Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating Team [Hardcover]

John Pirkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

The heroes, highlights and heartaches of the Houston and Tennessee Oiler NFL franchise from the first AFL Championship in 1960 to the mismanaged affair at Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998. The format is oversized containing 369 pages and around 150 photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Houston Oilers are now the Tennessee Titans. The team was one of the original American Football League franchises in 1960 and was the league's first champion. Sadly for Oiler fans, that was the high point for a team that has never even been to a Super Bowl. Pirkle, a Houston attorney and lifelong fan, points out that owner Bud Adams, whose son-in-law now runs the team, was always in the business to make money, not to win. Tennessee fans, Pirkle cautions, might want to steel themselves against pending heartbreak. Even non-Texans will enjoy this fascinating team history, which is sprinkled with such marquee names as George Blanda, Earl Campbell, and folksy former coach Bum Phillips. The narrative is presented chronologically, and Pirkle wisely condenses the worst seasons and dwells on the best. Included within the on-field account are the sometimes Machiavellian financial motives of owner Adams. An intriguing and instructive slice of NFL life. Wes Lukowsky

From Kirkus Reviews

paper 1-891422-01-4 The highs and lows of the Houston Oilers football franchise, from its inception to its departure to Nashville, Tenn., are well documented in this team biography. The tone of Oiler Blues, as written by Pirkle, a former US Department of Justice trial attorney and a third-generation Houstonian, is one that reflects the emotions of the beleaguered Oiler fans who for 37 years saw hints of possible greatness but who were always ultimately disappointed. The team never appeared in a Super Bowl, even though they made the playoffs 10 times and advanced to the AFC championship twice. (At the beginning, in 196061, when they were in the AFL, they did win the championship twice.) The cumulative 37-year record for the Houston Oilers was 251 wins, 291 losses, 6 ties (.463). Throughout the years, there were stars and personalities for the fans to root for, including George Blanda, Ken Stabler, Warren Moon, and Earl Campbell, but there were also players whose promise never was fulfilled. And there was owner Bud Adams, coaches, and management, all of whom made decisions at times that seemed to undermine the teams success (for example, trading away Steve Largent and the rights to Joe Namath). The love affair the Houston fans had with their team becomes bittersweet, as the saga ends with the Oilers 1997 move to Tennessee. Breaking the book down year by year, Pirkle gives a good overview not only of the teams results, but also of the franchises mindset. It also gives an indication of the evolution of football, in the age of television, into a money-making vehicle. The oversize format of the book, with its black-and-white photos, makes Oiler Blues a good, nostalgic photo album for the fans and a good reference for anyone interested in the newly named Tennessee Titans as they embark on creating their own memories. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Sportline Pub (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891422006
• ISBN-13: 978-1891422003
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,069,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating, December 30, 1999

By 

Luke Loeser (Alvin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating Team (Paperback)

A must read book for die - hard Oiler fans. John Pirkle presents the facts that will help the fan understand what happened and why they should be thankful the Oilers no longer are in Houston. It will give the Titan fans a clear understaning of what the future will hold with the current owner at the helm.

The book gives the reader a detailed look at what the birth of the modern football league was really like. It is filled with interesting facts and photos that for some will evoke both pleasant and painfull memories. As a life long Oiler fan, this book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions as I re-lived Oiler history.

To paraphrase the comedian George Carlin, it's like milk that's been in your refrigerator for two months. You know it's sour, but for some unexplainable reason, you just have to smell it. I had an idea of what was inside this book but, I just had to read it. Once I stared, I couldn't put it down.

Oiler Blues is great sports history for any football fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two reasons why it was fun to read this thing, November 27, 2000

By 

Douglas Longshore (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating Team (Paperback)

1. It brings back a lot of old memories, not so painful in the rearview mirror. Wouldn't you be happy to pay one dollar and sit with all the other Jr. Q'Backs at Jeppesen again? Reading this book is like that.

2. It's full of errors in player names, place names, and typos ("felled by a viscous hit" is my favorite). For example, Pirkle tells us about "Dan" Floyd for 40 pages, then for some reason he starts getting it right ("Don"). Trust me, I'm not picking on Pirkle; there are dozens of these. It gets to where you look forward to the next booboo as much as the next game you remember being at. Did anybody think to edit this thing? Is Pirkle too young or too sloppy to do it well himself? Oh heck it doesn't matter. 4 stars, well deserved.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luv The Blue, December 4, 2000

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating Team (Hardcover)

The title of this book best sums up being an Oiler fan: frustrating. Despite the fact that the team made the Super Bowl last year, they did it as the Titans and not in Houston, but Tennessee. There are so many other near misses and could have beens with this franchise and this book humorously accounts the almost 40 years of Oilers history. The book is nicely broken up into chapters for each season and although there is some historical inaccuracies, the book isn't about stats or names. The book is about the missteps and blunders the team's management has made through the years, so it's kind of appropriate that John Pirkle makes some errors along the way. If you're an Oiler fan, this is a must read and if you are not fan, this book is still enjoyable as it is funny and has a nice cynical edge to it.