The lengthy contract would prove to be a mirage as Hughes lasted just one season in the position. An indication of the season came in the opener when Houston was shut out 31-0 by the Cleveland Browns, and continued 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.