when Hughes fired two assistant coaches during the campaign. The disarray concluded on December 22 when Hughes resigned after a strange power struggle in which Hughes asked that the team trainer be fired, while team owner Bud Adams insisted that the equipment manager (who Hughes had fired) be reinstated. Almost two years later, one more example of the havoc surrounding the team surfaced when Oilers center Jerry Sturm indicated that he had been offered a bribe to affect the outcome of a game. Following Hughes' departure, the Oilers became the first (and to date, only) team to post consecutive one-win seasons since the AFL-NFL merger, going 1-13 in 1972 and 1973. Hughes briefly worked in a trailer factory until a contract settlement was reached, then accepted the quarterbacks coach position with the St. Louis Cardinals on August 30, 1972. When Cardinals' head coach Bob Hollway was fired after that season, Hughes found new employment on March 8, 1973 as offensive backfield coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Hughes' new boss, Tom Landry, had earlier played a role in his future when his 1956 retirement resulted in the Giants' trade for Hughes. During his four seasons with the Cowboys, the team played in two NFC Championship games and competed in Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hughes left in 1977 to join Tommy Hudspeth's staff with the Detroit Lions, but the entire group was dismissed on January 9, 1978. He re-joined Dick Nolan who had been named head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1978. The reunion of Nolan and Hughes would last only three years, when an improved 1979 Saints team turned into the infamous "Aints" of 1980. That squad was symbolized by their loss to the 49ers on December 7 in which they blew a 28-point lead. Hughes would spend the 1981 NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles, then move on to become offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears under new head coach Mike Ditka. While the Bears would become known for their defensive prowess during this era, the offense still had the unparalleled exploits of running back Walter Payton. The combination was enough to lead the Bears to a title in 1985, capped with a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The Bears would go on to the postseason in each of the next three seasons, but Hughes resigned during the 1989