HOUSTON – When the late Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee in 1997, they took the NFL nickname and their iconic uniforms with them after the Luv Ya Blue era ended.
Two years later, Bob McNair was awarded an expansion franchise and the Texans were launched.
Now, the rivalry continues between the two cities and NFL teams and resumes Sunday when the 7-4 Texans host the 2-8 Titans.
The Texans were unsuccessful in their efforts to have a lot of the H-Town blue color in their rebranded new uniforms under NFL rules as Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, Bud Adams’ daughter, insisted on enforcing her franchise’s intellectual property and copyright rights, but there are some hints of it in their new look and a lot of it can be found in their new merchandise at their team shop.
The Texans won’t be wearing their H-Town alternate uniforms on Sunday because of the limit of three times the NFL places on alternate uniforms per season.
They can wear their Battle Red or H-Town Blue alternate uniforms one more time, perhaps they will for a Christmas Day game against the Baltimore Ravens on Netflix headlined by Beyonce’ performing at halftime.
Is this a rivalry with the Titans? Absolutely.
And the Texans feel confident where they stand in terms of fan support after winning the AFC South division title last season and sweeping the season series with the Titans.
“We’ve taken over Houston, we’ve taken our fans back,” Texans foundation vice president Hannah McNair said during a visit to Fire Station 33 in Houston. “So, they are just the Titans now.”
The Titans wore a throwback Oilers rendition of the uniforms last season for a home game against the Texans and lost to backup quarterback Case Keenum in overtime.
Texans linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair was playing for the Titans last season before joining Houston in free agency on a three-year, $34 million free agent deal to reunite with coach DeMeco Ryans, his defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
“Honestly, that was like my first time getting into like the whole rivalry,” Al-Shaair said. “Then, we start to hear both sides explain why it’s their uniform. It’s kind of funny, just like being a part of it and now being on the other side of it. So, it’s definitely something that I take pride in and why the heart and soul of the rivalry is what it is.”
The Texans are coming off a 34-10 blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium during which their fans could be heard loud and clear chanting ‘Houston ... Texans.”
“I just want to thank our fans for how well they turned out in Dallas,” Hannah McNair said. “That was that was incredible. It felt like a home game at times. How loud it got, especially on that defensive touchdown, you really got a feel for how many fans were in that building.”
Added Cal McNair: ‘They were loud. They came in early, a lot of red. Really showed up well in the stadium. It was a great crowd. So, we really appreciate them traveling up to support the team. The team appreciates it. They enjoyed playing in front of a good crowd like that.”
The Texans won for the first time in Dallas and, earlier this season, won their first game at Gillette Stadium over the New England Patriots.
They’re in first place in the AFC South and on a path to return to the playoffs again.
“We’re excited for the end of the year coming up,” Cal McNair said. “Hopefully, playing our best ball. So, we want to play better and better as the year goes on and be really good at the end of the year. That’s what we want. Seven wins is great, but it doesn’t really do anything for us. We’ve got to get some more wins and see where we are at the end of the year.”
Added Hannah McNair: “We’re getting some players back (Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has practiced all week after missing two games with an ankle injury). That’s always great to get your players back that have been injured, starting in December and make a strong run.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images