American football league first game

After Winter and Boyer agreed to start a team in Minneapolis-Saint Paul , the new league had its first four teams. Hunt also approached Willard Rhodes of Seattle , Washington , but that effort failed when Rhodes was turned down by Husky Stadium and had no place for his team to play. During the summer of he sought the blessings of the NFL for his nascent league, as he did not seek a potentially costly rivalry.

Within weeks of the July announcement of the league's formation, Hunt received commitments from Barron Hilton and Harry Wismer to bring teams to Los Angeles and New York, respectively. On August 22 the league officially was named the American Football League. The NFL's initial reaction was not as openly hostile as it had been with the earlier All-America Football Conference Bell had even given his public approval , yet individual NFL owners soon began a campaign to undermine the new league.

The older league also announced on August 29 that it had conveniently reversed its position against expansion, and planned to bring NFL expansion teams to Houston and Dallas, to start play in Two more cities were awarded AFL franchises later in the year. Buffalo was officially awarded a franchise on October The AFL's first draft took place the same day Boston was awarded its franchise, and lasted 33 rounds.

The league held a second draft on December 2, which lasted for 20 rounds. Because the Raiders joined after the AFL draft, they inherited Minnesota's selections read next section. Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton demanded that a replacement for Minnesota be placed in California, to reduce his team's operating costs and to create a rivalry.

After a brief search, Oakland was chosen and an ownership group led by local real estate developer Chet Soda was formed.

The Oilers filed suit and claimed that Rams general manager Pete Rozelle had unduly manipulated Cannon. The court upheld the Houston contract, and with Cannon the Oilers appeared in the AFL's first three championship games winning two. Attendance for the season was respectable for a new league, but not nearly that of the NFL. Whereas the more popular NFL teams in regularly saw attendance figures in excess of 50, per game, AFL attendance generally hovered between 10,, per game.

In fact, the only major change was the relocation of the Chargers from Los Angeles to nearby San Diego. The Bills, who had finished near the bottom of the league in , and Tiger-Cats, one of the best teams in the CFL at the time, were chosen because they were geographically close to one another less than 65 miles apart. The Bills returned to Buffalo and it marked the only time a pro football team from Canada defeated a pro football team from the United States.

No team from a U. While the Oilers found instant success in the AFL, other teams did not fare as well. The Oakland Raiders and New York Titans struggled on and off the field during their first few seasons in the league. Oakland's eight-man ownership group was reduced to just three in , after heavy financial losses their first season. After winning six games their debut season, the Raiders won a total of three times in the and seasons.

Oakland took part in a supplemental draft meant to boost the weaker teams in the league, but it did little good. They participated in another such draft in The Titans fared a little better on the field but had their own financial troubles.

Attendance was so low for home games that team owner Harry Wismer had fans move to seats closer to the field to give the illusion of a fuller stadium on television. The Titans were sold to a five-person ownership group headed by Sonny Werblin on March 28, , and in April the new owners changed the team's name to the New York Jets.

The Raiders and Titans both finished last in their respective divisions in the season. The Texans dethroned the two-time champion Oilers, 20—17, in a double- overtime contest that was, at the time, Professional Football's longest-ever game. In , the Texans became the second AFL team to relocate. Lamar Hunt felt that despite winning the league championship in , the Texans could not succeed financially competing in the same market as the Dallas Cowboys , which entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in Kansas City mayor Harold Roe Bartle nicknamed "Chief" was instrumental in his city's success in attracting the team.

Rozelle declined the offer; however, the game would be instituted three seasons later. A series of events throughout the next few years demonstrated the AFL's ability to achieve a greater level of equality with the NFL. Sayers eventually signed with the Bears. It was the highest amount of money ever paid to a collegiate football player, and is cited as the strongest contributing factor to the eventual merger between the two leagues.

In early , the AFL considered adding its first expansion team, to begin play in Atlanta in League expansion was approved at a meeting held on June 7, and on August 16 the AFL's ninth franchise was officially awarded to Robbie and television star Danny Thomas.

His successor was Oakland Raiders head coach and general manager Al Davis , who had been instrumental in turning around the fortunes of that franchise. Davis's strategy focused on quarterbacks in particular, and in two months he persuaded seven NFL quarterbacks to sign with the AFL. They held a series of secret meetings in Dallas to discuss their concerns over rapidly increasing player salaries, as well as the practice of player poaching.

Hunt and Schramm completed the basic groundwork for a merger of the two leagues by the end of May, and on June 8, , the merger was officially announced. Under the terms of the agreement, the two leagues would hold a common player draft. The agreement also called for a title game to be played between the champions of the respective leagues. The two leagues would be fully merged by , and NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle would remain as commissioner of the merged league. The loss reinforced for many the notion that the AFL was an inferior league.

Packers head coach Vince Lombardi stated after the game, "I do not think they are as good as the top teams in the National Football League.

The more experienced Packers capitalized on a number of Raiders miscues and never trailed. I think the league has always had good personnel, but the blocks were subtler and better conceived in this game.

The Colts, who entered the contest favored by as many as 18 points, had completed the NFL season with a 13—1 record, and won the NFL title with a convincing 34—0 win of the Cleveland Browns. Led by their stalwart defense—which allowed a record-low points—the Colts were considered one of the best-ever NFL teams. By contrast, the Jets had allowed points, the highest total for any division winner in the two leagues. Jets quarterback Joe Namath recalled that in the days leading up to the game, he grew increasingly angry when told New York had no chance to beat Baltimore.

Three days before the game, a frustrated Namath responded to a heckler at the Touchdown Club in Miami by declaring, "We're going to win Sunday, I'll guarantee you. Namath and the Jets made good on his guarantee as they held the Colts scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. The Jets won, 16—7, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in American sports history. Hadl was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

To avoid having an inequitable number of teams in each conference, the leagues voted to move three NFL teams to the AFC. Motivated by the prospect of an intrastate rivalry with the Bengals as well as by personal animosity toward Paul Brown , Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell quickly offered to include his team in the AFC. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Charlie Joiner , who started his career with the Houston Oilers , was the last AFL player active in professional football, retiring after the season, when he played for the San Diego Chargers.

Also, the National Basketball Association 's biggest ever rival, the American Basketball Association , "merged" only four teams into the NBA, with two others just missing the cut. One was including the names on player jerseys. The older league also adopted the practice of using the stadium scoreboard clocks to keep track of the official game time, instead of just having a stopwatch used by the referee.

The AFL played a game schedule for its entire existence, starting in The NFL, which had played a game schedule since , changed to a game schedule in , a year after the American Football League instituted it.

The AFL also introduced the two-point conversion to professional football thirty-four years before the NFL instituted it in college football had adopted the two point conversion in the late s.

All of these innovations pioneered by the AFL, including its more exciting style of play and colorful uniforms, have essentially made today's professional football more like the AFL than like the old-line NFL. With that first contract with ABC, the AFL adopted the first-ever cooperative television plan for professional football, in which the proceeds were divided equally among member clubs. It featured many outstanding games, such as the classic double-overtime American Football League championship game between the Dallas Texans and the defending champion Houston Oilers.

At the time it was the longest professional football championship game ever played. The AFL gave in too soon. Why should we have to pay an indemnity to a league which took Minneapolis and Atlanta away from us, and forced us out of Los Angeles and Dallas?

Then expansion could have evened out both leagues, and each would have retained its name. A big fuss is made over the fact that the "merger agreement" stated that there must be one league, and Congress is always mentioned in the same breath, implying monopoly charges if the "merger agreement" is not followed to the letter. I ask this simple question: Which is more likely to instigate charges of monopoly The AFL owners scored a stunning triumph in only nine years.

Yet it seems their recent close association with the NFL owners has left them star-struck. Rather than expressing their great pride in their brainchild by insisting that it keep its name, they stumbled over each other in their hurry to discard the AFL and its emblem and embrace the NFL. So it all will end. And no one will remember the AFL existed, except for a few fans with scrapbooks and long memories.

The American Football League Hall of Fa me includes players and coaches who distinguished themselves on the field of play. Their stories are told elsewhere on this site. Those cited below played in the AFL, but it was their actions outside of pro football that brought them honor.

After starring at Oklahoma , h e played in the AFL , where as an offensive guard, he was the Bills' outstanding rookie in With an expectant wife, when his unit was called to active duty, rather than seeking a deferment, Kalsu chose to serve in Viet Nam. Lieutenant Kalsu was killed by enemy fire in July , while helping defend Ripcord Base on an isolated jungle mountaintop near Viet Nam's A s hau Valley. Larry Carwell Larry Carwell was a cornerback who played college football at Iowa State University , and played professionally in the American Football League for the Houston Oilers in and , and for the Boston Patriots in He had interception returns of over 60 yards for touchdowns for both teams.

While aboard a U. Click here for names of o ther d eceased AFL p layers. American Football League Uniforms Click here to see more. In the sixties, Charley Hennigan's numbers were better than Charley Mitchell's; and Jerrell Wilson was a better punter during that decade than Don Chandler.

They're all in the "pro football" Hall of Fame except Robinson, who had statistics equal to Larry Wilson, who is standing behind him in the portrait.

To read about the AFL players, click on the player. If so, please write, call, or e-mail Mr. Steven Perry , the president of the hall of fame, and let him know. Site Index. Duplicate in any form you like, if you're an AFL fan. Coniglio, nospam. RemembertheAFL aol. Ball image courtesy of Dan Gage. Ange Coniglio. But Coniglio does not fit any of these molds. But since the trade made the Kemp-Lamonica argument a mute point, Coniglio's real passion has been the retention of the AFL's identity.

William Sullivan Patriots. Ralph C. Bud Adams Oilers. Sonny Werblin Jets. Joe Robbie DolphIns. Robert Howsam - Gerald Phipps Broncos. Lamar Hunt Chiefs. Al Davis Raiders. Sid Gilman Chargers. Paul Brown Bengals. Game-day programs from the first week of American Football League play. September 9, September 10, September 11, Of all the leagues that have attempted to challenge the dominance of an established league, the American Football League was the only one to be truly successful.

Enjoy the photos and stories, check the links listed below, and above all, Click on the above bumper sticker to make your own. Memoirs of a Mickey Mouse Fan Continued from Page 8 Rams by 19 points.

No one told the Rams they'd have to wait for a couple more drafts before they could play with the big boys, but that's what they told the Raiders when they lost by that identical margin.

See more about Lt. AFL quarterbacks, by artist Gene Sanny. September 9, September 10, September 11, Eastern Division. Boston Patriots. Buffalo Bills. Houston Oilers. Titans of New York. Western Division. Denver Broncos. Dallas Texans. Los Angeles Chargers. Oakland Raiders. Helmet images courtesy of Klaus Gebhard. Below are excerpts from several sources , describing the influence that the American Football League has had on modern P rofessional F ootball.

Kansas City Chiefs. New York Jets. San Diego Chargers. Miami Dolphins. Cincinnati Bengals. Conig L io. Click to e-mail me. Lamar Hunt. Joe Foss. Sid Gillman. Lou Saban.

AFL Founder. Original AFL Commissioner. Original Chargers Head Coach. Hank Stram. Buster Ramsey. Mike Holovak. Sammy Baugh. Only Texans-Chiefs Head Coach. Bills' First Head Coach. Titans' First Head Coach.

Click on Jerry for his column. Remember these? Rookies of the Year. All five full episodes of the history of the AFL from. Peter King on the AFL. Professional Football finally acknowledges the AFL!! AFL Laws of Procedure.

AFL Refs. AFL Cards:. More AFL Cards:. AFL Memorabilia:. AFL Helmets. AFL Footballs. AFL Logos :. Downloadable AFL Images. NEW Tee-Shirts, caps, etc. American Football League Throwbacks. Stunning detailed miniatures of AFL players. Ian Elrod. The Vintage Football League. Carmichael crossed the field and dashed 41 yards into the end zone. The score remained going into halftime. Neither team proved to be a post-season threat in Despite winning four of their first six games, the Broncos closed the season with six losses and a tie to finish with a record.

In fact, neither team experienced the post-season for several years. The Patriots made their first playoff appearance in the AFL championship game, where they were subjected to a drubbing by the San Diego Chargers. About the Author: Todd Tobias. Todd Tobias's interest in the American Football League began in , when he wrote his master's thesis about Sid Gillman.