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Week
Seven poll: Best AFL Franchise
In honor of the
AFL's 40th anniversary and the classic AFL matchup this week between Kansas City
and Oakland, we take a look at the greatest AFL franchises. Which
one was the best? You
decide. Get some background below before casting your vote ... and check back on
our previous winners from Weeks
One-Six.
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Houston
Oilers
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George
Blanda
Led
by QB/K George Blanda, the 1960 and '61 Oilers won the first-two
championships of the AFL. The Oilers finished 11-4 on the 1960
campaign, including a 24-16 championship game victory over the L.A.
Chargers. In '61, Blanda racked up over 3,000 yards passing and 36
TDs, leading the Oilers to a 10-3-1 record. The Oilers defeated the
12-2 San Diego Chargers, 10-3, to win their second AFL title in as
many seasons.
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Buffalo
Bills
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Billy
Shaw
The
1964 AFL-champion Buffalo Bills gave the city its first-ever
professional sports championship. The Bills' 371.9 avg. yards per
game were nearly 100 yards greater than their opponents' 277.
Their 12-2 record was tops in the league, and the Bills dominated the
AFL Championship game, 20-3, over San Diego. As the only team in the
Eastern Division with a winning record in 1965 (10-3-1), the Bills
advanced to the AFL Championship Game against the Chargers. Once
again, the Bills destroyed San Diego, 23-0, for the first shutout in
AFL Championship Game history.
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Dallas Texans/Kansas
City Chiefs
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Hank
Stram is carried off after SB IV |
The
Texans/Chiefs' 10-season AFL record of 92-50-5 was the best of any
team. In 1962, the Texans won the AFL Championship in what was then
the longest game in pro football history, 20-17, over Houston in two
overtimes. After a move to Kansas City in 1963, the Chiefs won a
second AFL title in 1966 and were the first team to represent the AFL
in Super Bowl competition, losing to Green Bay, 35-10, in Super Bowl
I. The Chiefs again won the AFL title in 1969 and became the only
team in AFL history to win three championships. They upset the
NFL-champion Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, to complete the AFL vs. NFL
portion of the Super Bowl series tied at two wins each. It was the
last game ever played by an AFL team.
New
York Jets
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Joe
Namath
The
1968 Jets defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-23, in the AFL championship
and then stunned the entire sports world with a 16-7 victory over the
overwhelmingly-favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, which was
guaranteed by eventual Super Bowl MVP Joe Namath. Head coach Weeb
Ewbank became the first head coach to win a world title in both the
NFL and AFL. The AFL win was the first victory for the AFL over the
NFL in the Super Bowl.
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| | | | Note: Photos
courtesy of the Associated Press.
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