Tennessee Unveils New Logo
The Tennessee Oilers' blue oil derrick is out for the soon-to-be Tennessee Titans. In its place: a Greek-inspired fireball.
Bud Adams, owner of the NFL franchise, unveiled the logo Tuesday to go with the new Titans name.
The man who started the Oilers in Houston 38 years ago acknowledged it won't be easy seeing his family's emblem retired along with the nickname.
"It's been a long time, but I think it's appropriate to come up with a name that would be more fitting for the state of Tennessee than the name Oilers," Adams said.
The Greek-inspired logo features a dagger-edged "T" accented with silver on a navy blue background surrounded by the three stars of Tennessee's state flag in a circle, which is set off by a tail of red and Columbia blue flames.
The logo plays off the importance of fire in Greek mythology, which spawned the Titans name and ties in with Nashville's designation as "the Athens of the South."
The Oilers' nickname officially will be retired by the NFL after the Pro Bowl in February. That is when the franchise becomes the Titans as first announced by Adams last month.
Adams unveiled the new logo in a tent adjacent to the Parthenon, Nashville's replica of the monument in Greece.
Fans lined at area stores to buy the new Titans' merchandise Tuesday after the announcement. Many had to wait for delivery trucks that weren't scheduled to arrive until later in the day.
That is a big difference from the Oilers' merchandise, which has been lingering on store shelves throughout Tennessee despite big price markdowns.
New uniforms won't be introduced until January, and the Oilers picked to play in the Pro Bowl will be dressed in the familiar white, red and Columbia blue for that game.
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