Current season: 2024 Tennessee Titans
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| Tennessee Titans | |||||
| Established August 3, 1959 Play in Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee | |||||
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| League/Conference affiliations | |||||
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American Football League (1960-1969)
National Football League (1970–present)
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| Current uniform | |||||
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| Team colors | Navy, Titans Blue, Red, Silver, and White | ||||
| Mascot | T-Rac | ||||
| Personnel | |||||
| Owner(s): | Estate of Bud Adams (KSA Industries) | ||||
| Team President | |||||
| General Manager | Jon Robinson | ||||
| Head Coach | Mike Vrabel | ||||
| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
League Championships (2)
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Conference Championships (1)
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Division Championships (10)
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| Home fields | |||||
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The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The Oilers won the first two AFL championships, before joining the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.
The team relocated from the Astrodome in Houston, Texas to the state of Tennessee in 1997. While waiting for a permanent stadium to be built in Nashville, the team played temporarily at Liberty Bowl in Memphis for one season before moving to Nashville in 1998 and playing in Vanderbilt Stadium. For two seasons, the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers before changing its name to Titans in 1999. The team plays at LP Field in Nashville. The team's training facility is at Baptist Sports Park, a 31 acre site at the MetroCenter complex, located just north of downtown Nashville and about 5 miles from LP Field. Their theme song is Emotion by Daft Punk.
Franchise history[]
Houston Oilers (1960–96)[]
- Main article: Houston/Tennessee Oilers
The Titans were originally formed as the Houston Oilers, one of the eight charter members of the American Football League (AFL). They became a part of the National Football League in 1970 as part of the AFL–NFL merger and have remained a member of the NFL ever since. They played in Houston through the end of the 1996 season. They were part of the AFL's Eastern Division for their first ten years and became part of the American Football Conference upon their joining the NFL. They were placed in the AFC's Central Division, which they were part of until 2002.
Tennessee Oilers era (1997–98)[]
After fan support in Houston collapsed for the 1996 season, the Oilers announced they would be moving to Tennessee for 1997. The Oilers' new stadium would not be ready until 1999, however, and the largest stadium in Nashville at the time, Vanderbilt Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University, seated only 41,000 — a capacity deemed too small for even temporary use. Vanderbilt was also unwilling to permit alcohol sales. At first, owner Bud Adams rejected Vanderbilt Stadium even as a temporary facility and announced that the renamed Tennessee Oilers would play the next two seasons at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The team would be based in Nashville, commuting to Memphis only for games—essentially sentencing the Oilers to 32 road games for the next two years. The Tennessee Volunteers's Neyland Stadium,
in Knoxville, TN, was slightly closer to Nashville. However, Adams rejected it because at 102,000 seats, it would have been all but impossible to sell out. Even though this arrangement was acceptable to the NFL and the Oilers at the time, few people in either Memphis or Nashville were happy about it.
After numerous attempts to get an NFL team, Memphians wanted nothing to do with a team that would be lost in only two years—especially to longtime rival Nashville. Conversely, Nashvillians showed little inclination to drive over 200 miles (320 km) to see "their" team. At the time, Interstate 40 was in the midst of major reconstruction in the Memphis area, lengthening the normal three-hour drive between Nashville and Memphis to five hours.
In Memphis, attendance was even worse than it had been in the team's final season in Houston. The Oilers played before some of the smallest NFL crowds since the 1950s, with none of the first seven games of the season attracting crowds larger than 27,000 (in a 62,000-seat stadium). The few fans there were usually indifferent, and often those that attended were fans of the opposing team. On at least two occasions, fewer than 18,000 fans came to the stadium to see the Oilers.
Attendance was smaller than it what the USFL's Memphis Showboats had drawn and what the XFL's Memphis Maniax would draw to the same stadium, and if not for the attendance of fans supporting the Oilers' opponents, attendance would likely have even been smaller than it was for the CFL's Memphis Mad Dogs. Despite this, Adams had every intention of playing in Memphis the next season. That changed after the final game of the 1997 season.
The Oilers faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of 50,677 fans—the only crowd that could not have been reasonably accommodated at Vanderbilt. However, Steeler fans made up the great majority of the crowd (at least three-fourths, by one estimate[1]). Adams was so embarrassed that he abandoned plans to play the 1998 season in Memphis and ended up moving to Vanderbilt after all. The team rebounded that season, and was in playoff contention until losing their last two games for another 8–8 record. The Oilers had gone 6-2 in Memphis while going 2-6 on the road. In the years since, many in the Memphis area, like other areas of Tennessee, began to embrace the Titans as their team. The Titans have both radio and preseason TV affiliates in the area.
Tennessee Titans era (1999–present)[]
Name change[]
On July 29, 1998, Adams announced that in response to fan requests, he was changing the Oilers' name to coincide with the opening of their new stadium and to better connect with Nashville. He also declared that the renamed team would retain the Oilers' heritage (including team records), as had all other relocated teams except the Browns/Ravens, and that there would be a Hall of Fame honoring the greatest players from both eras.[2]
Jeff Fisher coached the Titans for nearly 17 seasons, taking over in November, 1994 and staying through the 2010 season.
Adams appointed an advisory committee to decide on a new name. He let it be known that the new name should reflect power, strength, leadership and other heroic qualities. On November 14, 1998, Adams announced that the Oilers would be known as the Tennessee Titans starting in 1999. The new name met all of Adams' requirements, and also served as a nod to Nashville's nickname of "The Athens of the South" (for its large number of higher-learning institutions, Classical architecture, and its full-scale replica of the Parthenon).[3] The team's new logo and colors would be unveiled on December 22, 1998.[3]
1999 Super Bowl run[]
Main article: 1999 Tennessee Titans
In 1999, Adelphia Coliseum, now known as Nissan Stadium, was completed and the newly christened Titans had a grand season, finishing with a 13–3 record — the best season in franchise history. They won their first game as the "Titans", defeating the Bengals before a sold out stadium (Every game since the Titans moved to Nashville has been sold out). They did not lose a game at home and finished one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC Central title. Tennessee then won their first round playoff game over the Buffalo Bills on a designed play, known as "Home Run Throwback" in the Titans playbook, that is commonly referred to as the "Music City Miracle": Tight-end Frank Wycheck made a lateral pass to Kevin Dyson on a kickoff return with 16 seconds left in the game and the Titans trailing by one point; Dyson returned the pass 75 yards for a touchdown to win the game. After replay review, the call on the field was upheld as a touchdown. The original play did not call for Dyson to be on the field and he was only involved due to an injury of another player.[4] The Titans went on to defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis, and then defeated the Jaguars in Jacksonville in the AFC Championship Game. The Titans' magnificent season led to a trip to Super Bowl XXXIV, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams when Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard short of the end zone (preserving a 23-16 Rams' lead) as regulation time expired, in a play known as "The Tackle".
Logos and uniforms[]
When the team debuted as the Oilers in 1960, the club's logo was an oil rig derrick. Except for minor color changes throughout the years, this logo remained the same until the team was renamed the Titans in 1999. The logo was originally called "Ol' Riggy" but this was dropped before the start of the 1974 season.
The Oilers uniforms consisted of blue or white jerseys, red trim, and white pants. From 1966 through 1971, the pants with both the blue and white jerseys were silver, to match the color of the helmets. The team commonly wore light blue pants on the road with the white jerseys from 1972 through 1994, with the exception of the 1980 season, and selected games in the mid 80s, when the team wore an all-white road combination. For selected games in 1973 and 1974, and again from 1981 through 1984, the Oilers wore their white jerseys at home. The light blue pants were discarded by coach Jeff Fisher in 1995.
From 1960 to about 1965, and from 1972 to 1974, they wore blue helmets; from 1966 to 1971, the helmets were silver; and they were white from 1975 to 1998.
During the 1997–98 period when they were known as the "Tennessee Oilers", the team had an alternate logo that combined elements of the flag of Tennessee with the derrick logo. The team also wore their white uniforms in home games, as opposed to their time in Houston, when their blue uniforms were worn at home – in the two years as the Tennessee Oilers, the team only wore their colored jerseys twice, for road games against the Miami Dolphins and a Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Logos and Uniform history[]
When the team was renamed the Titans, the club introduced a new logo: A circle with three stars, similar to that found on the flag of Tennessee containing a large "T" with a trail of flames similar to a comet. The uniforms consist of white helmets, red trim, and either navy or white jerseys. White pants are normally worn with the navy jerseys, and navy pants are worn with the white jerseys. On both the navy and white jerseys, the outside shoulders and sleeves are light "Titans Blue". In a game vs. the Washington Redskins in 2006, the Titans wore their navy jerseys with navy pants for the first time.
Since 2000, the Titans have generally worn their dark uniforms at home throughout the preseason and regular season. The Titans have worn white at home in daytime contests for a few occasions in September home games to gain an advantage with the heat. The Titans wore white at home twice in 2000, 2002, and 2010. The Titans wore white once at home in 2001 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in 2004 and 2007 against the Indianapolis Colts, and once in 2009 against the Houston Texans.
The Titans introduced an alternate jersey in 2003 that is light "Titans Blue" with navy outside shoulders and sleeves. That jersey is usually worn with the road blue pants. When it was the alternate jersey from 2003 to 2007, the Titans wore the jersey twice in each regular season game (and also once in each preseason game). They would always wear the "Titans Blue" jersey in their divisional game against the Houston Texans and for other selected home games which came mostly against a team from the old AFL (American Football League). Their selection in those games were representative of the organization's ties to Houston and the old AFL. In November 2006, the Titans introduced light "Titans Blue" pants in a game at Philadelphia. The pants were reminiscent of the ones donned by the Oilers. In December 2006, they combined the "Titans Blue" pants with the "Titans Blue" jersey to create an all "Titans Blue" uniform – Vince Young appeared in this uniform in the cover art for the Madden NFL 08 video game.
During the 2006 season, the Titans wore seven different uniform combinations, pairing the white jersey with all three sets of pants (white, Titans blue, navy blue), the navy jersey with the white and navy pants, and the Titans blue jersey with navy and Titans blue pants. In 2007 against the Atlanta Falcons, the Titans paired the navy blue jersey with the Titans blue pants for the first time, a game which they won. They also did the navy blue jerseys with the light blue pants against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they lost that game. The team has yet to pair the Titans blue jersey with white pants.
In 2008, it was announced that the "Titans Blue" jerseys would become the regular home uniforms, with the navy being relegated to alternate status.[5]
In 2009, The NFL and Hall of Fame committee announced that the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills would kick-off the 2009 National Football League preseason in the Hall of Fame Game. The game, played on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium, was nationally televised on NBC. The Titans defeated the Bills by a score of 21–18.[6] This was the first time, since Tennessee changed its name, the Titans wore their Oilers uniform, in honor of the AFL's 50th anniversary. Also in 2009, the team honored former Quarterback Steve McNair, by placing a small navy blue disc on the back of their helmets, inside of the navy blue disk, a white number 9 (9 was the number McNair wore during his time with the Oilers/Titans).
From 2009 to 2012, the Titans did not wear an alternate jersey during any regular season games. It was not until 2013 that the team wore the navy blue jerseys twice in honor of the 15th anniversary as the "Titans."[7] The Titans wore white jerseys for all games in 2014, for the exceptions of two preseason home games, in which the team wore their light "Titans blue" jerseys, and an October 26, 2014, game against the Houston Texans, in which the Titans wore their navy blue uniforms.[8] Beginning in 2015, navy blue became the team's primary home jersey color again, marking the first time since 2007 that the Titans wore navy as their primary home jersey, though the team plans to continue wearing white jerseys for early-season hot-weather home games. The light "Titans blue" jersey, which was the team's primary jersey color from 2008 to 2014, became the team's alternate jersey for a second time.[9][10] The Titans debuted new uniforms on April 4, 2018, at an event attended by over ten thousand fans in downtown Nashville. The uniforms retain the old pallet of navy blue, "Titans blue", and white; with new red and silver elements being introduced. The new helmets are navy blue with one silver sword-shaped stripe through the center and grey facemasks, a change from the previous white helmets with two navy stripes and black facemasks.[11]
Season-by-season records[]
- Main article: List of Tennessee Titans seasons
Players of note[]
Pro Football Hall of Famers[]
- Elvin Bethea
- George Blanda
- Earl Campbell
- Ken Houston
- Bruce Matthews
- Warren Moon
- Mike Munchak
Retired numbers[12][]
- 1 Warren Moon
- 9 Steve McNair
- 27 Eddie George
- 34 Earl Campbell
- 43 Jim Norton
- 63 Mike Munchak
- 65 Elvin Bethea
- 74 Bruce Matthews
Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame[]
Bud Adams established the Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame after the 40th season of the franchise to honor past players and management.[13]
| Name | Position | Years | Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvin Bethea | Defensive end | 1968–1983 | December 9, 1999 |
| George Blanda | Quarterback/Kicker | 1960–1966 | December 9, 1999 |
| Earl Campbell | Running back | 1978–1984 | December 9, 1999 |
| Mike Holovak | General manager | 1989–1993 | December 9, 1999 |
| Ken Houston | Safety | 1967–1972 | December 9, 1999 |
| Mike Munchak | Guard | 1982–1993 | December 9, 1999 |
| Jim Norton | Punter | 1960–1968 | December 9, 1999 |
| Bruce Matthews | Offensive lineman | 1983–2002 | December 8, 2002 |
| Warren Moon | Quarterback | 1984–1993 | October 1, 2006 |
| Bud Adams | Owner and founder | 1959–2013 | September 7, 2008 |
| Eddie George | Running back | 1996–2003 | October 27, 2008 |
| Steve McNair | Quarterback | 1995–2005 | October 27, 2008 |
| Frank Wycheck | Tight end | 1995–2003 | October 27, 2008 |
Coaches of note[]
Head coaches[]
- Main article: List of Tennessee Titans head coaches
- Lou Rymkus (1960–1961)
- Wally Lemm (1961)
- Pop Ivy (1962–1963)
- Sammy Baugh (1964)
- Hugh Taylor (1965)
- Wally Lemm (1966–1970)
- Ed Hughes (1971)
- Bill Peterson (1972–1973)
- Sid Gillman (1973–1974)
- Bum Phillips (1975–1980)
- Ed Biles (1981–1983)
- Chuck Studley (interim) (1983)
- Hugh Campbell (1984–1985)
- Jerry Glanville (1985–1989)
- Jack Pardee (1990–1994)
- Jeff Fisher (1994–2010)
- Mike Munchak (2011–2013)
- Ken Whisenhunt (2014–2015)
- Mike Mularkey (2015 (interim)-2017)
- Mike Vrabel (2018-present)
Current staff[]
Template:Tennessee Titans staff
Radio and television[]
The Titans' flagship radio station for several years was WKDF 103.3-FM. However WGFX 104.5-FM, the original Tennessee Oilers/Titans Radio flagship station, again serves as the Titans Radio flagship station since the 2010 season. Mike Keith is the team's play-by-play announcer, and former Titans tight end Frank Wycheck provides color commentary during games. Previous to Wycheck, Pat Ryan provided the color commentary. Larry Stone is also a part of the team, providing injury and scoring updates. The Titans Radio Network is broadcast on some 70 other stations.[14]
The team has long resisted placing any of its games on Sirius XM Radio.[15] According to the Titans Radio Network, this is because the Titans' contract with Citadel Broadcasting (parent of both WKDF and WGFX) predates the arrival of satellite radio, thus there is no provision for the NFL to reserve satellite-radio rights.[16]
Most preseason games are televised on WKRN, the ABC affiliate in Nashville. WKRN also airs a weekly show on Tuesday nights. The show, called 'Titans on 2', is hosted by Head Coach Mike Munchak and WKRN anchors John Dwyer, Cory Curtis, and Dawn Davenport. The show is an opportunity for the coach to talk about the team's latest matchup and looks forward to the upcoming match up. The show also features a different Titans player every week. For regular season games, WTVF, the CBS affiliate for Nashville is the main station airing them.
Radio Affiliates[]
Tennessee[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Tennessee
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol | WXSM-AM | 640 AM |
| Camden | WFWL-AM | 1220 AM |
| Camden | WRJB-FM | 95.9 FM |
| Carthage | WUCZ-FM | 104.1 FM |
| Centerville | WNKX-FM | 96.7 FM |
| Chattanooga | WGOW-AM | 1150 AM |
| Chattanooga | WGOW-FM | 102.3 FM |
| Clarksville | WJZM-AM | 1400 AM |
| Cleveland | WCLE-FM | 104.1 FM |
| Columbia | WMCP-AM | 1280 AM |
| Cookeville | WBXE-FM | 93.7 FM |
| Dickson | WDKN-AM | 1260 AM |
| Dyersburg | WASL-FM | 100.1 FM |
| Fayetteville | WYTM-FM | 105.5 FM |
| Franklin | WAKM-AM | 950 AM |
| Jackson | WZDQ-FM | 102.3 FM |
| Knoxville | WNOX-FM | 98.7 FM |
| Lawrenceburg | WDXE-AM | 1370 AM |
| Lawrenceburg | WDXE-FM | 106.7 FM |
| Lebanon | WCOR-AM | 1490 AM |
| Lebanon | WANT-FM | 98.9 FM |
| Lewisburg | WAXO-AM | 1220 AM |
| Manchester | WMSR-AM | 1320 AM |
| Martin | WCMT-FM | 101.3 FM |
| McMinnville | WOWC-FM | 105.3 FM |
| Memphis | WMC-AM | 790 AM |
| Memphis | WMFS-FM | 92.9 FM |
| Morristown | WCRK-AM | 1150 AM |
| Nashville | WGFX-FM | 104.5 FM |
| Paris | WRQR | 1000 AM |
| Paris | WMUF | 104.7 FM |
| Pulaski | WKSR-FM | 98.3 FM |
| Shelbyville | WZNG-AM | 1400 AM |
| Union City | WQAK-FM | 105.7 FM |
| Waverly | WQMV-AM | 1060 AM |
| Winchester | WCDT-AM | 1340 AM |
Alabama[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Alabama
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Arab | WAFN-FM | 92.7 FM |
| Birmingham | WJOX-FM | 94.5 FM |
| Florence | WQLT-FM | 107.3 FM |
| Huntsville | WUMP-AM | 730 AM |
| Huntsville | WVNN-AM | 770 AM |
| Huntsville | WVNN-FM | 92.5 FM |
| Madison | WUMP-FM | 103.9 FM |
| Scottsboro | WWIC-AM | 1050 AM |
Arkansas[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Arkansas
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Stuttgart | KWAK-FM | 105.5 FM |
Illinois[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Illinois
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Golconda | WKYX-FM | 94.3 FM |
Kentucky[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Kentucky
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | WWKU-AM | 1450 AM |
| Bowling Green | WPTQ-FM | 103.7 FM |
| Calvert City | WCCK-FM | 95.7 FM |
| Campbellsville | WTCO-AM | 1450 AM |
| Elizabethtown | WTHX-FM | 101.5 FM |
| Henderson | WSON-AM | 860 AM |
| Hopkinsville | WKDZ-FM | 106.5 FM |
| Madisonville | WWKY-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Mayfield | WNGO-AM | 1320 AM |
| Owensboro | WVJS-AM | 1420 AM |
| Owensboro | WXCM-FM | 97.1 FM |
| Paducah | WKYX-AM | 570 AM |
| Paducah | WPAD-AM | 1560 AM |
| Princeton | WAVJ-FM | 104.9 FM |
Mississippi[]
Titans Radio Affiliates in Mississippi
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | WPBQ-AM | 1240 AM |
References[]
- ↑ Bouchette, Dan. Steelers-Oilers/Titans rivalry plays its final act in Pittsburgh under the Monday night spotlight. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2001-11-29.
- ↑ "Tennessee will have a name of its own", Tennessee Titans, July 29, 1998. Retrieved on September 8, 2015. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 History: 1990s. Tennessee Titans. Retrieved on March 28, 2018.
- ↑ Pitoniak, Scott (December 9, 2003). Years later, "Miracle" still legendary. National Football League. Archived from the original on December 11, 2003. Retrieved on September 8, 2015.
- ↑ Titans Decide To Change Their Home Uniform. Bleacher Report (2008-07-06). Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
- ↑ Hall Release » Bills vs. Titans in 2009 Hall of Fame Game. Profootballhof.com (2009-01-31). Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans to bring back navy blue", July 27, 2013. Retrieved on July 27, 2013.
- ↑ Kuharsky, Paul (November 21, 2014). RTC: It's white the rest of the way for Titans. ESPN. Retrieved on November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans will stick with white jerseys", November 20, 2014. Retrieved on November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Wyatt, Jim (August 25, 2015). Ask Jim: Questions on O-Line, Mettenberger and More. Tennessee Titans. Retrieved on December 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Titans' 20th season in Tennessee features new-look uniforms, helmets", April 5, 2018. Retrieved on April 5, 2018.
- ↑ http://www.titansonline.com/team/history/retired_jersey_numbers.html
- ↑ http://www.titansonline.com/team/history/titans-oilers_hall_of_fame.html
- ↑ Titans Radio Network. Titansradio.com. Retrieved on 2009-08-12.
- ↑ Sirius XM Radio promotional material. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
- ↑ Titans Radio Contact Form & FAQ. Titans Radio Network. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/05/sports/la-sp-nfl-report-20110106
External links[]
- Tennessee Titans article at Wikipedia
