1961 Houston Oilers season

1961 Houston Oilers season
Head coach Wally Lemm (9–0) and
Lou Rymkus (1–3–1, fired)
Owner Bud Adams
Home field Jeppesen Stadium
Results
Record 10–3–1
Division place 1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish Won AFL Championship
San Diego Chargers, (10–3)

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was their second. For the second consecutive season, the Oilers scored a triumph in the AFL championship game over the San Diego Chargers (12–2), the Western Division champions.[1][2][3]

The Oilers started slowly in 1961, with a 1–3–1 record. After a tie on October 13 with the Boston Patriots, head coach Lou Rymkus was fired by owner Bud Adams. Wally Lemm was hired,[4] and the team went undefeated for the remainder of the season, including the championship game, a winning streak of ten games.

The Oilers set the AFL record for points scored in 1961, with 513 (36.6 points per game).[5] They also set an American Football League record with a +271 point differential, by allowing only 242 points.[6] The 1961 Oilers are the only team in AFL or NFL history to score 45 points or more six times in a single season.[7]

Offseason

On January 14, end Willard Dewveall played out his option with the Chicago Bears of the NFL and joined the Oilers.[8] He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.[9] Dewveall was the only one to move between leagues for five years, until placekicker Pete Gogolak moved from the Buffalo Bills to the New York Giants of the NFL in 1966.[10]

AFL Draft

  • Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)
RoundPlayerPositionCollege
1Mike DitkaOffensive EndPittsburgh
2Tom GoodeCenterMississippi State
3Walter Suggs 1TackleMississippi State
4Bobby WaldenHalfbackGeorgia
5Monte LeeLinebackerTexas
6Jake GibbsQuarterbackMississippi
7Dick ReynoldsTackleNorth Carolina State
8Houston Antwine 1,2GuardSouthern Illinois
9Ralph WhiteTackleBowling Green
10Charles LeeCenterIowa
11Robert BirdGuardBowling Green
12Bob McLeodOffensive EndAbilene Christian
13Gerald HintonGuardLouisiana Tech
14Jimmy KingTackleClemson
15Dennis FerriterCenterMarquette
16Larry WoodHalfbackNorthwestern
17Sam FewellTackleSouth Carolina
18Mike GrimsleyHalfbackMichigan State
19Myron PearsonHalfbackColorado
20Lewis JohnsonHalfbackFlorida A&M
21Ron MillerQuarterbackWisconsin
22Bob KellyOffensive EndNew Mexico State
23James AndersonFullbackMississippi
24Ken GregoryOffensive EndWhittier
25Jack KreiderHalfbackTulsa
26Don FuellQuarterbackMississippi Southern
27Boyd KingCenterRice
28John FrongilloCenterBaylor
29John FrongilloOffensive EndLake Forest
29Errol LindenDefensive endHouston
30Jim StroudTackleRice

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Houston Oilers 1031.7694–1–1513242W9
Boston Patriots 941.6922–3–1413313W4
New York Titans 770.5003–3301390L2
Buffalo Bills 680.4292–4294342L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Season schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 9, 1961 Oakland Raiders W 55–0
16,231
2 Bye
3 September 24, 1961 at San Diego Chargers L 34–24
29,210
4 October 1, 1961 at Dallas Texans L 26–21
28,000
5 October 8, 1961 Buffalo Bills L 22–12
22,761
6 October 13, 1961 at Boston Patriots T 31–31
15,070
7 October 22, 1961 Dallas Texans W 38–7
21,237
8 October 29, 1961 at Buffalo Bills W 28–16
23,228
9 November 5, 1961 at Denver Broncos W 55–14
11,564
10 November 12, 1961 Boston Patriots W 27–15
35,649
11 November 19, 1961 New York Titans W 49–13
33,428
12 November 26, 1961 Denver Broncos W 45–14
27,864
13 December 3, 1961 San Diego Chargers W 33–13
37,845
14 December 10, 1961 at New York Titans W 48–21
9,462
15 December 17, 1961 at Oakland Raiders W 47–16
4,821

Roster

1961 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs CB

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists

Practice Squad

Rookies in italics

Postseason

AFL Championship Game

1 2 3 4 Total
Oilers 0 3 7 0 10
Chargers 0 0 0 3 3

Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3

December 24, 1961, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 29,556

Scoring

References

  1. ↑ "Chargers challenge for AFL grid title". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 24, 1961. p. 2, sports.
  2. ↑ "Blanda stars as Oilers win AFL title, 10-3". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. December 25, 1961. p. 1S.
  3. ↑ "Blanda's arm and toe clear path as Houston takes 2d AFL crown". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 25, 1961. p. 14.
  4. ↑ "Lemm lifts Oilers back toward top". Sarasota Journal. Florida. UPI. November 2, 1961. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the AFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For
  6. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1960 to 1969, in the AFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Differential
  7. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, requiring Points For >= 45, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
  8. ↑ "Chicago Bears veteran Dewveall joins". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. January 14, 1961. p. 8.
  9. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 282
  10. ↑ "Signing of Gogolak could trigger football battle". Ludington Daily News. Michigan. Associated Press. May 18, 1966. p. 12.
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