The Texans have several famous fans. One of the most vocal among them is Texas rap legend Bun B.
A native of Port Arthur who has lived in Houston since 1992, Bun B actively supports the team on Twitter, Instagram and elsewhere. He has been a guest host on the ESPN morning television show "First Take" to discuss his beloved Texans and other topics.
"My favorite thing about the Texans is that we're a great team, we have great players, and we have no drama," Bun B said Monday at Reliant Stadium on the “Off the Turf with Scurf” podcast. "We're just all about football. It's all about Sunday for us.
"I know my guys like each other. I know a lot of times in locker rooms, guys play together but not necessarily work together. The Texans, they get along as a team. They're very cordial with each other, and it's not really superficial or just because they have to be. They want to work together and they want to win together, and I think that's something to be commended. I love to brag about it."
Half of the rap duo UGK along with the late Chad "Pimp C" Butler, Bun B (whose real name is Bernard Freeman) said he has been a dedicated Texans fan for the last seven years. The Texans began play as an expansion team in 2002, five years after the departure of the Houston Oilers for Tennessee.
"I felt uncomfortable accepting the Texans in the early years, not necessarily because of the record or let's say the quarterback, but just being a hardcore Oilers fan in the youth, it took some time to get used to Houston football again," he said. "It took some time to fall in love with these Texans.
"I guess my thing kind of comes back to Andre (Johnson), meeting Andre and getting to know him as a person. When you get to know people, you kind of care more about the team. He's a really great guy, and a great, incredible athlete – Hall of Famer, obviously. Watching him and his accolades in the NFL, I started to get more and more accepting of the Texans. It was a couple of rough years there, being a Texans fan, but over the last few years, man, it's been amazing. I'm glad I hung in there. I'm glad I didn't give up on these guys."
Bun B – who plays an active role in the Houston community, has a new food blog called YouGottaEatThis.com and teaches a humanities class on hip hop and religion at Rice University – thinks the Texans have a "great chance" to win a Super Bowl within the next three years.
"I think we have people in every level (of the organization) from players to coaching to staff to front office, everybody wants this team to win for this city," he said. "There's great fans here in Houston. They love this team, they support this team and they ride with this team, and I think this team really wants to give it back. I think this organization would love nothing more than to give the city of Houston a Super Bowl championship. And I think we're closer than we've ever been as an organization. I think the city is ready as far as supporting this team. I think the energy is there. I think the energy is there in the locker room, I think the energy is there in Reliant Stadium, and I'm ready to see it happen. I think it could happen sooner than anybody thinks."
Twitter.com/NickScurfield
