Reliant Stadium

Spearheaded by Bob McNair in 1997, the Houston NFL Holdings Group was formed in order to bring a NFL franchise back to Houston. The group commissioned HOK Sport to develop a retractable roof stadium. In 1998, after expanding to 31 teams, the NFL announced that it would further expand to 32 teams in 1999. Two cities competing for the 32nd team; Los Angeles and Houston. It appeared that Houston would never land another NFL team in March 1999, when the league announced that it had selected Los Angeles as the home of its 32nd franchise. However, this was contingent on the city and investors working together to develop a stadium deal. They were unsuccessful and in October 1999 the NFL rescinded the Los Angeles expansion franchise, awarding it to Houston.  

Named the Houston Texans, the new team partnered with the Livestock Show and Rodeo in building a stadium. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new stadium, built near the Astrodome, began in early 2000. In October 2000, Reliant Energy purchased the naming rights, thus the facility was named Reliant Stadium. The Houston Texans played their first regular season game at Reliant Stadium on September 8, 2002 against the Dallas Cowboys. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of around 69,000, consisting of three main tiers that enclose the field. A retractable roof was chosen for the stadium, mainly because of the late summer heat and because the stadium hosts rodeos, that attract two million people annually. The roof, that opens or closes in seven minutes, consists of two sections that meet over the 50 yard line when it is closed. When the roof is open, each section is above the seats in the endzone. Reliant Stadium has many amenities including over 8,200 club seats, 187 luxury suites, club lounges and bars, and a Texans team store. Although it has only been open for several years, Reliant Stadium has already been host to one of the biggest games in football, Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.