Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. (January 3, 1923 – October 21, 2013) was an American businessman who was the founder and owner of the Houston Oilers of the American Football League, of which he was also a co-founder. The franchise eventually was moved to Nashville, where it was re-named the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League (NFL) franchise. A member of the Cherokee Nation who originally made his fortune in the petroleum business, Adams was chairman and CEO of Adams Resources & Energy Inc., a wholesale supplier of oil and natural gas. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League (AFL).
Adams in 1964 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | January 3, 1923 Bartlesville, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died: | October 21, 2013 (aged 90) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Kansas (1942) |
| Career history | |
| As an executive: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Bud Adams | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant, junior grade |
| Battles/wars | World War II: Pacific Theater |
Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Oilers (now the "Titans"). He was the senior owner (by duration) with his team, now in the National Football League, a few months ahead of Buffalo Bills' owner Ralph Wilson. Adams also was one of the owners of the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the owner of the second Nashville Kats franchise of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was elected to the American Football League Hall of Fame, an online site, but as of 2024 is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite several nominations and an ongoing effort to make him such.
Adams had many other business interests in the Houston area, including owning several Lincoln-Mercury automobile franchises.