American Football League All-Star game
The American Football League All-Star game was the annual game which featured each year's best performers in the American Football League (AFL). The game was first played in 1961 and the final AFL All-Star game occurred in 1969, prior to the league's merger with the National Football League (NFL).
All-League Teams
The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969. From 1960 through 1966, the All-League team was selected by the AFL players, and from 1967 through 1969 it was selected by a consensus of The Sporting News (TSN), the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA). The All-League AFL selections usually included one player at each team position on offense and on defense (i.e., one quarterback, two guards, four defensive backs, etc.).
All-Star Teams
The AFL did not have an All-star game after its first season in 1960 but from 1961 through 1969, other AFL players were added to the All-League players to form two squads, and the league held All-Star games for those seasons. After every season except 1965, the format consisted of games between All-Star teams from the Eastern and Western divisions. In 1965, the league champion Buffalo Bills played all-stars from the other teams.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL include AFL All-Star Games in their statistics for the Pro Bowl. After the AFL–NFL merger of 1970, the name of the NFL's all-star game was changed to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl. Buffalo Bills rookie running back O.J. Simpson carried the ball on the last play in AFL history in the Houston Astrodome at the 1969 All-Star Game on January 17, 1970.
The 1965 boycott
After the 1964 season, the AFL All-Star Game had been scheduled for early 1965 in New Orleans' Tulane Stadium. After numerous black players were refused service by a number of New Orleans hotels and businesses, black and white players alike lobbied for a boycott. The black players all left days before the game, saying that it was clear they were not wanted.[1] Under the leadership of Buffalo Bills players including Cookie Gilchrist, the players put up a unified front, and the game was successfully moved to Houston's Jeppesen Stadium.[2][3]
Game history
| Season | Date | Score | Series | Most Valuable Player(s) | Venue | Attendance | Head Coaches | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | January 7, 1962 | West, 47–27 | West 1–0 | Cotton Davidson, QB, Texans | Balboa Stadium, San Diego | 20,973 | E:Wally Lemm (Houston) W:Sid Gillman (San Diego) | ABC |
| 1962 | January 13, 1963 | West, 21–14 | West 2–0 | Offense: Curtis McClinton, RB, Dallas Texans Defense: Earl Faison, DE, Chargers | Balboa Stadium, San Diego | 27,641 | E:Frank Ivy (Houston) W:Hank Stram (Dallas) | ABC |
| 1963 | January 19, 1964 | West, 27–24 | West 3–0 | Offense: Keith Lincoln, RB, Chargers Defense: Archie Matsos, LB, Raiders | Balboa Stadium, San Diego | 20,016 | E:Mike Holovak (Boston) W:Sid Gillman (San Diego) | ABC |
| 1964 | January 16, 1965[4] | West, 38–14 | West 4–0 | Offense: Keith Lincoln, RB, Chargers Defense: Willie Brown, DB, Broncos | Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas | 15,446 | E:Lou Saban (Buffalo) W:Sid Gillman (San Diego) | ABC |
| 1965 | January 15, 1966[4] | AFL All-Stars 30, Buffalo Bills 19 | - | Offense: Joe Namath, QB, Jets Defense: Frank Buncom, LB, Chargers | Rice Stadium, Houston | 35,572 | Buffalo:Lou Saban AS:Sid Gillman (San Diego) | NBC |
| 1966 | January 21, 1967[4] | East, 30–23 | West 4–1 | Offense: Babe Parilli, QB, Boston Patriots Defense: Verlon Biggs, DE, Jets | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California | 18,876 | E:Mike Holovak (Boston) W:John Rauch (Oakland) | NBC |
| 1967 | January 21, 1968 | East, 25–24 | West 4–2 | Offense: Joe Namath, QB, Jets; and Don Maynard, F, Jets Defense: Speedy Duncan, DB/KR, Chargers | Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida | 40,103 | E: Joe Collier (Buffalo) W:Lou Saban (Denver) | NBC |
| 1968 | January 19, 1969 | West, 38–25 | West 5–2 | Offense: Len Dawson, QB, Chiefs Defense: George Webster, LB, Houston Oilers | Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida | 41,058 | E:George Wilson (Miami) W:Lou Saban (Denver) | NBC |
| 1969 | January 17, 1970[4] | West, 26–3 | West 6–2 | John Hadl, QB, Chargers | Astrodome, Houston | 30,170 | E:George Wilson (Miami) W:Lou Saban (Denver) | NBC |
Broadcasters
The following is a list of the television networks and announcers that broadcast the American Football League All-Star game during its existence.
References
- Thomas, Ben (January 11, 1965). "American football League calls off All-Star game set for New Orleans". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. p. 18.
- "AFL All-Star game moved to Houston". Morning Record. Meriden, Connecticut. January 12, 1965. p. 5.
- "New Orleans: pro grid nightmare". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. Associated Press. January 12, 1965. p. 11A.
- game played on Saturday.
- 1961 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews
- 1962 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews
- 1963 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1964 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1965 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1966 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1967 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1968 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- 1969 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- The African American Registry listing of the 1965 boycott – link
- Post-1961 season
- Post-1964 season
- Post-1969 season