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Texans Team History
 
The Texans didn't hit the field until 2002, but there's plenty of history before and after that point. Here's a look at the franchise's timeline from infancy through its seventh NFL season.

2009

June 12: The Texans sign free agent QB Rex Grossman.

April 25: With the 15th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Texans select USC linebacker Brian Cushing. 

Feb. 28: The Texans sign free agent DE Antonio Smith from the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals.

Feb. 27: The Texans hire Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews as an offensive assistant.

Feb. 21: The Texans hire Geoff Kaplan as director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer and promote Ray Wright to head strength & conditioning coach.

Feb. 8: WR Andre Johnson, DE Mario Williams and TE Owen Daniels start for the AFC in the 2009 Pro Bowl, marking the first time that three Texans participate in the all-star game in the same year.

Jan. 28: The Texans promote assistant defensive backs coach Ray Rhodes to senior defensive assistant and re-signs assistant head coach/offense Alex Gibbs. The Texans also promote defensive assistant Robert Saleh to assistant linebackers coach.

Jan. 20: The Texans hire Bill Kollar as defensive line coach.

Jan. 19: The Texans hire David Gibbs as defensive backs coach.

Jan. 13: The Texans promote senior defensive assistant Frank Bush to defensive coordinator.

Jan. 9: WR Andre Johnson is named to the Associated Press All-Pro first team, becoming the first Texans position player to earn the distinction. Johnson led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in the 2008 season, catching 115 passes for 1,575 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jan.  6: The Texans announce that head athletic trainer Kevin Bastin and strength and conditioning coach Dan Riley would not have their contracts renewed.

2008

Dec. 30: The Texans dismiss defensive coordinator Richard Smith, defensive backs coach Jon Hoke, defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and offensive assistant Mike McDaniel.

Dec. 28: Rookie RB Steve Slaton runs for 92 yards against the Chicago Bears to finish the season as the NFL's leading rookie rusher and also set the Texans' single-season rushing record with 1,282 yards.

Dec. 14: WR Andre Johnson catches 11 passes for a franchise- and personal-best 207 yards and a touchdown in a 13-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Dec. 1: The Texans defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-17 in the first Monday Night Football game in franchise history. DE Mario Williams records three sacks, and rookie RB Steve Slaton runs for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Oct. 29: WR Andre Johnson is named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. Johnson recorded 41 receptions for 593 yards in four games during the month. He had at least nine receptions and 130 receiving yards in all four games in October.

Oct. 29: WR Jacoby Jones earns AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for Week 8, capturing the award for the second time in three weeks. Jones returned a punt 73 yards for a score in the Texans' 35-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. He becomes the first Texans player to win AFC Player of the Week honors more than once in a season.

Oct. 15: WR Jacoby Jones is named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his perfomance against the Miami Dolpins on Oct. 12. Jones returned a punt for a 70-yard touchdown, the first of his career.

Sept. 13: Hurricane Ike, a Category 2 storm, makes landfall on the Texas coast near Galveston Bay. The storm damages the roof at Reliant Stadium, postponing the Texans' scheduled Week 2 home contest on Sept. 14 against the Baltimore Ravens until Nov. 9. The Texans will play the rest of the season with Reliant's retractable roof open.

June 3: The Texans sign general manager Rick Smith to a contract extension through the 2012 season. Smith, the youngest general manager in the NFL at age 38, helped orchestrate the team's turnaround from a 2-14 season in 2005 to a franchise-best 8-8 season in 2007 during his first two years on the job.

April 26: General manager Rick Smith engineers a draft-day trade with the Baltimore Ravens, exchanging the Texans' 18th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens for a first-round pick (26th overall), a third-round pick (89th) and a sixth-round pick (173rd). The Texans then select Virginia Tech T Duane Brown with the 26th overall pick. Brown becomes the highest-drafted offensive lineman in team history and the first ever to be selected by the Texans in round one of the draft.

March 17: The Texans trade a sixth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos in exchange for C Chris Myers, who immediately is penciled in as the team's starter.

Feb. 29: The Texans re-sign unrestricted free agent WR André Davis to a four-year deal.

Jan. 28: The Texans hire Ray Rhodes as assistant defensive backs coach.

Jan. 11: The Texans name Alex Gibbs assistant head coach/offense and promote Kyle Shanahan to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Gibbs and Shanahan replace assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who left to become the head coach at Texas A&M University. Shanahan, at 28 years old, becomes the youngest coordinator in the NFL.

Jan. 9: The Associated Press names DE Mario Williams and LB DeMeco Ryans to its All-Pro second team. Williams and Ryans are the first Texans position players ever named to the team.

2007

Dec. 30: The Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-28 to finish the season 8-8, the best record in franchise history. WR André Davis returns two consecutive kickoffs for touchdowns as the Texans set a franchise record for points in a game. Davis also recovers a muffed punt to set up a Texans score. He would go on to win AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors in December after averaging 34.9 yards per kick return and becoming the second player in NFL history with three kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same month.

Dec. 18: The NFL announces that LB DeMeco Ryans will be a starter in the 2008 AFC/NFC Pro Bowl. It is the first Pro Bowl invitation for Ryans, who becomes the third Texan to start in the game.

Dec. 13: DE Mario Williams sets a franchise record with 3.5 sacks and ties a career high with seven tackles in a Thursday night 31-13 win over the Denver Broncos. Williams would win AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in the 2007 season.

Dec. 12: WR André Davis wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Davis returned the opening kickoff of the second half 97 yards for a touchdown in the Texans' 28-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


Oct. 7: The Texans beat the Miami Dolphins 22-19 on the strength of a historic kicking day by Kris Brown. Brown was perfect on field goal attempts from 54, 43, 54 and 20 yards and a game-winning, career-long 57-yard field goal with one second remaining. He became the first player in NFL history to make three field goals of 54 yards or longer in a game en route to AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Oct. 3: Twenty year-old DT Amobi Okoye is named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, becoming the youngest player to win NFL honors. The rookie out of Louisville recorded an AFC-high four sacks for 30 yards and a team-high four QB pressures to go along with 10 tackles in his first month as a pro.

Sept. 12: DE Mario Williams is named AFC Defensive Player of the Week and AP NFL Player of the Week after collecting five tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and his first career touchdown in the Texans' Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams returned a Chiefs fumble 38 yards for a score.

July 23: RB Ahman Green and S Jason Simmons, in partnership with Texans owner Bob McNair, donate $50,000 to a single Houston mother as an agreement of Green receiving Simmons' jersey number 30. The woman, Regina Foster, uses the money to buy a new home for she and her autistic son.

April 28: The Texans select DT Amobi Okoye in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, making him the youngest player ever drafted in the first round at only 19 years old. Okoye becomes the fourth consecutive defensive lineman taken in the first round by the Texans, joining DE Jason Babin, DT Travis Johnson and DE Mario Williams. 

March 23: The Texans trade for QB Matt Schaub and announce that David Carr will be traded prior to the start of the 2007 season. Houston sends Atlanta its second round draft picks in the 2007 and 2008 NFL Draft in exhange for the three-year veteran. The two teams also swap position in the first round of the 2007 draft with Houston moving to 10th overall and Atlanta moving to eighth.

March 7: The Texans hire Frank Pollack as offensive line coach.

March 5: The Texans sign free agent RB Ahman Green, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, from the Green Bay Packers.

Feb. 10: Texans WR Andre Johnson hauls in three passes for 73 yards in his second Pro Bowl. The AFC would pick up the win, 31-28.

Jan. 25: The Texans hire Frank Bush as senior defensive assistant.

Jan. 23: The Texans hire Jethro Franklin as defensive line coach and Larry Kirskey as wide receivers coach.

Jan. 17: The Texans promote assistant head coach/offense Mike Sherman to assistant head coach/offensive cooridinator. Sherman replaces Troy Calhoun, who left after the season to become head coach at the Air Force Academy. The Texans also promote wide receivers coach Kyle Shanahan to quarterbacks coach.

Jan. 3: LB DeMeco Ryans is named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ryans recieves 72 percent of the vote to become the first Texans player to win the award.

2006

Dec. 31: The Texans defeat the Cleveland Browns 14-6 at Reliant Stadium, giving Houston back-to-back wins for the first time in two seasons. The victory also marks the first ever on the last weekend of the season.

Dec. 24: The Texans defeat the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 at Reliant Stadium, the first win over Indy in franchise history. The Colts go on to win Super Bowl XLI.

Dec. 19: WR Andre Johnson is named a Pro Bowl starter. It is Johnson's second selection to the Pro Bowl in three seasons and the first starting nod for a Texans player in team history.

Dec. 3: The Texans defeat the Oakland Raiders 23-14 for their first win in California. Rookie LB DeMeco Ryans records 15 tackles, a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception and three passes defensed en route to being named defensive player of the week.

Oct. 1: The Texans defeat the Miami Dolphoins 17-15 at Reliant Stadium to give Gary Kubiak his first win as an NFL head coach.

June 5: The Texans name Rick Smith the second general manager in team history. Smith becomes the youngest general manager in the NFL. He joins Houston from the Denver Broncos, where he was the assistant general manager.

May 10: Texans general manager Charley Casserly announces he will resign his position with the team effective June 1.

April 29: The Texans select DE Mario Williams No. 1 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. Williams joins QB David Carr at the second No. 1 overall draft pick in team history.  

April 28: Houston signs North Carolina State DE Mario Williams to a six-year contract.  
April 6: The Texans trade a fifth-round pick (134th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for WR Eric Moulds.

Feb. 15: Head coach Gary Kubiak announces the completion of his coaching staff with the hiring of assistant head coach/offense Mike Sherman. The former Packers head coach caps off a staff that has 16 coaches average more than nine years of NFL coaching experience. 
 
Feb. 2: The Texans hire Richard Smith as the defensive coordinator.  

Jan. 30: Houston hires Troy Calhoun as the offensive coordinator.

Jan. 26: The Texans hire former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak as the second head coach in team history. Kubiak, a Houston native, had led the Broncos offensive attack for the past 11 seasons. His offenses totaled 66,501 yards from scrimmage, most in the NFL over those 11 years. His offenses scored 465 touchdowns over the same time span to lead the NFL. 

Jan. 2: The Texans dismiss Dom Capers as head coach one day after Houston completes the 2005 season with a 2-14 record. Capers leaves after four seasons with a record of 18-46.

2005

Dec. 21: Rookie KR Jerome Mathis is selected to the Pro Bowl, joining Chargers LB Shawne Merriman as one of only two rookies to make the squad.

April 23: After trading down from the 13th overall selection to the 16th pick, the Texans draft Florida State DT Travis Johnson.
 
April 21: The Texans trade their second-round pick in the 2005 draft and one of their two third-round picks to Oakland in exchange for CB Phillip Buchanon.

Feb. 13: WR Andre Johnson becomes the first Texans offensive player to play in the Pro Bowl, making one catch for 24 yards in the AFC’s 38-27 win over the NFC.

2004

Dec. 26: Houston records its first-ever shutout win, blanking the Jaguars 21-0 at ALLTEL Stadium for its seventh win of the season.
Nov. 28: The Texans rally from a 21-3 deficit to defeat the Titans 31-21 at Reliant Stadium, earning their first-ever sweep of a division opponent.
Oct. 3: The Texans defeat the Raiders 30-17 at Reliant Stadium to notch back-to-back wins for the first time in their history. Houston had defeated Kansas City 24-21 the previous Sunday.

April 24: The Texans select twice in the first round of the NFL Draft for the first time in club history, using the 10th pick to select South Carolina CB Dunta Robinson and trading up to get Tennessee’s first-round pick (27th overall), where Houston selected Western Michigan LB Jason Babin.

Mar. 31: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue selects Bob McNair to chair a new league committee that will study revenue and costs.

Mar. 4: The Texans sign three unrestricted free agents, inking former Titans DT Robaire Smith and former Dolphins T Todd Wade and re-signing G Todd Washington.

Feb. 1: Reliant Stadium hosts one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever as New England defeats Carolina 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Patriots K Adam Vinatieri nails a 41-yard FG with four seconds remaining to give his team the win.

Jan. 29: RB Domanick Williams (Davis) is named NFL Rookie of the Year at a press conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is on hand to present Davis the trophy.

2003

Nov. 13: After rushing for 104 yards and one touchdown in Houston's loss to Cincinnati, rookie RB Domanick Williams (Davis) wins his fourth consecutive NFL Rookie of the Week honor, the first in league history to do so.

Sept. 28: QB David Carr leaps over the goal line from one yard out on the game's final play, lifting Houston to s 24-20 win over Jacksonville at Reliant Stadium. Dom Capers is named Staples NFL Coach of the Week for his decision to go for the touchdown.

Sept. 21: The Texans, in conjunction with Siemens and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, open a photography exhibit entitled First Down Houston: The Birth of an NFL Franchise. The exhibit features 86 black-and-white photos taken by Robert Clark, who followed the Texans throughout their inaugural season.

Sept. 7: The Texans become the first NFL expansion team to win two consecutive regular season openers, stunning the heavily-favored Dolphins 21-20 in Miami. K Kris Brown hits a game-winning 35-yard FG in the final minute.

April 26: The Texans use the third overall selection of the 2003 NFL Draft to pick Miami WR Andre Johnson, who caught 22 touchdowns passes in three seasons with the Hurricanes.

Feb. 13: Texans general manager Charley Casserly is named to the NFL's Competition Committee for the second time in his 25-year NFL career.

Feb. 2: CB Aaron Glenn and DE Gary Walker start for the AFC in the Pro Bowl and help their conference to a 45-20 win before 50,125 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

2002

Dec. 19: CB Aaron Glenn and DE Gary Walker are selected to represent the AFC in the 2003 Pro Bowl. It is the third selection for Glenn (1997, 1998) and the second for Walker (2001). The Texans tie the 1961 Vikings for the most players selected on an expansion team and become the first expansion club to be represented since the Saints in 1967, when all teams were required to have at least one player selected.

Dec. 8: Despite just 47 yards of total offense, the Texans shock eventual AFC North champion Pittsburgh 24-6 at Heinz Field. All three of Houston's touchdowns are scored by the defense - two interception returns by CB Aaron Glenn and a fumble return by CB Kenny Wright. The 47 yards mark the lowest output by a winning team in NFL history.

Oct. 27: The Texans win on the road for the first time, defeating Jacksonville 21-19 at ALLTEL Stadium. K Kris Brown nails a 45-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining to provide the winning points.

Sept. 8: The Texans become the first NFL team in 41 years to win their expansion debut, stunning the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 before 69,604 at Reliant Stadium. QB David Carr throws two touchdown passes, including a 19-yarder to TE Billy Miller for the club's first-ever touchdown. DT Seth Payne sacks Cowboys QB Quincy Carter in the end zone for a safety to clinch the victory.

Aug. 24: The Texans open Reliant Stadium with a 24-3 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Aug. 10: The Texans record their first preseason win, defeating the New Orleans Saints 13-10 at the Louisiana Superdome.

Aug. 5: In their first preseason game, the Texans fall to the New York Giants 34-17 in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Kris Brown kicks a 22-yard field goal for Houston's first points. TE Billy Miller and WR Sherrod Gideon follow with touchdown receptions.

July 20: Ninety-seven players report for the Texans' first-ever training camp. Camp is held at the club's training facility in Houston. The players go through conditioning drills the following day before hitting the practice field on July 22.

April 28: The Texans launch their first Texans Outreach Tour, taking players to Austin, Beaumont, College Station, Corpus Christi and Lufkin over a five-day stretch.

April 26: The Texans open their first mini-camp with 99 players, including 25 rookies.

April 20: The Texans select Fresno State quarterback David Carr with the first overall selection of the 2002 NFL Draft. Carr flies back to Houston from New York that afternoon to sign a seven-year contract. He is the first of 12 players Houston selects over seven rounds.

March 25: The Texans start their first offseason workout program at Reliant Astrodome. All 65 players report.

March 6: The Texans sign their first unrestricted free agent, inking former Colts offensive lineman Steve McKinney.

March 4: The Texans execute the first trade in club history, shipping QB Danny Wuerffel to Washington in exchange for DT Jerry DeLoach.

Feb. 18: The Texans select T Tony Boselli, T Ryan Young, CB Aaron Glenn, DT Gary Walker, LB Jamie Sharper, WR Jermaine Lewis, CB Marcus Coleman, DT Seth Payne, G Matt Campbell, S Matt Stevens, G Jeremy McKinney, T Ryan Schau, RB Charlie Rogers, TE/LS Sean McDermott, DE Jabari Issa, WR Avion Black, QB Danny Wuerffel, LB Brian Allen and TE Johnny Huggins in the expansion draft.

Jan. 14: The Texans hire former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as their first defensive coordinator.

 


2001

Dec. 29: The Texans sign their first 10 players to contracts -- running back Michael Basnight, saefty Leomont Evans, tackle Robert Hicks, defensive tackle Jason Nikolao, quarterback Mike Quinn, fullback Matt Snider, cornerback Jason Suttle, linebacker Casey Tisdale, safety Kevin Williams and tackle Jerry Wisne.

Nov. 5: The Texans hold their first individual workout session at Reliant Astrodome, evaluating 13 defensive backs.

Dusty Hill, Eric Dickerson and A.J. Foyt on stage at the uniform unveiling.
Sept. 25: The Texans unveil their team uniforms before a crowd of 12,000 fans in downtown Houston. Local dignitaries and numerous Texan celebrities join Bob McNair on stage for the ceremony. The Houston Texans Cheerleaders also make their debut.

Aug. 15: The NFL announces its new schedule rotation for 2002. In addition to their home-and-home series with AFC South rivals Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee, the Texans will host Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, the New York Giants and the fourth-place team from the AFC East in 2002. Houston will then travel to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington and the fourth-place team in the AFC West.

June 12: Bob McNair and Titans owner Bud Adams each donate $100,000 to the Red Cross in an effort to aid Houston flood victims. NFL Charities matches the donation. More than 20,000 Houston-area families were displaced from their homes by raging flood waters the previous weekend.

May 22: The NFL announces its realignment plan for the 2002 season at league meetings in Chicago. The league will realign into eight four-team divisions. The Texans are placed in the AFC South with Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Feb. 2: Chris Palmer is hired as the Texans' first offensive coordinator. Palmer spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the expansion Cleveland Browns.

Jan. 21: The Texans introduce Dom Capers as the club's first head coach. Capers comes to Houston from Jacksonville, where he served the previous two seasons as the Jaguars' defensive coordinator. From 1995-98, Capers was the head coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers, leading the team to the NFC West title and a berth in the NFC Championship Game in 1996.


2000

Nov. 1: At its owners' meetings in Atlanta, the NFL announces that Reliant Stadium will host Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004. Houston becomes the seventh city to host multiple Super Bowls. Rice Stadium hosted Super Bowl VIII in 1974.

Oct. 26: Reliant Energy acquires the naming rights for Houston's new state-of-the-art football stadium and the sports, entertainment and convention complex currently known as the Astrodomain Complex. Reliant Energy's 32-year agreement to acquire the naming rights for five different buildings and the complex is the most comprehensive naming rights agreement in history. Reliant Park will be a partnership of mutual support between the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, the Houston Texans, RodeoHouston and Reliant Energy. The facilities at Reliant Park will include Reliant Stadium, Reliant Astrodome, Reliant Arena, Reliant Hall and Reliant Center.

Sept. 7: The Texans are honored by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. Club officials present the Hall of Fame with a Texans helmet, football and other merchandise, which is placed in a display case in the football wing of the Hall of Fame.

Sept. 6: The NFL's 32nd franchise is officially christened the Houston Texans before thousands at a downtown rally on Texas Avenue. NFL Commissioner Tagliabue introduces McNair, who then unveils his team's name, colors and logo to the crowd. The ceremony, televised live on ESPN2, includes simultaneous unveilings in Austin and San Antonio. McNair then heads to Enron Field, where he throws out the first "pitch" (actually a Texans football) to Houston Astros Owner Drayton McLane before the Astros play the Florida Marlins.

Aug. 10: McNair and other club officials view the final proofs of the selected team logo at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. NFL Properties conducts television and photo testing of the logo as well.

July: McNair reviews logo designs and colors for all three potential names.

April: The list of five team names is shaved to three - Apollos, Stallions and Texans. Color logo designs are presented to focus groups for feedback.

March 9: Houston NFL 2002 celebrates the official groundbreaking of the new stadium that will house the team when it begins play in 2002. The 69,500-seat state-of-the-art facility will be the world's first retractable-roof football stadium. Houston NFL 2002 will be a co-tenant of the new stadium with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Participants in the groundbreaking ceremony include Owner Bob McNair, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo President Mike Wells, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Commissioner Steve Hatchell, Houston Mayor Lee Brown, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, Harris County Commissioner (Precinct 1) El Franco Lee, Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation Chairman Mike Surface and Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Chairman Billy Burge.

Feb.: The National Football League begins researching and developing computerized designs for potential logos. Additional focus groups are conducted in Houston and San Antonio.March 2: Houston NFL announces that its team name search has been narrowed to five choices: Apollos,

Bob McNair announces that Charley Casserly will become Houston's first general manager.
Bobcats, Stallions, Texans and Wildcatters. The five names were determined after several months of research conducted jointly by Houston NFL 2002 and National Football League Properties. That research included multiple focus group studies performed in both English and Spanish in not only Houston, but also in numerous surrounding markets such as San Antonio, Austin, Galveston and Beaumont.

Jan. 19: Houston NFL hires Charley Casserly as Executive Vice President/General Manager. Casserly comes to Houston after 23 years with the Washington Redskins, the last 10 as general manager. The Redskins captured Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI during his tenure in Washington.


1999

Nov. 24: Houston NFL debuts "transition" logo, which serves as the organization's mark until a team name is selected, and the corresponding official logo, team colors and uniform are developed. The "transition" logo is created by NFL Properties, the New York-based licensing and marketing arm of the NFL.

Nov., 1999: McNair and Houston NFL executives start the first of 40 separate focus group sessions, which eventually total 500 individual participants. The sessions are conducted not just in Houston, but in Galveston, Austin, Beaumont, San Antonio and Corpus Christi as well. Fans are asked for their opinions on the image of Houston and its surrounding areas, the image of the NFL and the expectations for the Houston franchise.

Oct. 6: The National Football League owners vote 29-0 to award the 32nd NFL franchise to Houston and Bob McNair for a record amount of $700 million.

Houston owner Bob McNair at a press conference after the NFL awarded Houston its 32nd franchise.

Sept. 28: Marvin Davis, one of the bidders for the Los Angeles franchise, bows out of the expansion race.

Sept. 9: NFL executives tell the Houston group to be prepared to come to the owners' meetings in Atlanta on October 6.

July 28: Los Angeles presents an exclusive negotiating agreement to the NFL but the league does not sign it, stating that it does not address the financial situation behind the New Coliseum at Exposition Park.

June 3: In a two-hour meeting with Tagliabue, McNair is encouraged to step up his efforts for an expansion team.

May 25: Ovitz unveils a new plan for a 60-acre spread of parks, parking garages and a new stadium where the Los Angeles Coliseum currently sits. The plan impresses the NFL, but the league remains concerned about a lack of financial planning for the proposed project.

March 16: The NFL Expansion Committee votes 29-2 to give Los Angeles until September 15 to work out a feasible stadium and ownership plan. If L.A. cannot get a plan together, the committee will then recommend Houston for the 32nd franchise.

Feb. 16: The NFL Expansion Committee meets, but does not pick a winning bidder from the three finalists. Tagliabue says the decision will come within a month.

1998

Oct. 27: Tagliabue announces that NFL owners will have a decision on the league's newest expansion team by April.

Sept. 25: The HLS&R votes unanimously to approve paying a $1.5 million annual lease to use the proposed retractable-roof NFL stadium.

June 30: Tagliabue and NFL Stadium Committee head Jerry Richardson visit Houston to see plans for the city's retractable-roof stadium, meeting for several hours with McNair, Houston Sports Authority Jack Rains, Brown, Eckels and HLS&R president Jim Bloodworth.

May 7: Los Angeles-based entertainment broker Michael Ovitz announces he will spearhead a $750-million proposal to build a stadium in Carson, California, in an effort to bring the NFL back to L.A.

March 23: The NFL expansion committee awards an expansion team to Cleveland. McNair, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Mayor Lee Brown meet with Tagliabue for the first time as a group at the owners' meeting held in Houston.

1997

Oct. 17: In reaction to Tagliabue's comments, officials from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLS&R) say they will push for the building of a domed stadium that the Rodeo will share with an NFL team, as opposed to renovating the Astrodome. It marks the Rodeo's first public statement in support of McNair's efforts. 

Oct. 15: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue praises the early plans of Bob McNair and Houston for an expansion franchise at the NFL Owners' Meetings.

July 3: Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams gets the green light to move his team to Nashville, Tennessee. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes signs the final consent judgment in the lawsuit against the team after all parties involved agree to a settlement.

June 18: The NHL bypasses Chuck Watson and Bob McNair's efforts to bring an expansion hockey club to Houston. The pair moves on to their next project - returning the NFL to Houston.

 
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