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of the Houston Texans, Reliant Stadium was
the first of its kind in the NFL, with a
retractable roof when it opened in September
2002. Prior to 1997, Houston had a NFL franchise,
the Houston Oilers. After thirty years of
playing in Houston, TX at the Astrodome,
the Oilers began demanding that a new football
only stadium be built in the mid 1990’s.
After numerous attempts to get a stadium
failed, the team decided to move to Nashville,
TN after the 1996 season. Once the Oilers
left for Nashville, a group including Bob
McNair, got HOK sport to design a new retractable
roof stadium, that could help lure a team
back to Houston. In 1999, convinced by the
Houston group, the NFL awarded the area
a new franchise, the Houston Texans to begin
playing in 2002. The Texans partnered with
the Livestock Show and Rodeo in building
a stadium. Groundbreaking ceremonies for
the new stadium, which was built near the
Astrodome, began in early 2000. The stadium
is capable of accommodating both football
and rodeos. In October 2000, Reliant Energy
purchased the naming rights, thus the facility
was named Reliant Stadium.
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