Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NRG Stadium.
For the 1970s World Football League team called the "Houston Texans", see Shreveport Steamer.Houston Texans
The Texans were founded in 1999, and were owned by Bob McNair until his death in 2018; following McNair's death, the majority ownership of the team went to his wife, Janice. In 2024, ownership again transferred to the McNairs' son, Cal.[7] The team replaced the city's previous NFL franchise, the Houston Oilers, who played from 1960 to 1996 before moving to Nashville and eventually becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Texans began play as an expansion team in 2002, making them the youngest franchise currently competing in the NFL.[8]
While the Texans mainly struggled in the 2000s, their fortunes would take a turn for the better in the 2010s when they first found success in the 2011 season, winning their first division championship and clinching their first playoff berth.[9][10] The Texans have gone on to win six more AFC South division championships in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023. They are the only franchise to have never won a road playoff game along with the only one to have never appeared in a conference championship game; they are also one of four franchises to have never appeared in a Super Bowl,[11] alongside the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and division rival Jacksonville Jaguars.
According to an article by Forbes, the Houston Texans are the eleventh richest team in the NFL with a value of $4.7 billion in August 2022.[12]
After the Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series, the Houston Texans became the only big four professional sports franchise currently based in Texas without a championship.
Culture[edit]
The Texans are the newest team in the league, but they have been embraced by a fair amount of celebrities since joining the NFL in 2002. The team has also adopted a number of former Houston Oilers fans in search of a new home team. Despite the lacking playoff success, there have been a present amount of loyal fans and even various celebrities such as Ryan Trahan, George Foreman, Paul Wall, Rico Rodriguez, and Raini Rodriguez who have been strong supporters of the team.[50][51][52] During the 2010s, the team adopted the moniker "Bulls on Parade" in honor of the Rage Against the Machine song, regularly used prior to the team's introduction before entering the field.[53]
