Every Major Professional Sports Team in Texas History - Page 2
From legendary champions to forgotten franchises, here is every major professional football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer team in Texas history.
Texas is home to numerous current and defunct major league sports franchises across football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.
Several Texas teams have won championships, while others struggled to build fan support and folded or relocated.
The passage provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Texas' professional sports landscape over the decades.
Source: Houston Astros mascot Orbit celebrates his birthday with other mascots during the MLB game between the Athletics and Houston Astros on June 5, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Every Major Professional Sports Team in Texas History
Texas has never had a shortage of major professional sports teams. From the Cowboys, Astros, Rockets and Spurs to long-gone franchises like the Oilers, Comets and original Houston Aeros.
Some teams became champions. Others lasted only a season or two before relocating, folding or changing names. A few helped launch rival leagues that eventually merged into today’s NFL, NBA and NHL.
For this list, we’re looking back at every Texas team that competed at the highest professional level in football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer.
That includes current franchises, defunct clubs and teams from major leagues like the AFL, ABA, WHA, NASL, WNBA, NWSL and Gainbridge Super League.
Football
Dallas Texans
League: NFL Years in Texas: 1952 City: Dallas | Cotton Bowl Previous or later identity: Championships: 0 What happened: The NFL’s first Dallas experiment lasted only one season. The Texans finished 1-11, returned the franchise to the league during the season and played their final games primarily on the road. The NFL canceled the franchise after the 1952 campaign.
Dallas Cowboys
League: NFL Years in Texas: 1960-Present City: Arlington | AT&T Stadium Championships: 5 Super Bowls, 10 NFC/Conference championships What happened: Unlike the Texans before them, the Cowboys became permanent. Dallas entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1960, reached eight Super Bowls and won five of them. The franchise remains based in North Texas more than six decades later.
Houston Oilers
League: AFL/NFL Years in Texas: 1960-1996 City: Houston | Reliant Astrodome Previous or later identity: Tennessee Oilers/Titans Championships: 2 AFL Championships What happened: The Oilers helped launch the AFL and won its first two championships, but Houston lost the franchise after the 1996 season. Owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee in 1997, and the organization adopted the Titans name in 1999.
Dallas Texans
League: AFL Years in Texas: 1960-1962 City: Dallas | Cotton Bowl Previous or later identity: Kansas City Chiefs Championships: 1 AFL Championship What happened: Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans were an original AFL franchise and won the 1962 league championship. Facing direct competition from the NFL’s Cowboys, Hunt moved the team to Kansas City in 1963 and renamed it the Chiefs.
Houston Texans
League: NFL Years in Texas: 2002-Present City: Houston | Reliant Stadium Championships: 0 What happened: Houston received another NFL team when the expansion Texans began play in 2002, five seasons after the Oilers left town. The new franchise opened by defeating the Cowboys.
Basketball
San Antonio Spurs
League: ABA/NBA Years in Texas: 1967-Present City: San Antonio | Frost Bank Center Previous or later identity: Dallas/Texas Chaparrals Championships: 5 NBA championships, 7 Conference championships What happened: The Spurs began as the relocated Dallas Chaparrals in 1973 and quickly found the support the franchise lacked in North Texas. San Antonio joined the NBA through the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, and the team has remained in the city ever since.
Houston Mavericks
League: ABA Years in Texas: 1967-1969 City: Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum Previous or later identity: Carolina Cougars, Spirits of St. Louis Championships: 0 What happened: Houston’s first major professional basketball team lasted only two ABA seasons. After struggling to build support, the Mavericks were sold and moved to North Carolina in 1969, where the franchise became the Carolina Cougars.
Houston Rockets
League: NBA Years in Texas: 1971-Present City: Houston | Toyota Center Previous or later identity: San Diego Rockets Championships: 2 NBA championships, 4 Conference championships What happened: The Rockets began in San Diego before relocating to Houston for the 1971-72 NBA season. The move gave Houston a lasting major-league basketball franchise, and the Rockets later won consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
Dallas Mavericks
League: NBA Years in Texas: 1980-Present City: Dallas | American Airlines Center Championships: 1 NBA championship, 3 Conference championships What happened: Dallas returned to major professional basketball when the NBA awarded the city an expansion franchise in 1980. The Mavericks began play during the 1980-81 season, later reached three NBA Finals and won the franchise’s first championship in 2011.
Houston Comets
League: WNBA Years in Texas: 1997-2008, 2027- City: Houston | Toyota Center, Reliant Arena Previous or later identity: Connecticut Sun (2027 franchise) Championships: 4 WNBA Championships, 3 Conference championships What happened: The original Comets won the WNBA’s first four championships, but the league suspended the franchise after the 2008 season when new ownership could not be secured. A separate franchise, currently the Connecticut Sun, is scheduled to move to Houston as the Comets in 2027.
San Antonio Stars
League: WNBA Years in Texas: 2003-2017 City: San Antonio | Frost Bank Center Previous or later identity: Utah Starzz, San Antonio Silver Stars, Las Vegas Aces Championships: 1 Conference championship What happened: The Utah Starzz moved to San Antonio in 2003 and became the Silver Stars, later shortened to the Stars. After 15 seasons in Texas, the WNBA approved the franchise’s move to Las Vegas for 2018, where it became the Aces.
Dallas Wings
League: WNBA Years in Texas: 2016-Present City: Arlington | College Park Center Previous or later identity: Detroit/Tulsa Shock Championships: 0 What happened: The franchise that began as the Detroit Shock and later became the Tulsa Shock moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the 2016 season. Renamed the Dallas Wings, the team continues to represent North Texas in the WNBA.
Baseball
Houston Astros
League: MLB Years in Texas: 1962-Present City: Houston | Daikin Park Previous or later identity: Houston Colt .45s Championships: 2 World Series, 5 Pennants What happened: Houston joined Major League Baseball as the expansion Colt .45s in 1962. The club became the Astros in 1965, matching the city’s space-age identity as it moved into the Astrodome.
Texas Rangers
League: MLB Years in Texas: 1972-Present City: Arlington | Globe Life Field Previous or later identity: Washington Senators Championships: 1 World Series, 3 Pennants What happened: The second Washington Senators franchise received approval to move to Arlington after the 1971 season. Renamed the Texas Rangers, the club began playing in North Texas in 1972.
What About the Negro Leagues?
Texas was home to several notable Black baseball clubs, including the Dallas Black Giants, Fort Worth Black Panthers and Houston Black Buffaloes. However, none competed as a Texas-based member of the seven Negro Leagues that Major League Baseball officially recognizes as major leagues from 1920 through 1948.
The Newark Eagles relocated to Houston in 1949 and played two seasons as the Houston Eagles, but their arrival came one year after MLB’s recognized major-league period ended.
Hockey
Houston Aeros
League: WHA Years in Texas: 1972-1978 City: Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum, The Summit Championships: 2 Avco Cups What happened: Houston’s original Aeros played six seasons in the rival World Hockey Association, reached the playoffs every year and won two championships. Unable to secure a new owner, the major-league club ceased operations in July 1978, one year before four WHA teams entered the NHL.
Dallas Stars
League: Years in Texas: 1993-Present City: Dallas | American Airlines Center Previous or later identity: Minnesota North Stars Championships: 1 Stanley Cup, 3 Conference championships What happened: The Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993 and dropped “North” from the name. The move established Texas’ first NHL franchise, and the Stars rewarded their new market by winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.
Dallas Tornado
League: USA/NASL Years in Texas: 1967-1981 City: Dallas Championships: 1 Championship, 3 Indoor championships What happened: Hunt’s quest for a professional sports franchise in Dallas continued when the Dallas Tornado began play in the United Soccer Association in 1967. They joined the new NASL after the leagues merged. Dallas won the 1971 championship and remained active through the 1981 season before the franchise folded.
Houston Stars
League: USA/NASL Years in Texas: 1967-1968 City: Houston | Reliant Astrodome Championships: 0 What happened: The Stars represented Houston in the United Soccer Association’s 1967 season, using Brazil’s Bangu club as their roster. Houston joined the newly formed NASL in 1968, but the Stars folded after that season, ending the city’s first major professional soccer run.
San Antonio Thunder
League: NASL Years in Texas: 1975-1976 City: San Antonio | North East Stadium, Alamo Stadium Previous or later identity: Team Hawaii, Tulsa Roughnecks Championships: 0 What happened: The Thunder brought top-level outdoor soccer to San Antonio for the 1975 and 1976 NASL seasons. After two financially difficult years, ownership moved the franchise to Honolulu for 1977, where it played one season as Team Hawaii.
Houston Hurricane
League: NASL Years in Texas: 1978-1980 City: Houston | Reliant Astrodome Championships: 0 What happened: The Hurricane played three NASL seasons in the Astrodome from 1978 through 1980. Houston surged to one of the league’s best records in 1979, but consistently weak attendance remained a problem. The club folded after the 1980 season.
FC Dallas
League: MLS Years in Texas: 1995-Present City: Frisco | Toyota Stadium Previous or later identity: Dallas Burn Championships: 1 Conference championship What happened: Dallas was one of Major League Soccer’s original markets when the Burn began play in 1996. The club rebranded as FC Dallas in 2005 and moved into its soccer-specific stadium in Frisco that year.
Houston Dynamo FC
League: MLS Years in Texas: 2005-Present City: Houston | Shell Energy Stadium Previous or later identity: San Jose Clash/Earthquakes Championships: 2 MLS Cups, 4 Conference championships What happened: Houston entered MLS in 2006 after the San Jose Earthquakes’ players and staff relocated to the city. The relocated club became the Dynamo and won MLS Cup in each of its first two seasons.
Houston Dash
League: NWSL Years in Texas: 2013-Present City: Houston | Shell Energy Stadium Championships: 0 What happened: The Dash became the NWSL’s first expansion franchise when they were awarded to Houston in December 2013. The club began play in 2014 and won the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.
Austin FC
League: MLS Years in Texas: 2018-Present City: Austin | Q2 Stadium Championships: 0 What happened: Austin FC began MLS play as an expansion club in 2021, becoming the Texas capital’s first major professional sports team.
Dallas Trinity FC
League: Gainbridge Super League Years in Texas: 2023-Present City: Dallas | Cotton Bowl Championships: 0 What happened: Dallas Trinity FC began play in 2024 as one of the original clubs in the USL Super League, now called the Gainbridge Super League. Because the league holds Division I sanctioning, Trinity gives North Texas another top-level women’s professional soccer team.
