1960 Houston Oilers season
1960 Houston Oilers season | |
---|---|
Owner | Bud Adams |
General manager | Don Suman |
Head coach | Lou Rymkus |
Home field | Jeppesen Stadium |
Local radio | KXYZ |
Results | |
Record | 10–4 |
Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
Playoff finish | Won AFL Championship (vs. Chargers) 24–16 |
The 1960 Houston Oilers season was the first season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; Head Coach Lou Rymkus led the Oilers to the AFL Eastern Division title, with a 10–4 record.[1] It was also the first American Football League season. It ended with a 24–16 victory in the AFL championship game at home over the Los Angeles Chargers (10–4).[2]
Offseason
AFL draft
In the 1960 AFL draft, the Houston Oilers selected the following players.
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Regular season
- The Oilers scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed the Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon of LSU. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as veteran quarterback George Blanda.
Standings
AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 379 | 285 | W2 | |
New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 382 | 399 | L1 | |
Buffalo Bills | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 3–3 | 296 | 303 | L2 | |
Boston Patriots | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–4 | 286 | 349 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
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1 | September 11 | at Oakland Raiders | W 37–22 | 1–0 | Kezar Stadium | 12,703
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Recap |
2 | September 18 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 38–28 | 2–0 | Jeppesen Stadium | 20,156
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Recap |
3 | September 20 | Oakland Raiders | L 13–14 | 2–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 16,421
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Recap |
4 | Bye | ||||||
5 | October 9 | New York Titans | W 27–21 | 3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 16,151
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6 | October 16 | Dallas Texans | W 20–10 | 4–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 19,026
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Recap |
7 | October 23 | at New York Titans | W 42–28 | 5–1 | Polo Grounds | 21,000
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8 | October 30 | at Buffalo Bills | L 24–25 | 5–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 23,001
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9 | November 6 | at Denver Broncos | W 45–25 | 6–2 | Bears Stadium | 14,489
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10 | November 13 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 21–24 | 6–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 21,805
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11 | November 20 | Denver Broncos | W 20–10 | 7–3 | Jeppesen Stadium | 20,778
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12 | November 25 | at Boston Patriots | W 24–10 | 8–3 | Nickerson Field | 27,123
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13 | December 4 | at Dallas Texans | L 0–24 | 8–4 | Cotton Bowl | 20,000
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14 | December 11 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–23 | 9–4 | Jeppesen Stadium | 25,247
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15 | December 18 | Boston Patriots | W 37–21 | 10–4 | Jeppesen Stadium | 22,352
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Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 4th Quarter | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 7 | 0 | 13 | 17 | 37 |
Oakland | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 4th Quarter | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 14 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 38 |
Los Angeles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders
1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 4th Quarter | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Oakland | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Notable stats
Player | Comp. | Att. | Comp% | Yards | TD's | INT's |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Blanda (HOU) | 169 | 363 | 46.6 | 2413 | 24 | 22 |
Roster
1960 Houston Oilers inaugural roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks 16 George Blanda Wide receivers Tight ends |
Offensive Linemen
65 Gary Greaves T Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs CB Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
Practice Squad Rookies in italics |
Postseason
AFL Championship Game
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
Oilers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Houston Oilers 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16
- January 1, 1961, at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 32,183
Scoring
- LA – Field goal Ben Agajanian 38 LA 3–0
- LA – Field goal Agajanian 22 LA 6–0
- HOU – Smith 17 pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 7–6
- HOU – Field goal Blanda 18 HOU 10–6
- LA – Field goal Agajanian 27 HOU 10–9
- HOU – Bill Groman 7 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 17–9
- LA – Paul Lowe 2 run (Agajanian kick) HOU 17–16
- HOU – Billy Cannon 88 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 24–16
Awards
Sporting News American Football League All-League Team – 1960
The American Football League did not have an All-Star game after its first season in 1960, but an All-League team, selected by vote of the AFL players themselves, was published by the Sporting News. In later years, the All-League players were augmented by
References
- ^ "Houston, Los Angeles play for AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1961. p. 2, section 2.
- ^ "Blanda paces Oilers to AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 44.