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
OwnerBud Adams
Head coachJeff Fisher
General managerFloyd Reese
Home fieldHouston Astrodome
Results
Record8–8
Division place4th AFC Central
Playoff finishDid 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
Main article: 1996 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

[4]

Personnel

Staff
1996 Houston Oilers staff
Front office
  • Owner/Chairman of the Board/President – Bud Adams
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – Floyd Reese

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Steve Watterson

Roster
1996 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

[5]

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
27,725
2 September 8, 1996 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 34–27 NBC 12:00pm Dan Hicks & Bart Oates
66,468
3 September 15, 1996 Baltimore Ravens W 29–13 NBC 12:00pm Dan Hicks & Bart Oates
20,082
4 Bye
5 September 29, 1996 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 30–16 NBC 12:00pm Don Criqui & Beasley Reece
58,608
6 October 6, 1996 at Cincinnati Bengals W 30–27 TNT 7:00pm Verne Lundquist & Pat Haden
44,680
7 October 13, 1996 at Atlanta Falcons W 23–13 NBC 12:00pm Don Criqui & Beasley Reece
35,401
8 October 20, 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–13 NBC 3:00pm Don Criqui & Beasley Reece
50,337
9 October 27, 1996 San Francisco 49ers L 10–9 FOX 12:00pm Dick Stockton & Matt Millen
53,664
10 November 3, 1996 at Seattle Seahawks L 23–16 NBC 3:00pm Dan Hicks & Bob Golic
36,320
11 November 10, 1996 at New Orleans Saints W 31–14 NBC 12:00pm Dan Hicks & Bart Oates
34,121
12 November 17, 1996 Miami Dolphins L 23–20 NBC 3:00pm Tom Hammond & Bob Trumpy
47,358
13 November 24, 1996 Carolina Panthers L 31–6 FOX 12:00pm Kevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville
20,107
14 December 1, 1996 at New York Jets W 35–10 NBC 3:00pm Charlie Jones & Randy Cross
21,731
15 December 8, 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–17 NBC 12:00pm Jim Donovan & Beasley Reece
20,196
16 December 15, 1996 Cincinnati Bengals L 21–13 NBC 3:00pm Jim Lampley & Bob Golic
15,131
17 December 22, 1996 at Baltimore Ravens W 24–21 NBC 12:00pm Jim Donovan & Bart Oates
52,704

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
  1. 1996 Houston Oilers
  2. PRO FOOTBALL;N.F.L. Owners Approve Move To Nashville By the Oilers. The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  3. Oilers hope to prove lame ducks can soar. The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  4. "1996 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. "1996 Houston Oilers starters, roster, and players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
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