Titans Owner BUD ADAMS on Wednesday was listed as one of 126 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football HOF's '14 class, and though he has "never made it to the critical round of the voting process" in the past, he is hoping the selectors this time "will give him a second thought," according to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Adams last week said, "Besides the playoffs, one thing I would like to accomplish is to be considered in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ... 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 than can really speak up for me now. I really feel this year could be a year I get serious consideration after 53 years." Wyatt reports four of five HOF voters contacted believe that Adams "deserved serious consideration, yet all five were skeptical about his chances of advancing far in the voting because the batch of nominees is so large." The contributor nominees this time include late Redskins Owner JACK KENT COOKE, former 49ers Owner EDDIE DEBARTOLO JR., Cowboys Owner JERRY JONES, Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT, late Ravens Owner ART MODELL and Adams. Boston Herald writer and HOF selection committee member RON BORGES said, "Bud has a historic place beyond his own team, and that makes a difference in my mind when you are looking at owners." K.C. Star writer and HOF voter RANDY COVITZ: "Why is he not in? Is it because of the market he’s been in? Maybe it’s because of the move? Maybe it’s because he hasn’t won an NFL championship? I think he’s deserving, but it is so hard right now" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 9/13).
GIVE IT TO THE MAN: In Houston, John McClain writes people cannot "write the history of pro football without" Adams, which is why he "belongs" in the HOF. Even many of Adams' "most vociferous critics acknowledge his part in the formation" of the AFL and the subsequent merger with the NFL. McClain: "I just strongly believe that the role he played in one of the most important eras of professional sports history makes him a deserving candidate who should be selected" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/13).
