Report: Texans considered attempting to regain rights to Oilers' intellectual property

Report: Texans considered attempting to regain rights to Oilers' intellectual property
The Tennessee Titans announced a decision to change their uniforms starting in 2025 by embracing light 'Titans' Blue' as their primary color heading into the future. In the announcement, they also said they were going to shelve the Houston Oilers throwbacks and stick with their primary uniforms in 2025.
The decision sparked heated discussions on social media and stirred up many emotions in what has been a contentious, decades-long battle over the rights to the Oilers' history.
The color is synonymous with the Oilers and has been a franchise staple since its founding in 1960. But there has been a battle over the color going on inside cities and the NFL since former owner Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee in 1998. In the move, Adams did something that had never been done before: he shed its name and shelved it, preventing the franchise that backfilled the market from ever using it.
This has forced the NFL to preside over many different battles centered on these two cities and franchises. For years, the Houston Texans have tried to claim the color, only to be rebuffed by Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk at every turn. Now, with the Titans making this change to their primary uniforms, Texans fans are outraged. In an article by Brooks Kubena for The Athletic, the battle for this intellectual property is outlined and the history of this feud is laid out.
According to league sources, there was once a perception within the Texans organization that there were discussions for Houston to possibly regain the Oilers history and intellectual property. But any pipe dream of the Titans ever relinquishing the Oilers intellectual property and history to the Texans would likely elicit an expletive if expressed inside the Titans' facility.
For all the complaints that Titans fans have of Strunk, her love of the franchise and its history cannot be denied. Since taking over from her father, she has gone out of her way to embrace Oilers history and make everything involving the organization a family affair split between two cities and generations.
For Texans fans that remember the 'Luv Ya Blue' era in Houston, the coming seasons may be a bit disheartening but they will have to get used to it. As long as Strunk owns the Titans, the Oilers and their colors will be living on in Nashville.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

5 hours ago

• Yahoo

Texans' C.J. Stroud Jokingly Throws Jab at Bears QB Caleb Williams

Texans' C.J. Stroud Jokingly Throws Jab at Bears QB Caleb Williams originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When they last met, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Chicago Bears signal caller Caleb Williams duked it out at NRG Stadium last September. After the Texans walked away with a 19-13 victory, the pair met at midfield. Advertisement Stroud offered Williams a piece of advice: stop taking so many hits. The Bears rookie had taken seven sacks during the contest. Williams seemed to brush off his words, only for Stroud to pull him back and tell him to learn from his mistakes. At the Fanatics Fest in New York City this week, Stroud and Williams were present during a panel session, also featuring legendary quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. Reunited with the rising Bears star, Stroud poked fun at Williams, saying, "I don't know if Caleb likes my advice." During the 2024 season, Williams was sacked a total of 68 times, the most in the league. Although a poor offensive line took much of the blame, the former No. 1 overall often needed to get rid of the ball rather than trying to extend a play. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) talks with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) after the game at NRG Taormina-Imagn Images Stroud was sacked 52 times during last season, so he knows what it's like to hit the turf, too. The Texans and the Bears both spent much of the offseason reworking their offensive line, hoping to seal the cracks in last season's front lines. Advertisement Stroud is looking to bounce back after a lackluster sophomore season after passing for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His rookie season was a different story, however, so hopefully the Ohio State product has more success on the horizon. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

Miami Herald

6 hours ago

• Miami Herald

‘I don't see us slowing down': Even after two Stanley Cups, Panthers strive for more

As the official on-ice celebration began on Tuesday night shortly after the Florida Panthers dismantled the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made an observation. 'It feels like we just did this,' Bettman said. Why yes, yes they did. The Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions, clinching the title both times on home ice at Sunrise's Amerant Bank Arena against the Oilers. Florida dominated from start to finish in the playoffs, averaging the most goals per game (4.09) while allowing the fewest (2.43). Their depth was on full display, with 19 skaters scoring at least one goal and 11 having at least 12 points. 'Just a well-oiled machine,' defenseman Nate Schmidt said. How things have changed. It wasn't too long ago when the Panthers could have been in dire straits. Florida had gone 24 consecutive years without winning a playoff series. Attendance was rough even during the relatively good times. But the past three years, with two championships and another Cup Final appearance preceding it, have shown what hockey in South Florida can look like when it's successful — and boy has it been successful. 'These last three years, it feels like one gig, one big year all together, like non stop,' Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell said. 'It really feels like one big dream.' The Panthers are the seventh team in the expansion era (since the 1967-68 season) to win consecutive Stanley Cups. They join the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-21), Pittsburgh Penguins (1991-92 and 2016-17), Detroit Red Wings (1997-98), Oilers (1984-85 and 1987-88), New York Islanders (four straight from 1980-83), Montreal Canadiens (1968-69 and four straight from 1976-79) and Philadelphia Flyers (1974-75). 'That's the standard of excellence,' Panthers owner Vincent Viola said. 'There's no other course but seeking and winning the champions. Everybody knows that. They're all committed to it.' Added defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has been with the Panthers since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2014 draft: 'It's an elite program. It's the best organization in the league. We do everything the best, and we're still on an upward trajectory after winning two Stanley Cups in a row and making three Stanley Cup Finals in a row. It's incredible. I'm so proud of that, because I've been here for it..' And they're showing no signs of stopping. Most of their core is locked up long term, with the team doing what it can to ensure the few set for free agency in Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand stay on the roster. Coach Paul Maurice and president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito aren't going anywhere anytime soon, either, after signing contract extensions of their own. It has the Panthers set up for long-term success the franchise had only dreamt about. 'I don't see us slowing down,' said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, the team's longest-tenured player. Added star winger Matthew Tkachuk: 'You just want to keep this thing going. ... Winning, it's addictive.' And goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky: 'The potential here is huge in this locker room.' It wasn't always that way. Robb Tallas, Florida's goaltending coach, knows perhaps better than anyone what the Panthers have been through prior to this run. He's the longest-tenured member of the franchise, having been with the Panthers since the 2009-2010 season. Florida had eight head coaches and four general managers with just three playoff appearances in Tallas' first 11 seasons. 'When you go through some hard seasons and some seasons where you don't make the playoffs, you learn from it,' Tallas said. 'You kind of have to go through that a little bit.' And then Zito was hired ahead of the 2020-21 season. And then Maurice was hired two years later. 'They changed the entire dynamic of the feeling of coming to the rink every day,' Tallas said. It started with the roster building. Tkachuk was the blockbuster deal that set things off. Then there was trading for players like Bennett and Sam Reinhart — who had talent but hadn't thrived at their previous stops before going on to have career years with Florida. Add in a player like Gustav Forsling, who the team picked up off waivers and saw evolve into one of the league's top defensemen, an under-the-radar signing like Carter Verhaeghe who has become an offensive juggernaut in five years with Florida, big swings at the trade deadline (Vladimir Tarasenko in 2024, Marchand and Seth Jones in 2025), savvy signings to round out the roster and bring in fresh blood each year, and keeping the core intact with long-term extensions, and Florida has continuously found ways to not only maintain its top-end talent but elevate itself year over year. 'For the most part, every guy who's come here has had the best season of their careers,' Zito said. 'From that perspective, it's gratifying to think that we can create an environment where the guys can do that, but it's the team. It's that room. It truly is.' It continued with the camaraderie forged. Players brush the personal accolades aside. As cliche as it sounds, they prioritize the team's success and bonding off-ice over anything else. Everyone is treated equally. Jesper Boqvist and Uvis Balinksis and Vitek Vanecek are treated the same as Barkov, Tkachuk, Ekblad and Bobrovsky. 'That's where it starts,' Reinhart said. 'The more happy you are off the ice, the better it'll translate on the ice for sure.' That's why team dinners on the road have full attendance, with reservations for 35 or 40 happening on a nightly basis. That's why Maurice made sure his fourth line of A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich — the trio the team points to for turning things around in its second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs — was on the ice for the final shift of the Cup Final to begin the celebration. That's why the team's leaders made sure that those who hadn't won the Cup before were the first to do their celebratory lap after Game 6. 'The character of the room,' Zito said. 'I think it all goes back to the fact that you can't tell who the new guys are, so you have this accepting culture in the room. We want everybody to enjoy it, we want everybody to be a part of it.' What exactly is that culture? Allow Greer, who joined the team this year, to explain: 'It's organizational commitment to being great and never staying comfortable,' Greer said. 'It's the love for one another and the love for the people around you. Everyone levels their game up here, every one of us. There's a sentiment of greatness, of just wanting to be as good as you were yesterday. They won the Cup, and they're just as hungry this year to win another one. Guys are going just as hard in the gym. There's no complacency here. ... It's something that was definitely built here and something that is respected because culture can be brought in but it can quickly go out the door, too. You see it all the time. It's the way that these leaders respect that culture and keep that culture.' The understanding of what it takes, of the expectation that is demanded, is brought up at the start. Living up to that standard is a requirement, not an ask. 'There is a way that we do things here, and it's not easy,' Bennett said. 'We don't play an easy style of hockey. It demands a lot of you. But I think the main thing is every single guy has bought into it. Once the new guys come in, they instantly bought into what we do here. The commitment to being great and to winning, every single guy just really bought into that.' The results have followed. 'It's tough, but you look to all the bad days, long trips, all the stuff, this just makes it all worth it,' Tkachuk said. 'Lifting that Cup, it's just insane. I don't know what to tell you guys. It's just the most special thing. Coming down here to Florida changed my life forever. Three finals, two championships, this is more than why you play the game. This is what makes it all worth it and it's so special.' They've gone back-to-back. A three-peat and more, which hasn't been done since the 80s, isn't out of the question. And the Panthers will work as if they're still going for their first title. 'When I got here, you would have never known they won last year,' Jones said. 'They're so hungry. And I guarantee you when training camp comes, we're talking about winning again.' Hockey in South Florida is indeed alive and well. 'You guys have proven that hockey works in the sunshine,' Bettman said. 'Let's do it again.'

USA Today

6 hours ago

• USA Today

78 days until the Texans' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No.78?

The Houston Texans are less than 100 days away from kicking off the 2025 season in Los Angeles against the Rams at SoFi Stadium and we're counting down the days until a victory ensues on the west coast. Texans Wire will each day tell you which player has worn the number of the day leading up to kickoff and pick the player who ensured the number best during their time at NRG Stadium. As for today, let's take a look at who has won No. 78 since the inaugural season in 2002. Texans players to wear No. 78 No. 78 currently belongs to offensive tackle Zach Thomas. Last season, Thomas wore the No. 73 in the preseason and on the practice squad, but that was because someone else donned the jersey for six season. Part of the reason that the Texans believe second-round pick Aireontae Ersery can be the long-term Pro Bowl talent on the offensive line played a factor in why they traded five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason. Prior to his departure this spring, Tunsil wore the No. 78 for six seasons after arriving from Miami in 2019. As the anchor of the Texans' rebuild, Tunsil's legacy won't be forgotten. He helped stabilize the franchise and kept things intact before the arrival of DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. in 2023. As the face of the organization, Tunsil was also arguably the league's best pass protector for five seasons. It'll be a tall ask to assume someone beat Tunsil as the No. 1 offensive tackle, but there's reason to believe at least someone could fight for the title of G.O.A.T at No. 78. Best Player: Laremy Tunsil It's no debate. Outside of Duane Brown, Tunsil is the greatest tackle in franchise history. Over his six seasons filled with false starts, the five-time Pro Bowler also allowed just 10 total sacks and 19 total pressures in over 100 starts. Despite the offensive line allowing an average of 48.6 sacks during his time in Houston, no one could get past the former first-round standout. While the asking price eventually cost Houston two early first-round picks, it netted the franchise one of the best linemen over the last decade. He'll forever be remembered as a staple of the Texans' rebuild and hopefully will continue his Hall of Fame-caliber in D.C. Just not when the Texans have to take on the Commanders in the coming seasons.