Despite the fact that there should be zero debate about it, there are still some out there — and particularly in Houston — who believe the Tennessee Titans shouldn’t have a claim on Oilers history, let alone be allowed to wear the throwbacks, which the team will do twice in 2023.
After all, the Titans’ owner, Amy Adams Strunk, is the daughter of Bud Adams, who literally founded the Oilers. And, not to mention, the Titans were once the Tennessee Oilers before changing their name.
As if all that wasn’t enough, allow me to present quotes from Oilers legends Robert Brazile and Warren Moon, both of whom unequivocally back the Titans having the team’s history in a great article from Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“I am going to make this as plain and simple as I can for anyone who has any doubts about this: The Oilers are Titans history, not Texans history,” Brazile said. “Look at the Titans Ring of Honor, and how many Oilers are in there? It’s a good number (10). How many Oilers are in the Texans Ring of Honor? The answer is zero.
“I was born an Oiler and I’m going to die a Titan.”
Moon added that while he understands it’s a “very sensitive subject” in Houston, he also noted that the Texans never really reached out to former Oilers, while the Titans did quite the opposite, which was to give those franchise greats a place to call home.
“I know this is a very sensitive subject in Houston, but the Texans never really reached out to any of the (former Oilers) and never made it feel like they wanted anything to do with the Oilers,” Moon said. “They wanted to just create their own identity. And since Amy has taken over, she has really had a passion for the Houston Oilers — she wanted to bring everybody into one family, Oilers and Titans, and that’s why she’s had these alumni weekends, and been doing that for the last five years.
“Now all the Oilers feel really comfortable going to Nashville every year for their reunion, and they never had a reunion before Amy came aboard. I know my number is retired in the stadium in Nashville, and it’s where I’m in the Ring of Honor, and that’s what I identify with now.”
Upon seeing the Titans’ reveal of the Oilers jerseys they’ll wear in 2023, Brazile said he got emotional.
“I was in tears when I saw these uniforms, because I was so excited,” Brazile said. “My wife heard me and woke up, and said: ‘Robert, is everything OK?’ And I said: ‘Brenda, it’s finally going to happen! It’s going to really, really happen! My colors, my Luv ‘Ya Blue, it’s coming alive again.’ And it makes me, and it makes everybody that played with the Oilers know, ‘We’re not dead. We’re alive. The Oilers are alive.’
“I don’t think you can really understand it unless you were an Oiler. But I gave my heart and soul to that organization — it’s the only organization I ever played for — and for Amy (Adams Strunk) and the team to keep our memory alive, it’s heartwarming. Every time the Titans wear those Oilers jerseys, I don’t care where they are at, I want to be at that stadium.”
Fans and media alike were hoping that the Titans would wear their Oilers throwbacks in Houston against the Texans this year, but instead Tennessee will wear them for two home games, one of which will come against the Texans.
But Moon made it clear he would love to see Tennessee rock them in H-town one day, although not for the trolling purposes fans want them to do it for.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been talking to Amy about this for two years now and she’s been wanting to do this for a long time, and I am glad it is going to happen.
“I would love to see them wear those Oilers both times against the Texans — once in Houston, so the Houston fans can see it, and of course in Tennessee so the fans there can see the uniforms.”
