NASHVILLE – Longtime Titans owner K.S. "Bud" Adams is among those who have moved one step closer to election for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026.
On Friday, the Hall's Contributor Blue-Ribbon Committee announced it had trimmed an original list of 32 nominees to 21, and the list includes Adams.
The other 20 individuals: Roone Arledge, Howard Cosell, John Facenda, Mike Giddings, Ralph Hay, Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, Don Klosterman, Eddie Kotal, Robert Kraft, Virginia McCaskey, John McVay, Clint Murchison, Art Rooney Jr., Clark Shaughnessy, Seymour Siwoff, Amy Trask, Jack Vainisi, Lloyd Wells, John Wooten and Buddy Young.
Each Contributor Blue-Ribbon Committee member will cast an additional ballot later this month to reduce the list further – this time to nine semifinalists. Results will be announced in early November. Later in the month, they will meet virtually and through a sequence of reduction votes will select one finalist for the Class of 2026. Comprising the committee are nine individuals – eight who also are members of the full Selection Committee and one other football historian who holds voting rights for this subcommittee only.
Adams, along with Lamar Hunt, co-founded the AFL to rival the NFL before the two leagues eventually merged. In fact, the formation of the AFL was announced in Adams' Houston office in 1959.
Hunt, long-time owner of the Chiefs who started an AFL team in Dallas, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. Another one of the members of the self-appointed "Foolish Club," Bills owner Ralph Wilson, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
In addition to his role in forming the AFL, Adams convinced Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon to play in the AFL, and his aggressive spending helped give the upstart league instant credibility.
In 2008, Adams received the inaugural Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, which recognized his vision and his role in helping the NFL reach preeminent status.
Adams was the founder and owner of the Oilers/Titans for 53-plus years (1960-2012).
Over the years, his teams produced 21 playoff seasons, two AFL Championships (1960 & 61), an AFC Championship win (1999), four AFC Championship Game Appearances, and a Super Bowl appearance (XXXIV). The 21 playoff appearances between 1960-2012 ranked eighth among NFL teams during that period.
The organization has produced 17 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In an interview with The Tennessean in 2013, the Titans owner wondered if he'd ever join football's hallowed halls. Adams passed away later that same year.
"Besides the playoffs, one thing I would like to accomplish is to be considered in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,'' Adams said. "I realize there may be some hard feelings about me moving the team to Nashville, but I truly feel my body of work…
"I don't like tooting my own horn. But at my age, and now being the senior NFL owner, there is no one from back in those days that can really speak up for me now."
Below are brief bios from the Hall of Fame on the 21 candidates remaining in the Contributor category for consideration as a member of the Class of 2026.
• K.S. "Bud" Adams: During his 54 years as founder, owner, chairman of the board, president and CEO of the Titans/Oilers franchise, Adams was a pivotal figure in the American Football League and National Football League.
• Roone Arledge: Television industry executive and producer whose creativity, leadership and technical innovations revolutionized the presentation of both news and sports.
• Howard Cosell: A member of ABC's original "Monday Night Football" broadcasting team, Cosell worked alongside football legends Don Meredith and Frank Gifford from 1970 to 1983.
• John Facenda: Beginning his career at NFL Films in 1965 until his death in 1984 at age 71, Facenda narrated numerous films and weekly highlights packages.
• Mike Giddings: Former player, coach and scout who created the NFL talent evaluation and analytics company called Proscout.
• Ralph Hay: Owner of 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.
• Don Klosterman: Built successful teams in three leagues (Chargers, Chiefs and Oilers in the AFL; Colts and Rams of the NFL; and the L.A. Express in the USFL).
• Eddie Kotal: Scout for the Los Angeles Rams from 1947-1961 and was one of the first to scout Black colleges and universities.
• Robert Kraft: Owner, chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots from 1994 to present.
• Virginia McCaskey: Owner of the Chicago Bears from 1983 until her death earlier this year at age 102.
• John McVay: Joined the 49ers in 1979 as the team's director of player personnel and spent 21 seasons there, ultimately presiding over five Super Bowl-winning seasons as vice president/director of football operations.
• Clint Murchison: Founder and owner of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-1983.
• 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.
• Clark Shaughnessy: Head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-49 and assistant coach for the Washington Redskins from 1944-47 and Chicago Bears from 1951-1962. Credited with modernizing the T-formation and other offensive and defensive innovations.
• Seymour Siwoff: Owner and president of Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians of the NFL, from 1952-2019.
• Amy Trask: CEO of the Oakland Raiders from 1997-2013.
• Jack Vainisi: Scout for the Green Bay Packers from 1950-1960 as well as business manager from 1959-1960 until his death at age 33 from a heart condition.
• Lloyd Wells: Scout for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1963-1974. First full-time African American scout in the NFL.
• 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, pro/college scouting for the Baltimore Ravens until his retirement in 2002.
• Buddy Young: First African American executive in any major sports league when NFL hired him in 1964 in its scouting and public relations department. Was working as director of player relations in NFL when he died at age 57 in a car accident.
