BUD ADAMS TIMELINE
1923: Bud Adams is born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma to petroleum mogul K. S. "Boots" Adams and Cherokee Blanch Keeler Adams.
1940: Adams graduates from Culver Military Academy after lettering in three sports.
1942: Adams attends Kansas University where he plays football, acquires his degree in engineering, and meets his future wife Nancy Neville Adams.
1946: At 23, Adams founded a wildcat oil drilling company, ADA Oil, as part of the family petroleum business his father had inherited from his grandfather. This money would later help to fund Adams' football investments.
1957: Motivated by his love of football, Bud Adams attempts to purchase an NFL franchise close to his home in Houston but is turned away.
1959: Bud Adams and Lamar Hunt agree to form the American Football League and start recruiting candidates for teams.
January 1960: Adams goes toe-to-toe with the NFL to sign Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon during the first AFL draft and succeeds—this new league begins to pose a real threat to the success of the NFL.
September 1960: Adams and Hunt launch the American Football League with eight franchises: Buffalo, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Los Angeles.
June 1960: The AFL signs a five-year television contract, ensuring the income these teams need to compete against the NFL and afford to pay players.
January 1961: Adams' Houston Oilers win the AFL Championship for the next two years.
1961: Adams lends money to the New York Titans to keep the AFL functioning smoothly as a whole—every team within the league needed to continue operating in the largest television market in the country.
1964: Adams fights to keep Joe Namath in the AFL—he comes to an agreement with Leon Hess, an owner of the Jets, to trade the Oilers draft rights in order to keep Namath in the AFL. Namath goes on to help win Super Bowl III for the Jets, which becomes a major factor in the NFL's decision to merge the leagues.
1970: After 10 years and four Super Bowls, the AFL and the NFL merge thanks in part to Adams' unstoppable determination to see this league succeed.
1975: Adams employs Tom Williams as the assistant general manager of the Oilers—the first African American to be hired for that position in the history of the NFL—advancing persons of color in the front office.
1978: Under the leadership of new coach Bum Phillips, the Oilers make it to the playoffs for the first time since the merger.
1978: Despite losing to the Steelers in the AFC championship, the Oilers return home to a packed pep rally at the Astrodome, inspiring the "Luv Ya Blue!" era as the fanbase sees significant growth.
1979: Oilers lose back-to-back AFC Championship games—both to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Head Coach Bum Phillips and the returning Oilers watch 70,000+ Oiler fans meet them in the Astrodome, and Phillips becomes the most successful Oilers Head Coach since the formation of the AFL 20 years earlier.
1987-1993: The Oilers have a seven-year playoff streak—at the time it is the second-longest playoff streak in NFL history.
1995: Adams sees the potential Nashville has as a home for the Oilers. It booms with energy and passionate fans from the University of Tennessee. He signs a preliminary letter of agreement to relocate the Houston Oilers to Nashville in a state-of-the-art football/soccer stadium.
1999: Adams changes the name from Oilers to Titans, rebranding the team for more Tennessee pride.
2000: The Titans advance through the playoffs to win their first AFC Championship since the merger. During Super Bowl XXIV, the Titans fall to the St. Louis Rams in one of the most competitive Super Bowls in history.
2013: Adams passes away at his home in Houston at the age of 90. At the time of his passing, Adams has the most wins of any living NFL owner: 409 victories over 52 seasons.