Professional Football in Texas Professional football first arrived in Texas in the fall of 1952 when a 16-member syndicate purchased the National Football League franchise that had been known as the New York Yanks. The team, coached by Jim Phelan, enjoyed little success playing in the Cot-

ton Bowl as the Dallas Texans. By the end of the season, after the league had bought back the franchise, the Texans were playing “home” games elsewhere, including Akron, Ohio, where they had their only victory, 27-23, over the Chicago Bears of George Halas.

Dallas Texans (NFL) Year Win Loss Tie – 1951 played as the New York Yanks 1952 1 11 0 1953 — remnants of the team became the new Baltimore Colts, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti.

The coin toss at the AFL championship game in 1962 between the Dallas Texans and the Houston Oilers.

Big-time professional football returned to Texas when Bud Adams of Houston and Lamar Hunt of Dallas started the American Football League in 1959. In October 1959, Adams announced the Houston team would be known as the Oilers. Hunt’s team was named the Texans and played in the Cotton Bowl. AFL play began in 1960. The Oilers were an immediate success, winning the first AFL championship by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in January 1961. The Dallas Texans, meanwhile, had difficulties.

They found themselves battling for ticket sales with the new National Football League expansion team owned by Clint Murchison Jr., the Dallas Cowboys. In May of 1963 the Cowboys had their first major victory when Hunt announced he was moving his team to Kansas City, where it would be renamed the Chiefs. When the city of Houston declined to build a new stadium for the Oilers, who had been playing in the Astrodome, Adams moved his team in 1997 to Nashville, where it was renamed the Tennessee Titans.

Dallas Texans (AFL) Year

Win

Loss

Tie

Playoffs

1960 8 6 0 1961 6 8 0 1962 11 3 0 won AFL championship over Houston Oilers 1963 — team moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs

Houston Oilers (AFL–NFL) Year

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

Win 10 10 11 6 4 4 3 9 7 6

Loss 4 3 3 8 10 10 11 4 7 6

Tie 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2

Playoffs

won AFL championship over Los Angeles Chargers won AFL championship over San Diego Chargers lost AFL championship to Dallas Texans

lost AFL championship to Oakland Raiders lost divisional playoff to Oakland Raiders AFL, NFL merge

1970 3 10 1 1971 4 9 1 1972 1 13 0 1973 1 13 0 1974 7 7 0 1975 10 4 0 1976 5 9 0 1977 8 6 0 1978 10 6 0 2nd AFC Central; lost AFC championship to Pittsburgh Steelers 1979 11 5 0 2nd AFC Central; lost AFC championship to Pittsburgh Steelers 1980 11 5 0 2nd AFC Central; lost wild-card playoff to Oakland Raiders 1981 7 9 0 1982 1 8 0 (players’ strike) 1983 2 13 0 1984 3 13 0 1985 5 11 0 1986 5 11 0 1987 9 6 0 2nd AFC Central; lost divisional playoff to Denver Broncos 1988 10 6 0 3rd AFC Central; lost divisional playoff to Buffalo Bills 1989 9 7 0 2nd AFC Central; lost wild-card playoff to Pittsburgh Steelers 1990 9 7 0 2nd AFC Central; lost wild-card playoff to Cincinnati Bengals 1991 11 5 0 1st AFC Central; lost divisonal playoff to Denver Broncos 1992 10 6 0 2nd AFC Central; lost wild-card playoff to Buffalo Bills 1993 12 4 0 1st AFC Central; lost divisional playoff to Kansas City Chiefs 1994 2 14 0 1995 7 9 0 1996 8 8 0 1997 — moved to Tennessee, renamed the Titans in 1999.

Dallas Cowboys (NFL)

The National Football League expanded to 13 teams in January 1960 when Dallas businessman Clint Murchison Jr. was granted a franchise. His Dallas Cowboys (originally to be called the Dallas Rangers) were organized too late to take part in the college draft that year and did not win a single game in the 1960 season. Year

1960 1961 1962 1963

Win 0 4 5 4

Loss 11 9 8 10

Tie 1 1 1 0

Since that first year, the Cowboys have developed into one of the most popular teams in the NFL. The Cowboys have gone to the Super Bowl eight times, winning five times, and have advanced to the playoffs 32 times. The team now plays at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Playoffs

Chuck Howley intercepts a Bob Griese pass during the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl victory in January 1972. Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins 24–3. Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach (12) stands on the sidelines. Year

1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Win 5 7 10 9 12 11 10 11 10 10 8 10 11 12 12 11 12 12 6 12 9 10 7 7 3 1 7 11 13 13 12 12 10 6 10

Loss 8 7 3 5 2 2

4 3 4 4 6 4 3 2 4 5 4 4 3 4 7 6 9 8 13 15 9 5 3 3 4 4 6 10 6

Tie 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Playoffs

1st Eastern Conf.; lost NFL championship to Green Bay Packers 1st Capitol Div.; lost NFL championship to Green Bay Packers 1st Capitol Div.; lost divisional playoff to Cleveland Browns 1st Capitol Div.; lost divisional playoff to Cleveland Browns AFL, NFL merge 1st NFC East; lost Super Bowl to Baltimore Colts 1st NFC East; won Super Bowl over Miami Dolphins 2nd NFC East; lost NFC championship to Washington Redskins 1st NFC East; lost NFC championship to Minnesota Vikings 2nd NFC East; lost Super Bowl to Pittsburgh Steelers 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Los Angeles Rams 1st NFC East; won Super Bowl over Denver Broncos 1st NFC East; lost Super Bowl to Pittsburgh Steelers 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Los Angeles Rams 2nd NFC East; lost NFC championship to Philadelphia Eagles 1st NFC East; lost NFC championship to San Francisco 49ers (players’ strike); lost NFC championship to Washington Redskins 2nd NFC East; lost wild-card playoff to Los Angeles Rams 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Los Angeles Rams

2nd NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Detroit Lions 1st NFC East; won Super Bowl over Buffalo Bills 1st NFC East; won Super Bowl over Buffalo Bills 1st NFC East; lost NFC championship to San Francisco 49ers 1st NFC East; won Super Bowl over Pittsburgh Steelers 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Carolina Panthers 1st NFC East; lost wild-card playoff to Arizona Cardinals

Year

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Win 8 5 5 5 10 6 9 9 13 9 11 6 8 8 8 12 4 13

Loss 8 11 11 11 6 10 7 7 3 7 5 10 8 8 8 4 12 3

Tie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Playoffs

2nd NFC East; lost wild-card playoff to Minnesota Vikings

2nd NFC East; lost wild-card playoff to Carolina Panthers

2nd NFC East; lost wild-card playoff to Seattle Seahawks 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to New York Giants 1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Minnesota Vikings

1st NFC East; lost divisional playoff to Green Bay Packers 1st NFC East: lost divisional playoff to Green Bay Packers

NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, has a retractable roof.

Houston Texans (NFL)

After Bud Adams moved to Tennessee, Houston decided to build a new football stadium in order to get a National Football League expansion franchise. On Oct. 6, 1999, the NFL team owners voted 29-0 to award their 32nd franchise to Houston and businessman Bob McNair. Year

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Win 4 5 7 2 6 8 8 9 6 10 12 2 9 9 9

Loss 12 11 9 14 10 8 8 7 10 6 4 14 7 7 7

Tie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

In September 2002, the Texans became the first NFL team in 41 years to win their expansion debut, stunning the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 before 69,604 at Reliant (now NRG) Stadium in Houston. The Texans have made the playoffs four times. Playoffs

1st AFC South; lost divisional playoff to Baltimore Ravens 1st AFC South; lost divisonal playoff to New England Patriots

1st AFC South; lost wild-card playoff to Kansas City Chiefs 1st AFC South; lost divisional playoff to New England Patriots

Other professional football leagues The United States Football League played for three seasons, 1983-85, with teams in San Antonio and Houston after the initial season. The Gamblers, who played in the Astrodome, were coached by former NFL head coach Jack Pardee. The

most notable player was future Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. The San Antonio Gunslingers, owned by oilman Clint Manges, were quarterbacked by Rick Neuheisel. Their home games were in Alamo Stadium.

Houston Gamblers (USFL) Year

1984 1985

Win 13 10

Loss 5 8

Tie 0 0

Playoffs

lost quarterfinal to Arizona Wranglers lost quarterfinal to Birmingham Stallions

San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL) Year

1984 1985

Win 7 10

Loss 11 13

Tie 0 0

Playoffs

San Antonio Wings and Houston Texans (WFL) The World Football League played in 1974 and part of 1975, with teams briefly in Houston and San Antonio. In 1974, the Texans played in the Houston Astrodome for eleven games, going 3-7-1, before the franchise moved to northern Louisiana to become the Shreveport Steamer. The team finished the year with a

7-12-1 record overall. In 1975, the San Antonio Wings were the brief, last incarnation of the Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors, Virginia Ambassadors, Florida Blazers. The Wings played home games in 23,000-seat Alamo Stadium and finished with a 7-6 record before the league disbanded in October 1975.

San Antonio Riders (WLAF) The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with the support of the National Football League. The San Antonio Riders played in 1991 in Alamo Stadium with a 4-6 record and in 1992 in Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos with a 7-3 record. When the NFL suspended the league after the 1992

Houston Outlaws (RFL)

The Regional Football League existed for one season in 1999. The Houston Outlaws played most of their home games at Memorial Stadium in Pasadena

season, the San Antonio and Sacramento teams were accepted into the Canadian Football League, but the San Antonio franchise folded before the beginning of the 1993 season. The NFL revived the WLAF with European teams in 1995. It existed as NFL Europe until 2007.

and went 7-2. They were defeated 14-12 by the Mobile Admirals before 5,500 fans in Mobile in the only championship game.

San Antonio Matadors and Houston Marshals (SFL) The Spring Football League played for less than a month in 2000. Besides the teams in San Antonio and Houston, there were teams in Los Angeles and Miami.

The San Antonio Matadors and the Houston Marshals, both with 2-0 records, were declared league cochampions before the league folded.