Young Titans WR pays tribute to Oilers legend after 1st career TD

In 79 career games as a member of the Houston Oilers, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson racked up 171 receptions and 13 touchdowns. Yes youngsters, before Johnson ever played a down of football for the Falcons, he was an Oiler. He even picked up two more scores as a rusher (and five more as a punt returner). At the tail-end of a busy third week of NFL action, one in which the Tennessee Titans honored some Oilers alum, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine scored his first touchdown.

Maybe he’ll catch “White Shoes” in the record books someday. Even if he doesn’t, catching a touchdown pass at the highest level of football is reason enough to celebrate if you’re a young wide receiver trying to find your way in the NFL. Highlight the word ‘celebrate’ if you’re playing the home version of this game because this is truly special.

An up-and-coming Titans star pays tribute to an Oilers legend,

If you’ve hung out with your father or grandfather and talked about football, there are certain names that have no doubt come up in the conversation. Sure, you’ve heard about NFL royalty like Jim Brown, but you’ve probably heard about some of the most beloved and popular guys as well.

Had Billy Johnson played in today’s game, he would be a social media sensation. Since he isn’t, we can still go to YouTube and see if we can find clips of one of the most famous touchdown celebrations in pro football’s history.

If you have difficulty coming up with something, you can always use Westbrook-Ikhine’s first touchdown celebration as a reference point. Take a look.

In an age where there’s a wall between the old school and new school and some believe that songs that were recorded more than three months ago aren’t cool anymore, it’s nice to see that young guys like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are building bridges to connect the NFL’s present to its past.