This has not been a good week for aging, prominent Houston football figures. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams has died at the age of 90, the team is now saying, per Tennesseean reporter Jim Wyatt.
Adams was one of the original AFL co-founders. He owned the Houston Oilers, which he controversially moved to Tennessee in 1997, making him a disliked figure in Houston.
Adams made most of his fortune in petroleum. He was a huge Vince Young proponent, calling for the team to draft the former University of Texas star and demanding that Titans head coach Jeff Fisher play him over Kerry Collins. Adams signed Warren Moon from the CFL after no NFL teams initially expressed interest in him. He also drafted Steve NcNair at a time when black quarterbacks were still questioned.
Knowing his health was failing, he reportedly instructed his front office to spend money in the offseason to put a more competitive team on the field.
Adams remained an ornery, demanding figure in his later years. He put the entire Titans organization on notice last year amid a poor season. He also had an infamous incident in 2009 when he flipped off Buffalo Bills fans and was fined $250,000 by the league.
Adams’ teams appeared in the playoffs 21 times in 50 seasons, though they never won a Super Bowl. His team was the first to play indoors — they played at the Astrodome — but he moved to Tennessee when he decided the Astrodome was no longer a suitable home.
Adams founded the Titans-Oilers organization in 1959. His death comes three days after Bum Phillips passed, the man who coached his franchise from 1975-1980 until being fired by Adams.
The Tennessean has a full obituary on Adams.
