1996 Houston Oilers season
The 1996 Houston Oilers season was the 37th season overall and 27th with the National Football League (NFL) and their final season in Houston. The team bested their previous season's output of 7–9,[1] but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Oilers only won two out of their eight games at home. However, on the road they won six out of eight games as the Oilers finish with an 8-8 record. Houston running back Eddie George won the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,368 yards rushing.
1996 Houston Oilers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Bud Adams |
Head coach | Jeff Fisher |
General manager | Floyd Reese |
Home field | Houston Astrodome |
Results | |
Record | 8–8 |
Division place | 4th AFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Uniform | |
![]() | |
The Oilers had already established itself as a lame duck franchise; the league had approved the team's relocation to Nashville, Tennessee a year ahead of schedule, although it was not originally scheduled to take place until 1998.[2] With the team having given up on Houston, the city responded in kind: fan support and attendance dropped to negligible levels for the 1996 season, the team's radio network was all but disbanded, and the local broadcasts were being cut off in favor of preseason NBA basketball.[3] The Oilers, unwilling to continue in Houston after such a debacle, quickly moved to Memphis, Tennessee's Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 1997, becoming the Tennessee Oilers (Memphis, too, would reject the "temporary" housing of the Oilers, forcing the team to move to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville until the new Nashville stadium was finished in 1999).
Offseason
NFL Draft
1996 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | Eddie George * | Running back | Ohio State | |
2 | 38 | Bryant Mix | Defensive end | Alcorn State | |
2 | 48 | Jason Layman | Offensive tackle | Tennessee | |
3 | 74 | Terry Killens | Linebacker | Penn State | |
4 | 107 | Kendrick Burton | Defensive end | Alabama | |
4 | 109 | Jon Runyan * | Offensive tackle | Michigan | |
5 | 143 | Rayna Stewart | Safety | Northern Arizona | |
6 | 177 | Anthony Dorsett | Cornerback | Pittsburgh | |
7 | 218 | Mike Archie | Running back | Penn State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time(CST) | TV Announcers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 1, 1996 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–19 | NBC 12:00pm | Don Criqui & Beasley Reece | |
2 | September 8, 1996 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 34–27 | NBC 12:00pm | Dan Hicks & Bart Oates | |
3 | September 15, 1996 | Baltimore Ravens | W 29–13 | NBC 12:00pm | Dan Hicks & Bart Oates | |
4 | Bye | |||||
5 | September 29, 1996 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 30–16 | NBC 12:00pm | Don Criqui & Beasley Reece | |
6 | October 6, 1996 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–27 | TNT 7:00pm | Verne Lundquist & Pat Haden | |
7 | October 13, 1996 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 23–13 | NBC 12:00pm | Don Criqui & Beasley Reece | |
8 | October 20, 1996 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–13 | NBC 3:00pm | Don Criqui & Beasley Reece | |
9 | October 27, 1996 | San Francisco 49ers | L 10–9 | FOX 12:00pm | Dick Stockton & Matt Millen | |
10 | November 3, 1996 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 23–16 | NBC 3:00pm | Dan Hicks & Bob Golic | |
11 | November 10, 1996 | at New Orleans Saints | W 31–14 | NBC 12:00pm | Dan Hicks & Bart Oates | |
12 | November 17, 1996 | Miami Dolphins | L 23–20 | NBC 3:00pm | Tom Hammond & Bob Trumpy | |
13 | November 24, 1996 | Carolina Panthers | L 31–6 | FOX 12:00pm | Kevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville | |
14 | December 1, 1996 | at New York Jets | W 35–10 | NBC 3:00pm | Charlie Jones & Randy Cross | |
15 | December 8, 1996 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 23–17 | NBC 12:00pm | Jim Donovan & Beasley Reece | |
16 | December 15, 1996 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–13 | NBC 3:00pm | Jim Lampley & Bob Golic | |
17 | December 22, 1996 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 24–21 | NBC 12:00pm | Jim Donovan & Bart Oates |
Standings
AFC Central | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 344 | 257 | L2 |
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 325 | 335 | W5 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 372 | 369 | W3 |
Houston Oilers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 345 | 319 | W1 |
Baltimore Ravens | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 371 | 441 | L3 |
References
- 1996 Houston Oilers
- PRO FOOTBALL;N.F.L. Owners Approve Move To Nashville By the Oilers. The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- Oilers hope to prove lame ducks can soar. The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- "1996 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
- "1996 Houston Oilers starters, roster, and players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2014.