Tennessee Titans unveil throwback uniforms, complete with oil derrick helmets and the ‘Luv Ya Blue’ theme

The Tennessee Titans will turn to their roots with their throwback set in 2023, donning the kits made famous by the Oilers of both Houston and Tennessee. The Titans will debut this famous look at two home games this fall, the team announced.

Founded as the Oilers in 1960, the franchise spent 37 seasons in Houston, the Oilers left Houston after the 1996 season for Tennessee and after two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers, the franchise became the Titans in 1999. 

As expected — they were the Columbia Blue of the old Houston Oilers, complete with the oil derrick on the white helmet. The Titans posted a video with the uniform reveal to their social media accounts with three words – ‘Luv Ya Blue,’ bringing bring back memories for longtime Houston football fans of the team’s glory days with greats like Earl Campbell, Dan Pastorini, Mike Renfro, Curley Culp, Bum Phillips and so many more.

The uniform, which is on Nike’s new Vapor F.U.S.E. template, is complete with “Luv Ya Blue!” inside the back collar as a nod to the Oilers’ fanbase in Houston, as well as light blue socks with the aforementioned striping pattern.

The Titans will announce which games the uniforms will be worn at 8 a.m. ET on July 27. They’ve inquired about wearing them for a road game against the Miami Dolphins, as well, but that appears unlikely at this time. Interestingly, the Oilers throwback uniforms will now replace the Titans’ light blue alternate jerseys in the rotation, joining the navy blue home and white road jerseys, rather than add a fourth uniform option.

These uniforms have long been considered as elite throwbacks, but the NFL’s one-shell rule prevented the Titans from rolling them out. Now that the league has allowed teams to use alternate helmets, the Titans knew exactly where to turn: to the best uniforms in franchise history. 

Perhaps that’s a subtle hint that Tennessee plans to add a white throwback jersey in the near future, a la the Dolphins with the home and road versions of their 1966 throwback uniforms.

The quality of the jerseys may get better and better as time goes on, but classic designs never go out of style, just like Beethoven’s scores and Da Vinci’s paintings.