HOUSTON, TEXAS.- In collaboration with the Houston Texans, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents First Down Houston: The Birth of an NFL Franchise, on view in the Caroline Wiess Law building,  1001 Bissonnet, through February 8, 2004. Featuring 86 black-and-white photographs by award-winning photographer Robert Clark, the exhibition, organized by Anne Wilkes Tucker, the MFAH Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography, marks the first time that the inaugural season of a professional football team has been documented from start to finish. A 224-page book featuring 225 photographs and an essay by Houston sportswriter Mickey Herskowitz accompanies the exhibition.

"First Down Houston is an example of how beauty can be found everywhere if we look for it," said Houston Texans owner Robert McNair. "Perhaps, as a result of this exhibition, sports fans will be exposed to additional exhibitions of art and appreciate it. Likewise, patrons of the arts will see the beauty that can be found in football. We all gain from the combined efforts of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Houston Texans."

More than a simple chronology of the team´s first season, First Down Houston reveals multiple angles of the Houston Texans, from team meetings and practices, to the excitement of fans on game day. Photographs in the exhibition, chosen from more than 30,000 photographs, include action shots and player portraits, pictures of training camp and weight-room sessions, and rare photographs of the players outside the public view. Clark also photographed McNair, the coaches, and other staff members that are part of the business of professional football. Seen together, the photographs tell a multifaceted story of athletic ability, human effort, and the joys and agonies of competition at its highest level.

Clark was granted unprecedented access for the project, following the team from the expansion draft in January 2002 through the end of the season. The photographs in First Down Houston capture the emotions of professional football from the anticipation of the first fan to enter the stadium for the team´s first home game September 8, 2002, to players preparing to play the last game of the season December 29.

"Football is one of America´s most beloved sports, and Texans embrace it with incredible fervor," said Peter C. Marzio, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "With professional football returning to Houston, we had the unique opportunity to capture the emotions of the team and the entire city through these powerful photographs. First Down Houston offers something for art lovers and sports fans alike, and we are proud to bring it to the people of Houston. We are extremely grateful to Robert McNair for his generous commission and donation to the museum." McNair, longtime patron of the MFAH, commissioned Clark to photograph the team and donated all of the photographs to the museum to enrich its collection of sports photography.

"The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has a strong collection of sports photographs going back to the 19th century," said Anne Wilkes Tucker, the Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography. "The return of professional football was truly historical for the people of Houston, and First Down Houston provided us a great opportunity to document an important event and strengthen a vital aspect of the collection at the same time."

Photographs in the exhibition follow the team through the season, including images of linebacker Jeff Posey answering questions after the Hall of Fame pre-season game August 5, offensive tackle Jimmy Herndon celebrating the first victory in franchise history September 8, and Head Coach Dom Capers addressing the team before a game against the Tennessee Titans. Clark also captured the physical challenges of football with photographs of rookie quarterback Carr facing a quarterback rush from the Washington Redskins´ defense, the Texans´ defense making a goal-line stop against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and wide receiver Jermaine Lewis returning a punt with coverage from linebacker Jimmy McClain.

In addition to the activities of the players and coaches on game day, First Down Houston also includes a look at the other people surrounding the team including the cheerleaders and the fans. The excitement of game-day at Reliant Stadium is captured in photographs of tailgaters outside the stadium and fans in the "Bull Pen" and reaching out to players for "high fives" and autographs. Completing the fervent atmosphere that surrounded the Houston Texans in their inaugural season are photographs of the cheerleaders encouraging the team from the sidelines and interacting with the fans.

Amid the action shots and candid photographs are portraits of players, coaches, and other members of the Texans organization. Portraits in the exhibition include a close-up shot of a Bible verse written on the tape on tight end Billy Miller´s hand, center Steve McKinney in a three-point stance, and portraits of Capers, Carr, All-Pro cornerback Aaron Glenn, running back Jonathan Wells, and defensive tackle Gary Walker.

About the Photographer - Robert Clark is an award-winning freelance photographer who graduated in journalism from Kansas State University in 1985. He worked as a staff photographer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Cincinnati Post, and the Ogden (Utah) Standard Examiner before working freelance. He has contributed to many magazines including Time, Texas Monthly, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic, producing three cover stories for National Geographic. He also has made more than 80 book jacket portraits including portraits of Don Imus, George Foreman, and Hillary Clinton. In 2002, his photographs of the World Trade Center collapse won first place in the spot news category of the World Press Photo Contest and second place in the Overseas Press Awards. In 1989, Clark and writer H.G. Bissinger produced the book Friday Night Lights, which was named the fourth best sports book of all time by Sports Illustrated in December 2002.

Organizer - First Down Houston is co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Houston Texans. Anne Wilkes Tucker, the Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography at the MFAH, is the organizing curator.

Sponsors - Support for this exhibition is provided by Siemens, Janice S. and Robert C. McNair, and the Houston Texans.

Catalogue - A 224-page book featuring 225 duo-tone photographs from the inaugural season of the Houston Texans will be published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and distributed by Texas A&M Press. DJ Stout of Pentagram Design provided creative direction for the publication. The book includes an introduction by Texans Owner Robert McNair, an essay by longtime Houston sportswriter Mickey Herskowitz, and a chronology of the Houston Texans by Anne Wilkes Tucker and Marisa Sanchez, curatorial assistant. The book is available in soft cover at the MFAH Shops for $29.95.