| 1968 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Don Klosterman |
| Head coach | Wally Lemm |
| Home stadium | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The 1968 Houston Oilers season was the ninth season for the Houston Oilers as a professional AFL franchise; The team would play their home games in the Houston Astrodome. The Oilers would become the first team in professional football to play their games in a domed stadium.[1] The Oilers finished their season with a record of 7–7 and did not qualify for the playoffs.
Offseason
AFL draft
| 1968 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 42 | Mac Haik | Wide receiver | Ole Miss | |
| 3 | 77 | Elvin Bethea * † | Defensive end | North Carolina A&T | |
| 4 | 105 | Jim Beirne * | Wide receiver | Purdue | |
| 5 | 133 | Bob Longo | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh | |
| 7 | 187 | Paul Toscano | Defensive back | Wyoming | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
| 1968 Houston Oilers roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Taxi squad
| |||
Regular season
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–26 | 0–1 | Houston Astrodome | 45,083 | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | at Miami Dolphins | W 24–10 | 1–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 40,067 | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–30 | 1–2 | San Diego Stadium | 46,217 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | Oakland Raiders | L 15–24 | 1–3 | Houston Astrodome | 46,098 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–24 | 1–4 | Houston Astrodome | 36,109 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | at Boston Patriots | W 16–0 | 2–4 | Fenway Park | 32,502 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | New York Jets | L 14–20 | 2–5 | Houston Astrodome | 51,710 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | at Buffalo Bills | W 30–7 | 3–5 | War Memorial Stadium | 34,339 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–17 | 4–5 | Nippert Stadium | 24,012 | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | at New York Jets | L 7–26 | 4–6 | Shea Stadium | 60,242 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | Denver Broncos | W 38–17 | 5–6 | Houston Astrodome | 36,075 | Recap |
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| 13 | November 28 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–24 | 5–7 | Municipal Stadium | 48,493 | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | Buffalo Bills | W 35–6 | 6–7 | Houston Astrodome | 34,110 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | Boston Patriots | W 45–17 | 7–7 | Houston Astrodome | 34,198 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Jets | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 419 | 280 | W4 | |
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 303 | 248 | W2 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–3–1 | 276 | 355 | L1 | |
| Boston Patriots | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 229 | 406 | L2 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–6–1 | 199 | 367 | L8 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Notable Stats
| Player | Comp. | Att. | Comp% | Yards | TD's | INT's |
|---|
References
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 283