Julius Adams

College career Adams received scholarship offers from the University of California at Los Angeles and Michigan State University, among others, but chose to accept a full football scholarship to attend Texas Southern University in Houston. Adams was an engineering major at Texas Southern, focusing on architectural drafting. As a senior (1970), he was named first-team All-SWAC at defensive tackle, with Holmes selected as the other first-team All-SWAC defensive tackle. Adams was also named a Little All-American as a senior. He played in the 1971 Chicago Charities College All-Star Game against the Baltimore Colts prior to his rookie season in the NFL.

Adams also threw the javelin for Texas Southern's track and field team.

Professional career The New England Patriots drafted Adams in the second round of the 1971 NFL draft with the 27th overall pick. His first contract with the Patriots was for $25,000. That was the only season of his professional career when he used an agent to negotiate his contracts with the Patriots. He was chosen to United Press International's (UPI) All-Rookie team in 1971, along with teammates Jim Plunkett and Randy Vataha. He was fifth in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Adams started 10 games in 1972, playing at left defensive end and left defensive tackle. He had four sacks and one fumble recovery that season. Before the season started, Adams was moved from tackle to defensive end in training camp, a position he preferred. He began the season as the Patriots starting left defensive end.

In the fifth game of the 1972 season against the New York Jets, Patriots coach John Mazur used Adams as a roverback, playing him as a linebacker, end, and tackle on defense; but this strategy was not successful. The following week, Mazur moved Adams to left tackle in place of Dave Rowe, believing that Adams' performance would improve from playing tackle rather than end. He continued at starting left tackle the next four weeks after that, but then suffered a knee injury and was put on the move list; with Rowe finishing out the season at starting left tackle.

In 1973, under new Patriots' head coach Chuck Fairbanks, Adams started all 14 Patriots game at right defensive tackle, with Rowe starting at left defensive tackle. Adams had a team-leading eight sacks, along with one fumble recovery. In 1974, the Patriots adopted a 3–4 defense, with Adams at right defensive end, Ray Hamilton at nose tackle, and Mel Lunsford at left defensive end. Adams again led the team with eight sacks. The Patriots finished the season 7–7, the first time they had not had a losing season since 1966. Adams was named as one of the NFL's top defensive linemen by Pro QB Magazine.

In late August 1975, Adams suffered a fractured bone in his foot and missed the first five games of the season. He started eight games that season, with four sacks. The Patriots fell back to a 3–11 record. In 1976, the Patriots were 11–3, the best record in team history. Adams also was the team's top tackler at 47 among the defensive linemen in 1976, even though he was frequently double-teamed. He also had 12 quarterback pressures.

The Patriots lost in the divisional round of the 1976–77 playoffs to the Oakland Raiders, 24–21. Adams had three quarterback sacks against Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler in that game, playing opposite the Raiders future Hall of Fame left offensive tackle, Art Shell. The Patriots were bitter about the loss and particularly about the game officials' decision making, with an outspoken Adams claiming after the game that the Patriots were "cheated" by an unwarranted roughing the passer penalty call against Ray Hamilton that gave the Raiders an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds. It has been called one of the most controversial games in NFL history. Much of the debate at the time focused on whether the penalty could even be called if the defender tipped the pass (a doubt Adams shared); but Stabler reportedly later told Boston sportswriter Will McDonough he did not think the force of Hamilton's hit merited a penalty in the first place, as he had been hit much worse without penalties being called during his career. Referee Ben Dreith, however, still maintained 25 years later that the hit was excessive.

Adams started 14 games at right defensive end in 1977 and had 9.5 sacks; with the Patriots still using the 3–4 defense. The Patriots led the NFL in sacks that season (58). Adams ended the season with 43 tackles. The Patriots finished 9–5 under coach Fairbanks. Adams played only one game in the 1978 season, after he suffered a fractured left scapula in the first game of the season against the Washington Redskins. Adams also had four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. It has also been stated he led the Patriots with nine sacks that season. He also had 59 tackles, and finished second on the team in 1980 with 13 quarterback pressures. Adams made his first and only Pro Bowl that season. He received the team's Jim Lee Hunt Memorial Award as the Patriots' outstanding lineman.

In 1981, Adams again started all 16 games at right defensive end, with 2.5 sacks on the season. He was eighth on the team in tackles with 54 solo tackles and 30 assists. In the 1982 strike-shortened season, he started all nine games at right defensive end, with two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Adams finished second among Patriots' defensive linemen with 45 tackles. He once again was presented with the Jim Lee Hunt Memorial Award. He was again the top tackler among Patriots' defensive linemen in 1983 with a career-high total of 83 tackles, He became a reserve in 1984 under head coach Ron Meyer, whose defensive philosophy clashed with Adams' career-long playing style. After eight games, Raymond Berry replaced Meyer as head coach in 1984. Adams only start that season came in the season's final game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16, playing right defensive end. With the Patriots leading 13–10, Adams blocked a Raúl Allegre 42-yard field goal attempt with less than five minutes left in a game; which the Patriots went on to win 16–10. He was given a game ball for his effort. Adams had four sacks on the season.

Adams' play and leadership was indispensable in 1985. Berry called him a backbone of the team. The Patriots needed to win that game to make the playoffs. They defeated the Bengals, 34–23, clinching a berth in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Adams started at right end in the team's 26–14 wild card playoff victory over the New York Jets; the Patriot's 27–20 win over the Los Angeles Raiders in the divisional round; and 31–14 AFC championship game win over the Miami Dolphins, in which Adams recovered a fumble. All three Patriots victories were road games, and they were the first wild card team in NFL history to win three successive playoff road games. The Patriots win over the Dolphins in the Orange Bowl stadium was the team's first victory in Miami after 18 consecutive losses over 19 years. The Patriots played the 1985 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. Some commentators, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, consider this Bears team to be the best team in NFL history. The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, 46–10. Adams started the game and had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles.

Adams had played in a team-record 196 games at that time he retired after the Super Bowl. After retiring, Adams did not play in 1986.

Adams wore number 85 with the Patriots from 1971 to 1985. The NFL restricted numbers 80 to 89 to wide receivers and tight ends beginning in 1973, but players in the league prior to 1973 were covered by a grandfather clause allowing them to wear their old numbers for the remainder of their careers. Adams was well known for keeping himself in excellent physical condition, for mentoring younger players, and as someone admired by his teammates. He was also named to the Patriots' all-millennium team. Adams is second in career sacks by a Patriot, with 80.5; and fourth in games played, with 206 (through 2025).

In 2019, the Pro Football Hall of Fame listed Adams among the top 100 NFL players who attended HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) schools. Adams was posthumously inducted into Macon's Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. He was among the finalists under consideration for induction into the Black College Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024.

Personal life and death After retiring from professional football Adams lived in Atlanta, Georgia with his first wife Patricia Adams. During his career, Adams, Patricia and their four children lived on a 100-acre farm in Roberta, Georgia, near Macon, where he was licensed to breed Black Angus bulls. His son, Keith Adams, played in the NFL from 2001 to 2007. Adams and his son Keith were the third father-son combination to have both played in a Super Bowl.