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Titans bringing back Oilers throwback uniforms, Warren Moon says

Mar 14, 2024

One of the NFL's more iconic uniforms is apparently coming out of deep storage.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon revealed on FanDuel TV’s "Up & Adams" that the Tennessee Titans will bring their Oilers uniforms out of mothballs as throwbacks in 2023.

"I talked with the owner about it," Moon said, a reference to the Titans' Amy Adams Strunk. "She was waiting for the helmets to be approved. Now that you can wear the helmet, we're wearing the whole uniform this year − and it could be against the Houston Texans."

After years of insisting teams use one helmet, purportedly to limit head injuries, the NFL approved utilizing alternate headgear last year. Tennessee's primary helmet is navy.

The Titans began their existence as the Houston Oilers with the American Football League in 1960. Their color scheme and look evolved through the years but perhaps became best known for the "Columbia Blue," scarlet and white look Moon rocked in the 1980s. The helmet featured a Columbia Blue oil derrick outlined in scarlet.

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The franchise relocated to Tennessee following the 1996 season and was known as the Tennessee Oilers for the next two years. In 1999, the organization switched its name to the Tennessee Titans, unveiling a new logo and uniforms in the process. That also turned out to be the only season in which the club reached the Super Bowl, losing to the St. Louis Rams 23-16.

The Titans retained the rights to the Oilers' logo and colors, thus preventing the Texans − they joined the league in 2002 as its most recent expansion club, filling the void in Houston − from using them.

The only time the Titans have worn any version of Oilers throwbacks occurred in 2009, which celebrated the AFL's 50th anniversary.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.

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