1961 Houston Oilers season

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was the second season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; 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]

1961 Houston Oilers season
Owner	Bud Adams
General manager	Don Suman
Head coach	Lou Rymkus (1–3–1, fired) and Wally Lemm (9–0)
Home field	Jeppesen Stadium
Results
Record	10–3–1
Division place	1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Won AFL Championship (at Chargers) 10–3
← 1960 Oilers seasons 1962 →

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

Main article: 1961 American Football League draft

• Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)^[11]

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Mike DitkaMike Ditka	Offensive End	Pittsburgh
2	Tom GoodeTom Goode	Center	Mississippi State
3	Walter SuggsWalter Suggs 1	Tackle	Mississippi State
4	Bobby WaldenBobby Walden	Halfback	Georgia
5	Monte LeeMonte Lee	Linebacker	Texas
6	Jake GibbsJake Gibbs	Quarterback	Mississippi
7	Dick ReynoldsDick Reynolds	Tackle	North Carolina State
8	Houston AntwineHouston Antwine 1,2	Guard	Southern Illinois
9	Ralph WhiteRalph White	Tackle	Bowling Green
10	Charles LeeCharles Lee	Center	Iowa
11	Robert BirdRobert Bird	Guard	Bowling Green
12	Bob McLeodBob McLeod	Offensive End	Abilene Christian
13	Gerald HintonGerald Hinton	Guard	Louisiana Tech
14	Jimmy KingJimmy King	Tackle	Clemson
15	Dennis FerriterDennis Ferriter	Center	Marquette
16	Larry WoodLarry Wood	Halfback	Northwestern
17	Sam FewellSam Fewell	Tackle	South Carolina
18	Mike GrimsleyMike Grimsley	Halfback	Michigan State
19	Myron PearsonMyron Pearson	Halfback	Colorado
20	Lewis JohnsonLewis Johnson	Halfback	Florida A&M
21	Ron MillerRon Miller	Quarterback	Wisconsin
22	Bob KellyBob Kelly	Offensive End	New Mexico State
23	James AndersonJames Anderson	Fullback	Mississippi
24	Ken GregoryKen Gregory	Offensive End	Whittier
25	Jack KreiderJack Kreider	Halfback	Tulsa
26	Don FuellDon Fuell	Quarterback	Mississippi Southern
27	Boyd KingBoyd King	Center	Rice
28	John FrongilloJohn Frongillo	Center	Baylor
29	Tom LewisTom Lewis	Offensive End	Wake Forest
29	Errol LindenErrol Linden	Defensive end	Houston
30	Jim StroudJim Stroud	Tackle	Rice

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Houston Oilers	10	3	1	.769	4–1–1	513	242	W9
Boston Patriots	9	4	1	.692	2–3–1	413	313	W4
New York Titans	7	7	0	.500	3–3	301	390	L2
Buffalo Bills	6	8	0	.429	2–4	294	342	L1

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

Season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game Recap
1	September 9	Oakland Raiders	W 55–0	1–0	Jeppesen Stadium	16,231	Recap
2	Bye
3	September 24	at San Diego Chargers	L 24–34	1–1	Balboa Stadium	29,210	Recap
4	October 1	at Dallas Texans	L 21–26	1–2	Cotton Bowl	28,000	Recap
5	October 8	Buffalo Bills	L 12–22	1–3	Jeppesen Stadium	22,761	Recap
6	October 13	at Boston Patriots	T 31–31	1–3–1	Boston University Field	15,070	Recap
7	October 22	Dallas Texans	W 38–7	2–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	21,237	Recap
8	October 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 28–16	3–3–1	War Memorial Stadium	23,228	Recap
9	November 5	at Denver Broncos	W 55–14	4–3–1	Bears Stadium	11,564	Recap
10	November 12	Boston Patriots	W 27–15	5–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	35,649	Recap
11	November 19	New York Titans	W 49–13	6–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	33,428	Recap
12	November 26	Denver Broncos	W 45–14	7–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	27,864	Recap
13	December 3	San Diego Chargers	W 33–13	8–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	37,845	Recap
14	December 10	at New York Titans	W 48–21	9–3–1	Polo Grounds	9,462	Recap
15	December 17	at Oakland Raiders	W 47–16	10–3–1	Candlestick Park	4,821	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Roster

1961 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks 16 George Blanda 15 Jacky Lee 12 Charlie Milstead Running backs 46 Claude King 21 Ken Hall 44 Charlie Tolar FB 32 Dave Smith Wide receivers 87 Charley Hennigan 89 Bill Groman Tight ends 20 Billy Cannon 81 Bob McLeod 86 John White 88 Willard Dewveall		Offensive linemen 70 Al Jamison T 77 Rich Michael T 66 Leo Reed T 73 Bob Kelly T 61 Bob Talamini G 60 Buzz Guy G 63 Hogan Wharton G 52 Bob Schmidt C 57 George Belotti C Defensive linemen 80 Dalva Allen DE 75 Don Floyd DE 64 Willis Perkins DE 62 Dick Frey DE 82 Ed Husmann 79 Orville Trask DT 74 George Shirkey		Linebackers 31 Doug Cline 50 Dennit Morris 30 Mike Dukes 34 Jack Laraway 25 Gene Jones 33 John Guzik 37 Ron Botchan Defensive backs 40 Tony Banfield 27 Fred Glick 22 Gary Wisener 24 Julian Spence 43 Jim Norton 41 Mark Johnston Special teams		Reserve lists Practice squad rookies in italics

Postseason

Main article: 1961 American Football League Championship Game

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance	Recap
Championship	December 24	San Diego Chargers	W 10–3	Balboa Stadium	29,556	Recap

AFL Championship Game

Main article: 1961 American Football League 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

• HOU – Field goal George Blanda 46
• HOU – Billy Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
• SD – Field goal Blair 12

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.
11. "1961 Houston Oilers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2024.

External links

• Oilers on Pro Football Reference
• Oilers on jt-sw.com