The Houston Texans Were Awarded in 1999—and Began Playing in 2002
The Texans became an NFL franchise on October 6, 1999, received their name in 2000 and began playing in 2002. Here’s why the dates differ.
The Houston Texans became an NFL franchise on October 6, 1999, when league owners voted unanimously to award Houston an expansion team led by Bob McNair. Their first playing season was 2002. Those dates mark different beginnings: the league’s decision to create the franchise and the team’s arrival on the field. The Texans’ official historical timeline records both milestones.
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise awarded | October 6, 1999 | Houston was granted the NFL’s 32nd franchise. |
| Texans name announced | September 6, 2000 | The new franchise received its team identity. |
| First regular-season game | September 8, 2002 | Houston beat the Dallas Cowboys, 19–10. |
All three dates appear in the team’s official timeline.
How Houston won the expansion franchise
Houston was not the NFL’s initial choice for its next expansion team. In March 1999, league owners voted 29–2 to give Los Angeles six months to develop a workable ownership and stadium plan. If that effort failed, the league would recommend Houston instead.
McNair continued pursuing the franchise as the Los Angeles bid faltered. At the owners’ meeting in Atlanta on October 6, 1999, the NFL voted 29–0 to award him the Houston expansion franchise for $700 million, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Texans history. This is the decision that establishes 1999 as the franchise’s founding year.
From the franchise award to the first season
Winning the franchise did not immediately produce a team ready to play. Houston still needed a front office, a coaching staff, a roster and its new stadium.
Charley Casserly became general manager in January 2000. That September, McNair and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue unveiled the Texans name, colors and logo at a downtown rally. Dom Capers was hired as the first head coach on January 21, 2001. These steps are documented in the Hall of Fame’s franchise history.
In 2002, Houston selected 19 veterans in the February 18 expansion draft and chose quarterback David Carr in the NFL Draft on April 20. On September 8, the Texans opened their first regular season with a 19–10 win over Dallas at Reliant Stadium. The team’s timeline dates those roster-building events and the opening victory; the Hall of Fame’s history identifies the stadium and records their earlier preseason debut in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton. September 8 was their first regular-season game—not their first appearance of any kind.
Were the Texans the former Houston Oilers?
No. The Texans were a new expansion franchise, not a renamed or returning Oilers team. The Oilers moved from Houston to Tennessee in 1997 and adopted the Titans name in 1999. That franchise’s history continued in Tennessee, as the Hall of Fame’s Titans history explains.
The Texans restored NFL football to Houston, but they began a separate franchise history.