| 1983 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Ladd Herzeg |
| Head coach | Ed Biles Chuck Studley (interim) |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–14 |
| Division place | 4th AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Earl Campbell |
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The 1983 Houston Oilers season was the 24th season overall and 14th with the National Football League (NFL). After a strike-shorted 1–8 season, the Oilers traded their second draft choice to the Los Angeles Rams,[1] probably fearing that Eric Dickerson, the player they desired to pick with that second choice,[2] would join the Los Angeles Expressofthe USFL. Dickerson was cool about playing for the Oilers,[2] while his family was firmly opposed.[3]
The Oilers ultimately made a marginal improvement, winning two games,[4] but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The 460 points allowed by the team are the most given up by the team in franchise history.[5]
The week 13 game against Tampa Bay, before which both teams had 1–11 records, was nicknamed the "Repus Bowl". Steve Wulf wrote of the game, "Yes, this was the Small One, the battle of the beatens, the movable object meeting the resistible force. There were only tomorrows. When these two teams get together, nothing can happen. This game was for a marble."[6] Tampa Bay won the game 33–24.
The last remaining active member of the 1983 Houston Oilers was offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, who retired after the 2001 season.
| 1983 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Bruce Matthews * † | Guard | USC | |
| 2 | 30 | Harvey Salem | Tackle | California | |
| 2 | 42 | Keith Bostic * | Defensive back | Michigan | |
| 3 | 58 | Tim Joiner | Linebacker | LSU | |
| 3 | 69 | Chris Dressel | Tight end | Stanford | |
| 3 | 83 | Steve Brown | Defensive back | Oregon | |
| 4 | 86 | Greg Hill | Defensive back | Oklahoma State | |
| 4 | 88 | Mike McCloskey | Tight end | Penn State | |
| 5 | 114 | Larry Moriarty | Running back | Notre Dame | |
| 5 | 139 | Jerome Foster | Defensive end | Ohio State | |
| 6 | 142 | Steve Haworth | Defensive back | Oklahoma | |
| 7 | 170 | Herkie Walls | Wide receiver | Texas | |
| 8 | 198 | Robert Thompson | Linebacker | Michigan | |
| 9 | 226 | Kevin Potter | Defensive back | Missouri | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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| 1 | September 4 | Green Bay Packers | L 38–41 (OT) | 0–1 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 2 | September 11 | atLos Angeles Raiders | L 6–20 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
| 3 | September 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–40 | 0–3 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 4 | September 25 | atBuffalo Bills | L 13–30 | 0–4 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 2 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 10–17 | 0–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 9 | Denver Broncos | L 14–26 | 0–6 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 7 | October 16 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 14–34 | 0–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap |
| 8 | October 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–13 (OT) | 0–8 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 9 | October 30 | atCleveland Browns | L 19–25 (OT) | 0–9 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–55 | 0–10 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 11 | November 13 | Detroit Lions | W 27–17 | 1–10 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 12 | November 20 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 10–38 | 1–11 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 27 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–33 | 1–12 | Tampa Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | Miami Dolphins | L 17–24 | 1–13 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 15 | December 11 | Cleveland Browns | W 34–27 | 2–13 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 16 | December 18 | atBaltimore Colts | L 10–20 | 2–14 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
Week One: Green Bay Packers (0–0) at Houston Oilers (0–0)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 41 |
| Oilers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
atHouston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
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Week Eleven: Detroit Lions (5–5) at Houston Oilers (0–10)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Oilers | 3 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
atHouston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | Passing | Eric Hipple | 17/29, 213 Yds, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Billy Sims | 20 Rush, 105 Yds, TD | |
| Receiving | Billy Sims | 9 Rec, 90 Yds | |
| Oilers | Passing | Oliver Luck | 18/26, 189 Yds, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Earl Campbell | 28 Rush, 107 Yds | |
| Receiving | Mike Renfro | 7 Rec, 75 Yds |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| AFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Pittsburgh Steelers(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 355 | 303 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 356 | 342 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 4–8 | 346 | 302 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–5 | 1–11 | 288 | 460 | L1 |
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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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