Tag: Houston Oilers

NFL world mourns death of Titans great Frank Wycheck

The NFL world mourned the loss of Titans great Frank Wycheck, who passed away at the age of 52.

The Tennessee Titans have lost one of their franchise greats after former tight end Frank Wycheck passed away at the age of 52.

Per a statement from his family, via Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, Wycheck died after an apparent fall in his Chattanooga home on Saturday.

He is survived by his two adult daughters, Deanna and Madison, and his three grandchildren, Leo, Stevie and August.

At this time, it appears Wycheck fell inside his Chattanooga, TN home and hit his head on Saturday morning. He was found unresponsive that afternoon.

Wycheck moved to Chattanooga, TN this past summer to be closer to his family. He leaves behind two adult daughters, Deanna and Madison, both married, and three grandchildren — Leo, Stevie and August.

The family, per his wishes, plans to work with experts for on-going brain injury (TBI) and CTE research. Funeral services have not yet been made at this time.

The Wycheck family appreciates the love and support they’ve received, but asks the public to please respect their privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.

Wycheck became one of the best and most beloved players in franchise history after being claimed by the Houston Oilers off waivers in 1995.

The tight end ranks seventh in franchise history in receiving yards, and first among tight ends in that category. He also threw the lateral to Kevin Dyson that sparked the legendary “Music City Miracle” play in the 1999 playoffs.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. Titans fans and the rest of the football world shared their condolences upon hearing the awful news.

Titans great Frank Wycheck has passed away at 52

Titans great Frank Wycheck has passed away at the age of 52.

Tennessee Titans great and former tight end Frank Wycheck has tragically passed away at the age of 52.

According to a statement from Wycheck’s family, via Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, Wycheck was found unresponsive in his home after an apparent fall on Saturday morning.

“At this time, it appears Wycheck fell inside his Chattanooga, TN home and hit his head on Saturday morning,” the statement read. “He was found unresponsive that afternoon.

“Wycheck moved to Chattanooga, TN this past summer to be closer to his family. He leaves behind two adult daughters, Deanna and Madison, both married, and three grandchildren — Leo, Stevie and August.

“The family, per his wishes, plans to work with experts for on-going brain injury (TBI) and CTE research. Funeral services have not yet been made at this time.

“The Wycheck family appreciates the love and support they’ve received, but asks the public to please respect their privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.”

A former sixth-round pick of Washington in 1993, Wycheck was claimed off waivers by the Houston Oilers in 1995 and went on to become one of the most productive and beloved players in franchise history.

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Wycheck was a three-time Pro Bowler and finished his Oilers/Titans career with 4,958 receiving yards, which ranks seventh in franchise history and first among tight ends.

He was also one of the heroes in the legendary “Music City Miracle” play in which Wycheck threw a lateral to wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who scored the game-winning touchdown to defeat the Buffalo Bills in the 1999 playoffs.

Wycheck’s memory will live on in the hearts and minds of Titans fans everywhere. Our prayers go out to his loved ones in this difficult time.

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Titans great Eddie George a semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Titans great Eddie George is a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024.

For the second time since he’s been eligible, Tennessee Titans great Eddie George is one of 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024. George also made the cut as a semifinalist in 2022.

The next step will be to make the group of 15 finalists, and then a final vote by the Hall of Fame’s 50-person selection committee will take place prior to Super Bowl LVIII, with the results announced on the NFL Honors show in February.

After being drafted No. 14 overall by the Houston Oilers in 1996, George played eight seasons with the franchise and become its all-time leading rusher (10,009 rushing yards), a distinction he still holds today.

Along with that, George won Rookie of the Year, made it to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2000. The Ohio State product rushed for 1,000 yards in all but one season with the Titans.

George’s 10,441 career rushing yards ranks 28th all time.

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Tennessee Titans throw it back to amazing Houston Oilers uniforms

Were those the Tennessee Titans or the Houston Oilers?

The Tennessee Titans threw it back big time for their game with the game with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

USAT

They paid homage to the franchise’s original roots by wearing Houston Oilers-style uniforms.

One can be sure the sales at the Titans shop will soar when people see how cool these threads are

Oilers legend Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson to be inducted into Ring of Honor in December

Oilers legend Billy “White Shoes” Johnson will be inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor in December.

The Tennessee Titans are set to wear their Houston Oilers throwbacks on Sunday when they host the Atlanta Falcons in a crucial inter-conference game.

This also happens to be alumni weekend, with over 170 former Titans/Oilers expected to be in attendance. One of the most notable names that will be at the game is legendary playmaker, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson.

Johnson is slated to be the team’s “Legend of the Game” on Sunday. However, that won’t be the only honor he gets this season.

It was announced on Thursday that Johnson will be returning to Nissan Stadium on December 17th for the Titans’ game against the Houston Texans in order to officially be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.

During his 14-year NFL career, the man known as “White Shoes” played for the Oilers from 1974-1980, before ending his career with stints with the Atlanta Falcons (1982-1987) and Washington (1988).

During his time in the NFL, Johnson was named to three Pro Bowls, while also being universally regarded as one of the best returners in the history of the NFL.

The Oilers legend accounted for 282 punt returns for 3,317 yards and six touchdowns. On top of that, he recorded 2,941 yards and two touchdowns on 123 kick returns.

As a wide receiver, Johnson produced some pretty impressive numbers in an era that mostly revolved around running the ball. He totaled 337 receptions for 4,211 yards and 25 touchdowns over his career.

The franchise’s legendary athlete was an all-around playmaker whenever the ball was in his hands, and now he will finally get the recognition he rightly deserves.

Texans could add Oilers color to new 2024 uniforms

The Houston Texans have heard their fans and have suggested looking into adding Oilers blue into their 2024 uniforms.

The Tennessee Titans may own the Houston Oilers franchise records and uniform designs, but they can’t own a color — not unless their chief counsel is Howard Hamlin.

According to “In the Loop” co-host John Lopez, Houston Texans senior vice president of marketing and communications/chief marketing officer Doug Vosik joined the Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] program to talk about the future of the team’s uniforms.

“Texans marketing SVP Doug Vosik just confirmed, ‘we got you’ when asked about the H-Town Blue color being a part of the @HoustonTexans 2024 uniforms,” Lopez tweeted.

“H-Town Blue” is identical to the Oilers’ Columbia Blue jerseys they wore from 1975-96, and even for their two seasons thereafter as the “Tennessee Oilers” until the Titans name change in 1999.

The Houston Rockets have a version with Columbia Blue called the “city edition” and even the Astros have worn a similar color scheme.

Adding a color dear to Houston sports fans would connect the two franchises while also continue to entangle the AFC South rivalry with the Titans.

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Saints vs. Titans series history: Who owns the all-time record?

New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans series history: Who owns the all-time record? Once-rare meetings have developed into a fun rivalry:

We used to go through entire generations of NFL players without the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans competing against each other. The two teams met once every three years until the league expanded in the early 2000’s, at which point those games were spaced out in four-year increments.

That changed radically in 2021 with the introduction of a 17-game schedule that put more AFC-NFC matchups in the rotation. The Saints and Titans have used that opportunity to forge a fun geographic rivalry. They’ve split the last four games 2-2, with the Saints losing a close one 23-21 in 2021.

The Titans own the all-time series record at 9-6-1, going back to their early franchise history when they were still known as the Houston Oilers. Preseason games aren’t often remembered but the Saints have played more of them with the Titans franchise (30) than many other teams.

It’s interesting to see a rivalry kind of organically develop here. Nashville is easier for Saints fans to visit than most NFL cities, being a seven-and-a-half hour drive from New Orleans (with some flights clocking in at just a few hours). And when they haven’t been competing on the field the two teams have been often targeting the same players in the offseason, like cornerback Caleb Farley in the 2021 NFL draft or free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries in 2019. Janoris Jenkins landed with the Titans after leaving the Saints. So did Kenny Vaccaro.

And so did their longtime nemesis Julio Jones. The Saints weren’t able to cut a trade for Malcolm Butler back in the day and he wound up signing with the Titans. Former Saints head coach Jim Haslett was on Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff for a few years before he took over the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons. You see all these connections? That’s history.

Hopefully the Saints can get a win on Sunday to tip that all-time record a little closer in their favor. It’ll take some time to even things out completely, but a victory at the Caesars Superdome this week would go a long way.

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4 ways the Texans can lower the casket and bury the Houston Oilers once and for all

The Oilers are a tender subject for Houston sports fans. However, the Texans can help them let go and start embracing the future.

It wasn’t bad enough the Tennessee Titans decided to take the Houston Oilers throwback jerseys out of mothballs. The Titans have decided to wear the throwbacks specifically for the Houston Texans in their Week 15 matchup at Nissan Stadium.

The Oilers are a tender subject for Houston sports fans. So many of their NFL memories are associated with Bum Phillips, Earl Campbell, Robert Brazile, Warren Moon, and others who are now considered Titans greats. The late Bud Adams, who founded the franchise, would not leave team records and jerseys with the city of Houston, not like Art Modell did with the Cleveland Browns as he took the guts of the franchise to begat the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

The more the Titans use the Oilers insensitively towards Houstonians, as exemplified by picking the Week 15 game to sport them, the more the city must distance itself from the Oilers.

Here are four ways the Texans can help Houston let the past die.

Tennessee Titans to wear Houston Oilers throwbacks against the Texans

The Tennessee Titans announced they will wear their Houston Oilers throwbacks in Week 15 against the Houston Texans.

The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday they will be wearing their Houston Oilers throwback jerseys against the Houston Texans on Dec. 17.

The Week 15 encounter at Nissan Stadium is the first meeting of the series between the Texans and Titans. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

The Titans have not worn Oilers throwbacks since 2009 when the NFL commemorated 50 seasons since the formation of the AFL, of which the Oilers were a charter member.

Tennessee’s 2023 version will be the uniforms sported by the Oilers from 1975-98, the last two seasons incorporating a patch denoting their move to Tennessee.

The subject has been prickly for Houston sports fans, and will continue to be a source of aggravation far beyond the Week 15 game.

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Robert Brazile: ‘The Oilers are Titans history, not Texans history’

Oilers greats and Hall of Famers Warren Moon and Robert Brazile made it quite clear that the Titans should have Oilers history, not the Texans.

Despite the fact that there should be zero debate about it, there are still some out there — and particularly in Houston — who believe the Tennessee Titans shouldn’t have a claim on Oilers history, let alone be allowed to wear the throwbacks, which the team will do twice in 2023.

After all, the Titans’ owner, Amy Adams Strunk, is the daughter of Bud Adams, who literally founded the Oilers. And, not to mention, the Titans were once the Tennessee Oilers before changing their name.

As if all that wasn’t enough, allow me to present quotes from Oilers legends Robert Brazile and Warren Moon, both of whom unequivocally back the Titans having the team’s history in a great article from Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“I am going to make this as plain and simple as I can for anyone who has any doubts about this: The Oilers are Titans history, not Texans history,” Brazile said. “Look at the Titans Ring of Honor, and how many Oilers are in there? It’s a good number (10). How many Oilers are in the Texans Ring of Honor? The answer is zero.

“I was born an Oiler and I’m going to die a Titan.”

Moon added that while he understands it’s a “very sensitive subject” in Houston, he also noted that the Texans never really reached out to former Oilers, while the Titans did quite the opposite, which was to give those franchise greats a place to call home.

“I know this is a very sensitive subject in Houston, but the Texans never really reached out to any of the (former Oilers) and never made it feel like they wanted anything to do with the Oilers,” Moon said. “They wanted to just create their own identity. And since Amy has taken over, she has really had a passion for the Houston Oilers — she wanted to bring everybody into one family, Oilers and Titans, and that’s why she’s had these alumni weekends, and been doing that for the last five years.

“Now all the Oilers feel really comfortable going to Nashville every year for their reunion, and they never had a reunion before Amy came aboard. I know my number is retired in the stadium in Nashville, and it’s where I’m in the Ring of Honor, and that’s what I identify with now.”

Upon seeing the Titans’ reveal of the Oilers jerseys they’ll wear in 2023, Brazile said he got emotional.

“I was in tears when I saw these uniforms, because I was so excited,” Brazile said. “My wife heard me and woke up, and said: ‘Robert, is everything OK?’ And I said: ‘Brenda, it’s finally going to happen! It’s going to really, really happen! My colors, my Luv ‘Ya Blue, it’s coming alive again.’ And it makes me, and it makes everybody that played with the Oilers know, ‘We’re not dead. We’re alive. The Oilers are alive.’

“I don’t think you can really understand it unless you were an Oiler. But I gave my heart and soul to that organization — it’s the only organization I ever played for — and for Amy (Adams Strunk) and the team to keep our memory alive, it’s heartwarming. Every time the Titans wear those Oilers jerseys, I don’t care where they are at, I want to be at that stadium.”

Fans and media alike were hoping that the Titans would wear their Oilers throwbacks in Houston against the Texans this year, but instead Tennessee will wear them for two home games, one of which will come against the Texans.

But Moon made it clear he would love to see Tennessee rock them in H-town one day, although not for the trolling purposes fans want them to do it for.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been talking to Amy about this for two years now and she’s been wanting to do this for a long time, and I am glad it is going to happen.

“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.”

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