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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
The Titans revealed the two games in which they’ll wear Oilers throwbacks for in 2023, and yes, one of them comes against the Texans.
While we knew the Tennessee Titans would wear their sweet Houston Oilers throwbacks for two home games during the 2023 campaign, we didn’t know exactly when that would occur.
However, now we do, as the team revealed on Thursday morning that the Titans will wear their Oilers throwbacks for the Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons and the Week 15 contest against the Houston Texans.
The former matchup will also coincide with Oilers/Titans alumni weekend.
Of course, wearing the Oilers throwbacks in Houston would have been the most ideal, as it would have further pissed off the Texans’ already salty fan base and added a little extra juice to that game. But at least we get to see Tennessee wear them against their division rival.
While those are the only two games currently announced, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online noted that there is still an “outside chance” the Titans wear their Oilers threads for a road game.
While there’s still an outside chance the team could have an opportunity to wear them once on the road, the games against the Falcons and Texans are now confirmed.
Aside from the Titans wearing the best throwbacks in the game in general, the other significance of the first matchup is the fact that the Titans will welcome in former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith that week, also.
The Titans and Smith have squared off once since he left for the head coach gig with the Falcons, but that matchup came during the preseason and in Atlanta.
By the way, Smith is doing big things in Atlanta, as the Falcons head coach is now rocking this sweet ‘stache, which reminds us of head coach Mike Vrabel’s sweet caterpillar from 2019.
Franchise legends Eddie George and Warren Moon weigh-in on the Titans’ Oilers throwbacks.
We’ve covered reactions from both sides of the aisle when it comes to the Tennessee Titans wearing Houston Oilers throwbacks since the team unveiled the uniform they’ll wear for two games during the 2023 season.
However, what are some of the franchise’s greatest players saying about those sweet Oilers threads? Well, we have reactions from two of them.
Oilers legend and Hall of Famer, Warren Moon, took to Twitter shortly after the uniform was revealed, rightly calling the throwbacks the “best looking outfit in football.”
“Can’t wait to see our old uniforms on the field again,” Moon tweeted. “Best looking outfit in football. Go Titans.”
Can't wait to see our old uniforms on the field again!
On the team’s Instagram, a video was posted showing the team FaceTiming Oilers/Titans great Eddie George during the actual photoshoot ahead of the reveal, and he had quite the positive reaction (H/T Titans Opinion).
After it was originally thought the team would only wear the throwbacks once in 2023, the Titans’ official site revealed it would actually be two, although the exact games have yet to be revealed.
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In an article ranking the throwbacks set to be worn in 2023, the Titans’ Oilers-inspired uniforms were ranked among the best.
The Tennessee Titans have finally released their beloved Houston Oilers throwback uniforms that were well-received, but to the surprise of nobody, there are still some out there who don’t believe Tennessee should have them.
No matter how many times you explain it, there will always be those who genuinely believe that the Oilers’ uniforms should automatically belong to the city of Houston solely because that’s where they originated and were fielded up until the late 90s.
The team had previously used the Oilers throwbacks back in 2009, but they were ultimately forced to use the original 1960s version of the uniform (baby blue helmet) due to its specific ties to the AFL that year.
Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
However, this time around, the Titans opted to go with the team’s most iconic combination of the uniform that included the white helmet and red face mask.
The Titans will be wearing their Oilers throwback uniforms for two home games this fall 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/VrUgcRiqol
The Titans aren’t the only team to use throwback uniforms this year, but the Titans’ modern-day Oilers threads landed in the top three of the throwback uniform rankings by For the Win.
Robert Zeglinski of FTW recently ranked his top-seven throwback uniforms that were recently revealed, and he had the Titans coming in at No. 3, only trailing the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.
Here is what Zeglinski had to say about the Oilers’ uniform the Titans unveiled on Sunday night.
These uniforms were some of the best in football history, and it’s a real shame someone decided to make the Titans look extremely generic once they moved to Nashville.
Regardless of which side of the debate you stand on, there’s at least one thing that it seems like everyone can agree on: these are undeniably some of the most aesthetically pleasing uniforms in NFL history.
Seeing them back on the field this fall is a win for football fans everywhere.
