Bud Adams

Who was Bud Adams?

Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. was the owner of the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was originally known as the Houston Oilers. He was the senior owner with his team 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 and the former owner of the second Nashville Kats franchise of the Arena Football League. He was elected to the Hall of Fame of the American Football League, an online site, but as of 2013 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 business interests in the Houston area. An enrolled Cherokee who originally made his fortune in the petroleum business, Adams was chairman and CEO of Adams Resources & Energy Inc., a wholesale supplier of oil and natural gas.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 also owned several Lincoln-Mercury automobile franchises.