Deep In The Heart

DEC. 12 >> INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS >> NOON CST

[1] RIVER OAKS Exclusive hood of ex-president George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara. Among others in the Oaks: Robert McNair , Cogen Technologies founder who paid $700 million for Texans in 1999. [2] ASTRODOME "Eighth Wonder of the World" and ex-Oilers/Astros home gave world AstroTurf as well as "Bad News" Bears (Breaking Training) and Permian High Panthers (Friday Night Lights). [3] FOGO DE CHAO Brazilian churrascaria where Texans offensive linemen hold weekly socials. Says center Steve McKinney , "I love it because it's all-you-can-eat meat [for $44.50]." [4] SAN JACINTO BATTLEGROUND The 1,200-acre field where Texas won its independence from Mexico on April 21, 1836. [5] ENRON CENTER Energy company built the 40-story tower but never moved in on account of a certain securities-fraud scandal. [6] UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON Host of Oilers' first training camp, in '60, and onetime employer of former Oilers coach Bum Phillips . As Cougars defensive coordinator, Phillips had son Wade (now a Chargers assistant) as a linebacker. [7] MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY Texans coach Dom Capers gets in the stirrups at table 82 for some rigatoni on Fridays before home games. [8] COMPAQ CENTER 16,000-seat arena, former home of the Rockets, is being converted into a nondenominational church. [9] BEAUTY INDULGENCE DAY SPA In 2003 QB David Carr vowed not to cut his hair until Texans won back-to-back games. After beating K.C. and Oakland last month, Carr let Indulgence stylist Shaida Kootahi cut his locks--on live TV. [10] CHANNELVIEW Setting of bizarre murder plot in '91, when a mother hired a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter's cheerleading rival. The (failed) incident resulted in two (also criminal) TV movies. [11] MISSOURI CITY Warren Moon built dream home in suburb where ex--Bills running back Thurman Thomas was raised. Among Moon's amenities: a gym, a movie theater and the Kevin Wall, a privacy fence jokingly intended to keep Moon's off-field life secret from Oilers offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride , who lived nearby. [12] MINUTE MAID STADIUM Astros' home, where kicker Kris Brown won 2004 Texans home run derby by cranking two balls out. [13] THE CHURCH OF LORD JESUS CHRIST Heavyweight champ and grillionaire George Foreman preaches four times weekly. Nearby: the George Foreman Youth Center, a boxing haven the reverend opened in 1984. -- Adam Duerson

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RELIANT STADIUM
? SEATING CAPACITY: 71,054
? TEXANS' RECORD HERE: 8-14
? FIRST TEXANS GAME: Sept. 8, 2002 (Texans 19, Cowboys 10)
? RATIO OF SUPER BOWLS HOSTED TO YEARS IN EXISTENCE: 1:3 (2003: New England 32, Carolina 29)
? WEIGHT OF NFL 'S FIRST RETRACTABLE ROOF: 3,000 tons
? TIME REQUIRED TO RETRACT ROOF: Seven to 10 minutes
? GAMES UNDER CLOSED ROOF: 13 Texans; one Super Bowl
? IN-STADIUM TEAM WEIGHT ROOM: 10,000 square feet, largest in the NFL

439 MILES N
Tulsa . Aug. 6, 1960: The AFL's Houston Oilers debuted here in exhibition game with Dallas Texans . Oilers' George Blanda threw two picks, and Houston lost 27-10 after borrowing unis from the Texans. ( Houston 's had been stolen.) Better times soon arrived: Oilers finished year 11-4 as AFL champs.

1,069 MILES NE
Rockbridge County, Va. Birthplace of Sam Houston (1793), first elected president of the Republic of Texas (1836) and namesake of U.S. 's fourth-largest city.

666 MILES NE
Nashville . City to which Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams relocated team in 1997. Two years later his Tennessee Titans won franchise's first home playoff game since 1991.

1,329 MILES NE
Chester , Pa., Widener College. Division II school where Oilers AllPro wideout Billy (White Shoes) Johnson did the Watusi after TDs in 1972. Said Johnson, "[The nickname] made me kind of tough, because people thought white shoes were sissy stuff."

212 MILES E
Breaux Bridge , La. A billboard just off I-10 touts the small town's (pop. 7,281) two homegrown heroes: Texans' RB Domanick Davis , the 2003 NFL rookie of the year, and Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme . Also from Breaux Bridge : Ali Landry, the 1996 Miss USA.