Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans
Current season
Established August 3, 1959 (August 3, 1959)[1]
First season: 1960
Play in Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee
Headquartered in Saint Thomas Sports Park, Nashville, Tennessee
LogoWordmark
League/conference affiliations

American Football League

  • Eastern Division (1960–1969)

National Football League (1970–present)

Current uniform
Team colors

Navy, Titans blue, red, silver, white[2][3][4]

                        
Mascot T-Rac
Personnel
Owner(s) KSA Industries
Chairman Susie Adams Smith
Amy Adams Strunk
CEO Steve Underwood
President Steve Underwood
General manager Jon Robinson
Head coach Mike Vrabel
Team history
  • Houston Oilers (1960–1996)
  • Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
  • Tennessee Titans (1999–present)
Championships

League championships (2)

Conference championships (1)

Division championships (9)

Playoff appearances (22)
Home fields

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. Previously known as the Houston Oilers, 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, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.

The team relocated from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, and played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season. The team then moved to Nashville in 1998 and played in Vanderbilt Stadium. For those two years, they were known as the "Tennessee Oilers", but changed their name to "Tennessee Titans" for the 1999 season. The team currently plays at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, which opened in 1999 as Adelphia Coliseum. The Titans' training facility is at Saint Thomas Sports Park, a 31-acre (13 ha) site at the MetroCenter complex in Nashville.[5]

The team had appeared once in the Super Bowl (XXXIV), the same year they changed their name to "Titans", and in which they lost to the St. Louis Rams for their first Super Bowl title.

History

Logos and uniforms

The Tennessee Titans uniforms used from 1999–2017.

When the team debuted as the Houston 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; they wore all-white exclusively in their last year under the Tennessee Oilers banner.

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 consisted of white helmets, red trim, and either navy or white jerseys. White pants were normally worn with the navy jerseys, and navy pants were worn 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 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. They have worn white at home during daytime contests on many occasions for September home games to gain an advantage with the heat except in the 2005, 2006, and 2008 seasons.

The Titans introduced an alternate jersey in 2003 that was light Titans blue, with navy outside shoulders and sleeves. That jersey was 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 once in the preseason). They always wore the Titans blue jersey in their annual 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 the Philadelphia Eagles. 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 a 2007 against the Atlanta Falcons, the Titans paired the navy blue jersey with the Titans blue pants for the first time. They also 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 on November 14, 2013, in a home game against the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2008, the Titans blue jerseys became the regular home uniforms, with the navy blue jerseys being relegated to alternate status,[6] but not worn until 2013 — see below.

In 2009, the NFL and the Hall of Fame committee announced that the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills would begin the 2009 NFL 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.[7] In honor of the AFL's 50th anniversary, the Titans wore Oilers' uniforms for this game. Also in 2009, the team honored former quarterback Steve McNair by placing a small, navy blue disc on the back of their helmets with a white number nine inside of it (nine 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."[8] 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.[9]

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.[10][11]

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 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 facemasks, a change from the previous white helmets with two navy stripes and black facemasks.[2][12][13]

Rivals

The Titans share rivalries with their three AFC South opponents (Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts). They also have historical rivalries with former divisional opponents such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens (formerly the original Cleveland Browns) and Buffalo Bills, and during their time as the Houston Oilers, shared an in-state rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.

Divisional rivalries

Since their founding, the Jaguars have been seen from time to time as the Titans' primary rival due to constantly competitive games between the two franchises. 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 went on to play in Super Bowl XXXIV. The rivalry then cooled with both teams experiencing misfortune in the late 2000s to early 2010s, but both teams ended lengthy playoff droughts in 2017.

The Texans see the Titans as their primary rival due to the Titans' previous history in Houston until their relocation to Tennessee, which remains on the minds of Houston fans to this day. The Titans dominated the rivalry in the early 2000s, but the series has since evened out in the 2010s.

The Colts have been very dominant in their rivalry with the Titans since the creation of the AFC South, with quarterbacks Peyton Manning and later Andrew Luck leading the Colts to consistent success against the Titans and the rest of the division. However, the series has become more even as of late, with the Titans sweeping the Colts in 2017 after 11 straight losses.[14]

Other rivalries

As the Houston Oilers, the team was first in the same division as the Buffalo Bills in the days of the AFL, but were moved to the AFC Central division following the NFL-AFL merger. There, they developed a strong rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and later had a rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens in the late 1990s and early 2000s after becoming the Titans, especially after former Titans quarterback Steve McNair went to the Ravens. The Steelers were the Oilers' primary divisional rival and to this date, the Titans have played them more than any other NFL team.[15] The Steelers and Oilers were competitive in the 1970s, facing off in back-to-back AFC championship games towards the end of the decade. The teams both underwent hard times in the 1980s before re-emerging in the 1990s. After the Oilers' move to Tennessee and the re-alignment of the NFL's divisions in 2002, the Steelers-Titans rivalry has cooled somewhat as has the rivalry with the Ravens.

Even after the Bills and Oilers were placed in separate divisions following the merger, their rivalry remained strong into the 1980s and 1990s with Warren Moon leading the Oilers up against Jim Kelly and the Bills. Two of the most iconic playoff moments in Oilers/Titans history have occurred against the Bills: the Comeback (known as "the Choke" in Houston due to the team's historic collapse against the Bills) and the Music City Miracle, which occurred after the team moved to Nashville to become the Titans. The Bills and Titans were later 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 towards the Bills sideline, as he and Bills owner Ralph Wilson had maintained a friendly rivalry and were the last living original AFL owners at that time (Adams and Wilson would die in 2013 and 2014, respectively).[16]

Season-by-season records

Player information

Current roster

Tennessee Titans roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

Roster updated October 16, 2018
Depth chart • Transactions
53 Active, 9 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters
AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

Retired numbers

Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans retired numbers
No. Player Position Years played
1Warren MoonQB1984–93
34Earl CampbellRB1978–84
43Jim NortonS/P1960–68
63Mike MunchakOG1982–93
65Elvin BetheaDE1968–83
74Bruce MatthewsOT1983–2001

[17]

Pro Football Hall of Fame members

Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans Hall of Famers
Players
No. Inductee Class Position Seasons
65Elvin Bethea2003DE1968–83
16George Blanda1981QB/K1960–66
52Robert Brazile2018LB1975-84
34Earl Campbell1991RB1978–84
87Dave Casper2002TE1980–83
78Curley Culp2013DT1974–80
29Ken Houston1986S1967–72
35John Henry Johnson1987FB1966
18/40Charlie Joiner1996WR1969–72
74Bruce Matthews2007OT1983–2001
1Warren Moon2006QB1984–93
63Mike Munchak2001OG
Coach		1982–93
2011–13
12Ken Stabler2016QB1980–81
Coaches and Executives
Inductee Class Position Seasons
Sammy Baugh1963Coach1964
Sid Gillman1983Coach1973–74

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

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[17]

Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans Hall of Fame
No. Name Position Years Inducted
65 Elvin Bethea DE 1968–83 December 9, 1999
16 George Blanda QB/K 1960–66
34 Earl Campbell RB 1978–84
— Mike Holovak GM 1989–93
29 Ken Houston S 1967–72
63 Mike Munchak G 1982–93
43 Jim Norton P 1960–68
74 Bruce Matthews OL 1983–2001 December 8, 2002
1 Warren Moon QB 1984–93 October 1, 2007
— Bud Adams Owner/founder 1959–2013 September 7, 2008
27 Eddie George RB 1996–2003 October 27, 2008
9 Steve McNair QB 1995–2005
41/89 Frank Wycheck TE 1995–2003

Franchise leaders

Bold denotes still active with team

Italics denote still active but not with team

Passing yards (regular season) (as of start of 2018 season)[18]

Rushing yards (regular season) (as of start of 2018 season)[18]

Receiving yards (regular season) (as of Week 17 of the 2017 season)[18]

Coaching staff

Head coaches

Current staff

Tennessee Titans staff
Front office
  • Owner – KSA Industries
  • Controlling owner – Amy Adams Strunk
  • President, chairman and CEO – Steve Underwood
  • Executive vice president and general manager – Jon Robinson
  • Vice president of football administration – Vin Marino
  • Vice president of player personnel – Ryan Cowden
  • Director of college scouting – Jon Salge
  • Director of pro scouting – Brian Gardner
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Kevin Turks
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  • Offensive coordinator – Matt LaFleur
  • Quarterbacks – Pat O'Hara
  • Running backs – Tony Dews
  • Wide receivers – Rob Moore
  • Tight ends – Arthur Smith
  • Offensive line – Keith Carter
  • Offensive assistant – Mike Sullivan
  • Offensive assistant – Luke Steckel
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Dean Pees
  • Defensive line – Terrell Williams
  • Outside linebackers – Shane Bowen
  • Inside linebackers – Tyrone McKenzie
  • Defensive backs − Kerry Coombs
  • Defensive assistant – Scott Booker
  • Defensive assistant – Ryan Crow
  • Quality control – Matt Pees
Special teams coaches
  • Special teams coordinator – Craig Aukerman
  • Assistant special teams – Matt Edwards
Strength and conditioning
  • Strength and conditioning – Tom Kanavu
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Brian Bell
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Taylor Porter

→ Coaching staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

Radio and television

The flagship radio station of the Titans Radio Network 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 coach Dave McGinnis provides color commentary during games. Previous to McGinnis, former Titans tight end Frank Wycheck 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.[19]

The team had long resisted placing any of its games on Sirius XM Radio.[20] According to the Titans Radio Network, this was because the Titans' contract with Citadel Broadcasting (parent of both WKDF and WGFX) predated the arrival of satellite radio, thus there was no provision for the NFL to reserve satellite-radio rights.[21] In 2011, the Titans were able to extend their 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.[22]

Most preseason games are televised on WKRN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Nashville. WKRN-TV also airs a weekly show on Tuesday nights. The show, called Titans on 2, was most recently hosted by head coach Ken Whisenhunt and WKRN-TV anchors Cory Curtis and Audra Martin. The show is an opportunity for the coach to talk about the team's latest matchup and looks forward to the upcoming game.

For regular season games, WTVF, the CBS affiliate for Nashville is the main station airing them. WZTV, Fox affiliate if they host an NFC team, WSMV-TV, NBC for Sunday Night Football broadcasts, and WKRN-TV, ABC for simulcasts of ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Radio affiliates

See also

References

  1. ↑ "History: 1959-1969". Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Wyatt, Jim (April 4, 2018). "The Story Behind Titans New Uniforms, and Helmet". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved April 5, 2018. The color palette navy, Titan blue, red, silver and white remains unchanged.
  3. ↑ "Titans Fingertip Information" (PDF). 2018 Tennessee Titans Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee Titans Team Capsule" (PDF). 2018 Official National Football League Record and Fact Book. NFL Enterprises, LLC. August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Titans Practice Facility Renamed "Saint Thomas Sports Park"". Tennessee Titans. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Samuel, Michael (July 6, 2008). "Titans Decide To Change Their Home Uniform". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bills vs. Titans in 2009 Hall of Fame Game" (Press release). Pro Football Hall of Fame. January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (July 27, 2013). "Titans to bring back navy blue". The Tennesseean. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ Kuharsky, Paul (November 21, 2014). "RTC: It's white the rest of the way for Titans". ESPN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (November 20, 2014). "Titans will stick with white jerseys". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  11. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (August 25, 2015). "Ask Jim: Questions on O-Line, Mettenberger and More". Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  12. ↑ Hagemann, Andie (April 4, 2018). "Titans unveil new uniforms ahead of 2018 season". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  13. ↑ Wolfe, Cameron (April 5, 2018). "Titans' 20th season in Tennessee features new-look uniforms, helmets". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts Results". The Football Database.
  15. ↑ Titans-Steelers matchup nothing new, then or now Nashville Post (09/04/2013)
  16. ↑ "Adams draws $250K fine from NFL", ESPN News service, 16 Nov 2009, accessed 21 Nov 2009
  17. 1 2 "Retired Jersey Numbers & Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame" (PDF). 2017 Tennessee Titans Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. September 26, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  18. 1 2 3 "Titans Leaders". Football Reference. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  19. ↑ "Titans Radio Network". Tennessee Titans. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  20. ↑ Sirius XM Radio promotional material. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Titans Radio Contact Form & FAQ". Titans Radio Network. Archived from the original on 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  22. ↑ Kuharsky, Paul (June 16, 2011). "At long last, Titans Radio goes satellite". ESPN. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
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