1968: Bengals Fall to Chargers in AFL Debut

The Cincinnati Bengals, an AFL expansion team for 1968, started off their inaugural season on September 6 at San Diego. At the helm was Paul Brown, already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his near-legendary work with the Cleveland Browns from 1946 through ’62. After five years out of the game, he was back as a part-owner, general manager, and head coach. The first-year Bengals were a typical collection of fading veterans and untested young talent. First draft choice Bob Johnson was to anchor the line at center, there was a promising rookie halfback in Paul Robinson, as well as HB/WR Warren McVea, and while a deal with Miami had brought former minor league QB John Stofa to the team, Dewey Warren, a rookie out of Tennessee, was behind center for the debut.

The Chargers, coached by Sid Gillman, were coming off of a respectable 8-5-1 record in ’67, although in the tough Western Division that was good only for third place. The offense was typically explosive and contained QB John Hadl, flanker Lance Alworth (who was coming off of an injury-plagued season), and HB Dickie Post, among others, but the defense was less impressive and still in rebuilding mode.

There were 33,687 fans on hand at San Diego Stadium for the nationally televised Friday night game. Taking the opening kickoff, the Bengals drove impressively down the field for 72 yards in eight plays. Warren McVea had a run of 28 yards and Paul Robinson had a 14-yard gain. Robinson capped the series by running two yards around end for a touchdown.

The Chargers drove into Cincinnati territory but stalled at the 34 and Dennis Partee kicked a 42-yard field goal to get the home team on the board. On San Diego’s next possession, and still in the opening period, Dickie Post broke away on a sweep for a 48-yard TD. With Partee’s extra point, the home team carried a 10-7 lead into the second quarter. Neither offense could move consistently during the remainder of the first half, but the Bengals managed to tie the score with a 22-yard field goal by Dale Livingston.

In the second half, John Hadl began to exploit weaknesses in Cincinnati’s pass defense. The Chargers moved 76 yards to start the third quarter and FB Brad Hubbert plunged into the end zone to put the home team in front. Partee added the extra point that made it 17-10.

TE Willie Frazier (pictured at top), who caught 57 passes and was an AFL All-Star in 1967, had lost his starting job to Jacque McKinnon and didn’t get into the game until the second half, but he made an impact when he did. Up by four points late in the third quarter, Hadl threw down the middle to Frazier, who caught the ball at the 20 and carried three defenders into the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown. Partee’s extra point attempt was blocked but it had no effect with the Chargers up by ten.

Attesting to the physicality of the game, Lance Alworth, who was clotheslined after his first catch by CB Fletcher Smith, was ejected in the fourth quarter for fighting. But the Chargers were able to keep the visitors in check for the remainder of the contest. In the closing seconds, Frazier pulled in a second scoring pass, this time from five yards out to secure the win. San Diego came out on top by 29-13.

The Chargers dominated in total yards (554 to 226) and first downs (27 to 13). They were impressive on both the ground and through the air, gaining 229 rushing yards and 325 via passing. However, San Diego was also hurt by 10 penalties, at a cost of 100 yards, while the Bengals were flagged five times. Each team turned the ball over twice, and the Bengals also gave up two sacks.

John Hadl completed 20 of 37 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Dickie Post ran for 140 yards on 16 carries that included the one long TD and Brad Hubbert added 54 yards and a touchdown on his 11 attempts. WR Gary Garrison led San Diego’s receivers with 5 catches for 101 yards while TE Jacque MacKinnon added four receptions for 87 yards, Lance Alworth four for 58, and Willie Frazier contributed three catches for 66 yards and the two touchdowns. Dennis Partee (pictured below) had an uneven performance in his first game as placekicker/punter for the Chargers, connecting on one of three field goal attempts and failing on his last two extra point tries.

For the Bengals, Dewey Warren received praise for his poise after completing 14 of his 26 throws for 125 yards, giving up one interception. Paul Robinson gained 33 yards on 16 rushing attempts that included a TD. FB Tom Smiley ran for 26 yards on 9 attempts and led the club with 6 catches for 51 yards.

“My timing was off in the first half,” explained John Hadl regarding San Diego’s sluggish start. “We just didn’t click.”

“If we lose every game this year and are contenders in three years, I’ll be satisfied,” said Paul Brown, attesting to the difficulties as well as the ultimate goal in starting from scratch with an expansion team.

Coach Brown need not have worried about going winless, however, for the Bengals won their next two games at home, although they came out on top just one more time on the way to a 3-11 record and last place in the Western Division. San Diego won its first three contests, but again finished third in the division at 9-5.

Dewey Warren (pictured at left) was replaced by John Stofa the following week and, as one of three quarterbacks who started for the Bengals in their first year, completed 58.8 percent of his 80 passes for 506 yards and a touchdown with four intercepted. Paul Robinson, who scored the franchise’s first TD, had a much bigger year, leading the league in rushing with 1023 yards and gaining All-AFL as well as Rookie of the Year honors.

John Hadl went on to lead the AFL in pass attempts (440), completions (208), yards (3473), and TD passes (27), but also in interceptions (32). Dickie Post ranked fifth in rushing with 758 yards and Lance Alworth and Gary Garrison both finished over a thousand receiving yards (1312 and 1103, respectively). Willie Frazier remained a backup at tight end and caught 16 passes for 237 yards and a total of three touchdowns. Dennis Partee kicked 22 field goals, the third-highest total in the AFL, averaged 40.7 yards on 56 punts, and spent eight years with the Chargers.

Rookie of the Year: Paul Robinson, 1968

Halfback, Cincinnati Bengals

Age: 24 (Dec. 19)

College: Arizona

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 200

Prelude:

Robinson went to college on a track scholarship and only played football in his last year. He was chosen by the expansion Bengals in the third round of the 1968 AFL/NFL draft, moved directly into the lineup, and scored the first regular season touchdown in franchise history.

1968 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 238 [1]

Most attempts, game - 26 (for 33 yds.) at NY Jets 12/8

Yards – 1023 [1]

Most yards, game – 159 yards (on 17 carries) at Oakland 10/27

Average gain – 4.3 [5]

TDs – 8 [1]

100-yard rushing games – 4

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 24      

Most receptions, game – 7 (for 30 yds.) at Boston 12/1

Yards – 128

Most yards, game – 78 (on 4 catches) vs. Houston 11/3

Average gain – 5.3

TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 3

Yards – 58

Average per return – 19.3

TDs – 0

Longest return – 22 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 1

TDs – 0

All-Purpose yards – 1210 [7]

Scoring

TDs – 9 [6]

Points – 54 [14]

Awards & Honors:

AFL Rookie of the Year: UPI

1^st team All-AFL: AP, UPI, NEA, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly

2^nd team All-AFL: PFWA

1^st team All-Western Division: Sporting News

AFL All-Star Game

Bengals went 3-11 to finish fifth in the AFL Western Division.

Aftermath:

The smooth-running Robinson never again matched the production of his rookie year. His rushing total dropped off to 489 yards in 1969, although he was still chosen to the last AFL All-Star Game. With a strong second half, he reached 622 yards in ’70 but carried only 49 times for 213 yards in 1971 and was traded to the Oilers during the ’72 season. Robinson was a backup with Houston in 1973 and left for the Birmingham Americans of the WFL, where he played one final season in 1974 and led the team in rushing with 599 yards on the way to that league’s only championship. In the AFL and NFL, Robinson rushed for 2947 yards on 737 carries (4.0 avg.) and caught 90 passes for 612 more yards, scoring a total of 26 touchdowns. While his career failed to live up to the early promise, Robinson remains the only player to rush for a thousand yards for a first-year expansion team in the AFL/NFL.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

1968: Alworth Stars as Chargers Defeat Error-Prone Raiders

The Oakland Raiders were riding a 14-game regular season winning streak, one short of the American Football League record, as they hosted the San Diego Chargers on October 13, 1968. Head Coach John Rauch’s team had won the AFL Championship in ’67 (and lost the second Super Bowl to Green Bay) and was 4-0 thus far in 1968. The offense was guided by “The Mad Bomber”, QB Daryle Lamonica, and deep-threat split end Warren Wells had moved into the starting lineup to pair with steady flanker Fred Biletnikoff. The defense was missing some injured veterans, most notably DT Tom Keating, but had picked up talented rookies in LB Chip Oliver and George Atkinson, a prospective cornerback who could return kicks well.

The Chargers, coached for the ninth year by Sid Gillman, were also off to a good start at 3-1, having lost to the Jets the previous week. They had a potent offense guided by QB John Hadl that moved well both in the air – especially when throwing to star flanker Lance Alworth (pictured above) – and on the ground behind an excellent line. The defense was young and less impressive, but had performed well thus far.

There were 53,257 fans in attendance at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a light rain falling. The Chargers got the first break when FB Hewritt Dixon fumbled after catching a pass from Daryle Lamonica and DT Scott Appleton recovered at the Oakland 35. John Hadl completed a pass to TE Jacque MacKinnon for 15 yards but, after reaching the 17 yard line, two passes were incomplete including a throw into the end zone that was broken up by FS Dave Grayson and San Diego came away with a 24-yard Dennis Partee field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, George Atkinson fumbled on the return and the Chargers again recovered, this time taking possession at the Oakland 34. After picking up ten yards, Hadl was intercepted by SS Rodger Bird, but San Diego got the ball back four plays later – and after Lamonica had connected with WR Bill Miller for 36 yards – when FS Joe Beauchamp picked off a pass at his three yard line and returned it 22 yards.

The Chargers went three-and-out on the ensuing series but once again Atkinson fumbled the ball away, this time on the punt return, and San Diego had new life at the Oakland 31. Hadl immediately threw down the center of the field to Lance Alworth for 20 yards and FB Gene Foster followed up with a nine-yard run to the two yard line. Three plays later, Foster dove into the end zone from a yard out and, with Partee’s successful conversion, the visitors were ahead by 10-0.

The Raiders moved the ball effectively on their next series – and more importantly, didn’t turn it over. But the drive stalled at the San Diego 46 and they were forced to punt. As the game moved into the second quarter, the Chargers had to punt the ball back and Atkinson (pictured at left), who had twice fumbled the ball away, gathered in Partee’s 60-yard kick and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown to gain some level of redemption. George Blanda added the PAT and, in sudden fashion, the Raiders were again only three points down.

The teams traded punts until the Chargers, getting the ball in good field position, scored in two plays as Hadl connected with Alworth for a 38-yard touchdown. Partee’s extra point made it a ten-point contest once more.

With just over two minutes remaining in the half, the Raiders came back with a big play of their own as Lamonica threw to Fred Biletnikoff, who made a one-handed catch on the way to a 58-yard gain to the San Diego 22. But two plays later, SS Ken Graham intercepted a Lamonica pass at his five and ran it back 42 yards. The Chargers were unable to capitalize when Partee’s 39-yard field goal attempt missed to the left.

Now with a minute to work with, “The Mad Bomber” again passed the Raiders down the field. Lamonica hit on four straight passes, the longest to Dixon for 17 yards, to get to the San Diego 28 and then, after another throw was broken up, he connected with HB Pete Banaszak for 21 yards and a first down at the seven. Two plays later, Lamonica tossed a scoring pass to Warren Wells from that distance and, with Blanda’s extra point, the score was 17-14 going into halftime.

The Chargers started off the third quarter by driving to the Oakland 40 with Foster taking off on carries of 16 and 10 yards, but Partee was short on a 47-yard field goal try. The Raiders went three-and-out and this time, following the punt, San Diego put together a 9-play, 65-yard series. Hadl was nearly picked off on his first pass but then hit Alworth for 25 yards. The drive stalled at the Oakland 20 and this time Partee was successful with a 27-yard field goal that made it a six-point game.

Following another punt by the Raiders, the Chargers were driving as the period ended, with the big play a Hadl pass to Alworth for 33 yards. They kept the ball on the ground and ended up with another Partee field goal, once more from 27 yards. San Diego’s lead was up to nine points.

Once again the Raiders had to punt and the Chargers moved the ball well on the ground, with Foster and HB Russ Smith leading the charge. They ultimately had to punt, but from the Oakland 45 and Partee pinned the Raiders down at their 10. Lamonica threw two incomplete passes and was sacked once, and the ensuing punt gave San Diego the ball at midfield as the Chargers were winning the battle for field position and utterly shutting down Oakland’s offense in the second half. The Raiders were never able to get out of their side of the field again and San Diego held on for a 23-14 upset victory.

The Chargers outgained Oakland (384 to 260), with 170 yards of that total coming on the ground, and also lead in first downs (20 to 11). The Raiders turned the ball over five times, to one suffered by San Diego.

John Hadl completed 14 of 32 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Lance Alworth had a big performance as he accounted for 9 of those completions for 182 yards and a score. Gene Foster (pictured at right) led the productive ground game by rushing for 104 yards on 27 carries that included a TD.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica was successful on 13 of 32 throws (with only three of those completions coming in the second half) for 229 yards with a TD and two interceptions. Hewritt Dixon led the club with just 21 rushing yards on 10 carries and also caught 5 passes for 44 yards. Fred Biletnikoff topped the club in pass receiving yards with 58 on his lone reception. Bill Miller contributed 44 yards on two catches.

The Raiders lost again the next week at Kansas City, but recovered to win all of their remaining games to finish at 12-2. That wasn’t enough to win the Western Division outright as the Chiefs matched that record, but Oakland convincingly defeated them in the playoff before losing the AFL Championship game to the Jets. San Diego, meanwhile, was in the hunt until losing three of four games (the last was to the Raiders at home) to finish out the season at 9-5, placing third in the division.

Lance Alworth had another big year, leading the AFL in pass receptions (68) and yards (1312) to garner consensus first-team All-league honors for the sixth straight season. John Hadl was an AFL All-Star as he passed for a league-leading 3473 yards and 27 touchdowns, but also led the circuit with 32 interceptions.

While Daryle Lamonica was criticized for not matching his MVP success of the previous year, he still threw for 3245 yards and 25 TDs, ranking second only to Hadl in those categories, with 15 interceptions. George Atkinson had an overall fine season returning kicks, topping the AFL in combined returns (68) and yards (1292) as well as kickoff return average (25.1) while ranking second in punt return average (13.6). He also saw more play in the defensive backfield as the season progressed and would become a stalwart at strong safety over the course of ten years.

1968: Jets Defeat Raiders for AFL Championship

The two teams that met for the championship of the American Football League on December 29, 1968 had already met several weeks earlier with memorable results. In the so-called “Heidi Game”, in which television viewers on the East Coast had the last few minutes of the contest pre-empted by a showing of the children’s classic “Heidi”, the Oakland Raiders had scored twice in short order to defeat the New York Jets. Now they were matched up again at New York’s home venue.

The Jets, built into a winning team by Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, had topped the Eastern Division with an 11-3 record. The explosive offense was directed by QB Joe Namath (pictured above), who had outstanding targets in wide receivers Don Maynard and George Sauer as well as TE Pete Lammons. The ground game was sound with FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer. The overlooked defense was especially tough against the run and contained AFL All-Stars in ends Gerry Philbin and Verlon Biggs, DT John Elliott, and MLB Al Atkinson. PK Jim Turner, who kicked a record 34 field goals, added a further scoring dimension.

The Raiders, under Head Coach John Rauch, were the defending AFL Champions. Despite a spate of injuries, they had gone 12-2 but still had to defeat the Chiefs in a playoff to again win the Western Division. QB Daryle Lamonica was still highly effective with his passing and, in addition to WR Fred Biletnikoff, had a new and speedy deep threat in WR Warren Wells. Rookie HB Charlie Smith entered the starting lineup at midseason with good result. With CB Kent McCloughan out due to knee surgery, rookie CB George Atkinson showed potential but had been burned badly by Maynard in the previous encounter.

Weather conditions were windy and cold at Shea Stadium, where 62,627 fans were present. The Raiders had constructed a small makeshift shelter for their players, but AFL President Milt Woodard ordered it taken down because it was obstructing the view for several rows of fans.

Oakland had the first possession and was forced to punt, with Mike Eischeid’s poor 28-yard kick giving the Jets good initial field position. With Pete Lammons and Emerson Boozer spread wide, New York moved 44 yards in four plays. Namath hit Don Maynard twice for 14-yard completions, the second good for a touchdown. In between, a pass interference call on Atkinson helped the drive along.

The Raiders missed a scoring opportunity when George Blanda attempted a 45-yard field goal into the wind that hit the crossbar and bounced away. Late in the first quarter, Jim Turner added a 33-yard field goal to make it 10-0 in favor of the Jets.

Daryle Lamonica (pictured at left) got off to a poor start, completing just one of his first 13 passes. But the Raiders began to move offensively late in the opening period as Lamonica started to find the range. He completed a screen pass to HB Pete Banaszak for 11 yards and followed up with throws to Fred Biletnikoff for 15 yards and to FB Hewritt Dixon for 23 yards on the first play of the second quarter. A pass to Biletnikoff, running a post pattern, was good for a 29-yard touchdown as he outmaneuvered CB Johnny Sample (Sample was subsequently replaced by Cornell Gordon).

Turner missed a 44-yard field goal attempt but connected from 36 yards late in the second quarter. Blanda booted a 25-yard field goal just before halftime to narrow the tally to 13-10 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Warren Wells caught a pass for a 40-yard gain before being brought down by SS Jim Hudson at the New York six. The aroused Jets defense held on the next three plays as Charlie Smith was downed at the three and again after another gain of a yard, and Dixon was stopped on the third down play at the one. Oakland was forced to settle for a Blanda field goal and a tie score of 13-13.

With just under a minute remaining in the period, the Jets culminated a 14-play, 80-yard drive with Namath tossing a 20-yard touchdown pass to TE Pete Lammons to re-take the lead. The Raiders surged back as Lamonica completed a pass to Biletnikoff for a 57-yard gain and Blanda kicked a 20-yard field goal.

On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Atkinson intercepted a Namath pass and returned it 32 yards to the New York five. Banaszak scored a five-yard TD that put Oakland in the lead by 23-20. The Jets struck back swiftly. Following a 10-yard completion to Sauer, Namath fired to Maynard for a 52-yard gain and again to Maynard for a six-yard TD with 7:47 remaining in the game.

Oakland drove to the New York 24, but chose to try and convert a fourth-and-ten and Lamonica was sacked by Verlon Biggs. With two minutes to go, the Raiders were again threatening to move back in front. Lamonica passes to Biletnikoff for 24 yards and Wells for 37 advanced the ball to the New York 12. But a lateral intended for Smith went awry and LB Ralph Baker recovered it for the Jets to extinguish the threat.

The Raiders had one last chance with 42 seconds remaining as they took over at their 22 yard line but fell short after advancing to near midfield. The Jets were AFL Champions by a score of 27-23.

Oakland had the edge in total yards (443 to 400) although the Jets had more first downs (25 to 18). New York was effective against the running game as the Raiders gained just 50 yards on the ground. The teams punted a combined 17 times, with the Jets accounting for 10.

Joe Namath completed 19 of 49 passes for 266 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. George Sauer (pictured below) caught 7 of those passes for 70 yards while Don Maynard gained 118 yards and scored two TDs on his 6 receptions. Matt Snell rushed for 71 yards on 19 carries and Emerson Boozer contributed 51 yards on 11 attempts.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica went to the air 47 times and had 20 completions for 401 yards and a touchdown. Fred Biletnikoff had 7 catches for 190 yards and a TD and Warren Wells added 83 yards on his three receptions. Hewritt Dixon ran for 42 yards on 8 carries and added another 48 yards on 5 catches. Charlie Smith was held to just a yard on five rushing attempts.

The Jets went on to pull off a huge Super Bowl upset of the NFL Champion Baltimore Colts and repeated as Eastern Division champs in 1969. Oakland again placed first in the Western Division in ’69 but, due to a revised playoff format for the AFL’s last pre-merger season that allowed second place teams to qualify, ended up losing again in the league title game, this time to the Chiefs, who had finished behind them in the standings. 

MVP Profile: Joe Namath, 1968

Quarterback, New York Jets


Age: 25
4th season in pro football & with Jets
College: Alabama
Height: 6’2” Weight: 195

Prelude:
Chosen by both the NFL Cardinals and AFL Jets in the first round of the respective 1965 drafts, Namath signed a then-huge $427,000 contract with New York. A college star under Head Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama, he had torn ligaments in his right knee during his senior year that required surgery. Knee and mobility issues would thus be significant throughout Namath’s career, but he took over as the starting quarterback for the Jets early in his rookie season and didn’t miss a game to injury (he wouldn’t in his first five seasons) while gaining selection to the AFL All-Star game. Charismatic (he quickly became a celebrity off the field) and a good leader, he also had a quick release and strong arm. Namath led the league in pass attempts and completions, yards, and TD passes in 1966 and ’67 – in the latter season, he became the first 4000-yard passer in NFL/AFL history (4007). Prone to trying to force passes into coverage, however, he also led the AFL in passes intercepted in both years.

1968 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 380 [3]
Most attempts, game – 43 at Buffalo 9/29
Completions – 187 [3]
Most completions, game – 20 vs. Denver 10/13
Yards – 3147 [3]
Most yards, game – 381 at Oakland 11/17
Completion percentage – 49.2 [4]
Yards per attempt – 8.3 [2]
TD passes – 15 [5]
Most TD passes, game – 4 at Buffalo 9/29
Interceptions – 17 [2]
Most interceptions, game – 5 at Buffalo 9/29, vs. Denver 10/13
Passer rating – 72.1 [4]
300-yard passing games – 4
200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing
Attempts – 5
Most attempts, game – 5 on 5 occasions
Yards – 11
Most yards, game – 4 yards (on 1 carry) vs. Miami 12/1
Yards per attempt – 2.2
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points - 12

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 77
Most attempts, game - 49 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Pass completions – 36
Most completions, game - 19 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Passing yardage – 472
Most yards, game - 266 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
TD passes – 3
Most TD passes, game - 3 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Interceptions – 1
Most interceptions, game - 1 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship

Rushing attempts – 1
Most rushing attempts, game - 1 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Rushing yards – 14
Most rushing yards, game - 14 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Average gain rushing – 14.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL/AFL: Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-AFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-AFL East: Sporting News
AFL All-Star Game

Jets went 11-3 to win the AFL Eastern Division while finishing second in scoring (417 points). Won AFL Championship over Oakland Raiders (27-23) and Super Bowl over Baltimore Colts (16-7).

Aftermath:
Namath passed for 2734 yards and 19 TDs as the Jets again topped the Eastern Division in 1969, but a broken wrist that sidelined him five games into the ’70 season became the first of a series of injuries that dogged the remainder of his career. After appearing in just nine games in 1970 and ’71, he came back in 1972 to lead the NFL in passing yards (2816), TD passes (19), and yards per attempt (8.7) and was named to the Pro Bowl. However, a separated shoulder limited him to six games in 1973 and, with the team deteriorating around him, he had only sporadic success while leading the league in interceptions in 1974 and ’75. Namath finished his career with the Rams in 1977 and ended up throwing for 27,663 yards with 173 TDs and 220 interceptions. His #12 was retired by the Jets and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 1985.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/11/14]

1968: Bengals Defeat Broncos in First Home Game

On September 15, 1968, Commissioner Pete Rozelle and Ohio Governor James Rhodes were among 25,049 fans in attendance at Nippert Stadium to see the first regular season home game of the second (and last) American Football League expansion franchise, the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals had opened the season a week earlier on a Friday night in San Diego and lost to the Chargers, 29-13.

60-year-old Paul Brown was returning to pro football as a part-owner of the new franchise, as well as head coach and general manager, following a five-year hiatus after being summarily fired from the Cleveland Browns, the team he had coached with much success from 1946 through ’62. He chose to build the new team with younger players. QB John Stofa, a raw talent obtained from the Miami Dolphins and center Bob Johnson, the first draft choice out of Tennessee, were joined by other rookies on offense that included Arizona HB Paul Robinson and TE Bob Trumpy out of Utah (pictured above). More experienced help had been acquired for the defense, including LB Frank Buncom from the Chargers and two ex-Chiefs, LB Sherrill Headrick and safety Bobby Hunt.

The team they were hosting, the Denver Broncos, was opening the regular season after coming off a 3-11 year in 1967, the first under Head Coach/GM Lou Saban. The Broncos were in transition, with the most recognizable name on the roster being HB Floyd Little, in his second year out of Syracuse.

The first half was scoreless, with neither team able to get inside the opponent’s 19 yard line. Denver’s deepest penetration came to nothing when safety Jess Phillips intercepted QB John McCormick’s pass at the Bengals’ eight yard line. Bob Humphreys missed two field goal attempts for the Broncos and Dale Livingston failed on one for Cincinnati.


Livingston (pictured at left), who handled the punting as well as placekicking for the Bengals, was more effective punting the ball and kept the Broncos from gaining good field position while the offense sputtered. He had three straight 52 yard kicks in the second quarter that the Broncos returned for a total of 12 yards.

The Broncos outgained the Bengals in the first half, 118 yards to 64. John Stofa completed just 6 of 13 passes, but was victimized by well-thrown balls that were dropped.

Following the second half kickoff, the Bengals drove 38 yards in seven plays and Livingston kicked a 49-yard field goal for the first points of the contest. Three minutes later, and on the second play of Cincinnati’s next possession, Stofa threw to a leaping Bob Trumpy, who gathered in the slightly-underthrown ball at the 20, outmaneuvered DB Harold Lewis, and proceeded to the end zone to complete the 58-yard scoring play. But with the Bengals ahead by 10-0, the momentum swung back to the visitors.

The Broncos replaced starting quarterback John McCormick with Jim LeClair in the second half, and LeClair was effective, moving the team into position for a 33-yard field goal by Humphreys.

LeClair led the Broncos on another drive that commenced late in the third quarter and led to a score three minutes into the final period. Denver went 57 yards, helped by LeClair’s passing and the running of Little, capped by the second-year quarterback tossing a five-yard pass to WR Eric Crabtree for a touchdown.

The key series came with the score tied at 10-10 in the fourth quarter. On a second-and-ten play, Stofa threw a screen pass to Paul Robinson that was inches short of a first down. On the next play, FB Tom Smiley ran off tackle and was brought down still short of a first down. With the ball on the Cincinnati 46, it was fourth-and-inches and the crowd was chanting for the home team to go for it. Paul Brown gave the go-ahead, and Smiley hit the line and appeared to be stopped short once more but, following a measurement, the officials signaled first down. On the next play, Stofa threw long to rookie split end Warren McVea for a 54-yard touchdown.

Backup HB Essex Johnson clinched the game at just under three minutes to go with a 34-yard run down the middle and the Bengals came away winners of their inaugural home game by a 24-10 tally.

Cincinnati outgained the Broncos (289 yards to 199) although Denver led in first downs (15 to 11). The Bengals didn’t turn the ball over at all, while the Broncos suffered an interception.


John Stofa (pictured at right) completed 12 of 22 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns with, of course, none intercepted. Bob Trumpy caught 4 passes for 114 yards and the one long TD while Warren McVea hauled in three receptions for 84 yards and a score. With the long touchdown run, Essex Johnson was the team’s leading rusher, gaining 49 yards on five carries. Tom Smiley ran the ball 12 times for 28 yards and Paul Robinson gained 27 yards on his 10 attempts.

For the Broncos, John McCormick was successful on just 8 of 19 passes for 89 yards with one intercepted; Jim LeClair threw 6 completions in 12 attempts for 82 yards and one TD. Split end Al Denson caught 8 passes for 115 yards but suffered a broken collar bone in the fourth quarter and was lost for nearly half of the season. Floyd Little ran for 30 yards on 13 carries and gained 32 more yards on two catches out of the backfield.

Toasting the win afterward, Paul Brown said, “Here’s to one in a row.” As he was handed the game ball, he added, “this is going right up there on the top shelf.”

Cincinnati made it two in a row with a win over Buffalo the next week, but had only one more victory the rest of the way to finish at the bottom of the Western Division with a 3-11 record. Denver was just ahead of the Bengals at 5-9.

While John Stofa proved to be something of a disappointment at quarterback, the running game ranked second in the league in yards per carry (4.3). Paul Robinson topped the AFL with 1023 rushing yards. Bob Trumpy was the team’s leading receiver, with 37 catches for 639 yards and three TDs.

1969: Jets Upset Colts in Super Bowl III

Certainly one of the most famous games in pro football history, the shocking upset in Super Bowl III by the AFL champion New York Jets over the Baltimore Colts, who had rolled over the competition in winning the NFL title, served as a coming-of-age for the younger league.

The first two Super Bowls, following the 1966 and ’67 seasons, had been fairly routine wins for the NFL champion Green Bay Packers, and there was some feeling that the AFL teams simply weren’t ready to compete with the established league at the highest level of play. The matchup between the 1968 league champions looked to be even more of a mismatch.

The Colts, under Head Coach Don Shula, had gone 13-1 in winning the Coastal Division and proceeded to win both the Western Conference title game over the Vikings and league championship over Cleveland with relative ease. They had lost their all-time great quarterback, Johnny Unitas, to a sore elbow early in the going, but veteran backup Earl Morrall had stepped in and delivered an MVP performance. The team was sound on both sides of the ball.


The Jets were under the direction of the same head coach who had built Baltimore into a champion in 1958 and ’59, Weeb Ewbank. QB Joe Namath (pictured at right) was flashy and a celebrity off of the field, but while his numbers were down from his 4000-yard passing performance of 1967, he had shown greater maturity in directing the offense in ’68. The running back tandem of FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer kept defenses honest, while Namath had excellent receivers in flanker Don Maynard and split end George Sauer. They defeated the Raiders in the AFL Championship game for the opportunity to play against the Colts.

While much has been made of Namath’s brash remarks prior to the game, in which he publicly degraded Morrall’s skills and guaranteed a win, it was Ewbank’s game planning that set the stage for the upset by the 17-point underdogs. The Colts had blitzed very effectively during the season in support of their zone defense, and the Jets planned to counter by running the ball straight ahead and utilizing simple hook and flare passes.

It was overcast with temperatures in the seventies at Miami’s Orange Bowl on January 12, 1969 as the two teams faced off. The Jets established the run in the first two plays from scrimmage, with Snell gaining 12 yards and knocking safety Rick Volk out of the game. Playing cautiously, they didn’t score in the first quarter, but set the stage for eventual success. Meanwhile, the Colts drove to the New York 19 yard line on their first possession, but Lou Michaels missed a 27-yard field goal attempt.

It was the first of many missed opportunities for Baltimore. A fumble by Sauer was recovered by LB Ron Porter at the Jets 12, but Morrall’s ensuing pass to TE Tom Mitchell hit the receiver in the shoulder and it resulted in an interception by CB Randy Beverly to end the threat. TE John Mackey dropped a potential TD pass at the New York 10, and Michaels followed up with another missed field goal attempt. A 58-yard run by HB Tom Matte (pictured below) that took the Colts inside the Jets 20 was shortly followed by an interception by CB Johnny Sample. Most notably, a flea flicker play (Matte faking a run and pitching back to the quarterback) in which split end Jimmy Orr was wide open in the end zone and waving frantically ended up being an interception when Morrall failed to see him, threw for FB Jerry Hill instead, and was picked off by safety Jim Hudson.


Meanwhile, the Jets put together the only scoring drive of the first half in the second quarter. They went 80 yards in 12 plays, with Snell carrying the ball six times and accounting for 35 yards, including the touchdown run of four yards. Namath completed four of five passes during the drive as well, for 43 yards. The score stood at 7-0 in favor of the Jets at halftime.

New York scored on two Jim Turner field goals in the third quarter, from 32 and 30 yards, and was up by 16-0 in the fourth quarter when he booted a nine-yarder. The Colts offense had turned the ball over on its first possession of the second half, leading to the first of the three-pointers by the Jets. Morrall was pressing and missing on his passes; Coach Shula finally decided that it was time to send the rusty, 35-year-old Johnny Unitas into the game (pictured directing the Colts offense below).


Now down by more than two touchdowns, it seemed as though the Unitas magic was working when he engineered an 80-yard drive in 15 plays that resulted in a one-yard TD run by Hill. There was only 3:19 on the clock at this point, but the Colts recovered an onside kick and Unitas completed three passes, leading the offense to the Jets 19. Any thought of a remarkable comeback ended there, however, as three straight passes went incomplete, including a last one on fourth-and-five that effectively ended the game. The final score was 16-7.

Statistically, the overall numbers were very close with the Jets barely edging the Colts in total yards (337-324) and net passing yards (195-181); Baltimore had a one-yard edge in rushing yardage (143 on 23 carries to 142 on 43), although 58 of their rushing yards came on the one run by Matte and the far greater number of carries by the Jets gives evidence to their ability to control the ball for extended periods. Perhaps most important of all, the Colts turned the ball over five times, the Jets just once.

While Joe Namath didn’t throw any touchdown passes, he also didn’t toss any interceptions and shrewdly ran the offense, completing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards; he was named the game’s MVP. WR Don Maynard was playing injured and caught no passes while providing an effective decoy; George Sauer profited, catching 8 passes for 133 yards. Matt Snell (pictured at top) had an outstanding day running the ball, accumulating 121 yards on 30 carries that included the lone TD for the Jets.

Earl Morrall’s difficulties were reflected in his passing statistics: 6 completions in 17 attempts for 71 yards and three interceptions. In his quarter of action, Johnny Unitas completed 11 of 24 passes for 110 yards with one picked off. Tom Matte was the top rusher for the Colts, gaining 116 yards on 11 attempts. Flanker Willie Richardson was the team’s leading receiver with 6 catches for 58 yards.

Afterward, Don Shula summed up by saying, “We didn’t make the big plays we have all season. We just didn’t do it…They deserved the victory”.

For the Jets, it was the high point in the franchise’s history. Joe Namath had lived up to the hype and performed admirably in the biggest game of his career. Weeb Ewbank had prepared his team well to take on the Colts, capping his second successful building project as a pro football head coach. New York’s win was especially a triumph for those who had founded and built the American Football League; with full merger on the horizon, they had proved they could compete head-to-head with the NFL’s best teams.

1968: Raiders Stun Jets in the “Heidi Game”

The November 17, 1968 contest at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum between the host Raiders and visiting New York Jets (both with 7-2 records) was a key showdown between two of the strongest contenders for the AFL title. The game was televised nationally by NBC, with a starting time on the East Coast of 4 o’clock, and it certainly lived up to expectations as it was an exciting contest that was decided in the final seconds. However, the decision by the network to cut away to scheduled programming before the completion of the game is what gave it a special distinction in pro football history.

Oakland, in a battle for control of the Western Division with Kansas City, scored the first two touchdowns on passes from gunslinging QB Daryle Lamonica of 9 yards to split end Warren Wells and 48 yards to TE Billy Cannon. The Jets, in control of the Eastern Division, scored on two field goals by Jim Turner and a one-yard run by QB Joe Namath; the extra point attempt failed and Oakland held a 14-12 halftime lead.

New York pulled in front in the third quarter on a four-yard run by FB Bill Mathis, but the Raiders came back with a three-yard rushing TD by HB Charlie Smith. With a successful two-point conversion, the Raiders led 22-19 at the end of the third quarter.

Oakland was three yards away from another score as the fourth quarter started, but on the first play Smith fumbled the ball away to the Jets, who took full advantage. Namath hit flanker Don Maynard on a 47-yard pass play to midfield, and then passed to Maynard again for a 50-yard touchdown that put New York back in front, 26-22. When the Jets next got the ball back, they scored again, this time on a 12-yard field goal by Turner for a 29-22 advantage.

The Raiders were hardly done, though, and the “Mad Bomber” Lamonica passed for a 22-yard TD to flanker Fred Biletnikoff that tied the score at 29-29. In this back-and-forth struggle, the Jets responded with Jim Turner’s fourth field goal of the game, from 26 yards out, to re-take the lead at 32-29 with 1:05 remaining in the contest.

However, a behind-the-scenes drama involving NBC was about to pull the plug on the game for the fans in the Eastern time zone. The network had allotted three hours, from 4 o’clock until 7, for the game, at which point a heavily-promoted production of the children’s classic, “Heidi”, was to air. The game in Oakland was running long, however. With lots of passing and a total of 19 penalties (the Jets were called for five facemask infractions alone), it was fast approaching 7 o’clock in the East when the Raiders got the ball back.

There was plenty of head-scratching afterward as to who made the call at NBC to end game coverage and shift to “Heidi” at 7 o’clock, but what football fans in the East saw was a Lamonica to Smith pass for 20 yards, followed by a penalty on the Jets that put the ball on New York’s 43 yard line with 50 seconds to go. As the teams were about to run the next play, screens went dark and then to commercial, after which the opening to “Heidi” began to run.

There was pandemonium on the telephone lines, and even NBC President Julian Goodman’s anxious request to cut back to the game got lost as the switchboard in New York was overwhelmed by calls. While fans on the Pacific Coast were able to see the end of the game, the Eastern fans – in particular, the Jets fans in the New York City area – were left in the dark.

What did they miss? First, they missed Lamonica’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Charlie Smith (pictured) that covered 43 yards. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, the Jets fumbled and Raiders reserve running back Preston Ridlehuber grabbed it and fell into the end zone for yet another score which made the final tally 43-32 in favor of Oakland.

On the field, Lamonica had completed 21 of 34 passes for 311 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Fred Biletnikoff was the leading receiver for the Raiders with 7 catches for 120 yards and a score. On the New York side, Namath threw 37 passes and completed 19 of them for 381 yards with a TD and no pickoffs. Don Maynard was the pass receiving star, grabbing 10 passes for a club-record 228 yards and a touchdown.

Off the field, over an hour after the end of the game, NBC twice scrolled the score across the screen, which only angered the football fans all the more knowing that they had missed something significant, and, when the second crawl occurred during an especially dramatic moment during the program, managed to alienate the “Heidi” fans, too.

NBC President Goodman offered an apology the next day, and a new pro football/tv network policy took hold - while pulling away from games in progress had occurred previously, henceforth games would be shown until their completion.

The Oakland Raiders won the remainder of their games and finished the season at 12-2, tied for first in the Western Division with Kansas City. They defeated the Chiefs in the resulting playoff and faced the Jets, who also won the rest of their games while remaining easily in first place in the weaker Eastern Division with an 11-3 record, for the AFL championship. The Jets got their revenge for the loss in the “Heidi game”, winning 27-23 at Shea Stadium, and went on to face the NFL’s Baltimore Colts in a fateful Super Bowl encounter.