| History: 2000s
2000
January
8 – In a play known as the "Music
City Miracle," Kevin Dyson returns a Frank Wycheck
lateral on a kickoff return 75 yards for a touchdown,
lifting the Titans to a 22-16 victory in the AFC Wild
Card playoff game over the Buffalo Bills. The improbable
play, which occurred with just 16 seconds remaining
in the game, gives the franchise its first playoff
win in Tennessee in addition to its first since 1993.
January
16 – Eddie George rushes for
162 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown run,
as the Titans defeat the Indianapolis Colts,
19-16, in an AFC Divisional Playoff game at
the RCA Dome.
January
23 – The Titans beat Jacksonville for
the third time of the season and fifth consecutive
time, using 23 second-half points en route to a 33-14
win at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. Steve McNair
runs for two touchdowns and Derrick Mason returns a
kickoff 80 yards in the win. The win sends Tennessee
to its first Super Bowl in franchise history and its
first AFC/AFL Championship since 1961.
January
30 – The Titans fall short in their
quest to win Super Bowl XXXIV, as Kevin Dyson is
stopped one yard short of the end zone on the final
play of the game in a 23-16 St. Louis Rams victory.
February 16 – The
Titans sign unrestricted free agents
LB Randall Godfrey (Dallas) and T Fred Miller (St. Louis).
March 7 – Mike Heimerdinger
is named offensive coordinator, replacing
Les Steckel.
March 13 – Craig Johnson
(quality control/offense) and
Ronnie Vinklarek (quality control/defense)
are added to the coaching staff, while Jim
Schwartz is promoted to linebackers coach.
June 15 – The
Titans extend the contract
of Head Coach Jeff Fisher and expand his
title to Executive Vice President.
July 19 – The
Titans extend the contract
of RB Eddie George.
August
25 – The Titans host Monday Night
Football for the first time since moving
to Tennessee. A sell-out crowd of 68,072 at Adelphia
Coliseum watch the Titans defeat St. Louis, 30-3, in
a preseason Super Bowl XXXIV rematch.
October 16 – The Titans host
their first regular season Monday Night Football
game at Adelphia Coliseum, a 27-13 victory over the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
November 12 – Tennessee's
NFL record of 12 consecutive victories to
open a new stadium ends in a 23-24 loss to
the Baltimore Ravens.
December
14 – S
Blaine Bishop, RB Eddie George, T Brad Hopkins, DE Jevon
Kearse, KR Derrick Mason, G Bruce Matthews, CB Samari
Rolle and TE Frank Wycheck are named to the AFC team
for the Pro Bowl. QB Steve McNair is added as an
alternate, giving the Titans nine players on
the Pro Bowl roster, the most for the franchise
since nine players were selected in 1992.
December 17 – At
Cleveland, Bruce Matthews passes brother
Clay on NFL games played list at 279 games. Both are
honored in pre-game ceremony.
December 25 – The
Titans clinch the AFC Central Division Championship
with a 31-0 victory against the Dallas Cowboys,
earning a 13-3 record for the second-consecutive
season and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The defensive unit finishes the season ranked first overall
in the NFL.
2001
January 7 – Baltimore
defeats the Titans, 24-10, in an AFC Divisional
Playoff game at Adelphia Coliseum.
February 1 – Defensive
coordinator Gregg Williams is hired
as head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
February 2 – Jim
Schwartz is promoted to defensive coordinator.
February 6 – Gunther
Cunningham, former Kansas City Chiefs
head coach, is named assistant head
coach defense/linebackers.
February 22 – Everett
Withers is named defensive backs coach.
March 2 – The
Titans re-sign unrestricted free agent WR/KR Derrick
Mason, who set an NFL record in 2000 with 2,690 all-purpose
yards.
March 7 – The Titans agree
to terms with unrestricted free agent K Joe Nedney
from the Carolina Panthers.
March 8 – Former Pro
Bowl safety Chuck Cecil is hired as defensive
quality control coach.
March 28 – The Titans
agree to trade their first pick (29th overall)
in the 2001 NFL Draft to the St. Louis
Rams for defensive end Kevin Carter.
April 21 – The Titans
select DB Andre Dyson with their first
selection (2nd round/60th overall) in the
2001 NFL Draft.
May 22 – The NFL
announces its plans to realign divisions
beginning in 2002, placing the Titans in
the new AFC South with the Jacksonville
Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and expansion
Houston Texans.
August 4 – Mike
Munchak, Titans offensive line coach and former Houston
Oilers guard, is inducted in the Pro Football Hall
of Fame after being selected for enshrinement on January
27.
September 25 – Former
Nashville Kats (Arena Football League)
Head Coach Pat Sperduto is hired as director of arena
football league operations.
October 7 – Starting
at center in Baltimore, Bruce Matthews plays
in his 283rd NFL game and surpasses Jim Marshall
for first place on league's all-time list
for games played among non-kickers.
December 30 – Eddie
George records a season-high 130 yards
rushing against Cleveland, marking the 30th
100-yard game of his career. Additionally,
George becomes the first RB in franchise history
to post 200 career pass receptions.
2002
January 2 – Bruce
Matthews is named to his 14th consecutive Pro Bowl,
tying him with Merlin Olsen for the most Pro Bowl selections
in league history. Jevon Kearse also is selected for
the third consecutive year.
April 5 – The
team begins its fifth annual Tennessee Titans Caravan.
With 16 players plus staff participating, Titans Caravan
V goes on to make 64 stops, including 27 schools, in
Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama over a two-week period.
April 20 – The Titans select
DT Albert Haynesworth with their first pick (15th
overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft.
April 30 – Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams
announces that he has purchased an expansion Arena Football
League team that will begin play in Nashville in 2004.
The team will keep the name of the previous AFL team
that played in Nashville, the Nashville Kats.
May 15 – The Titans reach an agreement
with Citadel Communications to move the Titans' flagship radio
station to Nashville's 103 WKDF (103.3 FM).
May 30 – Craig Johnson is promoted to
quarterbacks coach. Ned James is hired as offensive assistant.
June 4 – The Titans reach a tentative
agreement with Adelphia Business Solutions to have Adelphia's
name removed from the coliseum, pending court approval.
July
15 – Offensive
lineman Bruce Matthews officially announces his NFL
retirement from the offices of Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams,
Jr., in Houston, Tex.
September 7 – Titans
owner Bud Adams unveils his team's PSL Founder's
Club display at Coliseum.
December 1 – RB
Eddie George becomes franchise's all-time leading
rusher, passing Earl Campbell, in victory at
New York Giants.
December 8 – Former
Titans/Oilers offensive lineman Bruce Matthews is
inducted into Titans' Hall of Fame and has his
jersey retired during special halftime ceremony
during Colts game. December
22 – Titans
clinch inaugural AFC South Division with 28-10 victory
at Jacksonville.
December 29 – Titans
go undefeated in inaugural AFC South division with
13-3 victory at Houston, securing a first-round bye
in playoffs.
December 29 – Titans become
NFL's third team to advance to playoffs after starting
their season 1-4
2003
January 1 – QB Steve McNair finishes third in
league MVP voting behind Rich Gannon and Brett Favre.
| January
11 – Titans defeat Steelers 34-31
in bruising AFC Divisional Playoff Game. |
 |
 |
January
19 – Titans play in franchise's
fourth AFC Championship Game, but fall short
at Oakland, 41-24. |
January 25 – Former Houston
Oilers DE Elvin Bethea named to the Pro Football Hall
of Fame's 2003 class.
February 3 – Head coach Jeff
Fisher coaches the AFC to a 45-20 victory in Pro Bowl.
February 7 – Titans president
Jeff Diamond signs a new one-year contract.
April 26 – Titans select CB
Andre Woolfolk with their first pick (28th overall)
in the 2003 NFL Draft.
June 25 – Head coach Jeff Fisher
agrees to terms on a long-term contract extension. December
7 – Frank
Wycheck becomes the fourth tight end in NFL history
to record 500 career receptions in Tennessee's 29-27
loss at home to Indianapolis.
December 7 – WR
Derrick Mason catches six passes for 64 yards at home
vs. Indianapolis to record his third consecutive 1,000-yard
receiving season.
December 18 – The NFL announces that four Titans are going to the 2004 Pro Bowl – QB
Steve McNair (named the starter), along with LB Keith
Bulluck, WR Derrick Mason, and P Craig Hentrich.
OT Brad Hopkins would later be named to the Pro Bowl
as a reserve.
December 21 – QB
Steve McNair leads a miraculous comeback at Houston,
throwing the game-winning touchdown to Drew Bennett
with 17 seconds left in Tennessee's 27-24 victory
on the road. In the process, McNair surpasses 3,000 passing
yards for the season, joining Warren Moon
as only the second QB in franchise history to do so four
times.
December 28 – Recently
re-signed QB Neil O'Donnell starts following
injuries to Steve McNair and Billy Volek.
He threw for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns
in Tennessee's season-ending 33-13 victory
over the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa
Bay Buccaneers. It marked O'Donnell's last
NFL game as he would announce his retirement
following the season. December 28 – Eddie
George becomes the 17th running back in NFL history to
record 10,000 rushing yards in the team's victory over
the Bucs. George rushes for 87 yards to push him over
the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the seventh time in his
eight NFL seasons.
2004
January
2 – QB
Steve McNair named NFL's co-MVP along with Colts QB
Peyton Manning. Each player receives 16 votes from
a national panel of 50 journalists.
January 3 – Titans
defeat Ravens 20-17 in AFC Wild Card Playoff Game
in Baltimore.
January 10 – Titans
fall at New England in AFC Divisional Playoff Game,
the coldest playoff game in franchise history (four
degrees, minus 10 wind chill)
January 11 – K
Gary Anderson, the NFL's all-time leading scorer (2,346
points), announces his retirement after 22 seasons.
January 20 – Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams
re-assumes team president role after Jeff Diamond's
contract expires.
January 23 – TE
Frank Wycheck announces his retirement from the
NFL after 11 seasons in the league.
April 24 – Titans select a league-high 13 players in the 2004 NFL Draft, including three players in the second round (the team traded its first-round pick) – TE
Ben Troupe, DE Travis LaBoy and DE Antwan Odom.
July 22 – Titans release RB
Eddie George.
September 11 – The Titans
season opener at Miami is played on Saturday instead
of Sunday due to impending Hurricane Ivan. Titans
running back Chris Brown rushes for 100 yards in
his first NFL start en route to the team's 17-7 victory.
October 11 – On
Monday Night Football, Steve McNair quarterbacks the
Titans to a 48-27 victory over Green Bay to give him
71 career wins as a starter, surpassing Warren Moon's
previous franchise record of 70 victories. The 48 points
set a Lambeau field record for a visiting team. Also
in the game, running back Chris Brown carries 27
times for 148 yards and two touchdowns, joining Stump
Mitchell (St. Louis Cardinals) and Don Calhoun (New
England Patriots) to become the third player in NFL
history to gain 100 or more rushing yards in four
of his first five NFL starts.
December 13 – Running back
Chris Brown totals 91 yards against Kansas City to
become the franchise's eighth player to eclipse 1,000
season rushing yards. He finishes the season with
1,067 yards on 220 carries.
December 19 – Titans
quarterback Billy Volek becomes fourth quarterback
in NFL history to pass for 400 or more yards in two
consecutive games after passing for 426 yards against
Kansas City (12/13) and 492 yards at Oakland (12/19).
The 918-yard total is the second-best two-game total
in NFL history behind Phil Simms' record of 945 yards
(1985).
2005
January 28 – The Arena Football League's Nashville Kats begin play under owner K.S. "Bud" Adams,
Jr., winning 47-38 at the Columbus Destroyers.
February 9 – University
of Southern California assistant Norm Chow is hired
as Titans offensive coordinator after a 32-year
career in college football.
February 21 – Titans part ways with six veterans – K Joe Nedney, DE Kevin Carter, CB Samari Rolle, RB/FB Robert Holcombe, T Fred Miller and WR Derrick Mason – due
to salary cap concerns.
April 23 – Titans select West Virginia cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones
with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
May 6 – Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams,
Jr. pledges $600,000 over three years for scholarship
program that provides money for college for one
student-athlete from every high school in Tennessee.
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