Bud Adams # 59

Bud Adams has died.

He was number 59 on the list.

Titans owner 'Bud' Adams, who died at 90 on Monday, attempted to purchase the NFL's Chicago Cardinals in the 1950s, before founding the AFL's Houston Oilers in 1960.

Kenneth Stanley 'Bud' Adams Jr. peacefully passed away Monday morning in his beloved hometown of Houston, Texas.

As co-founder of the American Football League in 1960 and original owner of the Houston Oilers, Bud Adams was a self-made billionaire who epitomized the stereotype of Texas oilmen.

He was also on the ground floor of the 1970 merger between the AFL and National Football League, while contributing to the NFL's subsequent growth for 40-plus years.

Love him or hate him — and there were plenty on both sides of that spectrum over the years — Adams was a man's man. And he didn't hesitate to move the Oilers here in 1997, eventually becoming the Tennessee Titans, when a new stadium deal in Houston could not be reached.

"Bud Adams played a pivotal role in the growth of pro football, as a pioneer and innovator," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "As a founding owner of the American Football League that began play in 1960, Bud saw the potential of pro football and brought the game to new cities and new heights of popularity, first in Houston and then in Nashville."

The myriad of Adams' far-ranging business successes laid the foundation for allowing him to grow and enjoy what he loved most — being the only Oilers/Titans owner for a franchise that launched in 1960, leading up to his death at age 90.

"His commitment to the best interests of the game and league was unwavering," said Goodell. "The team's impact in community relations and philanthropy set a standard for the NFL. Bud was truly a gift to the NFL."

Because of his longevity and the team's consistent success through the years, the franchise had accumulated 409 victories, making him the winningest current NFL owner at the time of his death. Over the years, the Oilers/Titans earned 21 playoff berths in 53 seasons, ranking eighth among NFL teams since 1960.

The Oilers won the first two AFL titles in 1960-61 and went to consecutive AFC title games in 1978-79 during the “Luv Ya Blue” days that featured star running back Earl Campbell and head coach Bum Phillips, who died Friday. But Adams' crowning moment came during the 1999 season, when Tennessee reached the franchise's first and only Super Bowl appearance — losing to St. Louis in the final minutes.

"I'm extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Bud Adams," St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher said on Monday. Fisher coached the Titans for 17 seasons (1994-2010) and guided the franchise Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.

"Mr. Adams gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL," Fisher added, "and I'm eternally grateful to him for that. We enjoyed a great deal of success together during my 17 seasons with the organization, and I'll cherish those memories for the rest of my life.

"My respect for Mr. Adams goes well beyond the owner/coach relationship that we shared for many years. He was a pioneer in the football business."

Adams was also a pioneer in businesses other than oil and football. He owned companies that included tank truck transportation of liquid chemicals, oil and gas exploration and production, extensive farming and ranching in California and Texas, cattle feeding, real estate, automobile dealerships and leasing.

Adams was also known as an eccentric, too. Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who played for the Oilers from 1984-93, remembers a visit to Adams' office during some tense contract negotiations.

"Mr. Adams had this tall office building," Moon recalled on Monday, via teleconference, "but his office was in the basement. There was this stream of water and a bridge and all these artifacts and things I had never seen before.

It was Adams who made Moon the highest-paid player in the league at one time and allowed him to flourish under the famous Run and Shoot offense. There were infamous moments, too, like the sideline fight between offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan during a 1993 game.

"(Adams) gave me my first opportunity in the NFL," Moon said. "The guy had a tremendous impact on the game of football as one of the original owners of the AFL. There were a lot of different things he did that helped make him an iconic figure.

"Bud Adams left a big imprint on the game of football."

During his six decades as owner, Adams made professional football history on numerous occasions, including the Oilers becoming the first AFL/NFL team to play home games indoors (the Astrodome). During the 1960s, the Oilers dominated the AFL, playing in the title game four times (1960-62 and 1967) and winning it twice (1960-61).

Following the AFL/NFL merger, the Oilers/Titans reached the playoffs 16 times, including 10 in Houston and six in Tennessee. The playoffs streak of seven straight seasons from 1987-93 was the longest in the NFL during that span. The team has not made the postseason since 2008.

"I would like to acknowledge Bud Adams as being one of the great owners of his time," former Houston Oilers great Curly Culp said on Monday, via email. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier back in August.

 

Other players, coaches and commentators who worked for Adams include: Don Suman, Lou Rymkus, George Blanda, Billy Cannon, Al Jamison,  Charley Hennigan, Jacky Lee, Wally Lemm, Charley Tolar, Don Floyd, Bill Groman, Dennit Morris, Ed Husmann, Mike Dukes, Tony Banfield, Fred Glick, Pop Ivy, Willard Dewveall, Jim Norton, Bob Schmidt, Bob Talamani, Rich Michael, Neill Armstrong, Sid Blanks, Pete Jaquess, Ode Burrell, Willie Frazier, W. K. Hicks, Bernie Parrish, John Henry Johnson, Don Klosterman, Hoyle Granger, Woody Campbell, Pat Holmes, Miller Farr, George Webster, Hugh Devore, Alvin Reed, Garland Boyette, Glen Ray Hines, Sonny Bishop, Bobby Maples, Ken Houston, Walt Suggs, Jim Beirne, Elvin Bethea, Zeke Moore, Jerry LeVias, Pete Beathard, Bob Brodhead, Charley Johnson, Dan Pastorini, Charlie Joiner, Lynn Dickey, Ken Burrough, Ed Hughes, Bill Peterson, Dan Henning, John Breen, Ron Saul, Mark Moseley, Bill Curry, Sid Gillman, King Hill, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Bubba Smith, Carl Mauck, Wade Phillips, Richie Petitbon, Robert Brazile, Ronnie Coleman, Joe Bugel, Elbert Drungo, John Hadl, Rob Carpenter, John Paul Young, Earl Campbell, Mike Renfro, Greg Bingham, Leon Gray, Rich Caster, Mike Reinfeldt, Toni Fritsch, Kenny King, Ed Biles, Ken Stabler, Greg Stemrick, Dave Casper, Bob Young, Dick Nolan, Jim Shofner, Ladd Herzeg, Ed Fisher, Jack Tatum, Carl Roaches, Archie Manning, Kay Dalton, Chuck Studley, Larry Moriarty, Mike Munchak, Tim Smith, Bruce Matthews, Keith Bostic, Oliver Luck, Jerry Glanville, Hugh Campbell, Butch Woolfolk, Drew Hill, Tony Zendejas, Steve Tasker, Dick Jamieson, Mike Rozier, Ernest Givins, Jamie Williams, Kent Hill, Mike Golic, Ray Childress, John Grimsley, William Fuller, Allen Pinkett, Jeff Gossett, Nick Saban, June Jones, Milt Jackson, Alonzo Highsmith, Richard Johnson, Haywood Jeffries, Sean Jones, Greg Montgomery, Lorenzo White, Curtis Duncan, Floyd Reese, Ray Sherman, Jack Pardee, Chris Palmer, Mike Holovak, Gregg Williams, Terry Kinard, David Williams, Chris Dishman, Al Smith, Johnny Meads, Jim Eddy, Webster Slaughter, Eddie Robinson, Jerry Gray, Marcus Robertson, Tom Bettis, Gary Brown, Wilber Marshall, Al Del Greco, Brad Hopkins, Terry Hoage, Jim Stanley, Billy Joe Tolliver, Blaine Bishop, Les Steckel, Frank Wychek, Chris Chandler, Mark Stepnoski, Kevin Donnalley, Darryll Lewis, Chuck Cecil, Mel Gray, Steve McNair, John Henry Mills, Dick Coury, Jerry Rhome, Eddie Goerge, Irv Eatman, Reggi Roby, Sherman Smith, Jon Runyan, Gary Walker, Yancey Thigpen, Craig Hentrich, Dave Krieg, Samari Rolle, Lorenzo Neal, Kevin Dyson, Jevon Kearse, Derrick Mason, Mike Heimerdinger, Benji Olson, Fred Miller, Gunther Cunningham, Jim Schwartz, Billy Volek, Drew Bennett, Keith Bulluck, Kevin Carter, Albert Haynesworth, Zach Piller, Gary Anderson, Erron Kinney, Lance Schulters, Neil O'Donnell, Justin Harwig, Dave McGinnis, Chris Brown, Norm Chow, Randy Starks, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Rob Bironas, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Travis Henry, Vince Young, David Stewart, Kevin Mawae, Michael Roos, Bo Scaife, David Givens, Eric Moulds, LenDale White, Kerry Collins, Chris Johnson, Alge Crumpler, Justin McCareins, Tony Brown, Cortland Finnegan, Chris Hope, Michael Griffin, Nate Washington, Kenny Britt, Jason Babin, Randy Moss, Mike Reinfeldt, Matt Hasselbeck, Keith Millard, Steve Hutchinson, Jake Locker, Zach Brown, Tom Moore, Ruston Webster, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Levitre, Delanie Walker, Kendall Wright, Alterraun Verner, Jurrell Casey, Leon Washington and Derrick Morgan.