Houston Texans Team History

When the Houston Oilers departed for the Music City in 1997, most thought the NFL would never return to Houston. However, Bob McNair a wealthy oilman wanted to bring the NFL back to Houston, and when his efforts to bring the NHL to Houston failed in 1997, he stepped up his efforts for bringing back pro-football.

McNair and his business partner Chuck Watson put together a plane with the officials from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLS&R) say they will push for the building of a retractable roof stadium that the Rodeo will share with an NFL team, as opposed to renovating the Astrodome. However, despite the organized efforts the NFL wanted to expand to Los Angeles. However, the politicians in LA could not agree on what plan to go with, and the NFL who was so impressed with Houston's plan started to consider putting the 32nd team in Houston.

In March of 1999 the NFL gave the city of LA a 6-month deadline to get their plans together. When the Los Angeles officials failed to get an organized plan together the NFL decided to award Bob McNair and Houston the 32nd team that would begin play in 2002.

Houston Texans Chronological History

1999
October 6: The National Football League owners vote 29-0 to award the 32nd NFL franchise to Houston and Bob McNair for a record amount of $700 million.
2000
March 9: Houston NFL 2002 celebrates the official groundbreaking of the new stadium that will house the team when it begins play in 2002. The 69,500-seat state-of-the-art facility will be the world's first retractable-roof football stadium.
2000
September 6: The NFL's 32nd franchise is officially christened the Houston Texans before thousands at a downtown rally on Texas Avenue. NFL Commissioner Tagliabue introduces McNair, who then unveils his team's name, colors and logo to the crowd. The ceremony, televised live on ESPN2, includes simultaneous unveilings in Austin and San Antonio. McNair then heads to Enron Field, where he throws out the first "pitch" (actually a Texans football) to Houston Astros Owner Drayton McLane before the Astros play the Florida Marlins.
2001
September 25: The Texans unveil their team uniforms before a crowd of 12,000 fans in downtown Houston. Local dignitaries and numerous Texan celebrities join Bob McNair on stage for the ceremony. The Houston Texans Cheerleaders also make their debut.
2002
February 18: The Texans selected T Tony Boselli, T Ryan Young, CB Aaron Glenn, DT Gary Walker, LB Jamie Sharper, WR Jermaine Lewis, CB Marcus Coleman, DT Seth Payne, G Matt Campbell, S Matt Stevens, G Jeremy McKinney, T Ryan Schau, RB Charlie Rogers, TE/LS Sean McDermott, DE Jabari Issa, WR Avion Black, QB Danny Wuerffel, LB Brian Allen and TE Johnny Huggins in the expansion draft.
2002
September 8: The Texans become the first NFL team in 41 years to win their expansion debut, stunning the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 before 69,604 at Reliant Stadium. QB David Carr throws two touchdown passes, including a 19-yarder to TE Billy Miller for the club's first-ever touchdown. DT Seth Payne sacks Cowboys QB Quincy Carter in the end zone for a safety to clinch the victory.
2003
The Texans introduced an alternative red jersey (most of the time worn in divisional games against the Jacksonville Jaguars) with gold trim.
2004
Jan. 29: RB Domanick Davis is named NFL Rookie of the Year at a press conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is on hand to present Davis the trophy
2006
Houstion hire native Houstonian Gary Kubiak as the new head coach. Houston finishes the season with .500 record. 8 - 8.
2007
The Texans introduced red pants for the first time, pairing them with the red jerseys for an all-red look.
2011
The Texans participated in the playoffs for the first time at the end of the 2011 season, after having clinched the South Division title and qualifying as the AFC's third seed
2012
The Texans posted their best-ever season record in 2012 finishing the season at 12-4

Houston Texans Franchise Information

  • Franchise Granted: 1999
  • First Season: 2002
  • Franchise History:
  • 2002 - Present Houston Texans (NFL)

After Houston was awarded the NFL's 32nd franchise on October 6, 1999, a series of focus groups were formed to help come up with a nickname for the team. On March 2, 2000, the team announced five choices, the Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, Texans and Wildcatters. The list was then shaved to the Apollos, Stallions and Texans a month later. After careful deliberation, the team unveiled the Texans' name, colors, and logo at a rally held in downtown Houston on September 6, 2000.

Houston Texans - Stadium

Houston Texans Stadium

Reliant Stadium

Houston, Texas
Surface Grass
Seating 71,054
Cost $352 Million Opened 2002
Tenants:
Houston Texans (NFL) (2002 - present)
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (2002 - present)
Texas Bowl (NCAA) (2006 - present)
AdvoCare Texas Kickoff (2013-present)
Houston Cougars (NCAA) (2013)

Previous Stadiums

None

Houston Texans

Houston Texans history

Coaches

Bill O'Brien
2014 -
Wade Phillips
2013
Gary Kubiak
2006 - 2013
Dom Capers
2002 - 2005

Retired Numbers

None

League Championships

None

Conference Championships

None

Division Championships

2011 (AFC South), 2012 (AFC South)

Wild Card Wins

2011 (AFC South), 2012 (AFC South)

Years in Playoffs

2011, 2012

Hall of Fame Members

None