American Football League

American Football League

The American Football League, or AFL, was a professional football league that played for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970. It started with eight teams: the Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, 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 popular because it signed many top college players and showed games on television. Later, the league added more teams, including the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. In 1966, the AFL and the older National Football League (NFL) agreed to merge. This led 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 NFL's American Football Conference (AFC).

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.

In 2009, people celebrated the 50th anniversary of the start of the American Football League. Fans loved special uniforms and items that remembered the AFL.