting quarterback
Warren Moon from the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League
in 1984. The move produced seven straight playoff appearances beginning
in 1987. The team was stymied in the postseason, however, failing
to reach the AFC Championship Game during that stretch.
Moon’s
favorite receivers were Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffries, and Tim Smith,
each of whom posted multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Hill and Jeffries
both reached that plateau in 1990, when Moon recorded the first
of his two consecutive 4,000-yard seasons of passing and was named
AFC player of the year. Tackle Ray Childress anchored the defense
during this time, while guard Bruce Matthews and center Mike Munchak
led an outstanding offensive line. Mike Rozier replaced Campbell
as Houston’s main running back. After Moon’s departure
before the 1994 season, Houston posted its worst record in 11 years.
In 1997 the
Oilers moved to Tennessee, where they played in the Liberty Bowl
Memorial Stadium in Memphis. After the 1998 season the team moved
to Nashville and was renamed the Titans. In 1999 the Titans finished
with a 13-3 record, and in the postseason they reached the Super
Bowl, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams.
2000 Super Bowl
XXXIV Lost to St. Louis Rams, 23-16
