| 1970 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Bob Brodhead |
| Head coach | Wally Lemm |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–10–1 |
| Division place | 4th AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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The 1970 Houston Oilers season was the 11th season overall and its first as part of the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous season's 6–6–2 record, winning only three games.[1] The Oilers started the season winning two of its first three games, both road wins against the Steelers and Bengals.
The Oilers struggled the rest of the season, as they went 0-6-1 following the 2-1 start. In week five versus the Steelers in the Astrodome, starting quarterback Charley Johnson suffered a broken clavicle when he was clipped by Pittsburgh defensive tackle Chuck Hinton on an interception return. Johnson returned after missing four games, but was nowhere near as effective than before the injury.
The Oilers won only one of their last 11 games, a 31-21 win over the Denver Broncos, before losing their final 3 games of the season, including a 52-10 rout by in-state rival Dallas in the finale, to finish the season 3-10-1. They missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, and for the first of eight consecutive seasons.
| 1970 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Doug Wilkerson * | Guard | North Carolina Central | |
| 2 | 31 | Leo Brooks * | Defensive tackle | Texas | from Boston |
| 2 | 40 | Bill Dusenbery | Running back | Johnson C. Smith | |
| 4 | 92 | Spike Jones | Punter | Georgia | |
| 5 | 110 | Ron Saul | Guard | Michigan State | from Cincinnati via N. Y. Jets |
| 5 | 118 | Ed Duley | Defensive tackle | Northern Arizona | |
| 6 | 144 | Benny Johnson | Cornerback | Johnson C. Smith | |
| 7 | 170 | Charles Olson | Defensive back | Concordia (Moorhead) | |
| 8 | 196 | Mike McClish | Tackle | Wisconsin | |
| 9 | 222 | Charlie Blossom | Defensive end | Texas Southern | |
| 10 | 249 | Joe Dawkins | Running back | Wisconsin | |
| 11 | 274 | Robert Morris | Center | Duke | |
| 12 | 300 | Richard Dawkins | Tight end | Johnson C. Smith | |
| 13 | 326 | Jess Lewis | Linebacker | Oregon State | |
| 14 | 352 | Claire Rasmussen | Guard | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | |
| 15 | 378 | David Sharp | Tackle | Stanford | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W 19–7 | 1–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 45,538 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | Miami Dolphins | L 10–20 | 1–1 | Houston Astrodome | 39,840 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 20–13 | 2–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 55,094 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | Baltimore Colts | L 20–24 | 2–2 | Houston Astrodome | 48,050 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–7 | 2–3 | Houston Astrodome | 42,799 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | atSan Diego Chargers | T 31–31 | 2–3–1 | San Diego Stadium | 41,427 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 0–44 | 2–4–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 47,911 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 9–24 | 2–5–1 | Municipal Stadium | 49,810 | Recap |
| 9 | November 15 | San Francisco 49ers | L 20–30 | 2–6–1 | Houston Astrodome | 43,040 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | atCleveland Browns | L 14–28 | 2–7–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 74,723 | Recap |
| 11 | November 29 | Denver Broncos | W 31–21 | 3–7–1 | Houston Astrodome | 35,733 | Recap |
| 12 | December 7 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–21 | 3–8–1 | Houston Astrodome | 50,582 | Recap |
| 13 | December 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 20–30 | 3–9–1 | Houston Astrodome | 34,435 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | atDallas Cowboys | L 10–52 | 3–10–1 | Cotton Bowl | 50,504 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3–3 | 7–4 | 312 | 255 | W7 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–4 | 286 | 265 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3–3 | 5–6 | 210 | 272 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 2–4 | 3–7–1 | 217 | 352 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
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| Division championships (11) |
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| Conference championships (1) |
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| League championships (2) |
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Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998) | |
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Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory |
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