SafekipediaAmerican Football League
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that played for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL) and became that league's American Football Conference (AFC). It started with eight teams: the Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Texans, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Chargers, Titans of New York, and Oakland Raiders. These teams were split into two groups, the Eastern and Western Divisions.
The AFL became well-known because it signed many top college players and showed games on television, which helped it grow in popularity. As time went on, the league added more teams, including the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. The AFL and NFL agreed to merge in 1966, leading to the creation of the Super Bowl, a championship game between the best teams from both leagues. In 1970, the AFL fully joined the NFL, and its teams became part of the new American Football Conference.
History
During the 1950s, the National Football League grew very popular in the United States. However, one team, the Chicago Cardinals, struggled to compete. Their owner wanted to move the team to St. Louis but faced issues with the league. Meanwhile, a man named Lamar Hunt wanted to buy the team and move it to Dallas, but the plans fell through.
Eventually, Hunt and others decided to create a completely new league. They formed the American Football League in 1959, with teams in Houston, Denver, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and later Los Angeles, New York, and Buffalo. The NFL was not happy about this new rival league and tried to block it, but the AFL continued to grow.
The AFL had its first big success when the Houston Oilers signed a top player, Billy Cannon, to a big contract. The league also signed a television deal, which helped bring in more money. The AFL started playing its first season in 1960 with eight teams. The Oilers became the first champions of the AFL.
Over the next few years, the AFL faced challenges, including teams moving cities and financial struggles. But the league kept growing. In 1964, the AFL signed a big television deal with NBC, which helped it compete better with the NFL. Famous players like Joe Namath joined the AFL, showing that the league was becoming just as strong as the NFL.
In 1966, the AFL and NFL agreed to merge. This meant the two leagues would eventually become one. The first big game between the two leagues was called the Super Bowl, and it happened in 1967. The AFL teams proved they could compete when the New York Jets won the Super Bowl in 1969, shocking everyone. The AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, and the teams became part of the new American Football Conference.
Legacy
The American Football League was the only professional football league to successfully challenge the National Football League (NFL). In 1970, the two leagues merged, and all ten AFL teams became part of the NFL. Before this merger, many other leagues had tried to compete with the NFL but failed.
The AFL introduced several changes that the NFL later adopted, such as putting names on player jerseys and using stadium clocks to track game time. The AFL also started the Super Bowl, which became the main championship game in American football.
The AFL helped bring football to many new cities, including California, New York, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Boston. It also brought football back to places like Buffalo and Kansas City. The league’s influence extended to coaching, with many AFL coaches going on to have successful careers in the NFL.
Teams
The American Football League (AFL) had several teams in different cities. Some of these teams are still playing today in the NFL, which is the bigger league now.
Today, two groups in the NFL are made up totally of old AFL teams. These groups are the AFC West and the AFC East. Other teams from the AFL now play in different groups too.
| Division | Team | First season | Home stadium | AFL record (W-L-T) | AFL titles | Destiny after the merger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Patriots | 1960 | Nickerson Field (1960–1962), Fenway Park (1963–1968), Alumni Stadium (1969) | 64–69–9 | 0 | Still active in the Greater Boston area. Renamed as the New England Patriots in 1971. |
| Buffalo Bills | 1960 | War Memorial Stadium (1960–1969) | 67–71–6 | 2 | Still active in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. | |
| Houston Oilers | 1960 | Jeppesen Stadium (1960–1964), Rice Stadium (1965–1967), Houston Astrodome (1968–1969) | 72–69–4 | 2 | Moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1997, but played in Memphis as the Tennessee Oilers while waiting for a stadium to be constructed. They began play in Nashville in 1998 and renamed as the Tennessee Titans in 1999. | |
| Miami Dolphins | 1966 | Miami Orange Bowl (1966–1969) | 15–39–2 | 0 | Still active in the Miami metropolitan area. | |
| Titans of New York/New York Jets | 1960 | Polo Grounds (1960–1963), Shea Stadium (1964–1969) | 71–66–6 | 1 | Still active in the New York metropolitan area. | |
| Western | Cincinnati Bengals | 1968 | Nippert Stadium (1968–1969) | 7–20–1 | 0 | Still active in Cincinnati. |
| Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs | 1960 | Cotton Bowl (1960–1962), Municipal Stadium (1963–1969) | 92–50–5 | 3 | Still active in Kansas City. | |
| Denver Broncos | 1960 | Bears Stadium/Mile High Stadium (1960–1969) | 39–97–4 | 0 | Still active in Denver. | |
| Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers | 1960 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1960), Balboa Stadium (1961–1966), San Diego Stadium (1967–1969) | 87–52–6 | 1 | Returned to Los Angeles in 2017. | |
| Oakland Raiders | 1960 | Kezar Stadium (1960), Candlestick Park (1961), Frank Youell Field (1962–1965), Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (1966–1969) | 80–61–5 | 1 | Moved to Los Angeles in 1982, returned to Oakland in 1995, then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2020. |
Playoffs
From 1960 to 1968, the American Football League chose its champion through a single playoff game between the top teams from its two divisions. The home team for these games switched each year between divisions. In 1963, the Buffalo Bills and Boston Patriots ended the season with the same record, so they played an extra game to decide who would move on. The Patriots won that game and went on to face the San Diego Chargers, who won convincingly. A similar tie happened in 1968 in the other division, where the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs also needed an extra game to decide the winner. The Raiders won and advanced to the league’s championship. In 1969, the last year of the AFL, a new playoff format allowed teams that didn’t win their division to compete. The Kansas City Chiefs won the league’s final championship that year by defeating the Raiders in Oakland. They went on to become the first team to win the Super Bowl without winning their division during the regular season.
Championship Games
The American Football League held championship games to decide its winner each year. In even-numbered years, the Eastern Division hosted the game, while the Western Division hosted in odd-numbered years. The teams that won these championships include the Houston Oilers, Dallas Texans (AFL), Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Jets. The map shows where these champions were based, with different colors indicating the number of titles each team won.
All-Star games
The AFL held All-Star games from 1961 to 1969, except in 1965. In those games, teams from the Eastern and Western divisions faced off after each season. In 1965, the game was planned in New Orleans, but players asked to move it after some were treated unfairly. The game was then held in Houston instead.
All-Time Team
The best players from the American Football League were picked by a group of experts in 1969 to form an All-Time Team.
| All-Time AFL Team | |||||
| Offense | Defense | Special teams | |||
| Position | Player | Position | Player | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Lance Alworth | End | Jerry Mays | K | George Blanda |
| End | Don Maynard | Gerry Philbin | |||
| TE | Fred Arbanas | T | Houston Antwine | ||
| T | Ron Mix | Tom Sestak | |||
| Jim Tyrer | LB | Bobby Bell | |||
| C | Jim Otto | George Webster | |||
| G | Ed Budde | Nick Buoniconti | P | Jerrel Wilson | |
| Billy Shaw | CB | Willie Brown | |||
| QB | Joe Namath | Dave Grayson | |||
| RB | Clem Daniels | S | Johnny Robinson | ||
| Paul Lowe | George Saimes | ||||
Records
Here are some amazing records from the American Football League (AFL). The NFL counts these records just like their own.
- Yards passing, game – 464, George Blanda (Oilers, October 29, 1961)
- Yards passing, season – 4,007, Joe Namath (Jets, 1967)
- Yards passing, career – 21,130, Jack Kemp (Chargers, Bills)
- Yards rushing, game – 243, Cookie Gilchrist (Bills, December 8, 1963)
- Yards rushing, season – 1,458, Jim Nance (Patriots, 1966)
- Yards rushing, career – 5,101, Clem Daniels (Texans, Raiders)
- Receptions, season – 101, Charlie Hennigan (Oilers, 1964)
- Receptions, career – 567, Lionel Taylor (Broncos)
- Points scored, season – 155, Gino Cappelletti (Patriots, 1964)
- Points scored, career – 1,100, Gino Cappelletti (Patriots)
Players, coaches, and contributors
The American Football League had many important players, coaches, and people who helped the league run. You can learn more about them through these lists:
- List of American Football League players
- American Football League Most Valuable Players
- American Football League Rookies of the Year
- American Football League draft
- American Football League officials
Commissioners/presidents of the American Football League
The league was led by a few key leaders:
- Joe Foss, commissioner (November 30, 1959 – April 7, 1966)
- Al Davis, commissioner (April 8, 1966 – July 25, 1966)
- Milt Woodard, president (July 25, 1966 – March 12, 1970)
50th anniversary celebration
Main article: 2009 NFL season
In 2009, the 50th anniversary of the start of the American Football League was celebrated. The year began with a special game in August called the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Two teams from the AFL’s original groups, the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans, played in this game.
During the celebration, each of the original eight AFL teams wore special uniforms from their early days in several games. The league also made special items like shirts and banners to remember the AFL, and fans loved them, especially the Denver Broncos' striped socks. A TV show about the history of the AFL also aired that year.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on American Football League, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.