Tennessee Titans · Franchise era 1 of 8
The AFL champion Oilers: the Tennessee Titans story
Franchise era
1960—1966
The AFL champion Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The story in one sentence
Houston won the first two AFL championships and reached a third behind Blanda's passing and one of the young league's most explosive attacks.
Wide-open offense wins the first two league titles
George Blanda, Billy Cannon and Charlie Hennigan gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for from collapse to bum phillips.
Timeline
How it unfolded
The foundation
The franchise context
The franchise's line runs from Houston's AFL champion Oilers through Luv Ya Blue and Warren Moon to the Music City Miracle, Steve McNair and Derrick Henry's modern power football.
1961-01-01
Conference Championship: San Diego Chargers vs Houston Oilers
1961-12-24
Conference Championship: Houston Oilers vs San Diego Chargers
1962-12-23
Conference Championship: Dallas Texans vs Houston Oilers
After 1966
What came next
The Oilers bottomed out before Phillips and the draft picks who would power one of the city's most beloved teams arrived.
The core