NFL

The Houston Texans became the last NFL franchise in 2002. Houston was left without a team since the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Titans in 1999. Bob McNair was the driving force behind bringing back another NFL franchise to Houston. He was first turned down to bring a NHL franchise to Houston so he focused on the NFL. Los Angeles was in line for the next NFL franchise but could not meet the requirements of a stadium plan and had ownership difficulties. In 1998 the NFL Stadium Committee was encouraged with the plans for the Houston Texans retractable roof stadium and in 1999 Houston was granted with the 32^nd NFL franchise.Next was coming up with a team name that would suit the franchise and the community, some of the possibilities were Texans, Wildcatters, Stallions, Apollos, and Bobcats. The choices were narrowed down through focus groups and extensive research and on September 6, 2000, Houston’s NFL franchise was officially named the Houston Texans.

On the field the first coach of the Texans was Dom Capers who served as the coach of the expansion team Carolina Panthers in their first four season. Quarterback David Carr was the first pick in the 2002 NFL Draft for the Texans. Carr produced a record of 62-70 during his five seasons as Texans quarterback. Also, Carr was the most sacked quarterback in the entire NFL during that period. Their first regular season game was won by the Texans defeating the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 on September 8, 2002 in the brand new Reliant Stadium. Reliant Stadium is one the best stadiums in sports and will host a professional wrestling event called Wrestlemania XXV on April 5, 2009.

In 2006, the Texans had the first pick in the NFL Draft and selected defensive end Mario Williams from NC State. Williams set the single season sack record with fourteen in 2007 and has became one of the premier defensive player in the entire league.

The Texans have seen very little success over the very short history. The Texans worst season was in 2005 when they finished 2-14, with their best season coming in 2007 with a 8-8 record which suggests the team is on the upswing. The Texans have finished in last place every season in the AFC South, besides in 2004. Being that the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans are the favorites in the AFC South every year, the Texans have a lot of work to do to be at that next level with the more successful teams. While the Dallas Cowboys are THE team in Texas, the Houston Texans would like to develop their own winning tradition one day that could rival the Cowboys.