The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The Titans play their home games at Nissan Stadium and are building a new stadium in 2024. It will be completed in 2027.

Originally known as the Houston Oilers, the team was founded in 1959 by Houston oil tycoon Bud Adams, who remained the owner until his death in 2013. The team began play in 1960 in Houston, Texas, as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Oilers won the first two AFL championships along with four division titles, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The Oilers made playoff appearances from 1978 to 1980 and from 1987 to 1993, with Hall of Famers Earl Campbell and Warren Moon, respectively.

In 1997, the Oilers relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, playing at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season while waiting for a new stadium to be constructed. The team moved to Nashville's Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998. For those two seasons, the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers, but changed its name to the Titans for the 1999 season, when they moved into Adelphia Coliseum, now known as Nissan Stadium. The Titans' training facility is in Saint Thomas Sports Park, a 31-acre site at the MetroCenter complex in Nashville.

The Titans played in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, losing 23–16 to the St. Louis Rams. Led by Steve McNair and Eddie George, the Titans made the playoffs in all but one season from 1999 to 2003, but only twice in the next 13 years. From 2016 to 2021, the Titans had six consecutive winning seasons and four playoff appearances. The Titans are the only NFL team to have two players rush for 2,000 yards in a season, Chris Johnson (2009) and Derrick Henry (2020).

Franchise history

Houston Oilers

After failed attempts to start an NFL expansion team in Houston, Adams founded the Houston Oilers in 1959, as one of the eight charter members of the upstart American Football League (AFL) and a member of its Eastern Division. Beginning play at Jeppesen Stadium at the University of Houston, the team moved to Rice Stadium at Rice University in 1965. Led by quarterback George Blanda, who played with the team from 1960 to 1966, the Oilers made it to each of the first three AFL championship games. The Oilers won the first two AFL championships, both against the San Diego Chargers, but lost the 1962 American Football League Championship Game 20–17 to the Dallas Texans, now Kansas City Chiefs, after double overtime. The Oilers failed to post a winning season in the next six seasons, but in 1967, a 9–4–1 record returned the team to the AFL championship game where it lost 40–7 to the Oakland Raiders. The Oilers moved into the Astrodome after the season, becoming the first professional football team to move into a domed stadium. After failing to qualify for the AFL playoffs in 1968, the Oilers qualified the following season in 1969, but were eliminated in the divisional round by the Oakland Raiders in a 56–7 blowout.

Following the season, the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, with the Oilers being assigned to the new American Football Conference (AFC)'s Central division. The Oilers failed to qualify for the NFL playoffs from 1970 to 1977, and posted one winning season in 1975. In 1978, the Oilers selected running back Earl Campbell with the first overall pick in the 1978 NFL draft. Campbell led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances as a wildcard berth from 1978 to 1980. Campbell led the NFL in rushing yards and won the Offensive Player of the Year Award in each of those three seasons. The Oilers made it to the AFC championships in 1978 and 1979, but were defeated both times by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Oilers failed to post a winning record between 1981-1987, a drought that ended when the Oilers acquired quarterback Moon in 1987. With Moon, the Oilers made six consecutive playoff appearances from 1987 to 1993. During the 1992–93 NFL playoffs, the Oilers earned the dubious distinction of being on the losing end of what was then the biggest comeback in NFL history when in the divisional round, the Oilers' third-quarter 32-point lead against the Buffalo Bills turned into a 41–38 loss in overtime. This remains the largest blown lead in playoff history.

Tennessee Oilers

After the 1995 season, Bud Adams announced the move to Tennessee. A Nashville stadium for the Tennessee Oilers would not be ready until 1999, so the Oilers planned to play two seasons at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was based in Nashville and commuted to Memphis for games.

In Memphis, some of the smallest NFL crowds since the 1950s attended games. In the first seven games of the season, there were crowds of less than 27,000, and two games drew less than 18,000 people.

For the 1998 season, the Tennessee Oilers played their home games at the stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. That year, the team was in playoff contention until losing their last two games for another 8–8 record. The Oilers were 6–2 in Nashville and 2–6 on the road.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans' history began in 1999 when the team, formerly known as the Houston Oilers, relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. The franchise was originally established in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and became part of the NFL in 1970 after the AFL-NFL merger. Upon moving to Tennessee, the team played as the Tennessee Oilers for two seasons before rebranding as the Tennessee Titans in 1999.

The 1999 season marked a remarkable beginning for the Titans, as they made a dramatic run to Super Bowl XXXIV. Led by head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Steve McNair, the team finished the regular season with a 13-3 record. Their playoff journey included the famous "Music City Miracle" victory over the Buffalo Bills, where a last-second lateral play resulted in a kickoff return touchdown. The Titans reached the Super Bowl but narrowly lost to the St. Louis Rams, falling one yard short of a potential game-tying touchdown.

In the years following their Super Bowl appearance, the Titans experienced mixed success. They reached the playoffs several times in the early 2000s, with standout performances from players like running back Eddie George and defensive end Jevon Kearse. However, the team struggled with consistency and faced multiple rebuilding phases. The mid-2000s saw the emergence of quarterback Vince Young, who led the team to a playoff berth in 2007, but his tenure was marred by injuries and inconsistency.

The Titans entered a new era in the late 2010s with the hiring of head coach Mike Vrabel in 2018. Under Vrabel's leadership, and with the resurgence of quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, the team returned to prominence. The Titans reached the AFC Championship Game in the 2019 season and have been regular contenders in the playoffs since then. Derrick Henry's historic rushing performances, including a 2,000-yard season in 2020, have solidified the Titans as a formidable force in the NFL.

As of 2024, the Titans continue to be competitive in the AFC, consistently vying for division titles and playoff success. The team has built a reputation for a strong running game, resilient defense, and innovative coaching under Vrabel. The franchise's journey from the Houston Oilers to the Tennessee Titans reflects a rich history of adaptation and perseverance in the ever-evolving landscape of the NFL.

Logos and uniforms

When the team debuted as the Houston Oilers in 1960, its 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 name was dropped before the 1974 season.

The Oilers' uniforms consisted of blue or white jerseys, red trim, and white pants. From 1966 to 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 to 1994, with the exception of the 1980 season, and selected games in the mid-1980s, 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. Coach Jeff Fisher discarded the light blue pants in 1995. From 1960 to about 1965 and from 1972 to 1974, the Oilers wore blue helmets; the helmets were silver from 1966 to 1971 and white from 1975 to 1998.

From 1997 to 1998, when it was known as the Tennessee Oilers, the team had an alternate logo that combined elements of the flag of Tennessee with the derrick. The team also wore its white uniforms during home games. In its two years as the Tennessee Oilers, the team wore its colored jerseys for road games against the Miami Dolphins and a Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys. It wore all white exclusively in its last year as the Tennessee Oilers.

When the team was renamed the Titans in 1999, it introduced a new logo that was a circle with three stars representing the state's Grand Divisions, containing a large "T" with a trail of flames similar to a comet. The uniforms consisted of white helmets, red trim, and either navy or white jerseys. White pants were worn with the navy jerseys, and navy pants with the white jerseys. On both the navy and white jerseys, the outside shoulders and sleeves were light Titans blue. In a game against the Washington Redskins on October 15, 2006, the Titans wore their navy jerseys with navy pants for the first time. Since 2000, the Titans have worn their dark uniforms at home. They have worn white at home during daytime contests in September home games to gain an advantage with the heat, except in the 2005, 2006 and 2008 seasons.

In 2003, the Titans introduced an alternate jersey that was light Titans blue with navy outside shoulders and sleeves, which was worn with blue pants. Until 2007, they wore the jersey twice in each regular-season game. They always wore the Titans blue jersey in their annual divisional game against the Houston Texans and for other selected home games. Their selection in those games was representative of the organization's ties to Houston and the AFL. On November 19, 2006, the Titans introduced light Titans blue pants in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. 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 Madden NFL 08.

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 a game against the Atlanta Falcons on October 7, 2007, the Titans paired the navy blue jersey with the Titans blue pants for the first time. They wore the navy blue jerseys with the light blue pants against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team paired the Titans blue jerseys with the white pants for the first time in a home game against the Indianapolis Colts on November 14, 2013. In 2008, the Titans blue jerseys became the regular home uniforms, with the navy blue jerseys being relegated to alternate status but not worn until 2013.

In 2009, the Titans and the Buffalo Bills began the 2009 NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame Game. Played at Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium on August 9, 2009, the game was nationally televised on NBC. The Titans defeated the Bills, 21–18. In honor of the AFL's 50th anniversary, the Titans wore Oilers' uniforms for the game. In 2009, the team honored former quarterback Steve McNair by placing a small, navy blue disc on the back of their helmets with McNair's white number nine inside of it.

In 2013, the team wore the navy blue jerseys twice in honor of their 15th anniversary as the Titans. 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 a game against the Houston Texans on October 26, 2014, in which the Titans wore their navy blue uniforms.

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. 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.

On April 4, 2018, the Titans debuted new uniforms that retain the color palette 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 metallic gray face masks.

On July 23, 2023, the Titans unveiled the throwback powder blue Oilers uniforms.

Rivalries

The Titans share rivalries with their three AFC South opponents, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts. They have historical rivalries with former divisional opponents such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills.

Divisional

Jacksonville Jaguars

The rivalry with the Jaguars began in 1995 when the Titans were the Houston Oilers. The rivalry was heated in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to the success of both franchises at the time, including a season in which Jacksonville went 14–2 and Tennessee went 13–3. That season, all three of Jacksonville's losses, including the playoffs, came against the Titans, who played that year in Super Bowl XXXIV. The rivalry cooled when both teams experienced misfortune in the late 2000s to early 2010s, but both teams ended lengthy playoff droughts in 2017.

Houston Texans

The Titans’ rivalry with the Houston Texans is more prevalent in Houston due to the Titans having previously played in the city. The Titans dominated the rivalry in the early 2000s, but the series has since evened out in the 2010s.

Indianapolis Colts

Since the creation of the AFC South, the Titans and the Colts have been division rivals. In 2011, the Titans swept the Colts after 11 straight losses. In 2018, the Colts defeated the Titans in the last game of the regular season to clinch the final Wild Card spot, eliminating Tennessee from playoff contention. In 2020, the Titans claimed the AFC South championship over the Colts due to tie-breaking measures.

Conference

Buffalo Bills

While in the AFL, the Houston Oilers was in the same division as the Buffalo Bills, but were moved to the AFC Central division following the NFL-AFL merger. Their rivalry remained strong into the 1980s and 1990s with Warren Moon leading the Oilers against Jim Kelly and the Bills. In 1993, the Comeback, and the January 8, 2000 Music City Miracle, were two iconic moments in Oilers/Titans history have occurred against the Bills. The Bills and Titans were featured in an AFL legacy game in 2009 as part of festivities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the AFL's foundation. Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 by the league following the 41–17 Titans win in which he obscenely gestured toward the Bills sideline. Adams and Bills owner Ralph Wilson had maintained a friendly rivalry and were the last living original AFL owners at that time.

Baltimore Ravens

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Titans and the Ravens began a rivalry, which flared up when former Titans quarterback Steve McNair went to the Ravens. From the realignment of the NFL's divisions in 2002 to the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Titans have faced off against Baltimore five times in the postseason.

Historic

Pittsburgh Steelers

After the move to the AFC Central division, the Titans developed a rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were the Oilers' primary divisional rival and by the 2020s, the Titans had played them more than any other NFL team.

Defunct

Texas Governor's Cup: Dallas Cowboys/Dallas Texans

The Cowboys previously lead the series against the Oilers 18-13.

Culture

Flameheads

During the Titans' first season in its new stadium, the end zone sections became known as the Flame Pit and fans began wearing head wear resembling flames. Called "Flameheads", the costumes became prevalent during the Titans' successful years of the early 2000s. Flames are tied to the organization because in Greek Mythology, the Titan Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humanity.

Cheerleaders and mascot

The Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders represent the team in the NFL. They perform at every home game in Nissan Stadium and regularly do acts with the team's mascot T-Rac. They have 28 members with four captains. They perform a variety of dance moves and high-risk stunts. They attend community events in Middle Tennessee.

T-Rac is the raccoon mascot of the Titans, debuting in the team's inaugural preseason home game in August 1999 against the Atlanta Falcons. The raccoon is the state animal of Tennessee. T-Rac appears at every game in Nissan Stadium and performs at community events in Tennessee.

Stadium traditions

During every home game's 4th quarter, the stadium plays a video of "office linebacker" Terry Tate, performed by Lester Speight, shouting his catchphrase, "the pain train's coming"! The phrase is followed by the playing of "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash.

After every Titans first down at Nissan Stadium, the jumbotron plays a scene from the movie 300, where the Spartans chant after King Leonidas asks, "What is your profession?" Titans fans simultaneously perform the chant three times, "OOH! OOH! OOH!" The chant debuted in video game form in Madden NFL 22.

Titans Ring of Honor

In 1999, Adams established a Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame after the 40th season of the franchise to honor past players and management, with the first class being seven that were all inducted on December 9, 1999. It was changed to Oilers/Titans Ring of Honor in 2008. Bum Phillips, Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese were inducted in 2021. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson is the most recent inductee.

Season-by-season records

Player information

Current roster

Retired numbers

Pro Football Hall of Fame members

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Franchise leaders

Bold denotes still active with team

Italics denote still active but not with team

Passing yards (regular season) (as of end of 2023 season)

Rushing yards (regular season) (as of end of 2023 season)

Receiving yards (regular season) (as of end of 2023 season)

Coaching staff

Head coaches

Current staff

Radio and television

The flagship radio station of the Titans Radio Network for several years was WKDF 103.3-FM. WGFX 104.5-FM, the original Tennessee Oilers/Titans Radio flagship station, has served as the Titans Radio flagship station since the 2010 season. Mike Keith is the team's play-by-play announcer, and former Titans assistant coach Dave McGinnis, head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000 to 2003, provides color commentary during games. Previous to McGinnis, former Titans tight end Frank Wycheck provided the color commentary. Larry Stone provides injury and scoring updates. The Titans Radio Network is broadcast on 70 stations.

In 2011, the Titans extended its agreement with existing radio partners while creating a provision allowing home games to be broadcast on SiriusXM. They were the final team in the NFL to reach such a deal.

Most preseason games are televised on Nexstar station WKRN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Nashville, with The Mike Vrabel Show, a weekly Tuesday night coach's show. The preseason games are distributed through a network consisting of Nexstar stations throughout the state and some affiliates where Nexstar has no stations.

For regular season games, Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF airs the most games due to its AFC-centric rights. Fox affiliate WZTV carries home games against NFC opponents, with select flexed games, NBC affiliate WSMV-TV has Sunday Night Football broadcasts, and WKRN carries the team's Monday Night Football games.

Radio affiliates

See also

• List of American Football League players
• NFL Cheerleading

References

External links

• Official website
• Tennessee Titans at the National Football League official website