Kind of an expansion of something that tigereye mentioned in another thread that got me thinking. Last year I went to the Texans vs Titans game in Nashville where they honored Elvin Bethea. Throughout the thing I kept thinking.. "These people don't even know who he is.. I feel sorry for the guy not being able to be honored in the city he actually played for and having a team to call home". I know many of us would rather the Texans distance themselves from the Oilers, but it seems like we can't ignore the Houston football past totally. I know we got a new team instead of keeping the name etc ilke the browns and all, but there still seems like there has to be some way to remember some of the great houston players of all time. My questoin is would you be in favor of honoring Earl, Bruce Matthews and other greats in some way at Reliant Stadium. If so, how would you want to do it? Or are you totally against that.
doesn't matter if we're for or against this. tennessee has the team's history...we didn't get to keep it the way that happened with the browns. it's titans/oilers history. i'd love to see some of that continuity...and the texans have honored old oilers before games on a few occassions....but i don't think you'll be seeing retired numbers.
madmax.. I think I'd probably be against retiring numbers since it is a dif team.. I think I'd be more in favor of something outside the stadium.. like I wouldn't have minded if they had some kind of tribute to the past of houston pro football in some way outside the stadium.. maybe like how they put those rodeo statues up.. by the dome.. if they had something on that side of the walk way.. in the grassy area between dome and reliant..
madmax.. also I wasn't aware they honored some before games.. like I siad... it just seemed like a really awkward situation for bethea and I wished he'd be giving that speech in houston when he went into HOF
sorry about all the posts.. i probably shoudlnt' have said reliant stadium because I dont' really think the honoring I'm referring to would be done by the texans.. I'm thinking of it more as.. As long as we have the dome beside reliant stadium we have a perfect opportunity to remember houston sports history. To me the dome represents houston spots history, and I know there are a lot of kids these days going to Texans games who have no idea what even happened inside the dome. The kind of tribute I'd be thinking of would be outside the dome as a tribute to the greats who played there.. A tribute to the astros that played in the dome and the oilers etc.. with everyone passing by the dome to go to Reliant I think it would be a good way to have some reference to earl etc.. without the texans being the ones honoring them..
the oilers are no longer here....that team packed up and left, that team's history is in Tennessee now.....its their team and now their history.
The Tennessee Titans started their history in 1997. We had a 25+ year history in Houston. They should be honored in Houston, not hick-town Nashville.
doesnt matter....the whole organization moved and the organization is going to take its history with them. definitely sucks, but thats the way it goes bro......where the team goes, the history if that team will follow.
I wouldn't retire the numbers.... but honoring them as some of "Houston's football legends" or something wouldn't hurt a thing. I like the tribute or statue idea. Why not?
A lot of people say the Texans organization didn't want the Oilers name and history, but IMO they didn't have a choice. Bud wasn't going to give it to Houston and the NFL wasn't going to force him to either. I think I heard the nickname was chosen by his father. It sucks cause there was a lot of history (more bad than good) that was lost. An homage to the history of pro football in Houston would be nice. btw, the Texans name is growing on me. Screw the Cowboys
You've gotta be kidding me... people associate Oiler greats as Houston players. I'd puke if I saw TN people cheering for Earl Campbell. I believe they had a ceremony for famous Colts players in BALTIMORE a few years back..
I live in tn during the year while im at college. As far as I'm concerned there houston history is houstons. They represented the city as much as they did the team in my eyes. I live in tn during the year like i said. Those people dont claim their history. Someone told me that they made the superbowl in their 2nd year in existance.. they thought they were an expansion team. Very few of them actually have any clue about earl etc so he sure isnt going to get a statue up there. They wouldn't give him a statue in tn because he never played there.. the fans could care less.
btw.. did any of you have a problem with them being honored for houston 38 top athletes at superbowl.. because afterall their history went with them???
you're missing the point. bud adams retained the team's history...art modell told Cleveland they could keep the name and all the history associated with Browns football. Bud did not do the same, and actively markets the history of the team in association with the Titans of today. He has guys like Earl show up to be honored in Tennessee for his time spent with that franchise. there is no reason you can't have old oilers players show up for certain texans events. i have no problem with that. but this team, the texans, is not about to put up statues of old oiler players. i don't think you'll see that happen, your feelings notwithstanding.
I always saw three great names wear #34, Nolan, Earl and Hakeem. I wish we could have retained the something from the Oilers and kept #34.
madmax.. i wouldn't expect the texas organization to do it, and that specifc response was to someone sounding like those players are considered tenn titans when I don't think anyone woudl ever think of them as anything besides houston.. I dislike the oilers/titans a lot and can't even stand to look at their team now days, but I wouldn't be opposed to puttting up some kind of tribute to them as well as the dome astros by the astrodome.
I guess I should make this clear.. I'm thinking if it ever happened more along the lines of something the houston sports authority would be putting up.. as it stands now you have a dome it just seems like you should have something in front of to honor the teams who played there
Never said anythin against a ceremony, we can "acknowledge" the old oiler players all we want. Fact remains, they're legacy is also in Tennessee.....that's where the organization is.....Earl Campbell is a houston great and always will be, but having his retired number hanging in the rafters at Reliant is kinda awkward when that team isnt even in the city anymore......dont have a problem w/ him being in the houston sports hall of fame though.....
but it's hardly even a sports facility anymore. i don't think you'll see any new dome investment until some decision is made on its future here. by the way...the sports authority got hammered by 9/11....they're not exactly the picture of financial health.
