The Houston Oilers
, who played at the Astrodome from 1960-96, moved to Nashville for the 1997 season. They maintained the name Oilers along with an oil derrick logo.After two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers, owner Bud Adams announced that the team would change its nickname since Nashville had no ties to the oil industry as Houston had.
In 1999, the franchise unveiled a new logo as the team was renamed the Tennessee Titans
."Titans" has some history as a football team name. It had been the earlier name for the current day NY Giants.
Adams selected the name because "Titans" were powerful ruling figures in Greek mythology and that seemed to fit since Nashville is nicknamed the "The Athens of the South." (Of course, it's also known as "Music City.") The city's own Parthenon is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
The Titans' web site has quite a bit of information about the franchise's Oiler history.