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Oilers jerseys belong in Houston, not Tennessee
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Earl Campbell's history was in Houston.
The NFL is doing something very cool this season and honoring the 50-year anniversary of the beginning of the old American Football League.
As such, the Tennessee Titans will wear old Houston Oilers jerseys in selected games.
Titans owner Bud Adams deserves some credit. He paid $25,000 for his team, took on the NFL and helped spur the growth of the league into the most popular sports organization in the U.S.
He deserves to be honored.
In Houston, many still blame Adams for the departure of the Oilers. While Adams isn't blameless, former mayor Bob Lanier was as much to blame for the loss of the team as Adams.
But that is another story for another time.
The bigger issue is that the history of the Oilers should belong to Houston, not Bud Adams and Tennessee.
Yes, it's Bud's team. He owns it. He should be personally honored by the league.
But it remains a crime that the franchise records are with a completely different team.
Earl Campbell created Luv Ya Blue on a Monday night in the Astrodome. Dan Pastorini and Kenny Burroughs connected on bomb after bomb in the Astrodome.
The Buffalo collapse happened to the Houston Oilers, not the Tennessee Titans.
Apparently, no one in Houston whined enough when the team left. Cleveland got to keep the name, the history, the uniforms.
The Ravens have their own history. Everyone is happy.
This is not to say the Texans should have been the new Oilers. But to say a Titan broke Earl Campbell's franchise record for rushing is a joke.
The Oilers history -- and jerseys, and fans -- were in Houston. The team was unique to the city and captured its adoration in ways the Astros and Rockets never dreamed of doing.
The NFL is doing a good thing by honoring the memory of the Oilers. The league should honor Bud Adams, too.
But the throwback Oilers jerseys should be worn by Houston's team.
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