1960 Houston Oilers season
NFL team season (inaugural)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| 1960 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Don Suman |
| Head coach | Lou Rymkus |
| Home stadium | Jeppesen Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Won AFL Championship (vs. Chargers) 24–16 |
Player movements
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.
Roster
| 1960 Houston Oilers roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
|
Reserve lists
rookies in italics | |||
Preseason
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 6 | vs. Dallas Texans | L 10–27 | 0–1 | Skelly Field | 12,000 | |
| 2 | August 11 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 13–22 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 11,500 | |
| 3 | August 20 | Denver Broncos | W 42–3 | 1–2 | Jeppesen Stadium | 19,500 | |
| 4 | August 26 | vs. New York Titans | W 30–14 | 2–2 | Ladd Memorial Stadium | 10,000 | |
| 5 | September 2 | at Dallas Texans | L 3–24 | 2–3 | Cotton Bowl | 51,000 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | at Oakland Raiders | W 37–22 | 1–0 | Kezar Stadium | 12,703 |
Recap |
| 2 | September 18 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 38–28 | 2–0 | Jeppesen Stadium | 20,156 |
Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | Oakland Raiders | L 13–14 | 2–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 16,421 |
Recap |
| 4 | Bye | ||||||
| 5 | October 9 | New York Titans | W 27–21 | 3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 16,151 |
Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | Dallas Texans | W 20–10 | 4–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 19,026 |
Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at New York Titans | W 42–28 | 5–1 | Polo Grounds | 21,000 |
Recap |
| 8 | October 30 | at Buffalo Bills | L 24–25 | 5–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 23,001 |
Recap |
| 9 | November 6 | at Denver Broncos | W 45–25 | 6–2 | Bears Stadium | 14,489 |
Recap |
| 10 | November 13 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 21–24 | 6–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 21,805 |
Recap |
| 11 | November 20 | Denver Broncos | W 20–10 | 7–3 | Jeppesen Stadium | 20,778 |
Recap |
| 12 | November 25 | at Boston Patriots | W 24–10 | 8–3 | Nickerson Field | 27,123 |
Recap |
| 13 | December 4 | at Dallas Texans | L 0–24 | 8–4 | Cotton Bowl | 20,000 |
Recap |
| 14 | December 11 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–23 | 9–4 | Jeppesen Stadium | 25,247 |
Recap |
| 15 | December 18 | Boston Patriots | W 37–21 | 10–4 | Jeppesen Stadium | 22,352 |
Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Regular season game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday, September 11, 1960): at Oakland Raiders
Week 1: Houston Oilers at Oakland Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 7 | 0 | 13 | 17 | 37 |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California
- Date: September 11
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 12,703
- Recap
Week 2 (Sunday, September 18, 1960): vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers 28 at Houston Oilers 38 – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers (1–1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Oilers (2–0) | 14 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 38 |
at Jeppesen Stadium • Houston, Texas
- Date: September 18, 1960
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 80 °F or 26.7 °C, relative humidity 72%, wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 3.5 kn)
- Game attendance: 20,156
- TV announcers (ABC): Jack Buck (play–by–play) and Dick Danehe (color commentator)
- [5]
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| HOU | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
- Point spread: Oilers –6½
- Time of game:
| Chargers | Game statistics | Oilers |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passes | ||
| Sacked–yards | ||
| Net passing yards | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Return yards | ||
| Punts | ||
| Fumbles–lost | ||
| Penalties–yards | ||
| Time of possession |
Week 3 (Sunday, September 25, 1960): vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 3: Oakland Raiders at Houston Oilers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: September 20
- Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 16,421
- Recap
Week 5 (Sunday, October 9, 1960): vs. New York Titans
Week 6 (Sunday, October 16, 1960): vs. Dallas Texans
Week 7 (Sunday, October 23, 1960): at New York Titans
Week 8 (Sunday, October 30, 1960): at Buffalo Bills
Week 9 (Sunday, November 6, 1960): at Denver Broncos
Week 10 (Sunday, November 13, 1960): at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 10: Houston Oilers 21 at Los Angeles Chargers 24 – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers (6–3) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Chargers (6–3) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 56 °F or 13.3 °C, relative humidity 85%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
- Game attendance: 21,085
- TV announcers (ABC): Jack Buck (play–by–play) and Elmer Angsman (color commentator)
- [13]
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| LAC | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
- Point spread: Oilers Pick'em
- Time of game:
| Oilers | Game statistics | Chargers |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Rushes–yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passes | ||
| Sacked–yards | ||
| Net passing yards | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Return yards | ||
| Punts | ||
| Fumbles–lost | ||
| Penalties–yards | ||
| Time of possession |
Week 11 (Sunday, November 20, 1960): vs. Denver Broncos
Week 12 (Friday, November 25, 1960): at Boston Patriots
Week 13 (Sunday, December 4, 1960): at Dallas Texans
Week 14 (Sunday, December 11, 1960): vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 15 (Sunday, December 18, 1960): vs. Boston Patriots
Notable stats
| Player | Comp. | Att. | Comp% | Yards | TD's | INT's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Blanda (HOU) | 169 | 363 | 46.6 | 2413 | 24 | 22 |
Standings
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Source:[19]
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFL Championship | January 1 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 24–16 | Jeppesen Stadium | 32,183 | Recap |
1960 AFL Championship Game (Sunday, January 1, 1961): vs. Los Angeles Chargers
1960 AFL Championship Game: Los Angeles Chargers 16 at Houston Oilers 24 – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers (0–1) | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Oilers (1–0) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Jeppesen Stadium • Houston, Texas
- Date: January 1, 1961
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 45 °F or 7 °C, relative humidity 82%, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
- Game attendance: 32,183
- Referee: John McDonough
- TV announcers (ABC): Jack Buck (play–by–play), George Ratterman (color commentator) and Les Keiter (sideline reporter)[21]
- [22]
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | Passing | Jack Kemp | 21/41, 171 YDS, 2 INTs |
| Rushing | Paul Lowe | 21 CAT, 165 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Don Norton Royce Womble | 6 REC, 55 YDS 6 REC, 29 YDS | |
| HOU | Passing | George Blanda | 16/31, 301 YDS, 3 TDs |
| Rushing | Billy Cannon | 18 CAR, 50 YDS | |
| Receiving | Dave Smith | 5 REC, 52 YDS, 1 TD |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Point spread: Oilers –5
- Time of game:
| Chargers | Game statistics | Oilers |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | First downs | 17 |
| 30–190 | Rushes–yards | 40–100 |
| 171 | Passing yards | 301 |
| 21–41–2 | Passes | 16–32–0 |
| 3–28 | Sacked–yards | 0–0 |
| 143 | Net passing yards | 301 |
| 333 | Total yards | 401 |
| 165 | Return yards | 153 |
| 4–41.0 | Punts | 5–34.0 |
| 2–0 | Fumbles–lost | 0–0 |
| 3–15 | Penalties–yards | 4–54 |
| Time of possession |