| 1970 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Bob Brodhead |
| Head coach | Wally Lemm |
| Home stadium | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–10–1 |
| Division place | 4thAFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1970Houston Oilers season was the 11th season overall and its first as part of theNational Football League. The team failed to improve on theirprevious 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 theSteelers andBengals.
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 theAstrodome, starting quarterbackCharley Johnson suffered a brokenclavicle when he was clipped by Pittsburgh defensive tackleChuck 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 theDenver Broncos, before losing their final 3 games of the season, including a 52–10 rout by in-state rivalDallas 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 onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB) Special teams(ST) | Practice squad
Reserve
|
| 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 inbold text. | |||||||
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
 | This article relating to anAmerican footballseason is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
