INDIANAPOLIS – The NFL named Tennessee Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr. the first recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA, the League’s Official Military Appreciation Sponsor. In its inaugural year, the award acknowledges exceptional efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members and veterans.

Adams was announced as the winner during the NFL Honors award ceremony and gala in Indianapolis this evening.  As part of the prize package, a $25,000 contribution will be made by USAA in Adams’ honor to the aid societies representing all five military branches.

“The entire NFL community stands together as a proud supporter of our nation’s troops and veterans,” said Bud Adams, Jr. “It’s my desire to see the work we’ve done encourage others to take action to support the men and women who make sacrifices daily so that we can live our lives freely.”

A veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve serving during World War II, Adams’ connection with the military community is a personal one, and in his 52 years as franchise owner, he has been a longstanding advocate of all servicemen and women.

Since moving with the franchise to Nashville in 1997, he has been a familiar face to the troops stationed at nearby Fort Campbell, home to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, and the Night Stalker and Green Beret special operations forces.

Located less than an hour away from the Titans’ home field, Adams has established relationships with the base’s primary commands and frequently hosts Fort Campbell troops at Titans’ home games. More than 11,000 troops have attended games as guests of Adams at LP Field since it opened in 1999. Adams also conducts an annual, all-day visit to Fort Campbell where Titans players, cheerleaders and staff can participate in autograph sessions and greet residents at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital and the on-post schools.

Adams was one of 22 coaches, active and former players, and team executives and personnel nominated by their clubs for demonstrating outstanding support for the military community. The submissions were evaluated in December and January by a panel of judges from the NFL and USAA, including NFL greats Roger Staubach, Chad Hennings, Rocky Bleier and Jim Mora Jr. Earlier this week, the judging panel named both Adams and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh finalists before officially naming Adams the award winner.

The Salute to Service Award concludes a series of military appreciation events and initiatives held throughout the 2011 season by the NFL and USAA inviting football fans across the country to salute members of the Armed Forces.

“It has been a remarkable experience for USAA to work with the NFL to create these opportunities for fans to join us in honoring the military community for their service,” said Steve Speakes, executive vice president of USAA’s external affairs and a retired Army lieutenant general. “It was very encouraging to witness fans share their enthusiasm for their favorite teams with America’s home team – the U.S. military.”

About USAA

USAA provides insurance and more to 8.6 million members of the U.S. military and their families. Known for its legendary commitment to its members, USAA is consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being and financial strength. USAA membership is open to all who are serving or have honorably served our nation in the U.S. military – and their families. For more information about USAA, or to learn more about membership, visit USAA.com.

-The Tennessee Titans promoted Mike Reinfeldt to Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer after serving as the team’s General Manager for the past five seasons, and Ruston Webster was elevated to Executive Vice President/General Manager after serving two seasons as the Titans Vice President of Player Personnel. Additionally, Lake Dawson has been promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel.

Reinfeldt will oversee all aspects of the organization - both football and non-football - in Nashville and will report to Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr.. Webster will assume control of all football operations for the team.

Lake Dawson has been promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel.

“Mike has done a nice job for us as our general manager, but I believe we need someone in place who oversees the entire franchise there in Nashville,” said Adams. “Mike is uniquely qualified for that position with his previous experience. Our VP’s have done an outstanding job over the past couple of years managing their departments, but this will streamline things to have someone on site to direct the entire organization and who will execute things the way I want them done.

“With this shuffle, we really have the best of both worlds – as you might remember our final two candidates when we were filling the general manager position five years ago were Mike (Reinfeldt) and Ruston Webster. We now have both of them working for us and Ruston will take over the General Manager role.”

Head coach Mike Munchak called Webster a "great talent evaluator."

“This is a great decision by Mr. Adams to keep a group of good people together," Munchak said. "Ruston is a ready for this job. He did a great job last year with the draft – organizing things, involving all of the parties, evaluating the talent, communicating through the draft process. His greatest access is his ability to evaluate talent and I expect that to continue and look forward to working with him. Ruston also will benefit from having Mike as a resource and a sounding board.”

“I want to thank Mr. Adams for naming me to this position,” added Reinfeldt. “I look forward to further integrating all of our departments and believe a lot of good will stem from this move. I am really happy for Ruston, because he is ready to be a general manager and I expect he will excel in that role.”

Webster has six years of experience in the Player Personnel role split between three teams – two years with the Titans, four with the Seattle Seahawks and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also served as the interim General Manager for the Seahawks for the conclusion of the 2009 season, after Tim Ruskell’s departure from the team. In addition to working in Pro Personnel, Webster has a vast depth of experience as a college scout, serving as the Director of College Scouting for Tampa Bay for four seasons (2001-04) and 10 seasons as a regional scout for the Bucs.

Dawson has spent five seasons with the Titans – his first four as Director of Pro Scouting and last season as VP/Football Operations. He originally joined the Titans in 2007 as the Director of Pro Scouting.

Reinfeldt’s background:
Tennessee Titans (2007-2011), General Manager; Seattle Seahawks (1999-03, 2005-06), Sr. VP (1999-03), VP-Football Operations (2005-06); Green Bay Packers (1991-98), CFO (1991-93), VP-Administration (1994-98); University of Southern California (1988-90), Associate Athletic Director; Los Angeles Raiders (1985-87), CFO; Houston Oilers (1976-83), Safety; Oakland Raiders (1975-76), Safety.

Webster’s background:
Tennessee Titans (2010-11), VP-Player Personnel; Seattle Seahawks (2006-09) VP-Player Personnel; Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988 – 2005), Dir. of Player Personnel (2005), Dir. of College Scouting (2001-04), Dir. of Pro Personnel (1989-91), Regional Scout (1988, 1992-2000); College Coach, Tulsa (1987), Alabama (1986), Southwestern Louisiana (1985).

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