Former Texans cornerback Aaron Glenn helped kick off the team's celebration of its 10th anniversary last Thursday at Reliant Stadium.
Glenn met with media to look back at the Texans' Expansion Draft, which took place on Feb. 18, 2002. The Expansion Draft was the first series of player transactions in Texans history, with the team selecting 19 players from 14 other NFL clubs. Glenn was the Texans' third pick after spending his first eight NFL seasons with the New York Jets.
Glenn went on to become one of the Texans' first Pro Bowlers in 2002. He played three seasons in Houston and remains tied for second in team history with 11 interceptions as a Texan. A Houston native, he became the first player to officially retire as a Houston Texan when he signed a one-day contract with the club on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, and subsequently announced his retirement.
Texans TV's Drew Dougherty interviewed Glenn about the franchise's 10-year anniversary on Thursday.
What was life like 10 years ago when you found out you were leaving the Jets and coming here to Houston?
Life was good. I had a chance to leave New York and be able to come home to family and friends, and play in front of family and friends. I enjoyed that moment. It was a dream come true. There are not a lot of people in this League that get a chance to come home and play. I was awarded that option to be able to do that. I tried to take every advantage of it. I think this team tried to give the city everything they wanted back then. Even though we came up a little short, I think we tried to do everything we could to be the team that the city wanted.
You were one of the first stars on this team, one of the first Pro Bowlers as well. You saw some promise on this team, right?
I did. I did. You've got to give a lot of credit to Mr. (Bob) McNair on the way that he built this team. He built a foundation of bringing the right guys in, and you could see as the years continue to go on, he's continued to bring those high-character guys in. Any time you're building a team, you want to make sure that the character and integrity of the team is intact. You've got to bring those type of guys in. He's continued to do that. Over the years, I think it shows why the success of the team is happening right now. You could see what's going to happen, year after year, because of the type of players that he's bringing in.
You were out on the edge on some of those great "Wrecking Crew" (Texas A&M) defenses. What was it like coming back, and what were your family members and friends saying about the new franchise in town?
Well, I'm a diehard Aggie, and I could talk Aggie football all day. Just getting a chance to be able to go back to my alma mater and be able to watch those guys play during that time was always a treat. I think the one thing that people in Houston were saying was that there's no reason Houston shouldn't have a franchise, a football team. Mr. McNair brought that back to Houston. I think right now, and even back then, they supported this team. They're going to continue to support this team because they know the drive from Mr. McNair and what he's trying to build here. He's trying to build a team that's trying to continue to compete year in and year out. I think right now they've built that, just because of the foundation that he's set with this team.
You played on some different clubs in the NFL. What was it like seeing the facilities here, seeing how you were treated by the organization?
I played in New York for eight years and the facility there was almost the same facility that (former New York Jets quarterback) Joe Namath played in, and (former Jets head coach) Weeb Ewbank or something. Then, coming here and seeing how big my locker was, it was a treat. I think the way the stadium has been built, it's really put players in a comfortable position, and that's okay. You want your players to be comfortable. I think Mr. McNair was the actual trend-setter as far as the way you treat your players, as far as the stadium, as far as what they eat, the nutritionist, the weight room and all that. I think he was a trend-setter at doing that. You see teams starting to do that and having success with their teams.
The first 10 years were interesting. How much fun might the next 10 years be for this franchise?
I think the city now understands that we have a team that's going to continue to compete, year in and year out. I'm hoping, just like they're hoping, that there will be a couple of championships within those 10 years to come. I know what happened. I have no doubt in my mind that it will happen, because of the way Mr. McNair acts and the way that he goes about business. Every year, they're trying to build this team and get better talent. They're going to continue to do that, because people love being here in Houston and the way the team did this year, it's a no-brainer that guys are going to want to be here.
