NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 30: Eddie George, former member of the Tennessee Titans, on the field before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Colts defeated the Titans 33-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
The Tennesse Titans have announced that the numbers of the late-Steve McNair and Eddie George will be retired during their 2019 home opener.
Eddie George and the late Steve “Air” McNair were the faces of the Tennessee Titans when they were at their best.
The tandem led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance and was a force to be reckoned with in the team’s early years in Nashville. With all the two have accomplished, we were wondering when the Titans would make No. 9 and No. 27 unavailable for any other player to wear.
Now, we have the answer.
According to Titans Online, the team will retire the numbers of George and McNair during their 2019 home opener against the Indianapolis Colts, which will take place on Sept. 15. “Steve and Eddie will be forever linked as two of the driving forces for our team,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk announced in a press release.
They were indeed the driving force that helped establish the Titans as contenders in the late 90s and early 2000s. They were already established as stars when the Titans moved to Tennessee. During those years, they, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, consistently dominated in the AFC.
They came within a Derrick Mason arm-stretch of bringing their new hometown of Nashville the Lombardi trophy, and with George running over defensive lines and McNair devastating defenses both in the air and on the ground, the Titans had an 80-48 record during their run.
Only the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos had a better record from 1996 to 2003, and they won two AFC South division titles, made two AFC Championship Games and reached the playoffs four times. Judging by their record and stats, it was beyond time for the Titans to honor the two players who were the face of their glory years.