1971 Houston Oilers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Bud Adams |
General manager | John W. Breen |
Head coach | Ed Hughes |
Home field | Houston Astrodome |
Results | |
Record | 4–9–1 |
Division place | 3rd AFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | FS Ken Houston |
The 1971 Houston Oilers season was the team's 12th season, and second with the National Football League. The Oilers improved on their previous season's output of three victories, winning four games in 1971. [1] They missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The 1971 Oilers are the only team in NFL history to throw three-or-more interceptions in ten different games. [2] (The team was 2–7–1 in those games.)
One of the only bright spots was fifth year safety Ken Houston. Houston, who had the best season of his career, snaged 9 interceptions for 220 yards and 4 touchdowns (all career highs).
1971 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Dan Pastorini * | Quarterback | Santa Clara | |
3 | 56 | Lynn Dickey | Quarterback | Kansas State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
| Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
| Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 19 | at Cleveland Browns | L 0–31 | 0–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 73,387 | Recap |
2 | September 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 16–20 | 0–2 | Houston Astrodome | 46,498 | Recap |
3 | October 3 | New Orleans Saints | T 13–13 | 0–2–1 | Houston Astrodome | 47,966 | Recap |
4 | October 10 | at Washington Redskins | L 13–22 | 0–3–1 | RFK Stadium | 53,041 | Recap |
5 | October 17 | Detroit Lions | L 7–31 | 0–4–1 | Houston Astrodome | 45,885 | Recap |
6 | October 24 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–23 | 0–5–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 45,872 | Recap |
7 | October 31 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 10–6 | 1–5–1 | Houston Astrodome | 37,947 | Recap |
8 | November 7 | at New England Patriots | L 20–28 | 1–6–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 53,155 | Recap |
9 | November 14 | at Oakland Raiders | L 21–41 | 1–7–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,705 | Recap |
10 | November 21 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–28 | 1–8–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,390 | Recap |
11 | November 28 | Cleveland Browns | L 24–37 | 1–9–1 | Houston Astrodome | 37,921 | Recap |
12 | December 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 29–3 | 2–9–1 | Houston Astrodome | 37,778 | Recap |
13 | December 12 | at Buffalo Bills | W 20–14 | 3–9–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 28,107 | Recap |
14 | December 19 | San Diego Chargers | W 49–33 | 4–9–1 | Houston Astrodome | 35,959 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
AFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–1 | 7–4 | 285 | 273 | W5 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–2 | 5–6 | 246 | 292 | L1 |
Houston Oilers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 251 | 330 | W3 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 3–8 | 284 | 265 | L3 |
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The Tennessee Titans play their home games at Nissan Stadium and are building a new stadium in 2024. It will be completed in 2027.
Harold Warren Moon is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Moon also played for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs. He is considered one of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history.
John Willard Hadl(Pronounced: HAY-dull) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 16 years in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. Hadl was named an AFL All-Star four times and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Daryle Pasquale Lamonica was an American professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Lamonica was drafted by the NFL Green Bay Packers in round 12 with the 168th overall pick. He spent his first four seasons mostly as a backup for the Buffalo Bills, who selected him in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL Draft. Lamonica played his next eight seasons as the primary starter of the Raiders, including after they joined the NFL through the AFL–NFL merger.
George Frederick Blanda was an American professional football quarterback and placekicker who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.
Roderick Kevin Woodson is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12). He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
Elisha Archibald Manning III is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982. He also had brief stints with the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning is the patriarch of the Manning football dynasty, having preceded sons Peyton and Eli as successful NFL quarterbacks.
Kenneth Allan Anderson is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL), spending his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He later returned as a position coach.
Clifford Lynn Dickey is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and was selected in the third round of the 1971 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers, where he spent his first five seasons. Dickey was a member of the Packers for his remaining 10 seasons, leading them in 1982 to their first playoff appearance since 1972 and victory since 1967. He also led the league in passing touchdowns during the 1983 season. For his accomplishments with the franchise, he was inducted to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1992.
Matthew Rutledge Schaub is an American former football quarterback who played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was selected by the Falcons in the third round with the 90th pick of the 2004 NFL draft.
Jeffrey Michael Fisher is an American professional football coach and former cornerback and return specialist. He served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 22 seasons, primarily with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. Fisher coached the Oilers / Titans from 1994 to 2010 and the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams from 2012 to 2016. He is currently the commissioner of Arena Football One after serving as interim commissioner of the previous incarnation of the Arena Football League.
Kenneth Jerome Riley was an American professional football cornerback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 through 1983. Riley recorded 65 interceptions in his career, which was the fourth most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. Despite his accomplishments, he was never an exceptionally well-known or popular player. Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game or the Pro Bowl, but he was selected to three All-Pro teams.
Bobby Bryant is an American former football cornerback who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Cris Edward Dishman is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is the 18th head football coach for Texas Southern University, a position he has held since 2024. He played for the Houston Oilers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Redskins during his thirteen-year career from 1988 to 2000 in the National Football League (NFL).
William Keith Bostic is an American former professional football player who was a safety for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Houston Oilers and the Cleveland Browns, serving as the Oilers' defensive captain under coach Jerry Glanville. Bostic earned one Pro Bowl selection and missed another based on a tiebreaker for the last safety chosen. In his Pro Bowl season, he led the American Football Conference in interceptions.
Stuart King Hill was an American professional football quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings.
Donald Wayne Hollas is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for Rice University and thereafter was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL draft. Hollas also played for the Oakland Raiders.
The 1988 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 29th overall season as a football team and the 19th in the National Football League. The Bills ended a streak of four consecutive losing seasons by winning the AFC East; they finished the NFL's 1988 season with a record of twelve wins and four losses; it was the club's first winning season since 1981, its first 12-win season since the 1964 AFL championship season, and only the fifth double-digit win season in team history. The Bills were 8–0 at home for the first time in their franchise history. On the road, the Bills were 4–4. From an attendance standpoint, the franchise set a record for attendance with 631,818 fans.
The 1994 Houston Oilers season was the 35th season overall the Oilers played and their 25th with the National Football League (NFL), and was part of the 1994 NFL season. The Oilers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986.
The 1991 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 32nd in the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only nine games. After a 9–4 start, the team lost its last three games, but did qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season. The Raiders were inconsistent offensively, with struggling quarterback Jay Schroeder eventually benched in favor of rookie Todd Marinovich. It was notable that future Hall of Famer Marcus Allen's role was restricted mainly to backing up newly acquired Roger Craig, and future All-Pro Tim Brown also played mostly as a reserve, starting only one game. The loss of Bo Jackson to a career-ending injury also clearly had an impact. A solid defense was led by Howie Long, Greg Townsend and Ronnie Lott.