The Houston Texans are a proud franchise still seeking their first trip to the post season. This year they are 2-1 and are tied for 1st place in the AFC South. Now that their dominant division rivals the Indianapolis Colts are falling to the wayside due to injuries; this could be the year for them to shine. This teams history is short, but the impact they have had on their fans will endure long in the memory of a city searching for that super season. I will certainly have my Texans tickets ready for whenever this might be.
In July of 1997 the owner of the Houston Oilers finally got approval to move his NFL franchise to Nashville, Tennessee. This left the city of Houston without an NFL franchise and a void that would be hard to fill. In October 1997 Bob McNair is in the earliest stages of bringing an NFL expansion team to Houston. Although this offers a glimpse of excitement; the process is long and winding. It would not be until October 1999 before the NFL Owners unanimously decide to provide the city of Houston and Bob McNair with the 32nd NFL franchise. However, there is still a long way to go before Houston puts a team on the gridiron.
It would be March of 2000 before ground was broke for the Houston NFL stadium. In September of 2000 the Houston franchise was born. Just a month later the Houston NFL stadium is named Reliant Stadium. In January of 2001 Dom Capers is named the first Head Coach. Capers had been the Head Coach of another expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, from 1995-1998. In late 2001 and early 2002 the team begin signing their first players. In the NFL Draft of 2002 they used their first pick to get Fresno State QB David Carr.
On September 8th, 2002, in front of a sold out stadium, they stun the NFL base by defeating the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 19-10 in their NFL debut. They would finish the 2002 season at 4-12 and finish last place in the division. As they entered the 2003 season they were still an expansion team trying to improve. Although they would win one more game; their 5-11 record still left them in the cellar of the AFC South. In 2004 the team seemed to be making strides and they ended up finishing in 3rd place with a 7-9 record. However, a winning record still eluded them.
In 2005 they crumbled and wound up with the worst record in their brief history at 2-14. Head Coach Dom Capers was fired and Gary Kubiak was hired as his replacement from the Denver Broncos. In 2006 they drafted DE Mario Williams as their #1 pick, but it was not enough to over come a 6-10 season. In 2006 they traded for QB Matt Schaub. It would be one of the best moves the franchise had made. In both 2007 and 2008 seasons they finished 8-8. In 2009 the team finally achieve a winning season finishing 2nd in the division with a 9-7 record. However, last year they slipped again falling back to 6-10.
This year could truly be the year for they to at least make it to the post season. The hopes are high and this weekend will be a chance for the team to see what they are truly made of as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers. This team is out to make history, so buy your Texans tickets today!
