Super Bowl XIII Run

Lore & Background

In the annals of Tennessee Titans history, there is no record of a team reaching Super Bowl XIII. That championship game took place on January 21, 1979, featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. At that time, the franchise now known as the Titans was operating as the Houston Oilers in the NFL, not the AFL (which had merged with the NFL in 1970), but they were not participants in that specific contest. The confusion often stems from the team's actual Super Bowl appearance in January 2000, where the Tennessee Titans faced the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. That game is a defining moment in franchise lore, remembered for Steve McNair's leadership and the dramatic final seconds involving Kevin Dyson's interception attempt. The Oilers/Titans organization has never been a contender in the 1970s era of Super Bowl XIII.

In Their Own Story

The lights of the Superdome hummed with anticipation, but not for the team from Tennessee or Houston in 1978. The gridiron was dominated by Pittsburgh's steel and Dallas' blue, while the Oilers watched from afar, still finding their footing in the NFL landscape. Decades later, the spirit of that era would eventually lead to a different kind of destiny in St. Louis, but for Super Bowl XIII, the Titans were merely a future possibility, not a present contender.

Reader's Guide

The franchise began as the Houston Oilers in 1960, one of the original ten teams of the American Football League. They enjoyed early success, including an AFL Championship and a memorable playoff run in the late 1970s under Coach Bum Phillips, though they never reached Super Bowl XIII. In 1997, the team relocated to Tennessee, initially playing as the Titans while building their new home at Vanderbilt Stadium before moving to LP Field. This relocation marked the official end of the Houston era and the birth of the modern Tennessee identity. The defining moment of this new era arrived in the 1999 season when the Titans reached Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams, losing on a last-second interception. This run remains the pinnacle of the franchise's championship history to date.

Did You Know?

• Super Bowl XIII was played between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys in 1979.
• The Houston Oilers (predecessor to the Titans) were not a participant in Super Bowl XIII.
• The franchise's only Super Bowl appearance occurred in 2000 as the Tennessee Titans.
• Steve McNair led the Titans during their historic Super Bowl XXXIV run.