Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a NFL expansion club founded in 2002 by Bob McNair. Houston had a professional football franchise, the Houston Oilers, from 1960 to 1996. In 1997, the Oilers moved to Tennessee. In their new town, they were first called the Oilers, but in 1999, they changed their name to the Tennessee Titans. The present Houston club, the Texans, play in the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC).

The team has never been to the playoffs. Since they were established, they have played their home games at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The team’s best season was in 2007 when they went 8-8. Pro Bowl players have included defensive back Aaron Glenn and defensive tackle Gary Walker in 2002, wide receiver Andre Johnson (2004), special teams member Jerome Mathis (2005), wide receiver Andre Johnson (2006) and linebacker DeMeco Ryans (2007). The Texans, due to the fact that they have such a short history, have had no players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The club’s mascot is “Toro,” which is a human-sized bull born under the Zodiac sign Taurus. Rick Smith is the team’s general manager and Gary Kubiak the head coach. Kubiak, who played backup QB for the Denver Broncos from 1983 to 1991, coached Texas A&M (1992-1993) and was a professional assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers (1994) and Denver Broncos (1995-2005). He became the head coach of the Texans in 2006, replacing Dom Capers who had served as head coach from 2001 to 2005. Capers’ record with Houston was 18-46-0. In two seasons, Kubiak has guided the club to a 14-18-0 record. In two short years, the Texans have improved under Kubiak. Look for more of the same in 2008.