All-Time AFL Team - OFFENSE

On January 14, 1970, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released the list of the All-Time AFL Team. The honorary offensive team, that included a kicker and a punter, was determined by a vote of the AFL members of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors.

Wide receiver Lance Alworth, tackle Ron Mix, and center Jim Otto were the only unanimous picks for the team. Quarterback Joe Namath came one vote away from receiving unanimous selection to the team. Namath was also the only member of the team that did not play in the AFL for seven or more seasons.

The closest vote came at running back where Cookie Gilchrist and Abner Haynes received strong support and gained second-team recognition. Other runners who garnered consideration were Mike Garrett, Jim Nance, and Matt Snell.
 

WIDE RECEIVER (FLANKER)

Lance Alworth - Chargers
Nicknamed “Bambi” because of his graceful style on the football field, Alworth began his career in 1962. He spent all of his AFL years with the Chargers and also played with San Diego in 1970, its first year in the merged NFL. Alworth played two final seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, his first year of eligibility.

Alworth ranked second all-time in AFL history with 8,976 receiving yards and also posted the second highest single-season receiving yardage total in league annals (1,602 yards in 1965).

Three times he led the AFL in receiving (1966, 1968, and 1969). He was voted unanimous first-team All-AFL seven consecutive seasons and also named to seven AFL All-Star Games. | Alworth’s HOF Bio>>>

WIDE RECEIVER (END)

Don Maynard - Titans/Jets
Maynard started his pro career with the New York Giants in 1958. After a one-year hiatus, he became the first player signed by the New York Titans in 1960. He starred with the Titans, later renamed the Jets, through the ‘72 season before playing his final year with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. Maynard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Maynard topped all AFL players in career receiving yardage as he accumulated 10,289 yards during the 10 seasons that the league existed. His 546 catches ranked second all-time in AFL history. Maynard was named first- or second-team All-AFL six times and was voted to four AFL All-Star Games. | Maynard’s HOF Bio>>>

TIGHT END

Fred Arbanas - Texans/Chiefs
Arbanas played his entire career (1962-1970) with the Texans/Chiefs. His career totals read 198 catches for 3,101 yards for a healthy 15.7 yards per catch average, and 34 touchdowns. All of his stats were produced in the AFL except for 8 catches for 108 yards and 1 TD that he amassed during six games played in his final season, the Chiefs’ first in the merged AFL-NFL in 1970. Arbanas lost sight in one eye in a 1964 accident but the injury never slowed him.

He was voted first-team All-AFL four times and received second-team All-NFL honors two other seasons. He also was named to five AFL All-Star Games. Arbanas was named to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1973. | Arbanas player page on NFL.com>>>  

TACKLES

Ron Mix - Chargers
Mix played his entire AFL career with the Chargers from 1960-69. He played one last season of football with the 1971 Oakland Raiders. Nicknamed the “Intellectual Assassin,” Mix combined his football smarts with intense technique to rank as one of the game’s finest blockers both on passing and running plays.

He was named All-AFL eight times at tackle and once as a guard (1962). Mix also was picked to play in the AFL All-Star Game eight times. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. | Mix’s HOF Bio>>>

Jim Tyrer - Texans/Chiefs
Tyrer, a former All-America at Ohio State, was one of the most dominant offensive tackles of his era. He played 180 straight games for the Texans/Chiefs from 1961-1973 before finishing his career with the Washington Redskins 1974.

Named All-AFL in each of the eight seasons he played in the league, Tyrer also was selected to seven AFL All-Star Games and two AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. He was elected to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1977. Tyrer passed away on September 15, 1980. | Tyrer’s player page on NFL.com>>>

GUARDS

Ed Budde - Chiefs
Budde spent his entire 14-season career (1963-1976) with the Chiefs, half in the AFL and half in the NFL. A starter in both of the Chiefs Super Bowls, Budde never missed a single game during his first nine seasons.

He was selected first- or second-team All-AFL four seasons and was also named to five AFL All-Star Games and two AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. Budde was named to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1984. | Budde's player page on NFL.com>>>

Billy Shaw - Bills
Shaw, a two-way player in college, became the anchor of the Bills offensive line that won back-to-back AFL titles in the mid-1960s. The former Georgia Tech star was equally adept at pass or run blocking.

He was honored as a first-team All-AFL pick five straight seasons, 1962-66, and also picked as a second-team All-AFL choice in 1968 and 1969. Shaw was voted to eight AFL All-Star Games. He was named to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame in 1988. Eleven years later, in 1999, Shaw became the first player to spend his entire career in the AFL to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. | Shaw’s HOF Bio>>>

CENTER

Jim Otto - Raiders
Jim Otto’s jersey number 00 was a familiar site in the AFL. Known for his ruggedness and toughness, he overcame numerous injuries to play 15 seasons for the Raiders, 1960-1974.

He was the AFL’s only all-league center earning that honor in each of the 10 seasons he competed in the AFL. Additionally, he earned All-NFL recognition twice after Oakland joined the merged AFL-NFL in 1970. He also was named to nine AFL

All-Star Games and three AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. In 1980 became the first long-time member of the Raiders to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. | Otto’s HOF Bio>>>

QUARTERBACK

Joe Namath - Jets
One of the most important moments in the AFL’s history came when the New York Jets outbid the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals and signed Joe Namath to a historic $400,000 contract. Namath’s flair off the field was as important as his strong arm on it during his career that spanned from 1965-1976 with the Jets and one last year with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977. Namath, who became the first QB ever to pass for 4,000 yards in a season, also guaranteed the unlikely Super Bowl III upset of the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.

Namath was named to four AFL All-Star Games and one AFC-NFC Pro Bowl; and selected as a first- or second-team four straight seasons. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. | Namath’s HOF Bio>>>

RUNNING BACKS

Clem Daniels - Texans, Raiders
Daniels spent eight of his nine pro seasons in the AFL with the Dallas Texans (1960) and Oakland Raiders (1961-67) before playing one final year in the NFL with the 1968 San Francisco 49ers. Daniels was the AFL’s all-time leading rusher as he gained 5,101 yards on 1,134 carries and scored 30 touchdowns. He also added more than 3,300 yards via 201 pass receptions during his AFL years.

He was named first-team All-AFL in 1963 and 1966 and picked as a second-team all-league choice following the 1964 and 1965 seasons. Daniels was named to four straight AFL All-Star Games. | Daniels’ player page on NFL.com>>>

Paul Lowe - Chargers, Chiefs
Lowe spent his entire career in the AFL with the Chargers (1960-68) and Chiefs (1968-69) and finished with the highest per carry average in league history. He amassed 4,995 rushing yards, second most in AFL history, and scored 38 TDs. Lowe also ranked second behind only the Patriots’ Jim Nance in career 100-yard games with 15. Lowe also had 111 receptions for 1,045 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Lowe was named consensus first-team All-AFL in 1960 and again in 1965. He was also named second-team All-AFL twice. A two-time time AFL All-Star, he was named to the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1979. | Lowe’s player page on NFL.com>>>

PLACEKICKER

George Blanda - Oilers, Raiders
Blanda spent 10 of his 26 seasons of pro football in the AFL with the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders. Although he was a prolific passer that earned him the AFL’s Player of the Year honors in 1961, Blanda was named to the All-Time AFL Team as a kicker. He scored 936 points on four touchdowns, 456 extra points and 152 field goals in the AFL. He also kicked the longest field goal in league history when he connected on a 55-yarder against the San Diego Chargers in 1961.

Blanda, a veteran of four AFL All-Star Games was named first- or second-team All-AFL twice as a kicker and three times at quarterback. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. | Blanda’s HOF Bio>>>

PUNTER

Jerrel Wilson - Chiefs
Wilson played 15 of his 16 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1963-1977). He finished his career with the New England Patriots in 1978. One of the most prolific punters in pro football history, Wilson finished as the AFL’s all-time leader with a 43.9-yard per punt average that came on 422 punts from 1963-69.

Despite never having played in an AFL All-Star Game, he was voted to three AFC-NFC Pro Bowls following the AFL-NFL merger. Wilson was named All-AFL in 1968 and also earned second-team All-AFL recognition in 1966. He was named to the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson passed away on April 9, 2005. | Wilson’s player page on NFL.com>>>

AFL All-Time Team – OFFENSE (Second Team)