DNA of Sports invites you to (re)discover the history of each franchise under the branding angle And of the ibrand mage. From the logo to the colors, including the jerseys and the origin ofhis namesAlland the ivisual identity of the Houston Texans East shellede and explainede in this article.
Why the name Texans?
After Houston was awarded the 32nd franchise on October 6, 1999, focus groups conducted jointly by “NFL Houston 2002” and NFL Properties were formed to help find a name for the franchise.
An online survey generated more than 65,000 responses in just one week, and on March 2, 2000, the organization narrowed the field down to five choices: the Apollos, Bobcats, Stallions, Texans and Wildcatters. The list was narrowed down to Apollos, Stallions and Texans a month later.
September 6th 2000the team East officially named Texans at a rally held in downtown Houston in front of thousands of people.
“The name Texans embodies the pride, strength, independence, and achievement that make the people of Houston and the surrounding area special.” Bob McNair.
The Texans are thus becames the 6th professional football team to have this nameIt was used by a defunct Canadian Football League franchise based in San Antonio, a former World Football League team in Houston (which later moved to Louisiana to become the Shreveport Steamer), and the Arena Football League team in Dallas between 1990 and 1993.
In the NFL, The Dallas Texans only played one season in 1952. Finally, the name ” Texans » was used by the Chiefs franchisewhen they were based in Dallas during the AFL era. Mcnair then received permission from Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt to use the term “Texans” for his new team.
The visual identity of the Houston Texans
The Texans logo was designed by Verlander Design of California. The designers used the colors used when the team was formed: red, white, and blue. This trio of colors is also used on the Texas state flag. The palette differs a bit, though, with the football team using a darker blue and a lighter red.
The logo is an abstract representation of the head of a Spanish fighting bull. It is not a Longhorn, not an ox, nor a cow. According to its creators, it is noble and perfectly represents the fighting spirit, but also courage, pride, strength, tenacity, and vigor.
A 5-pointed star is used in place of the eye and has a symbolic meaning. Each point corresponds to one of the core values of the team described above. The head is divided into two parts and takes up both the features of the Texas flag, but also a semi-circular shield. The left part (in blue) is a little larger than the right (red) and includes the star-shaped eye. This main version of the Texans logo is the only one known from the early days of the franchise.
While sharing the same color palette as the primary emblem, a secondary logo and an alternate logo were introduced in 2006.
The secondary logo and alternative logos
THE logo secondary Texans depicts the capital letters “H” in red and “T” in blue, positioned above a stylized rendering of the state of TexasA white star, similar to the one on the bull, corresponds to the location of the city of Houston.
Le logo alternative Texans is just the fusion between the main and Wordmark logos. This one takes place under the animal's head and takes the name of the team on two lines. “Houston” first, written in thin doubled letters. “Texans” below in wider doubled letters. The font used was specifically created for the team, with sharp edges on certain letters like the “E”, the “A” or the “N”. They evoke the sharp side of a bull's horns, thus helping to create an aggressive, even threatening impression.
A new logo for the Texans in 2024
Unveiled on X in April 2024, the new alternative logo represents a stylized H named “H-TOWN BLUE”. Inside we find what makes The visual identity of the Houston Texans: the ornamentation is directly inspired by the city colors and the logo was chosen by fans from 300 different designs. This new logo features the star present on the official logo representing the bull's head in order to ensure uniformity between the two logos that will be used together.
The Houston Texans are thus the first team to introduce a new logo on an alternative helmet and also the first to introduce a two-logo system on all their helmets. A new visual identity designed to bring them luck this new season? In any case, the Texans, in the person of CJ Stroud, are already number one in jersey sales in 2024!
Houston Texans Uniforms and Helmet
The Texans' first uniform was unveiled in 1999, when the team was founded, but some changes were made during their first season in 2002. It has remained the same since then, but the team has gone through many combinations. The two main changes were the adoption of a version Color Rush and a small change to their jersey in 2019. And we finally just got the biggest uniform change in 2024.
Originally, Lthe jerseys Texans were blue, with white numbering circled in red. The latter color was present on the collar and the top of the shoulders in the form of stripes. The rest of the ensemble consisted of white pants with a red-blue-red side stripe, and blue socks.
For away games, the same design was respected. A white base welcomed red numbers, shoulder stripes and a blue collar. The bottom was also blue. Each uniform was flocked with a patch commemorating the inaugural season. The ensemble was completed by an all-blue helmet with the franchise logo on each side.
Variants in the 2000s
The following year, the red alternate jersey was introduced into the rotation by mixing the two versions. White was used for the numbers and pants. Blue for the neckline and shoulder stripes.
In 2006, the franchise changed the combination for the first time. The home jersey was paired with blue socks, the away jersey with white. Red pants appeared the following season for the alternative version during the Battle Red Day. That day all the decorative elements around the franchise logo had adopted an outline of this shade. This event was then removed in 2011, as were the pants which were no longer used.
In 2012, with the move to Nike as the official kit supplier, the neckline was considerably thickened. To celebrate the team's 10th anniversary, a distinctive patch was placed on the chest.
Four years later, The Texans tested a new combination by using blue pants with the red jersey.. For the version Color Rushit was white that was chosen in 2016. The players were dressed in it from head to toe. Before adopting an all-blue look the following year. Then it was just a few distinctive signs that were added in the following years. In 2018, it was a commemorative patch in memory of owner Bob McNair. Then the franchise incorporated its logo above the nameplates on the back.
The big change for the Texans is now
And here we are in 2024 with a small revolution: a change of outfits. The Texans were one of the last teams to have the same uniform since the beginning of the franchise: it's over since this year! The Texans offered their fans in April the new version of their outfit for the coming year.
This new uniform modernizes the style of the outfits thanks to a graphic style more in line with what is now done in the NFL. The Texans have also given in to the sirens of affixing the name of the city on their uniforms as is now the case for many franchises during their makeovers.
Four new jerseys have been created: a deep blue home jersey, a white away jersey, a third red outfit equivalent to previous years and finally, a set H-Town with a new helmet featuring a stylized light blue H on a midnight blue background.
The Houston Texans mascot
Toro has been the official mascot of the Houston Texans since his debut in 2001. From his high-flying stunts to his hilarious social media antics to his role as the orchestra conductor at Texans home games, Toro has proven to be one of the best mascots in all of professional sports.
She is one of the most followed mascots on social networks after the success of her numerous prank videos, which have earned her a total of 1.5 million followers. The Texans mascot has been selected to the NFL Pro Bowl 11 times. When he’s not in the stadium cheering on his team, Toro tries to make a meaningful impact on the Houston community through his elementary school programs, visits to Texas community partners and more. The Toro mascot makes 400 appearances throughout the year in Houston, Texas, the United States and even the rest of the world (Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, England…).
Toro was awarded the NFL Mascot of the Year award in 2020. The award is voted on annually by the 26 NFL mascots at the NFL Mascot Summit (yes, you read that right) and is given to the NFL mascot who has achieved the greatest overall success with his community. Americans are now doing things differently when it comes to sports marketing.
