by the New York City media. After Wismer was declared bankrupt in 1963, Adams' financial assistance was essential in keeping the Titans in business until they could be sold to more financially capable ownership, who moved the team into Shea Stadium and rebranded them as the Jets. Adams' team was the best of the new teams during the early period of the AFL: it won the first two Championship Games with former Bears reject George Blanda as quarterback and kicker, and played in four AFL Championship Games. Adams is a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame. Houston Mavericks Along with wealthy Houston businessman T. C. Morrow, Adams owned the Houston Mavericks, a franchise in the American Basketball Association, from 1967 through 1969. The team was not successful in Houston, and its attendance was among the lowest in the league. After the 1968–1969 season, under new ownership, the Mavericks moved to Charlotte and became the Carolina Cougars. The Houston Oilers and the Astrodome Adams and the other AFL owners received a tremendous boost in credibility and net worth in 1966 with the merger of the AFL with and into the NFL. It was effective with the 1970 season. In 1968 Adams moved his team into the Astrodome, which since 1965 had been the home of the Houston Astros of baseball's National League (incidentally, Adams was one of the original part-owners of the team for the 1962 season) While the Astrodome ameliorated the hot, humid climate, it had several drawbacks as a venue for the Oilers. Despite being almost completely round, the Astrodome's football sight lines left much to be desired. The seats near the 50-yard line, usually the most desirable (and expensive), were the farthest from the field of play, while those nearest the action were otherwise-undesirable seats in the end zone. Additionally, the Astrodome seated only about 50,000 for football, just barely over the minimum seating capacity for an NFL stadium. By the early 1980s, it was the smallest venue in the NFL. Adams chafed at being the Astrodome's "secondary" tenant. He knew his position was unlikely to change as long as the Astros were playing 81 home games and his team was playing eight. Houston vs. Adams Adams was initially hailed as a hero in Houston for making the city a major-league town, but his popularity tailed off during the Oilers' early NFL years. His tendency