⚾ MLB: 1962-2021 60 1
Joined the National League as an expansion team to begin the 1962 season. Moved to the American League in 2013 in order to faciliate MLB divisional realignment.
🏈 NFL: 2002-2021 20
The Houston Texans first played in 2002 as an expansion team, making them the youngest franchise currently competing in the NFL. The Texans replaced the city's previous NFL franchise, the Houston Oile...
🏀 NBA: 1968-2021 54 2
It was established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego. In 1971, the Rockets relocated to Houston. The Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as...

Defunct Teams

Teams that have folded or moved away from the Houston area.
F i l t e r   &   S o r t 
🏈 NFL: 1960-1996 37 2
Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team was founded by Bud Adams who owned it until his death in 2013 and began play in 1960 in Houston, Texas, as a charter member of the American Football Le...
WHA: 1973-1978 6 2
The Aeros were originally slated to play in Dayton, Ohio, as a charter member of the WHA. However, Dayton residents were indifferent at best to a WHA team, and while there were questions regarding whe...
The Spirits of St. Louis were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1974 to 1976. This was the third and last city of a franchise that had begun as a charter ...
The early history of sports contains hundreds of teams that appeared for only 1 or 2 seasons before folding. Most of these teams have no historical photographs or articles, so are omitted from this list to reduce clutter. To view a comprehensive list of all defunct teams, browse to the early leagues section for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey.