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Why are the Tennessee Titans wearing Houston Oilers uniforms?

Better question: Why don’t they wear those uniforms all the time? Tennessee is wearing the throwback Oilers uniforms against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday as a part of Oilers/Titans Alumni Weekend. Tennessee will wear the uniforms again when they play the Houston Texans on Dec. 17.

That is going to conjure up memories of former Houston Oilers such as Earl Campbell, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson in the 1970s and Warren Moon in the 1980s and 1990s.

“I would love to see them wear those Oilers both times against the Texans – once in Houston, so the Houston fans can see it, and of course in Tennessee so the fans there can see the uniforms,” Moon said via Titans.com.

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Why are the Titans wearing the Oilers jersey now? A look at the history behind the uniforms.

Why are the Titans wearing Oilers jerseys? 

The Houston Oilers were in the AFL from 1960-69 before moving to the NFL, where the franchise played until relocating to Nashville, Tenn., in 1996.

From 1997-98, the franchise was called the Tennessee Oilers, and they wore the Oilers’ uniforms while playing in Tennessee. Those Oilers’ teams featured coach Jeff Fisher, Steve McNair and Eddie George – and they finished 8-8 both seasons.

In 1999, the franchise changed its name to Tennessee Titans.  Fisher, McNair and George were the cornerstones of that team, too.

Why are Oilers’ throwback uniforms so popular? 

Those Houston uniforms remain iconic, and it’s because of the Columbia blue jerseys with red trim around white numbers. The white helmet features an oil derrick, and the throwback jerseys will have “Luv Ya Blue” on the neckline.

That’s an homage to the 1970s teams that featured coach Bum Phillips and Campbell in the backfield. Houston wore those uniforms beginning in 1975 in Phillips’ first season. Houston finished 55-35 from 1975-80, and they made appearances in back-to-back AFC championship games in 1978 and 1979.

The uniforms also are a reminder of the “Run-and-shoot” era with Moon. The Oilers reached the AFC playoffs seven straight seasons from 1987-93 with one of the most-exciting offenses in the NFL. Houston ranked seventh or better in points scored over those seven seasons.

When was the last time Titans wore Oilers jerseys? 

This is the first time since the franchise changed the name to Titans. On Nov. 15, 2009, Tennessee wore the original Houston AFL uniforms in a 41-17 victory against the Buffalo Bills. Chris Johnson rushed for 132 yards and two TDs, and Vince Young had 210 passing yards in the game.

So, the last time Tennessee wore these uniforms was on Dec. 26, 1998. Minnesota beat the Oilers 26-16 in a game where Randall Cunningham threw TD passes to Cris Carter and Randy Moss.

Will the Titans wear Oilers uniforms against the Texans?

Tennessee will wear Houston Oilers uniforms against the Houston Texans in their AFC South rivalry matchup on Dec. 17.

The Texans were an expansion team who played their first season in 2002. Houston has made six playoff appearances, and they have a good rivalry with the Titans. Tennessee is 23-19 against Houston in the all-time series, and the throwback uniforms will be an interesting touch in the series.

The Tennessee Titans will wear different uniforms against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, honoring the team’s past as the Houston Oilers.

The Titans will wear the famous Oilers-inspired Columbia blue jerseys with red stripes while donning the former Oilers logo. Inside the neckline will be “Luv Ya Blue!,” a callback to the Bum Phillips-era Oilers teams of the 1970s in Houston.

Tennessee has made a point of honoring the Oilers’ heritage over the last few years, and the throwback jerseys are a part of honoring the Oilers-related past.

Why are the Titans wearing Houston Oilers uniforms?

Titans fans under the age of 25 have only been alive long enough to see the Tennessee Titans, Nashville’s NFL team that has played on the stadium on the other side of the river from the main part of downtown. The Titans uniforms have changed over the last 25 years and Nissan Stadium’s name has changed more than that over the same time period, but that’s been the case since the team moved to Nashville in 1999.

 

But the Titans were once the Houston Oilers, a member of the AFL and then the NFL from 1960 to 1996. Owned by Bud Adams, the unique Columbia blue uniforms and derrick logo stood out as a unique brand during their time in Houston. But Adams moved the team from Houston to Tennessee in 1997.

Amy Adams Strunk, the Titans’ controlling owner and Adams’ daughter, has made a point of reaching out to former Oilers players and honoring both those players and the Oilers’ heritage over the past couple years. The Oilers throwback uniforms are the next step.

 

“I’ve been talking to Amy about this for two years now and she’s been wanting to do this for a long time,” former Oilers quarterback Warren Moon told the Titans’ website in July, “and I am glad it is going to happen.”

Wait, the Tennessee Oilers were a thing?

Yes, they were. The Tennessee Oilers played in Memphis in 1997 and in Nashville in 1998, using the same logo and uniforms as they did in Houston for those two seasons. As Nissan Stadium completed construction in 1998, the Tennessee Oilers played their home games in Vanderbilt Stadium. Those teams included many of the names that would become household names after the Titans brand was introduced in 1999, like Steve McNair, Eddie George and Derrick Mason.

Why did the Oilers change their name to the Titans?

For one, the lack of oil rigs down Lower Broadway.

In reality, Adams announced the decision to change the Oilers’ name on July 29, 1998, despite some personal reservations, after fans pushed for the change. The next day, the front page of The Tennessean featured the headline “Bud bows to the demand of the fans.” Adams’ decision was made easier by then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue ensuring him that the Oilers’ franchise records and history would follow with the franchise through a rebranding.

 

Why are they only bringing back the Oilers uniforms now?

Tennessee has worn the original AFL uniforms before, a look straight out of 1960, but retro uniforms were largely exiled in the NFL when the league made a one-helmet policy in 2013. That policy was relaxed in 2022.

But since the brand change in 1999, the Titans have not worn a uniform inspired by the Oilers’ uniforms of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s until Sunday.

Why don’t the Houston Texans wear the Oilers throwback uniforms?

The only thing the Texans share with the Houston Oilers of yesteryear is the city of Houston. The Houston Texans are a new NFL expansion team created in 2002, initially owned by the late Bob McNair.

The Oilers’ franchise records and history continue to belong to the Titans, with Adams Strunk as the controlling owner. And dating back to that July 1998 decision to change the name, the league promised Bud Adams that no other team would be able to use the name.

What channel is Titans vs. Falcons today?

• TV channel: CBS (NewsChannel 5 in Nashville)
• Stream: NFL+, Paramount+, CBSSports.com and FUBO

Beth Mowins, Jay Feely and James Lofton will call the game from the booth at Nissan Stadium, with Amanda Guerra reporting from the sidelines.

Streaming options for the game include Paramount+, CBS’s subscription streaming service, and FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Titans vs. Falcons start time

• Date: Sunday, Oct. 29
• Time: Noon CT

The Titans face the Falcons in Week 8 of the NFL season with a kickoff time of noon CT Sunday.

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