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Anyone Else Long For The Days Of Bud Adams?

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
Thank you sir. Oilers got me right at a prime age - right in the heart. Bubba McDowell was my favorite. I watched Gary Browns first dozen runs and knew he'd be a stud. Michale Barrow etc. Loved it.
Bubba McDowell got it to 35-3. I didn’t know back then but that was the beginning of the end of the Houston Oilers.

Had the Oilers not blown that game they would probably still exist.

I won’t get into all the details but my sister was a Lanier by marriage so I had the inside info of what was going down back then, at least from the Lanier POV.

Bud tried to pull a fast one on Lanier and it backfired. Apparently he initially didn’t really want to relocate but eventually had no choice (by his own doing). Lanier was pretty teed off and out of spite just decided not to deal with him at all after that. Ironically they were all big Oilers fans. My brother in law (Bob’s son) was a huge fan.

Years later, John McClain gave me Bud’s side of that story. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. John was pretty adamant that Bud was not making all those calls. He told me that Bud didn’t want to move and took some bad advice. He also said that Bud’s middle finger antic was directed towards Lanier and not the city itself or the fans.

Anyway, it’s all history now and I have a Super Bowl to host here on Sunday. :)
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
So you would rather have an owner that demanded a new stadium in the middle of the city going through one of the worst oil busts in history and was in major economic trouble and when he didn't get it cut a deal with Nashville, packed his team, moved to Tenn. and then literally said he doesn't care about Houston or any of the Oiler fans? Boy talk about rose colored glasses.
How did the Astros get a stadium in the middle of such a crisis?
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
I had the 45 record and sang the song all the time as a kid.

BTW, you know you were an Oiler geek if you started singing "Look out football here we come ..." right after the drum roll of the 20th Century Fox movie intro. :)

The Oilers had "look out football here we come", the Texans have "it's football time in Houston".

:hankpalm:
Yes because now his daughter is running that franchise well.
I’d take Bud’s daughter over Bob’s son, but hell no to longing for Bud.
 

whodknee

Working Class Hero
I had the 45 record and sang the song all the time as a kid.

BTW, you know you were an Oiler geek if you started singing "Look out football here we come ..." right after the drum roll of the 20th Century Fox movie intro. :)

The Dolphins had the exact same song..with Miami instead
 

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
The Dolphins had the exact same song..with Miami instead
Yep, it was written by the same guy. The Dolphins had it first but people associate it more with the Oilers because of the Luv Ya Blue era. I think the Dolphins still use it.

BTW, does anyone remember that horrible Texans fight song that Bob McNair tried to roll out maybe the second year? It only lasted one preseason. We were joking that we hoped the Texans would stop scoring because we didn’t want to be punished by hearing that terrible song. He was trying to go for a “Hail to the Redskins” vibe and it was a fail. Apparently McNair grew up a Skins fan.

It was something like “Houston Texans we cheer for you ... Houston Texans red, white, and blue ...”.

After that debacle they decided to just keep “Football Time in Houston” which was never intended to be the official song. I think Clay Walker wrote that as an expansion season promo and it just stuck.
 

texanhead08

All Pro
I was just getting into following sports when the Oilers drafted Earl it was just perfect timing. I just don't have the same passion for the Texans that I had for them and Bud screwed it up.
 

texanhead08

All Pro
Bubba McDowell got it to 35-3. I didn’t know back then but that was the beginning of the end of the Houston Oilers.

Had the Oilers not blown that game they would probably still exist.

I won’t get into all the details but my sister was a Lanier by marriage so I had the inside info of what was going down back then, at least from the Lanier POV.

Bud tried to pull a fast one on Lanier and it backfired. Apparently he initially didn’t really want to relocate but eventually had no choice (by his own doing). Lanier was pretty teed off and out of spite just decided not to deal with him at all after that. Ironically they were all big Oilers fans. My brother in law (Bob’s son) was a huge fan.

Years later, John McClain gave me Bud’s side of that story. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. John was pretty adamant that Bud was not making all those calls. He told me that Bud didn’t want to move and took some bad advice. He also said that Bud’s middle finger antic was directed towards Lanier and not the city itself or the fans.

Anyway, it’s all history now and I have a Super Bowl to host here on Sunday. :)

I always heard it was Steve Underwood that stayed in Bud's ear that the Nashville deal was too good to turn down.
 

JB

Innocent Bystander
Contributor's Club
You're right, but honestly, as hard as I've tried in two decades, nothing has ever really replaced that diehard feeling I had as a fan of the Houston Oilers. I was in elementary school when Luv Ya Blue hit, and that was truly an amazing time for this city and its football fans.

Maybe it was just the folly and naivety of youth, but I just haven't had the same connection with the Texans. I always thought it just took time, but perhaps it's just one of those things that's either there or not. Maybe I'm too old and jaded and too aware of the corporate seams that I never noticed as a kid.

I'll always be a Houston fan, but I just feel sorta' dead inside about the Texans right now. Hopefully that'll change with time, but I'm disgusted by both the Texans and Watson right now.
Apathy is a way of life in Houston, to only be cured by winning. Houstonians have never supported a loser until the Texans... and then it's the PSL scam that forces that
 

gwallaia

Moderator
Staff member
BTW, does anyone remember that horrible Texans fight song that Bob McNair tried to roll out maybe the second year? It only lasted one preseason. We were joking that we hoped the Texans would stop scoring because we didn’t want to be punished by hearing that terrible song. He was trying to go for a “Hail to the Redskins” vibe and it was a fail. Apparently McNair grew up a Skins fan.

It was something like “Houston Texans we cheer for you ... Houston Texans red, white, and blue ...”.

After that debacle they decided to just keep “Football Time in Houston” which was never intended to be the official song. I think Clay Walker wrote that as an expansion season promo and it just stuck.
I was looking for that song the other day on YouTube and could not find it. It was plain awful.
 

texanhead08

All Pro
The city called Bud‘s bluff because that was basically the third time he had threatened to move in 20 yrs . He backed himself into a corner when Underwood convinced him to sign the deal where he couldn’t talk to any other city other than Nashville for 90 days.
 

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
The city called Bud‘s bluff because that was basically the third time he had threatened to move in 20 yrs . He backed himself into a corner when Underwood convinced him to sign the deal where he couldn’t talk to any other city other than Nashville for 90 days.
Bud blinked first. If he would have remained patient he would have had the stadium the Texans are in now and maybe the Astros would have moved instead.
 

Norg

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
heck i miss the Kubes/Schaub and the bulls on parade defense era LOL at least they had some what of a vision lol
 

Govchance

Practice Squad
Yeah, he was kind of a jerk ... but Bud did whatever it took to win.

All he cared about was winning.

He did that in the old AFL days repeatedly, and if not for the Renfo bad call, and the Buffalo melt-down might could have added another couple championships.

Just seems to me the McNair family really isn't a great fit to own a NFL team.

Bob more-so than Cal and Momma McNair, but they treat it more like a business combined with Sunday School.

If they sell ... and I think they should ... is there anyone locally who could step up and do a better job?
Not no but double hell No!!!
 

bigmck

Rookie
You're right, but honestly, as hard as I've tried in two decades, nothing has ever really replaced that diehard feeling I had as a fan of the Houston Oilers. I was in elementary school when Luv Ya Blue hit, and that was truly an amazing time for this city and its football fans.

Maybe it was just the folly and naivety of youth, but I just haven't had the same connection with the Texans. I always thought it just took time, but perhaps it's just one of those things that's either there or not. Maybe I'm too old and jaded and too aware of the corporate seams that I never noticed as a kid.

I'll always be a Houston fan, but I just feel sorta' dead inside about the Texans right now. Hopefully that'll change with time, but I'm disgusted by both the Texans and Watson right now.
I agree. On Sunday I would get this feeling in my chest that just made the day wonderful. I had an "Oiler Blue" sportcoat I wore to the games. I had a record of the Oiler Fight Song I would play. Probably getting up in age has something to do with the lessing desire, but the fact that too many things are political has a lot to do with it also.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Bud blinked first. If he would have remained patient he would have had the stadium the Texans are in now and maybe the Astros would have moved instead.
Yep. He said later in life that his greatest regret was not staying and waiting for Drayton McLane to move the Astros first.

Bud got played by McLane and Bob Lanier, and he realized it after the fact. When folks understand the full story and see the big picture, the truth is the city's power structure backed him into a corner and used his ego and pride against himself.

NRG should have been Bud's and home of the Houston Oilers, but Bud wasn't an insider like Bob McNair. He was always pissing folks off and eventually he did not feel welcomed by the city or its citizens.


The truth is various shades of gray, blame everywhere, but most folks want the simpleton black & white version so they can blame one person. It's human nature.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Bud would not allow the fans to tailgate because it cut into his concessions . After the merge he didn't do much. He got lucky when Luv Ya Blue came along
John McClain said it was not Bud's call about tailgating. He did not control the Astrodome property rights. Blame Drayton McClane for that one.

Bum, Earl and Pastrorini have all been brought on the field before kick-off as honorary captains. But a statue of Earl and Bum outside of NRG would be very appropriate.
Someone within the Texans made a good call with that one. They probably got fired.
 

Hardcore Texan

Magnet Man
One of the inherent problems with the Houston Texans is that they have absolutely no respect for this city's football history.

If anything, they spit on it.

It's why Earl Campbell had to go to Nashville for some love.



Years ago I wrote to the Houston Texans and tried to plant a seed to organize something to honor Earl.

Their reply? "Earl Campbell was never a Texan." WTF? Dude was THE Texan, from Tyler to UT to the Oilers. It made me realize that the Houston Texans only cared about the old Oilers players if they could use them in some form of marketing event (i.e. All Access evens for season ticket holders).
Wow, what a terrible response for the Texans.
 

Mr. White

Retired OLine Coach
Their reply? "Earl Campbell was never a Texan." WTF? Dude was THE Texan, from Tyler to UT to the Oilers. It made me realize that the Houston Texans only cared about the old Oilers players if they could use them in some form of marketing event (i.e. All Access evens for season ticket holders).
The Johnny Unitas statue in Baltimore says hello. He even has a visible horseshoe on the side of his helmet.

1612383267985.png
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
The Johnny Unitas statue in Baltimore says hello. He even has a visible horseshoe on the side of his helmet.

View attachment 7762
Nice! Perfect example, too. This is a tribute to a player on a different team than the one currently in the city.

The Texans could earn a lot of goodwill (if they are even interested in that sort of thing) by just paying any lasting tribute to the pro football players that played in Houston and are in the football HoF.

And it's easy: Start with Earl.

This type of gesture is not just recognition of former Houston players, but also respect for the fans.
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
I agree. On Sunday I would get this feeling in my chest that just made the day wonderful. I had an "Oiler Blue" sportcoat I wore to the games. I had a record of the Oiler Fight Song I would play. Probably getting up in age has something to do with the lessing desire, but the fact that too many things are political has a lot to do with it also.
Just know that God'ell's NFL isn't marketing to us anymore.
 

bigmck

Rookie
You're right, but honestly, as hard as I've tried in two decades, nothing has ever really replaced that diehard feeling I had as a fan of the Houston Oilers. I was in elementary school when Luv Ya Blue hit, and that was truly an amazing time for this city and its football fans.
It is strange, but one thing I enjoyed was parking a mile away from Jeppeson Stadium and walking while talking about the game. You then sit on the hard wooden seats in the rain. That is the way it should be.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
LOL, and this is why I never liked Moon that much, sure he could put up big numbers all season long, but when it came down to it, he was anti-clutch.
Unfortunately, Moon didn't play defense. And he did not choose an offensive scheme that did not even have a TE or FB on the roster. Run & shoot's inherent flaw was that it could not control the clock. Ever.

I don't know about you, but I expect a playoff-caliber defense loaded with talent to be able to protect a 32 point lead in less than a half of football against a backup QB (a QB, I might add, that gave up a pick 6 to that same defense earlier in that same half).
 

Hardcore Texan

Magnet Man
Unfortunately, Moon didn't play defense. And he did not choose an offensive scheme that did not even have a TE or FB on the roster. Run & shoot's inherent flaw was that it could not control the clock. Ever.

I don't know about you, but I expect a playoff-caliber defense loaded with talent to be able to protect a 32 point lead in less than a half of football against a backup QB (a QB, I might add, that gave up a pick 6 to that same defense earlier in that same half).
I agree, especially against the back up QB. I wasn't referencing that game in particular. I just remember him throwing picks at the worst times in a game, a la Tony Romo.
 
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