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An original Oiler, Jim Norton mainly played off of the bench as a rookie, which was the year that Houston won the inaugural AFL Championship. He would be a much more significant contributor in the years that followed.
Norton was a starting Safety in his sophomore season, posting a career-high nine Interceptions. The Oilers won the AFL Championship again, and Norton's performance against Denver cemented them a spot in the 1962 AFL Title Game when he picked off Bronco's Quarterback, Frank Tripucka, three times. The Oilers did not three-peat, but Norton was named to the AFL All-Star Team that year.
Norton was an All-Star again in 1963 and 1967, and twice was a Second Team All-Pro. He retired after the 1968 season with 45 career Interceptions. Norton was also a star Punter who led the AFL in Punts and Punting Yards in 1965.
Norton, who was beloved by the Oilers, would have his number 43 retired by the team in 1968, becoming the first player to earn that in franchise history. He would later be inducted to the Oilers/Titans Ring of Honor in 1999.
From Prairie View A&M, Ken Houston was taken way back in the 9th Round of the 1967 Draft, and it could have been the biggest theft of that year's selection process. Ironically, the Oilers would make the worst trade in franchise history when they sent him to Washington years later.
The Safety was a starter as a rookie, beginning nine of his 14 Games, and he would make the Pro Bowl the following year and did so again the next four seasons. Houston was easily one of the top Safeties in the AFL/AFC when he competed as an Oiler, and he picked off 25 passes, returning nine for Touchdowns.
The Oilers had a superstar in their defensive backs corps, but they made a tactical error; as though they were struggling, they traded him to Washington for five players. None of the players that Houston acquired would be decent, and the Safety would go to many more Pro Bowls.
Houston was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is also a member of the NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams.
As an Oiler, Houston had 25 Interceptions, but he could have had more for the team had they not sent him East. The Oilers/Titans organization named Houston to their first franchise Ring of Honor class in 1999.
One of the best offensive players that East Carolina ever produced, Chris Johnson was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the First Round and was immediately the team’s workhorse.
Johnson was a Pro Bowler in his first three seasons, with his sophomore campaign (2009) proving to be special. Named the Offensive Player of the Year, Johnson rushed for a league-leading 2,006 Yards, and he caught 50 passes for another 503 Yards. His 16 Touchdowns would also be a personal best. Johnson's last Pro Bowl year was 2010, but his next three years saw him crack the four-digit mark in Rushing Yards, making it six years in total that he accomplished that feat.
Johnson left Tennessee when he was released after the 2014 season, and he never came close to that success again. He accumulated 9,968 Yards From Scrimmage as a Titan.
Known for his brute strength, Curley Culp played the first half of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped them win Super Bowl IV. He was traded to Houston during the 1974 Season, and it was in the state of Texas where he proved himself Canton worthy.
In 1975, which was Culp's first full season in Houston, he was a First Team All-Pro and went to his third Pro Bowl. Culp went to the Pro Bowl the next three seasons and was regarded as one of the top Nose Tackles in the game. Culp was the star of Defensive Coordinator Bum Phillips' 3-4 Defense, and his skill was the centerpiece of what was created in Houston.
Culp entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.