NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- K.S. Bud Adams is one of nine semifinalists for the contributor’s spot that will be considered for induction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
 
Adams was founder, owner, chairman of the board and president and CEO of the Titans/Oilers franchise over 54 years. But his influence on the league extended well beyond that as he was instrumental in the creation of the AFL and its merger with the NFL, which lifted professional football to new heights.

Bud Adams
Bud Adams/ Courtesy Tennessee Titans

Denied in their attempts to buy NFL franchises, Adams helped 1972 Hall of Famer Lamar Hunt create the AFL in 1959 and guided the upstart, maverick league to prominence with a wide-open passing style and some free-spending.
 
It ultimately prompted a union with the NFL in 1966 and the two leagues fully combined in 1970. [Unlocked]

Adams signed Heisman Trophy-winning running back Billy Cannon away from the NFL Rams, facilitated Joe Namath landing with the Jets, made Warren Moon the highest-paid player in the NFL as he lured him from the CFL, had the first team that played in a dome, served on the influential finance committee and ran a franchise that made 21 playoff appearances between 1960-2012, the eighth-most among NFL teams during that period.
 
AFL ChampionsStill, the eccentric Adams who moved his team from Houston to Tennessee in 1997 has been left behind all this time, despite support from Clark Hunt, Lamar Hunt’s son who owns the Chiefs now.
 
The contributors committee will meet virtually on Nov. 12 to select one finalist for the full selection committee to consider for possible election with the new class of enshrines. (I am one of 50 members on that committee.)
 
There was a good window for Adams in 2020 when three contributors were part of an expansive centennial class. It was his only previous time as a semifinalist.

But those spots went to Steve Sabol of NFL Films, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and George Young, who’d worked in the front offices of the Colts, Dolphins and Giants as well as at the NFL office.

The other eight finalists now are:

Ralph Hay: Owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918-1922 and hosted the NFL’s formational meeting in his automobile dealership in downtown Canton.

Frank “Bucko” Kilroy: Worked in player personnel and scouting for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He was the Patriots’ general manager from 1979 to 1982 and vice president from 1983 to 1993.

Robert Kraft: Owner, chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls. Key member of several influential NFL owners’ committees.

Art Modell: Owner of the Cleveland Browns from 1961-1995 and Baltimore Ravens from 1996-2011. Key figure in transformational broadcast deals between NFL and networks.

Art Rooney Jr.: Employed with the Steelers since 1961, from 1964 through 1986, worked in the Steelers’ Scouting Department. Currently a Steelers vice president and member of the Board of Directors.

Seymour Siwoff: Owner and president of Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians of the NFL, from 1952-2019.

Doug Williams: Career with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1978-1982) and Washington Redskins (1986-89) included historic moment as first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl (XXII) with an MVP performance; credited with creating opportunities for future Black athletes.

John Wooten: Director of pro scouting for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1991. Created player development programs for the NFL in 1991. Vice president/player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 and assistant director of pro/college scouting for the Baltimore Ravens until his retirement in 2002. In 2003, became chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a position he held until 2019.

Kraft has garnered major support over the last few years on the coaches/contributors committee but lost out in 2021 to scout Bill Nunn, 2022 to official Art McNally, 2023 to coach Don Coryell and 2024 to coach Buddy Parker. All but Parker made the Hall.

The shape of the committees and the process have changed recently. From 2013-2018, the Hall looked to boost senior and contributor additions. Two senior nominees and one contributor were eligible for selection one year, and two contributors and one senior the next.
 
Contributors are a standalone category for the first time this year.

The cut downs to this point and the choice of the finalist come from a contributor blue-ribbon committee comprised of seven members of the full selection committee, plus two "Hall of Famers, football historians or anyone with expansive football knowledge" who are not on the selection committee.

Those two extra panelists are John Czarnecki and Ken Crippen.

Czarnecki has covered the league since 1979, consulting for FOX NFL Sunday since its inception in 1984. He recently retired from the full selection committee. Crippen has researched and written about pro football for 30 years.  

The panelists from the selection committee are longtime sportswriters and broadcasters: John McClain from Houston who covered Adams' Oilers and knew him well; at-large member Clark Judge who covered the 49ers for a long time; National reporter Sal Paolantonio of ESPN; Jim Trotter of The Athletic who's background is on the Chargers beat; Bob Glauber who covers the Jets; And Sam Kouvaris who covers Jacksonville sports for a local TV network.
 
In the final stage with the just full selection committee, the five finalists from the seniors (three), coach (one), and contributor (one) categories will be combined into a group for voting. No more than three nor fewer than one may be elected. Approval from 80 percent of the selection committee (40 of 50 voters) is required for a candidate to be elected.
 
Adams died on Oct. 21, 2013. His daughter Amy Adams Strunk is now the Titans' controlling owner. In 2020, she became a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame committee, which connects owners to the Hall but plays no role in selections.

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