THE BUD ADAMS STORY

In his long, successful life, Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. proudly wore many titles: husband, father, founder, leader, entrepreneur, philanthropist, visionary, football fan.

Adams founded the American Football League and fought to make football more accessible in America, turning an exclusive sport into the country's most widely watched sport. Adams wholeheartedly loved football and worked hard to improve it right up until his passing at age 90. Thanks to his fierce determination, Adams helped the NFL become America's greatest pastime.

THE FAMILY MAN

While playing varsity football at the University of Kansas and acquiring his degree in engineering, Bud Adams met his future wife, Nancy Neville Adams. The pair enjoyed 62 years of marriage together before Nancy passed away at age 84. Nancy was an extremely involved spouse and stuck beside Adams through it all, he noted in an interview, "It's been a fun 60 years. She's gone along with the ups and downs and things that went sideways." Together, Adams and Nancy donated millions of dollars to various charities, hoping to "return the favor" to all the love they'd received from Nashville fans who constantly sold out home games, Adams would later recall.

Adams and Nancy had three children together, two daughters, Susan and Amy, and a late son, Kenneth S. Adams III, and had seven grandchildren. The Adams are a close-knit family that continues to manage Bud's legacy with the Titans.

THE OFFICER

In 1942, while still in school at KU, Adams joined the U.S. Naval Reserve. In July 1943, he was called to active duty in the Navy's V-12 college program, which allowed him to continue in school. In early 1944, he received orders to report to Midshipman Officer Specialty School at Notre Dame where he earned his Navy ensign commission in an accelerated 60-day program. He was sent overseas and assigned to a PAC-Fleet carrier unit, where he served as an aviation engineering officer. He returned to the U.S. in December 1945. Lt. J.G. Adams served as an aide in the U.S. Navy's Congressional Liaison Office in Washington, D.C. before his discharge in 1946. That same year, Adams was on a flight that was grounded in Houston due to fog, providing him an opportunity to survey the city and see its potential. He made it his home and built his business into a highly successful and diversified empire that ranked him among the most prominent businessmen in the country.

THE ATHLETE

A native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Adams took an interest in sports during his time at Culver Military Academy. Here, he earned letters in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1940 when he graduated, he attended Menlo College in California, lettering in rugby and football before transferring to the engineering school at the University of Kansas where he also lettered in football for the Jayhawks.

During his early business career, Adams, a year-round sports fan, was an avid sponsor of amateur and AAU teams in basketball and softball. His ADA Oilers were a perennial power in the National Industrial Basketball League in the '50s, capturing third place in the national AAU tournament in 1956. His interest in sports was further evidenced by past ownership participation in professional baseball, basketball, and boxing.

THE INNOVATOR

In his six decades as owner, the hardworking and innovative Adams made professional football history numerous times. In 1968, Adams' Oilers became the first AFL/NFL team to play its home games indoors by moving into Houston's Astrodome. Always fearless in his decisions, Adams consistently made significant moves that have improved his franchise or the league as a whole.

From the very beginning, Adams was the man Lamar Hunt approached first when forming the AFL because of his reputation for being a great businessman. As the league got started, Adams boldly signed players from the NFL (George Blanda) and poached others who chose the AFL over the NFL (Billy Cannon). Not only did he dedicate himself to the success of the Oilers, but he funded multiple teams in the AFL to ensure the league ran smoothly for its first 10 years. He found ways to acquire Hall of Fame talent; trading for a centerpiece of the defense in Curly Culp in 1974, trading four first-round picks to draft Earl Campbell in 1978, winning a bidding war for CFL star Warren Moon in 1984 and using back-to-back first-round picks in 1982 and '83 to draft Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews.

Adams' teams also became a platform for diversity as 26 of the team's 54 years have featured an African-American quarterback. Those quarterbacks (Moon, McNair, Young) combined to earn 13 playoff appearances, 11 Pro Bowls, an NFL Co-MVP (McNair, 2003), NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors (Moon, 1990) and NFL Rookie of the Year (Young, 2006). In 2006, Moon became the first African-American quarterback selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

THE LEGACY

Bud Adams was a visionary for professional football—he introduced the sport to so many new cities, hoping to unite the country through a shared love of the game. He was spontaneous but strategic, lighthearted but focused—he kept everyone on their toes. Adams will go down as one of the NFL's founding fathers, and his partnerships, investments, and decisions transformed football into what it is today.