Before smartphones told us where to be, before fantasy football consumed Sundays and before every stadium seat glowed with someone filming the game instead of watching it, fans carried pocket schedules so that they didn’t miss the big games. Yes, even Oilers fans. I mean, you wanted to know the exact day and time you’d be humiliated. 

They lived in wallets. They were used as bookmarks. They rode around in the glove compartments of Ford F-150s with three-on-the-tree transmissions. They got folded, coffee stained and consulted every Thursday afternoon when somebody asked, "Who do the Oilers play this weekend?"

This one takes us back to 1980.

If you're a Houston football fan, you already know what that means.

"Luv Ya Blue."

Bum Phillips.

Earl Campbell running over linebackers who probably still wake up sweating.

The Oilers were one of the NFL's most exciting teams, and the city absolutely adored them. Blue pom-poms filled the Astrodome. Grown men wore cowboy hats with oil derricks on them. Kids knew every player's number. Houston wasn't simply cheering for a football team—it was cheering for itself. And it was an organic part of H-Town culture. Something that truly reflected who we were. I mean, not The Choke in 1993, that didn’t reflect #$*! But before that. 

Appropriately enough, this schedule was sponsored by Texas Commerce Banks, another institution that helped define Houston during the city's oil-boom years. Long before online banking and smartphone apps, Texas Commerce was one of the financial giants that helped build modern Houston. The pairing feels perfectly natural: Houston's biggest bank promoting Houston's hottest football team.

The cover artwork is pure early-1980s magic.

Bum Phillips stands confidently beneath his trademark cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses, looking exactly like the man who once said there were only two kinds of coaches: "Them that's fired and them that's gonna be fired." He was such a gentleman. He didn’t like to wear his hat in the ‘dome because, technically, that was indoors. Even though there was a lot of it. 

Behind him, the Astrodome crowd dissolves into shades of Columbia blue while the iconic "Luv Ya Blue" slogan reminds you just how completely this city embraced its team.

Schedules like these weren't intended to survive. But, unlike the Oilers, this rare artifact did. In fact, it even outlived Texas Commerce Bank—which was eventually absorbed into JPMorganChase in 2000 after a series of mergers. 

This schedule remains in good overall condition with bright colors, clean printing and only light handling wear. I’d originally purchased this piece to include in a book project but decided not to use it out of copyright concerns. Whether displayed beside your Oilers helmet, ticket stubs or Earl Campbell memorabilia, it instantly transports you back to one of Houston sports' greatest eras. 

Details

• Original Houston Oilers 1980 pocket schedule

• Sponsored by Texas Commerce Banks

• Features Bum Phillips cover artwork

• Good overall condition

• Fold-out schedule format

• Sellout team ownership not included 

I like the Texans, but, let’s be real, that’s a corporate entity; a business plan disguised as culture. The Oilers were authentic, real and organically grown. And this piece of sports history provides a wonderful snapshot of those glory Luv Ya Blue days.