I miss the good old days. I am 70 and my dad has been dead 49 years now. I loved that man. A real hero in many ways. One of the things I miss is how we would be working on our farm (he also had a business) and on Sundays, at lunch, we would watch NFL and AFL football ... whatever was on. I miss it all, including the AFL. Thanks to everyone involved in making this available to the public.
I was so grateful for this whole documentary being on TH-cam 5 years ago when I was bed-ridden recovering from a very painful knee replacement surgery. Really helped me get through that tough and frustrating time when I couldnt even sleep some nights because of the pain. Thanks!
I don't know if it's original if one of the teams that was in the division during its AFL years isn't in it anymore. I'm referring to the Oilers. The AFC West is an original AFL division and the only one that remains.
The OILERS totally got the shaft in that realiment. But I bet Bud got cash in exchange for having to be the team that got pushed out. I grew up with them playing those North East teams and never ever carried one bit about a rivalry. In the AFC championship games against Pittsburgh they were a rivalry but not like wanting to beat the Raiders or the Chiefs or the Patriots. I have never cared about beating the Browns. Or Bengals. The Oilers had to of gotten some consideration for that move.
@@osaji922 Every division is four teams. Only three divisions today have four teams that were all part of the same division before the merger: AFC West (1960), NFC North (1961), and AFC East (1966).
The NFL owes Pete Gogolak at least $50 billion dollars. Without him switching from Buffalo to the Giants, there is no merger, and their certainly no Super Bowl.
Just a reminder that the Raiders played their first two seasons in San Francisco: Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park. Also, the NFL was better than the AFL, proved in the first two SBs.
61 years old and a die-hard Green Bay packer fan my first year remembering football is 1968 and super bowl III with the Joe Namath guarantee it sucks I don't remember super bowl 1 and 2 because I am a packer fan but I think I know why I remember super bowl 3 all the hype behind Joe Namath and all the hype behind this new AFL league my sons are in their thirties and I tell them all the time to know the history of the NFL and why there is a super bowl today I love all this AFL stuff even though I'm an NFL man thank you
I am 61 also and I grew up with the birth of AFL and as far as I am concerned the American Football League was much more fun to watch and my team was born from this league The Miami Dolphins .
I watched Alworth play at the University of Arkansas and was indeed something special. Razorbacks got him because married guys wasn’t allowed to play at Mississippi.
AFL was underdog, I think NFL was better league up to1968,but AFL type faster play and wide open ,plus drafted better players at end of decade,finally gave them respect and parity.
The HOF has missed the mark. Those guys and their accomplishments have been forgotten. It's very important to getting those guys inducted while they can or could enjoy the benefits of being a Hall Of Famer. When a guy dies or gets to a point that they can't travel or give speeches it is a loss because the mark was missed.
In Werblin's case: Revived the NY AFL Franchise Lured Joe Namath from the NFL His team won the first SB for the AFL Those accomplishments should get him in the HOF
With Maynard not too far behind him. He was more like the Raymond Berry of the AFL. I always wondered what Jurgenson and Charlie Taylor could have done on an AFL team. That was your best QB-WR tandem in the '60's NFL.
As a kid, I learned a lot about football on television, but i learned a great deal listening to Hank Stram's commentary on national radio for Monday night football.
Wow,,, INCREDIBLE stories & history..!! I saw more empty seats than sold seats... so the merger worked out well for everyone, Owners, Players & Fans...and TV of course..!!
This however is a truly great documentary,very fun to watch and see the NFL/AFL battle and how it led to the merger.the afl was critical in opening up passing football and to its credit bringing speed and blacks from small colleges into pro game.The afl really did change pro football for the better.
Without a doubt. ABC was able to take chances be innovative because they were barely a network at the time. But NBC was *the* network. As Art Rooney said "they don't have to call us Mister anymore."
OMG This is such a great series. The stories about how the NFL was hiding college players from the AFL are hilarious. Especially the one about Otis Taylor at 28:09
The NFL played itself when it wouldn't expand in the late 50's. If they would have given Lamar Hunt and Bud Adams a team from the very beginning, there would be no AFL. It was a coincidence when Hunt tried to start a team in Dallas and the NFL said no. But as soon as he announced the creation of the AFL and he was going to put a team in Dallas, the NFL put a team there.
Hard to imagine a kicker was a figurehead in starting the merger between the NFL and AFL.Pete Gogolak played out his option (he did not sign a new contract, thus becoming a free agent) and signed with with the New York Giants in 1966.
KC Chief HC Hank Stram greatly liked Pete Gogolak and his soccer kicking style. He told the KC scouts to scourer the college ranks to find a similar kicker. Norweigian Jan Stenerud was found at the University of Montana where he had been recruited for a ski jumping scholarship. He had a very strong leg and KC scouts told Stram of his potential and he was subsequently drafted by KC.
@@armorybrunotjr.3204 Partly correct -- but substantially and critically incomplete . Factually it's true that, at the time in question in early 1966, Pete Gogolak had not signed a new contract with the AFL Champion Bills after their 1965 season had ended (and with it, Gogolak's original contract term of service was fulfilled). BUT it's legally incorrect to state/imply/suggest that Gogolak had thereby "played out his option" and was thus "free" to sign with the Giants (or any other team). NOT TRUE during those times. In 1966, there was NO SUCH THING as "playing out one's option." Such a legal concept simply didn't exist in 1966 ... and that ice would not even begin to crack until 1969/1970 when Curt Flood took Major League Baseball to court seeking the elimination of the perpetual "reserve clause" so that players could eventually win "free agency" for themselves. (In a nutshell, the "reserve clause" essentially made pro athletes [regardless of sport] the perpetual "property" of the team that had originally drafted, signed, and developed them -- for as long as the player desired to play the sport and for as long as the team wished to have the player's services. Period, dot, end of story. Back then, the ONLY ways a player could move from one team to another (even if the player was embroiled in a contract dispute with his team and/or hadn't signed a new/current contract) would be (1) IF the team TRADED the player to another team (no doubt for fair compensation in return), or (2) IF the team RELEASED the player. (That's why, back then, players mostly spent their entire careers with the same team that had drafted and initially signed them unless/until they were traded or released). Thus, given that landscape reality of the sports world legalities in 1966, the fact that Pete Gogolak hadn't agreed to sign a new contract with the Bills meant absolutely NOTHING from a "legal" or "free agency" conceptual perspective. Gogolak simply did NOT have such "freedom" or legal "right" in 1966 to sign with another team playing that sport. Of course, back in 1966, the lone professional sporting irregularity that MIGHT have uncertain "wiggle room" was football (precisely because of the existence and staying power viability of the AFL). In baseball there was one unified MLB entity with two leagues under one commissioner; in basketball and hockey, only one league in each sport existed -- the NBA and NHL respectively (the rival ABA and WHL had not yet formed, although they would come into existence fairly soon thereafter). Moreover, in addition to the existence of the "reserve clause" in pro sports, there was ALSO a "gentlemen's' agreement" in place between the NFL and AFL owners & GMs to REFRAIN from tampering with each other's perpetual rights players. Prior to the Gogolak situation, the ONLY way ex-NFL players came into the AFL was because the NFL teams had given those players their unconditional releases (no doubt deeming them "inferior" players). THAT'S WHY it was such keen competition between the AFL and NFL to be the first to sign top talent coming out of college every year -- not only to create the best teams, but also to lock up a player's rights in perpetuity. But in early 1966 the Giants panicked, got greedy, and decided to chance starting a player "range war" with the AFL by poaching an AFL player whose exclusive rights the Bills owned and retained regardless of the contract status with Gogolak. The Giants desperately needed a good, reliable field goal kicker. In addition, Giants owner Wellington Mara chafed about the rising popularity of the rival Jets in NYC and the increased attention the Jets (and their marquee player, super rookie "Broadway Joe" Namath) were receiving in the NY papers -- especially at the expense of his Giants. So the Giants took the gamble, stole Gogolak from the Bills, and that violation of the rules (both formal and informal) 'lit the MATCH TO THE POWDERKEG." The new AFL Commissioner -- the fearless, ruthless, and brilliant Al Davis -- was thereby gifted on a silver platter the lone excuse he needed to wage merciless, unyielding player raiding war and bring the NFL to its knees. After the Giants had broken the gentlemen's agreement and dishonored the reserve clause of an AFL player, Al Davis orchestrated a focused, intentional, strategic campaign to raid NFL teams of their greatest star players and sign them to "futures contracts" that would become operative once the star NFL players' current "NFL" contracts had run their courses. Best of all, because the NFL had started it, Al Davis knew the NFL owners could NOT then turn around and sue the AFL in court. That's why Al Davis gleefully told Bills' owner Ralph Wilson "we just got a merger" the moment the Giants stole Gogolak from the Bills.
Nice origin of the New York Jets name. Sonny Werblin discarded everything associated with the franchise's former regime involving former owner Harry Wismer in 1963.
When the Chargers premiered in Los Angeles in the AFL's maiden season of 1960, it was allegedly believed the name came from a new credit-or charge-card hotelier Barron Hilton began, the Carte Blanche card, but that story is untrue. The name came from the fact that Los Angelenos were cheering and shouting "Charge!" when their teams played well. The Chargers moved to San Diego in 1961, but in 2016 when Alex Spanos was unable to meet the demands for a new stadium in the city, he moved them from whence they came.
The USFL had so much in common with the AFL. Good coaches, many great players and despite a few bad choices for cities but in general good fan support. If not for Trumps insistence on switching to the fall the USFL could have lasted for years, then maybe later if the owners wanted they could have managed a merger. But I would have loved to have a spring/summer league around to compliment the NFLs fall league. At the end of their third season the NFL was happy to snatch up players and coaches many of whom went on to great NFL careers. Jim Mora, Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Hershel Walker, Bobby Hebert, Doug Flutie, Anthony Carter, Sean Landetta, Gary Clark, Reggie White and so many more as well as giving many overlooked NFL players a second chance or extended the careers of some former NFL greats. Again, if not for Trumps fanatical need to shift to the fall and force a merger that killed the USFL.
Unfortunately that dimwit Donald Trump pushed the USFL owners to change to a fall schedule to compete directly with the NFL and then filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL in hopes of markedly increasing the value of his franchise the New Jersey Generals. The USFL won the lawsuit but was only paid $1 in the settlement and the league folded. Trump will always be remembered for killing the USFL
In the 2nd year of the AFL 1961 a W.R. by the name of Charlie Hennigan of the Houston Oilers set a record for receiving yardage in a single season with 1,746 yds. Hennigan did this in only 14 games. And his record would stand for 34 years! And during that 1961 season he also set a record for yards gained in a single game with 3 games of 200+ yards receiving... THAT RECORD STILL STANDS TODAY!!!
Good question. Pete Gogolak (1964-74) should be much more remembered than the kicker who started the merger after he left the two-time AFL Champion Buffalo Bills for a big time free agent deal with NFL's New York Giants in 1966. He was the first soccer style kicker.
In regard to the merger and the first several Super Bowls, I would have loved to see the all star teams from bothe the AFL and NFL play each other after the Super Bowl.
I like how the defensive players in the league stood up for Joe Namath, saying that they admired a guy who with old man's knees could compete in the NFL. That's not a media compliment, that's a compliment from the guys on the field. Broadway Joe did more with bad knees than most healthy QBs do in a career.
The jets organization wasn't paying 300,000 for a good QB but moreover they were paying for recognition which definitely paid off being the super bowl was established very shortly afterward
I think Namath was more than a good QB (not great) but his football only numbers were not HOF worthy. He is HOF worthy because his league presence brought the AFL to an almost even mark with the NFL. The notoriety and effect on AFL attendance was very significant. Then the guarantee & victory in SB3 changed the way sports fans looked at the AFL.
You're going to combat the Jets signing Namath by signing a free agent kicker. Without George Young, Bill Parcels and Tom Coughlin what have the Giants been over the last 50 years? Everyone talks about the Mara family with great reverence, but they were incompetent when it came to football related decisions.
I was curious about Larr y King's comment on Joe Robbie running for governor in South Dakota. King said, "he almost won, too". Out of curiosity, I looked up the election results. Joe Robbie received 39.11% of the vote, his opponent received 60.89%. That's like saying the Broncos almost beat 49ers in Super Bowl 24, when the score was 55-10.
Almost every Larry King segment in these videos is completely made up. He did not drink from a colored water fountain, certainly not out of ignorance, never integrated a public bus, etc. Sat there however and did basically say OJ was innocent and on and on about the two OJs. IMHO King is the only drawback from the whole 5 docs
The Original uniforms were Bad Ass although I hate the Patriots but the original helments with the hat and number on the side was Dope!!! and the 60's music just sooooo cool.
No Frank Ramos at 7 minutes in. People do not misunderstand how the Jets got their name. Many of us are sophisticated "enough" to make that connection.
Not one of the original ten AFL franchise has disbanded. Oh sure, the Raiders, Chargers and Texans/Chiefs have switched cities but they have all been around for the last 64 years.
The Denver Broncos had nary a winning record during the 10 years of existence of the American Football League (AFL). The best the team did was 7-7, the season they rid of those ugly original uniforms in 1962.
Even though the Broncos sucked in the 60's they pretty much saved their franchise by signing HOF Floyd Little in 67. He was the first first round pick Denver signed. He's still called the franchise to this day. Denver was in danger of being moved to Atlanta. After he signed the Broncos started to sell out games and really solidified their franchise.
Absolutely fascinating documentary about how a fledgling league turned the sports world on its ear. And the NFL on its Ass!! No Sports League had a more brilliant collection of leaders than the American Football League. Al Davis with the Raiders, Lamar Hunt with the Chiefs, Ralph Wilson of the Bills. Coaches like Sid Gillman of the Chargers, Lou Saban of the Bills, Hank Stram of the Chiefs and John Madden of the Raiders. AFL founder Lamar Hunt and Sonny Werblin of the Jets were like Hollywood Producers in terms of marketing the League. When the Jets defeated the Colts in the Super Bowl it was the greatest thing that could happen to pro football. The Super Bowl became the greatest sporting event in America. And Pro Football went from making Millions to a multi Billion Dollar Enterprise. The AFL elevated the game of Pro Football and the world of sport. The Stupid NFL owners were too blind to see it. It made them richer and more powerful than they could have imagined.
I miss Broadway Joe. I miss Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota Vikings) leading NFL defenders on a merry chase and then finally heaving the ball about 50 to 60 yards. I miss the Dallas Texans, LA Chargers in the old days, the NY Titans, and all of it.
No doubt Namath was a unique talent but, by the numbers, he does not deserve to be in the HOF. More losses than wins, 47 more INTs than TDs, 50% comp %. Could be argued he shouldn't have been MVP of SB III. How about Snell 30 carries 121 yards 1 TD, Turner 3 FGs, Sauer 8 catches, Beverly 2 INT's? Joe won on charisma and got into the HOF on his celebrity status
They all went back to their respective teams after the peace was signed. Maybe so but Brodie went to court and got his million. The whole story is interesting but a replay of 1946-1949 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE V.S. the ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE.Same result a merger and no one goes broke.I love it at 55:47 Lamar Hunt talking up the Packers as if they were supermen when in fact Green Bay were getting ready to give up the ghost. The football played in those days before the merger was at best a time waster too many teams and not enough good players.
No they weren't. It was between the Jets' Owner, & Mr. Lamar Hunt (KC), that began the sale of Baseball Caps with Team Colors & Logos. Again, they out smarted the NFL in 1965
Not a Raider fan, but i wouldn't mind seeing them in those black and gold uniforms before Al Davis took over. I'm a Bronco fan and i didnt like those original brown and mustard colored uniforms with the striped socks.
@@dogthatshags That’s one of the reasons Al Davis changed the Raider colors to silver and black. The players were complaining about looking like the Steelers and Al wanted to change the image of the team.
I’ve never in my life had any negative feelings towards Vince Lombardi, but he disrespected the men on the other team as though they weren’t playing football too. Like their injuries weren’t the same and their sacrifices weren’t the same. If the AFL was Mickey Mouse, the Super Bowl trophy is the chiclet toothed pumpkin head trophy
Kerry Byrne? Yep. His point is horrible. Plus all 10 AFL teams were expansion. Completion percentage has nothing to whether or not your game is up tempo. The AFL had a higher yards/attempt, a much better measure.
The afl's dominance of the super in the 70's is false,in that Pittsburgh & Baltimore ex nfl teams won 5.Dallas was the team to win 2.that raider guy who brags about the afl being better is full of shit.his Raiders were choke artists,finally broke through when beating vikings a bigger big game chokers then them,also both Pittsburgh rb's were out.Kansas city chiefs 23-6 win over Minnesota was to me,just as important as the jets win over shula's colts.
gary robinson < I live in Las Vegas and alot of old timers I meet in various sports books have the same opinion as you,they don't provide or possess proof,but,it sure did legitimize the continuation of the super bowl. I myself doubt it was a thrown game,it ended up costing shula his job in Baltimore after 1 more yr 69 which the Colts failed to qualify for playoffs.Shula leaving was the dumbest mistake Rosenbloom made,until you realise he wanted to buy the Rams as early as 66. he swapped franchises with Irsay.
To be fair, the AFL was better than perceived, simply because after the Packers weren't in the SB anymore, AFL teams won 4 of the next 5. Yeah, Pittsburgh was an old NFL team, but they were dreadful and couldn't have beaten anybody til after Noll got there, and they became dominant well after the merger. The old, pre-merger NFL doesn't get credit for the Steelers eventually being good and winning Super Bowls..
"The fans minds" is the operative phrase. Fans are often wrong. The fans underrated how good the AFL was, because they couldn't compete with the Packers. Well, the rest of the NFL had trouble beating the Packers, too. No shame in that. It didn't really say anything about any overall differences between the two leagues. As for the Colts, unwarranted and over-confident big favorites always want to claim somebody cheated when they lose - it keeps them from taking responsibility for getting beat.
That Colts team in '68 was the real deal. Their acclaim was not 'unwarrented', whatever that means. They beat a Browns team in the NFL Championship 34-0, in Cleveland! The Browns would have murdered the Jets.The Colts did beat themselves in that game. The Jets only scored 16 points, so it was not like they bombed the Colts out. As a matter of fact, it clearly shows how great that Colts team was, that on their worse day, they STILL held that Jets team down enough to still be able to win, which they would have done if a man named Unitas had started instead of Morrall.
I would like to have seen the AFL EAST play the NFL EAST and the AFL WEST play the NFL WEST on one weekend and then the AFL WEST would play the NFL EAST and the AFL EAST would play the NFL WEST on the following weekend.
Las Vegas Raiders! it's official 31-1 vote approval by nfl owners Great day for Las Vegas and NFL can't wait for the new stadium on s.las vegas Blvd behind Mandalay Bay. I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan,but,Raiders being in Vegas is a natural fit
Raiders belong in LA, Chargers need to take whatever SD offers and stay in SD, Rams can stay in LA too, but Raiders are the only team that is really accepted and wanted by the people of L.A.
The Raiders made a go of it in Los Angeles from 1982-94, winning Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 over Washington, but Al Davis was pushing for a new stadium in the city. The city said no to Davis, so in 1985, he moved back to Oakland.
ABSOLUTELY. at a minimum, ALL 8 original AFL teams deserve that patch on their jerseys, NOT "just" the Chiefs. I can reluctantly let the Dolphins wear it too -- although they were NOT an original AFL team and played in only 4 of the 10 AFL seasons. They started playing in 1966 AFTER the merger had been announced. I have a little tougher time with Cincinnati wearing the AFL patch because they only participated in the final 2 AFL seasons (1968 & 1969) AND because Paul Brown was snooty about the "lower class AFL" -- openly stating that he only bought the Cincinnati team as a means to get back into the NFL. (That said, I can live with having Cincinnati and Miami wear the AFL patch IF, it's a requirement in order to allow all "original 8 foolish club" teams to be allowed to wear the AFL patch)
Ditto Jack Kemp ... 2x back-to-back (and almost 3x consecutive) AFL Championship QB with the Bills; although the passing statistics of the "era of the 1960s" pale to the present-day NFL, the reality is that in his era, Kemp was consistently one of the AFL's best QBs and occupied that status over the entire course of the league's history (even Joe Namath only played in the AFL for half of its history); Kemp led his teams (Chargers and Bills) to appear in 5 or 6 (i.e., at least half) of all the 10 AFL Championship games in league history; he was a pioneer dual-threat QB with many passing yards and TDs, and many rushing TDs in ALL of pro football [had the most rushing TDs in all of pro football history until SF's Steve Young finally broke his record]; Jack Kemp helped create the AFLPA, he served as labor rep for the Bills, and served as AFLPA president. And none of this even takes into account what he did for the country after his playing days !!!
I miss the good old days. I am 70 and my dad has been dead 49 years now. I loved that man. A real hero in many ways. One of the things I miss is how we would be working on our farm (he also had a business) and on Sundays, at lunch, we would watch NFL and AFL football ... whatever was on. I miss it all, including the AFL. Thanks to everyone involved in making this available to the public.
I was so grateful for this whole documentary being on TH-cam 5 years ago when I was bed-ridden recovering from a very painful knee replacement surgery. Really helped me get through that tough and frustrating time when I couldnt even sleep some nights because of the pain. Thanks!
R.I.P.
#13 Don Maynard 🏈
"Mr. AFL"
God bless our pro football heroes from a by-gone era.
My Dolphins play in an all original AFL division with the Jets, Bills and Patriots. Proud of that even though I wasn’t alive when the league existed.
I don't know if it's original if one of the teams that was in the division during its AFL years isn't in it anymore. I'm referring to the Oilers. The AFC West is an original AFL division and the only one that remains.
The OILERS totally got the shaft in that realiment. But I bet Bud got cash in exchange for having to be the team that got pushed out. I grew up with them playing those North East teams and never ever carried one bit about a rivalry. In the AFC championship games against Pittsburgh they were a rivalry but not like wanting to beat the Raiders or the Chiefs or the Patriots. I have never cared about beating the Browns. Or Bengals. The Oilers had to of gotten some consideration for that move.
@@osaji922 Every division is four teams. Only three divisions today have four teams that were all part of the same division before the merger: AFC West (1960), NFC North (1961), and AFC East (1966).
Great documentary series, a lot of football history I haven’t seen or heard about.
True!!!!
The NFL owes Pete Gogolak at least $50 billion dollars. Without him switching from Buffalo to the Giants, there is no merger, and their certainly no Super Bowl.
oh there would have been a super bowl at some time.
thanks for the share. this is a great historical piece.
AFL = the BEST !
As a kid always watched/rooted for the AFL (from '66 on ... I was 6 lol) & am STILL a Raiders/AFL-West fan!!!
I think you're lying. 6 years old? Really? You sure you're not lying? 🤨🙄
Just a reminder that the Raiders played their first two seasons in San Francisco: Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park. Also, the NFL was better than the AFL, proved in the first two SBs.
61 years old and a die-hard Green Bay packer fan my first year remembering football is 1968 and super bowl III with the Joe Namath guarantee it sucks I don't remember super bowl 1 and 2 because I am a packer fan but I think I know why I remember super bowl 3 all the hype behind Joe Namath and all the hype behind this new AFL league my sons are in their thirties and I tell them all the time to know the history of the NFL and why there is a super bowl today I love all this AFL stuff even though I'm an NFL man thank you
I am 61 also and I grew up with the birth of AFL and as far as I am concerned the American Football League was much more fun to watch and my team was born from this league The Miami Dolphins .
Holy hell this series is awesome! Thank you so much for updating!!
Agreed!!!!
I watched Alworth play at the University of Arkansas and was indeed something special. Razorbacks got him because married guys wasn’t allowed to play at Mississippi.
AFL was underdog, I think NFL was better league up to1968,but AFL type faster play and wide open ,plus drafted better players at end of decade,finally gave them respect and parity.
Otis Taylor and abner Haynes should be in the HOF...as should sonny werblin
And Cappelletti.
Otis Taylor is suffering from end-stage Parkinson's disease and Len Dawson is pushing hard for Mr. Taylor to be in the HOF
The HOF has missed the mark. Those guys and their accomplishments have been forgotten. It's very important to getting those guys inducted while they can or could enjoy the benefits of being a Hall Of Famer. When a guy dies or gets to a point that they can't travel or give speeches it is a loss because the mark was missed.
In Werblin's case:
Revived the NY AFL Franchise
Lured Joe Namath from the NFL
His team won the first SB for the AFL
Those accomplishments should get him in the HOF
@@sawchiefs29Also helped got the NBC TV deal that gave the AFL stability towards the merger.
Great series, thanks for posting. Glad to see Sonny Werblin getting his due. He made Namath. He conjured him like a movie star.
Lance Alworth was the best WR in Pro Football in the 1960s...that includes Raymond Berry, Paul Warfield, & Bob Hayes in the NFL
With Maynard not too far behind him. He was more like the Raymond Berry of the AFL. I always wondered what Jurgenson and Charlie Taylor could have done on an AFL team. That was your best QB-WR tandem in the '60's NFL.
Paul Warfield is the best WR behind Alworth
Namath was the last straw! Once that happened the writing was on the wall and you knew the AFL Wes for real and here to stay!
As a kid, I learned a lot about football on television, but i learned a great deal listening to Hank Stram's commentary on national radio for Monday night football.
He called every play before it was run.
Thank you for uploading this series!!
I know Right!!!🏈🏈🏈🏈
I love hearing these stories of the old AFL. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Wow,,, INCREDIBLE stories & history..!! I saw more empty seats than sold seats... so the merger worked out well for everyone, Owners, Players & Fans...and TV of course..!!
This however is a truly great documentary,very fun to watch and see the NFL/AFL battle and how it led to the merger.the afl was critical in opening up passing football and to its credit bringing speed and blacks from small colleges into pro game.The afl really did change pro football for the better.
The AFL contract with NBC paved the way for the AFL-NFL merger.
Without a doubt. ABC was able to take chances be innovative because they were barely a network at the time. But NBC was *the* network. As Art Rooney said "they don't have to call us Mister anymore."
Agreed!!!!
Those AFL games were high scoring and fun to watch.lots of interesting characters....
There would be No Denver Broncos & other AFL teams if it wasn’t for Lamar Hunt.
True!!!
OMG This is such a great series. The stories about how the NFL was hiding college players from the AFL are hilarious. Especially the one about Otis Taylor at 28:09
The NFL played itself when it wouldn't expand in the late 50's. If they would have given Lamar Hunt and Bud Adams a team from the very beginning, there would be no AFL. It was a coincidence when Hunt tried to start a team in Dallas and the NFL said no. But as soon as he announced the creation of the AFL and he was going to put a team in Dallas, the NFL put a team there.
The AFL change the game for ever; and that is why I love the game🏈🏈🏈
Agreed!!
This stuff is CLASSIC! I love it!
Love the part about Pete Gogolak revolutionizing the kicker position yet not even being able to get so much as a quarter as a way of thanks.
Hard to imagine a kicker was a figurehead in starting the merger between the NFL and AFL.Pete Gogolak played out his option (he did not
sign a new contract, thus becoming a free agent) and signed with
with the New York Giants in 1966.
Yep.
He started making soccer cool in America!!
KC Chief HC Hank Stram greatly liked Pete Gogolak and his soccer kicking style. He told the KC scouts to scourer the college ranks to find a similar kicker. Norweigian Jan Stenerud was found at the University of Montana where he had been recruited for a ski jumping scholarship. He had a very strong leg and KC scouts told Stram of his potential and he was subsequently drafted by KC.
@@armorybrunotjr.3204
Partly correct -- but substantially and critically incomplete . Factually it's true that, at the time in question in early 1966, Pete Gogolak had not signed a new contract with the AFL Champion Bills after their 1965 season had ended (and with it, Gogolak's original contract term of service was fulfilled). BUT it's legally incorrect to state/imply/suggest that Gogolak had thereby "played out his option" and was thus "free" to sign with the Giants (or any other team). NOT TRUE during those times. In 1966, there was NO SUCH THING as "playing out one's option." Such a legal concept simply didn't exist in 1966 ... and that ice would not even begin to crack until 1969/1970 when Curt Flood took Major League Baseball to court seeking the elimination of the perpetual "reserve clause" so that players could eventually win "free agency" for themselves. (In a nutshell, the "reserve clause" essentially made pro athletes [regardless of sport] the perpetual "property" of the team that had originally drafted, signed, and developed them -- for as long as the player desired to play the sport and for as long as the team wished to have the player's services. Period, dot, end of story. Back then, the ONLY ways a player could move from one team to another (even if the player was embroiled in a contract dispute with his team and/or hadn't signed a new/current contract) would be (1) IF the team TRADED the player to another team (no doubt for fair compensation in return), or (2) IF the team RELEASED the player. (That's why, back then, players mostly spent their entire careers with the same team that had drafted and initially signed them unless/until they were traded or released). Thus, given that landscape reality of the sports world legalities in 1966, the fact that Pete Gogolak hadn't agreed to sign a new contract with the Bills meant absolutely NOTHING from a "legal" or "free agency" conceptual perspective. Gogolak simply did NOT have such "freedom" or legal "right" in 1966 to sign with another team playing that sport. Of course, back in 1966, the lone professional sporting irregularity that MIGHT have uncertain "wiggle room" was football (precisely because of the existence and staying power viability of the AFL). In baseball there was one unified MLB entity with two leagues under one commissioner; in basketball and hockey, only one league in each sport existed -- the NBA and NHL respectively (the rival ABA and WHL had not yet formed, although they would come into existence fairly soon thereafter).
Moreover, in addition to the existence of the "reserve clause" in pro sports, there was ALSO a "gentlemen's' agreement" in place between the NFL and AFL owners & GMs to REFRAIN from tampering with each other's perpetual rights players. Prior to the Gogolak situation, the ONLY way ex-NFL players came into the AFL was because the NFL teams had given those players their unconditional releases (no doubt deeming them "inferior" players). THAT'S WHY it was such keen competition between the AFL and NFL to be the first to sign top talent coming out of college every year -- not only to create the best teams, but also to lock up a player's rights in perpetuity.
But in early 1966 the Giants panicked, got greedy, and decided to chance starting a player "range war" with the AFL by poaching an AFL player whose exclusive rights the Bills owned and retained regardless of the contract status with Gogolak. The Giants desperately needed a good, reliable field goal kicker. In addition, Giants owner Wellington Mara chafed about the rising popularity of the rival Jets in NYC and the increased attention the Jets (and their marquee player, super rookie "Broadway Joe" Namath) were receiving in the NY papers -- especially at the expense of his Giants. So the Giants took the gamble, stole Gogolak from the Bills, and that violation of the rules (both formal and informal) 'lit the MATCH TO THE POWDERKEG." The new AFL Commissioner -- the fearless, ruthless, and brilliant Al Davis -- was thereby gifted on a silver platter the lone excuse he needed to wage merciless, unyielding player raiding war and bring the NFL to its knees. After the Giants had broken the gentlemen's agreement and dishonored the reserve clause of an AFL player, Al Davis orchestrated a focused, intentional, strategic campaign to raid NFL teams of their greatest star players and sign them to "futures contracts" that would become operative once the star NFL players' current "NFL" contracts had run their courses. Best of all, because the NFL had started it, Al Davis knew the NFL owners could NOT then turn around and sue the AFL in court. That's why Al Davis gleefully told Bills' owner Ralph Wilson "we just got a merger" the moment the Giants stole Gogolak from the Bills.
Miami Dolphins should go back to original logo and uniforms and that should go for New York Jets.
The original Miami Dolphins logo with the dolphin jumping over the sunburst and wearing a helmet is far cooler than one the team has now.
Nice origin of the New York Jets name. Sonny Werblin discarded everything associated with the franchise's former regime involving
former owner Harry Wismer in 1963.
Yes... But how about them Chargers.. I had always believed it was for a Super Charger or Engine Blower.
When the Chargers premiered in Los Angeles in the AFL's maiden season of 1960, it was allegedly believed the name came from a new credit-or
charge-card hotelier Barron Hilton began, the Carte Blanche card, but that
story is untrue. The name came from the fact that Los Angelenos were
cheering and shouting "Charge!" when their teams played well. The
Chargers moved to San Diego in 1961, but in 2016 when Alex Spanos
was unable to meet the demands for a new stadium in the city, he moved them from whence they came.
The USFL had so much in common with the AFL. Good coaches, many great players and despite a few bad choices for cities but in general good fan support. If not for Trumps insistence on switching to the fall the USFL could have lasted for years, then maybe later if the owners wanted they could have managed a merger. But I would have loved to have a spring/summer league around to compliment the NFLs fall league. At the end of their third season the NFL was happy to snatch up players and coaches many of whom went on to great NFL careers. Jim Mora, Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Hershel Walker, Bobby Hebert, Doug Flutie, Anthony Carter, Sean Landetta, Gary Clark, Reggie White and so many more as well as giving many overlooked NFL players a second chance or extended the careers of some former NFL greats. Again, if not for Trumps fanatical need to shift to the fall and force a merger that killed the USFL.
Unfortunately that dimwit Donald Trump pushed the USFL owners to change to a fall schedule to compete directly with the NFL and then filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL in hopes of markedly increasing the value of his franchise the New Jersey Generals. The USFL won the lawsuit but was only paid $1 in the settlement and the league folded. Trump will always be remembered for killing the USFL
NBC had such a grip on NBC for a long time.
Joe Robbie and Danny Thomas R.I.P
In the 2nd year of the AFL 1961 a W.R. by the name of Charlie Hennigan of the Houston Oilers set a record for receiving yardage in a single season with 1,746 yds.
Hennigan did this in only 14 games. And his record would stand for 34 years! And during that 1961 season he also set a record for yards gained in a single game with 3 games of 200+ yards receiving...
THAT RECORD STILL STANDS TODAY!!!
Why isn't Pete Gogolak in PFHOF. He had a great influence on the position of kicker and was a big player in the merger of the leagues
Good question. Pete Gogolak (1964-74) should be much more remembered than the kicker who started the merger after he left the two-time AFL Champion Buffalo Bills for a big time free agent deal with NFL's
New York Giants in 1966. He was the first soccer style kicker.
It was very satisfying to see Fred "Black Caesar" Willamson discussing Super Bowl I near the end 💯
In regard to the merger and the first several Super Bowls, I would have loved to see the all star teams from bothe the AFL and NFL play each other after the Super Bowl.
In their early years, those who bought tickets to New York Titans/Jets games were generally people who couldn't get tickets to Giants games.
RIP Al Davis. #RaiderNation
I like how the defensive players in the league stood up for Joe Namath, saying that they admired a guy who with old man's knees could compete in the NFL. That's not a media compliment, that's a compliment from the guys on the field. Broadway Joe did more with bad knees than most healthy QBs do in a career.
Fantastic documentary
True!!!!
The jets organization wasn't paying 300,000 for a good QB but moreover they were paying for recognition which definitely paid off being the super bowl was established very shortly afterward
I think Namath was more than a good QB (not great) but his football only numbers were not HOF worthy. He is HOF worthy because his league presence brought the AFL to an almost even mark with the NFL. The notoriety and effect on AFL attendance was very significant. Then the guarantee & victory in SB3 changed the way sports fans looked at the AFL.
I'm curious as to what player the raiders were talking about when he said he put 5000 on the bed to sign him
Why didn't the Dolphins just have their 1st training camp at the Orange Bowl?
Love hearing Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Kicks just keep getting harder to find.....
The AFL also had a different ball. It was intrumental in increasing passing proficiency in the AFL.
You're going to combat the Jets signing Namath by signing a free agent kicker. Without George Young, Bill Parcels and Tom Coughlin what have the Giants been over the last 50 years? Everyone talks about the Mara family with great reverence, but they were incompetent when it came to football related decisions.
Loudmouthed Fred "The Hammer" Williamson carted off the field: 54:47
There is a saying i learned while involved in college radio. Attitude can kill you.
Namath would probably get 40 million today
Probably so!!!!
AT LAST ,CONTEXT. THANK YOU.
I was curious about Larr y King's comment on Joe Robbie running for governor in South Dakota. King said, "he almost won, too". Out of curiosity, I looked up the election results. Joe Robbie received 39.11% of the vote, his opponent received 60.89%. That's like saying the Broncos almost beat 49ers in Super Bowl 24, when the score was 55-10.
Almost every Larry King segment in these videos is completely made up. He did not drink from a colored water fountain, certainly not out of ignorance, never integrated a public bus, etc. Sat there however and did basically say OJ was innocent and on and on about the two OJs. IMHO King is the only drawback from the whole 5 docs
There's no transcript for this Episode 3. Hope someone will see this and make it appear in the 3 dot tab like it does for the other 4 episodes.
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is my type of person. He's not afraid to speak his mind.
and blowhards like you and him get dealt with. lol
That poor cameraman gets crushed at 52:00! The HAMMER got him too! The pain, the pain!
Like the ABA who marketed individual stars and high scoring.
Great stuff!
Agreed!!!!
The Original uniforms were Bad Ass although I hate the Patriots but the original helments with the hat and number on the side was Dope!!! and the 60's music just sooooo cool.
Larry King R.I.P
A bit of trivia...Charlie joiner was the last person to play in the afl and.nfl...he retired after the 1986 season
If the Chiefs or Raiders play any other NFL team other than the Packers, they probably win
I remember the Super Ball from Wham-O back then.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL is a beautiful game .Forget soccer.
Whats the name of the song beginning at 12:44?
No Frank Ramos at 7 minutes in. People do not misunderstand how the Jets got their name. Many of us are sophisticated "enough" to make that connection.
Anyone know what version of House of the Rising Sun this is @ 40:00?
Pretty sure it's the Animals who released it in the sixties, but without the vocals for this doc.
Not one of the original ten AFL franchise has disbanded. Oh sure, the Raiders, Chargers and Texans/Chiefs have switched cities but they have all been around for the last 64 years.
Did they skip the Denver Broncos?
No.
The Broncos were irrelevant.....at least until the early-to-mid-70's
Jody Neal 😄I think they did forget the Broncos
The Denver Broncos had nary a winning record during the 10 years of existence of the American Football League (AFL). The best the team did was 7-7, the season they rid of those ugly original uniforms in 1962.
Even though the Broncos sucked in the 60's they pretty much saved their franchise by signing HOF Floyd Little in 67. He was the first first round pick Denver signed. He's still called the franchise to this day. Denver was in danger of being moved to Atlanta. After he signed the Broncos started to sell out games and really solidified their franchise.
54:44 Look at all the empty seats. Times have changed.
Excellent 👍🏽
23:30 for those who dont know the rest of that sign says peekskill
Absolutely fascinating documentary about how a fledgling league turned the sports world on its ear. And the NFL on its Ass!! No Sports League had a more brilliant collection of leaders than the American Football League. Al Davis with the Raiders, Lamar Hunt with the Chiefs, Ralph Wilson of the Bills. Coaches like Sid Gillman of the Chargers, Lou Saban of the Bills, Hank Stram of the Chiefs and John Madden of the Raiders. AFL founder Lamar Hunt and Sonny Werblin of the Jets were like Hollywood Producers in terms of marketing the League. When the Jets defeated the Colts in the Super Bowl it was the greatest thing that could happen to pro football. The Super Bowl became the greatest sporting event in America. And Pro Football went from making Millions to a multi Billion Dollar Enterprise. The AFL elevated the game of Pro Football and the world of sport. The Stupid NFL owners were too blind to see it. It made them richer and more powerful than they could have imagined.
6:13. Who is that guy on the left? Fred Trump by any chance? Sure looks like it.
17:36 26:02 I really enjoyed this segment
This video has taught me that Larry King was born an old man.
I miss Broadway Joe. I miss Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota Vikings) leading NFL defenders on a merry chase and then finally heaving the ball about 50 to 60 yards. I miss the Dallas Texans, LA Chargers in the old days, the NY Titans, and all of it.
7:26
Jets Mets and Nets. Get et ?
No doubt Namath was a unique talent but, by the numbers, he does not deserve to be in the HOF. More losses than wins, 47 more INTs than TDs, 50% comp %. Could be argued he shouldn't have been MVP of SB III. How about Snell 30 carries 121 yards 1 TD, Turner 3 FGs, Sauer 8 catches, Beverly 2 INT's? Joe won on charisma and got into the HOF on his celebrity status
He was hugely impactful, historically and results wise!
WTF NFL FILMS???? GIL BRANDT- DALLAS COWBOYS 1960-1989. Lance Alworth got his SB ring with the Cowboys 1971
Namath from BAMA...roll tide....think about it the 1st 3 mvps of the super bowl were bama qbs
but the first 2 were the same guy Bart Starr
And the 3rd one from Pennsylvania.
12:09 oh my God, thank you. Numbers don't lie ppl, don't believe the hype
The sighing of Joe Nam
They all went back to their respective teams after the peace was signed. Maybe so but Brodie went to court and got his million. The whole story is interesting but a replay of 1946-1949 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE V.S. the ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE.Same result a merger and no one goes broke.I love it at 55:47 Lamar Hunt talking up the Packers as if they were supermen when in fact Green Bay were getting ready to give up the ghost. The football played in those days before the merger was at best a time waster too many teams and not enough good players.
gump isn't that what happened with some teams such as the Los Angeles Dons whom ended up merging with the NFL Los Angeles Rams?
49:03 Jim Brown says it all!
No one wore team jersey's back then? They weren't sold?
Not till about the 70s. I got my first one in 1974--a Bears jersey.
No they weren't. It was between the Jets' Owner, & Mr. Lamar Hunt (KC), that began the sale of Baseball Caps with Team Colors & Logos. Again, they out smarted the NFL in 1965
Not a Raider fan, but i wouldn't mind seeing them in those black and gold uniforms before Al Davis took over. I'm a Bronco fan and i didnt like those original brown and mustard colored uniforms with the striped socks.
Black and Gold belongs to one team only. . . . .The mighty PITTSBURGH STEELERS👊🏻🖤👊🏻💛👊🏻🖤👊🏻💛
@@dogthatshags That’s one of the reasons Al Davis changed the Raider colors to silver and black. The players were complaining about looking like the Steelers and Al wanted to change the image of the team.
I’ve never in my life had any negative feelings towards Vince Lombardi, but he disrespected the men on the other team as though they weren’t playing football too. Like their injuries weren’t the same and their sacrifices weren’t the same. If the AFL was Mickey Mouse, the Super Bowl trophy is the chiclet toothed pumpkin head trophy
Who's the guy with the lisp.... get him out of the picture. its a good thing he's only in this episode. Im an AFL fan all the way
Kerry Byrne? Yep. His point is horrible. Plus all 10 AFL teams were expansion. Completion percentage has nothing to whether or not your game is up tempo. The AFL had a higher yards/attempt, a much better measure.
I remember the Raiders playing at Candlestick back in 1961. There was no place for them to play except in San Francisco their first two years.
43:44 - SPOOOOOOOOOKY Scary Music!!!!!!!!!!
"It's the Hammer."
the Alf was fun
The AFL was fun and exciting.
Shea stadium was old dump before opened but it had its own identity
The afl's dominance of the super in the 70's is false,in that Pittsburgh & Baltimore ex nfl teams won 5.Dallas was the team to win 2.that raider guy who brags about the afl being better is full of shit.his Raiders were choke artists,finally broke through when beating vikings a bigger big game chokers then them,also both Pittsburgh rb's were out.Kansas city chiefs 23-6 win over Minnesota was to me,just as important as the jets win over shula's colts.
gary robinson--- Bubba Smith at the time expressed the same feeling.
gary robinson < I live in Las Vegas and alot of old timers I meet in various sports books have the same opinion as you,they don't provide or possess proof,but,it sure did legitimize the continuation of the super bowl.
I myself doubt it was a thrown game,it ended up costing shula his job in Baltimore after 1 more yr 69 which the Colts failed to qualify for playoffs.Shula leaving was the dumbest mistake Rosenbloom made,until you realise he wanted to buy the Rams as early as 66.
he swapped franchises with Irsay.
To be fair, the AFL was better than perceived, simply because after the Packers weren't in the SB anymore, AFL teams won 4 of the next 5. Yeah, Pittsburgh was an old NFL team, but they were dreadful and couldn't have beaten anybody til after Noll got there, and they became dominant well after the merger. The old, pre-merger NFL doesn't get credit for the Steelers eventually being good and winning Super Bowls..
"The fans minds" is the operative phrase. Fans are often wrong. The fans underrated how good the AFL was, because they couldn't compete with the Packers. Well, the rest of the NFL had trouble beating the Packers, too. No shame in that. It didn't really say anything about any overall differences between the two leagues. As for the Colts, unwarranted and over-confident big favorites always want to claim somebody cheated when they lose - it keeps them from taking responsibility for getting beat.
That Colts team in '68 was the real deal. Their acclaim was not 'unwarrented', whatever that means. They beat a Browns team in the NFL Championship 34-0, in Cleveland! The Browns would have murdered the Jets.The Colts did beat themselves in that game. The Jets only scored 16 points, so it was not like they bombed the Colts out. As a matter of fact, it clearly shows how great that Colts team was, that on their worse day, they STILL held that Jets team down enough to still be able to win, which they would have done if a man named Unitas had started instead of Morrall.
12:13 omg this guy is like the worst attorney I ever saw.
The only thing that matters in life @ 41:50
The current NFL would be so different without the AFL.
I would like to have seen the AFL EAST play the NFL EAST and the AFL WEST play the NFL WEST on one weekend and then the AFL WEST would play the NFL EAST and the AFL EAST would play the NFL WEST on the following weekend.
Las Vegas Raiders!
it's official 31-1 vote approval by nfl owners
Great day for Las Vegas and NFL can't wait for the new stadium on s.las vegas Blvd behind Mandalay Bay.
I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan,but,Raiders being in Vegas is a natural fit
that just means they can move to vegas there is still a chance though slim i admitt that a deal will be worked out in oak town.
Raiders belong in LA, Chargers need to take whatever SD offers and stay in SD, Rams can stay in LA too, but Raiders are the only team that is really accepted and wanted by the people of L.A.
THe Raiders belong in Oakland
31-1? Who was against it?
The Raiders made a go of it in Los Angeles from 1982-94, winning Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 over Washington, but Al Davis was pushing for
a new stadium in the city. The city said no to Davis, so in 1985, he moved
back to Oakland.
agree like the chiefs the AFL teams in the the AFC should have the AFL patch on their jerseys bring back the oilers
ABSOLUTELY. at a minimum, ALL 8 original AFL teams deserve that patch on their jerseys, NOT "just" the Chiefs. I can reluctantly let the Dolphins wear it too -- although they were NOT an original AFL team and played in only 4 of the 10 AFL seasons. They started playing in 1966 AFTER the merger had been announced. I have a little tougher time with Cincinnati wearing the AFL patch because they only participated in the final 2 AFL seasons (1968 & 1969) AND because Paul Brown was snooty about the "lower class AFL" -- openly stating that he only bought the Cincinnati team as a means to get back into the NFL. (That said, I can live with having Cincinnati and Miami wear the AFL patch IF, it's a requirement in order to allow all "original 8 foolish club" teams to be allowed to wear the AFL patch)
Joe Foss should be in the HoF....what a man what a life
Ditto Jack Kemp ... 2x back-to-back (and almost 3x consecutive) AFL Championship QB with the Bills; although the passing statistics of the "era of the 1960s" pale to the present-day NFL, the reality is that in his era, Kemp was consistently one of the AFL's best QBs and occupied that status over the entire course of the league's history (even Joe Namath only played in the AFL for half of its history); Kemp led his teams (Chargers and Bills) to appear in 5 or 6 (i.e., at least half) of all the 10 AFL Championship games in league history; he was a pioneer dual-threat QB with many passing yards and TDs, and many rushing TDs in ALL of pro football [had the most rushing TDs in all of pro football history until SF's Steve Young finally broke his record]; Jack Kemp helped create the AFLPA, he served as labor rep for the Bills, and served as AFLPA president. And none of this even takes into account what he did for the country after his playing days !!!
i.e. most rushing TDs for a QB in pro football history until Steve Young broke his record