Titans to retire Steve McNair's No. 9 and Eddie George's No. 27
Since they each retired over a decade ago, the Tennessee Titans haven’t issued the jersey numbers - No. 9 and No. 27 - worn by Steve McNair and Eddie George, respectively, to any other players.
For years, it was an unwritten rule that those jerseys wouldn’t be worn again; but on Wednesday, the franchise made it official.
‘Forever linked’
In the unexpected announcement, the Titans and owner Amy Adams Strunk said that McNair and George’s numbers will be retired in a ceremony during Tennessee’s home opener against the Indianapolis Colts on September 15.
“Steve and Eddie will be forever linked as two of the driving forces for our team in the late 90’s and early 2000’s,” Strunk said. “They were the heart and soul of the team and each made the other a better player and ultimately led to a great deal of team success. Their statistics will forever live in our record books, but their play and sacrifice is what our fans will always remember.
“For that and all that they have done for our team, the number 9 and 27 will be retired with the all-time franchise greats.”
McNair was the third overall pick in the 1995 draft, while George was the 14th pick the next year. They will become the seventh and eighth players to have their numbers retired in Houston Oilers/Titans franchise history.
Ushered in era of success
During the eight seasons McNair and George played together, they ushered in an era of success for the Oilers/Titans, as the team went 80-48 (.625), the third-best mark in the NFL in that time behind the Green Bay Packers (88-40, .688) and Denver Broncos (83-45, .648), with two division titles and four playoff appearances.
They went to two AFC Championship games and were conference champions once, appearing in Super Bowl XXXIV.
The Titans have only won one division title in the 15 years since McNair and George were both in uniform with the team.
Record setters
McNair, who died on July 4, 2009, spent 11 seasons with the Oilers/Titans from 1995-2005 before spending the last two years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
In his time with Tennessee, he was a four-time Pro Bowler and in 2003 he was NFL co-MVP with Peyton Manning.
He passed for 27,141 yards and 103 touchdowns in 139 games, completing 59.5 percent of his passes.
George is the Titans/Oilers franchise leader in rushing yards, with 10,009, ahead of Hall of Famer Earl Campbell (9,407 yards). He also is the leader in yards from scrimmage (12,153).
George averaged 1,251 rushing yards a year with the Oilers/Titans and never missed a game or start in his eight seasons with the franchise.
His final NFL season, 2004, was spent with the Dallas Cowboys.
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