1962: NY Titans Pull Out Wild Win Over Broncos

As the 1962 American Football League season progressed, the state of the third-year league’s New York City franchise, the Titans, was precarious, at best. Flamboyant and controversial owner Harry Wismer was in serious financial straits and the club was a poor draw at the decrepit Polo Grounds. By early November the league had taken over the running of the Titans.

The team’s original head coach, all-time great quarterback Sammy Baugh, had been demoted to assistant coach following the ’61 season and replaced by ex-Bears star Bulldog Turner. Still, despite all of the chaos, the Titans were competitive and showing signs of life on the field. Starting out at 2-1, they lost four straight before running off consecutive wins against the Chargers and Raiders prior to succumbing to the Dallas Texans. Coming into their Thanksgiving Day matchup at Denver on November 22, New York’s record stood at 4-6.

The Broncos, under first year Head Coach Jack Faulkner, had gotten off to a 7-2 start but were losers their two most recent games. The passing attack, with QB Frank Tripucka primarily throwing to split end Lionel Taylor and flanker Bob Scarpitto, made Denver exciting and capable of putting points on the board, but the running game and defense were suspect. They very much needed a win against the Titans to remain in contention in the Western Division.

There were 15,776 fans in attendance at Bears Stadium for the nationally televised game. It was all Titans in the early going. FB Bill Mathis ran for a one-yard touchdown and HB Dick Christy caught a pass from QB Johnny Green (pictured above) for a six-yard score that put New York ahead by 14-0 in the first quarter.

It was 17-0 in the second quarter following a 28-yard field goal by Bill Shockley (pictured below) before the home team finally got on the board. Tripucka threw to Scarpitto for a 35-yard touchdown and Gene Mingo added the extra point. The Titans responded with another score, however, as Green threw to split end Art Powell for a four-yard TD. But Denver managed to whittle away at New York’s lead with two field goals by Mingo, of 45 and 8 yards, to make it 24-13 at the half. It still seemed to be a comfortable margin for the Titans.

In the third quarter, the tables turned in favor of the Broncos. First, star DT Bud McFadin picked up a fumble and ran 69 yards for a touchdown. Then QB George Shaw, in for the injured Tripucka, tossed a six-yard TD pass to Scarpitto. Denver was in front by a score of 27-24.

The Titans narrowed the margin to 27-26 when Shaw recovered a loose ball in his own end zone for a safety. New York regained the lead thanks to a Green pass to flanker Don Maynard for a 35-yard touchdown. While the attempt to run for a two-point conversion failed, New York was on top by 32-27 heading into the fourth quarter.

Once again the Broncos rallied. Shaw connected with Taylor for a three-yard TD, followed it up with a two-point conversion, and then CB Jim McMillin intercepted a pass and returned it 59 yards for another touchdown, followed by Mingo’s kick. When Mingo kicked a 49-yard field goal with the wind at his back, Denver held a 45-32 lead with six minutes remaining to play.

The Titans proceeded to drive for another touchdown, this time on a five-yard pass from Green to Christy. Shockley’s extra point narrowed the score to 45-39, but the six points still seemed formidable as time was running down. Denver took over at its own 20 following a long kickoff by Shockley and New York proceeded to get a huge break when HB Al Frazier fumbled a handoff and FS Lee Riley recovered for the Titans.

With the time now down to three minutes, New York capitalized when Green tossed his fifth touchdown pass, of three yards, to Powell. Shockley’s extra point was successful and the Titans were staked to a one-point lead.

The Broncos still had a chance, and managed to get into New York territory, but with time running out Mingo attempted a 52-yard field goal that was straight but too short. The Titans came away with a thrilling 46-45 win.

The Titans led in total yards (381 to 294) and first downs (25 to 19). Each club turned the ball over four times. Denver was especially hurt by penalties, drawing 11 flags at a cost of 130 yards to four for 27 yards on New York.

Johnny Green had a noteworthy performance, completing 22 of 46 passes for 292 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Bill Mathis rushed for 49 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Dick Christy (pictured below) caught 9 passes for 82 yards and two scores, ran the ball 9 times for another 30 yards, and returned a kickoff 28 yards. Don Maynard had 105 yards on four pass receptions that included a TD and Art Powell had three catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

For the Broncos, Frank Tripucka was successful on 9 of 15 throws for 113 yards with a TD and two interceptions before leaving the game and George Shaw added 12 completions in 26 attempts for 117 yards with two TDs and an interception. FB Bo Dickinson was the leading rusher with 48 yards on 6 carries and also contributed 5 catches for 57 yards. Lionel Taylor had 6 pass receptions for 60 yards and a TD and Bob Scarpitto gained 89 yards and scored twice on his 5 catches.

The exciting win at Denver was the last for the Titans – they lost their remaining three games to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Division with a 5-9 record. The franchise was sold during the offseason to an ownership group headed by Sonny Werblin and was revamped and rechristened the Jets for 1963.

The loss wiped out any lingering hopes for the Broncos of winning the Western Division title. They, too, lost their remaining games and closed out at 7-7 for second place. It would prove to be their best record until 1973.

Johnny Green, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, saw the most action at quarterback for the Titans in ’62 and completed 49.6 percent of his passes for 1741 yards with 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. While he had a strong arm, he lacked accuracy and consistency and saw little action in his last year with the Jets in 1963.

As the numbers from the Denver game indicated, Dick Christy was a productive all-purpose halfback who led the AFL in total yards with 2147 (535 rushing on 114 carries, 538 on 62 pass receptions, 824 on 38 kickoff returns, and 250 on 15 punt returns). He was selected to the AFL All-Star Game.

Don Maynard caught 56 passes for 1041 yards (18.6 avg.) and eight touchdowns and went on to star with the Jets. Art Powell had 64 receptions for 1130 yards (17.7 avg.) and eight TDs as well. Disgruntled after three years in New York, he moved on to the Raiders in ’63 and also continued to excel. 

1962: New-Look Broncos Upset Chargers

Coming into the 1962 American Football League season, the Denver Broncos had undergone a transformation – at least in terms of leadership and appearance. In 1960 and ’61, the club had a decidedly austere air about it. Coached by Frank Filchock, a former NFL quarterback and CFL coach, the team had little money to work with (especially during the inaugural season, when owned by the Howsam family), epitomized by the uniforms of gold (more accurately mustard yellow) jerseys and brown pants with vertically-striped brown-and-yellow socks that had been purchased cheaply from the organizers of a defunct college all-star game (the Copper Bowl).

Frank Tripucka, who last played in the NFL with the ill-fated Dallas Texans in 1952 before heading north to Canada, originally came to the Broncos in ’60 to be a coach but ended up becoming the starting quarterback for Filchock’s pass-oriented attack. There was talent on the club in split end Lionel Taylor, the AFL’s leading receiver in each of its first two seasons (including an even 100 catches in ’61); HB/PK Gene Mingo, the league’s leading scorer in 1960; All-League DT Bud McFadin; and safety Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin, who intercepted 17 passes in two years. Still, the team lost far more than it won, going a combined 7-20-1.

For 1962, there was a new head coach/GM in Jack Faulkner (pictured above), who had been an assistant with the Chargers under Sid Gillman. The team’s offices were revamped, and so were the uniforms. The new outfits were orange, blue, and white with a cartoon bucking bronco on the helmet, and the hated vertically-striped socks were publicly burned amid great ceremony prior to an intrasquad scrimmage before a cheering crowd (at least one pair survived to eventually reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame).


The team that took the field on September 7 for the season-opening game at Bears Stadium against San Diego still contained most of the same key personnel, including Tripucka, Taylor, Mingo, McFadin, and Gonsoulin. But there was a new enthusiasm present as a crowd of 28,000 turned out for the Friday night contest, a new high for the franchise.

The team the Broncos were hosting, the Chargers, had won the Western Division in each of the previous two seasons and was expected to provide an ample test for the refurbished club. However, San Diego’s potent offense had already been crippled by the loss of star HB Paul Lowe, who was gone for the year due to a fractured wrist suffered in training camp.

The Broncos started off the scoring with a first quarter drive that covered 56 yards, capped by Mingo’s five-yard touchdown carry. Mingo added the extra point and then, later in the opening period, kicked a 12-yard field goal to put Denver ahead by 10-0 after a quarter of play.

San Diego responded with a seven-yard TD pass from QB Jack Kemp to split end Don Norton to narrow the score to 10-7 in the second quarter. But the Broncos came back with another drive that concluded with a long pass play of 49 yards (17 in the air) from Tripucka to flanker Bob Scarpitto, a newcomer to the club.

On Denver’s next possession, Tripucka completed eight passes, the last for a two-yard TD to FB Bo Dickinson. The 34-year-old quarterback completed 20 of 33 passes for 252 yards in the first half as the Broncos raced out to a 24-7 lead. His protection was excellent, as well as his accuracy.

Mingo padded the lead to 30-7 in the third quarter with field goals of 41 and 53 yards. The Chargers, who made it into Denver territory just twice more after scoring their first touchdown, finally got on the board again on the last play of the third quarter when CB Claude Gibson returned a pass interception 35 yards for a touchdown.

San Diego’s rookie QB John Hadl led the Chargers on a 55-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a 15-yard scoring pass to FB Bobby Jackson, but the result was not in doubt. The Broncos came away with a convincing 30-21 win.

Denver’s offensive output of 505 yards was impressive and easily outdistanced the Chargers, who gained 208. The Broncos not only dominated through the air (384 yards to 123), but on the ground also (121 to 96) and had twice as many first downs (28 to 14). It was Denver’s first-ever win over the Chargers following four defeats.


Frank Tripucka had an outstanding day as he completed 28 of 47 passes for 376 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lionel Taylor and TE Gene Prebola each caught 7 passes, with Taylor gaining 79 yards to Prebola’s 69. Thanks to the long scoring reception, Bob Scarpitto was right behind with 68 yards on just two receptions. HB Al Frazier was the team’s leading rusher with 72 yards on 14 carries. Through both rushing and placekicking, Gene Mingo accounted for 18 points.

For the Chargers, the usually capable Jack Kemp went to the air 27 times and had only 8 completions for 108 yards, including one TD and one interception. TE Dave Kocurek caught 4 passes for 66 yards. Bobby Jackson ran for 51 yards on 9 carries.

The Broncos continued to play well under Faulkner as they won six of their first seven games to move into contention in the Western Division. They were 7-2 after beating the Chargers again in San Diego, but the roof fell in on the overachieving club after that – the Broncos didn’t win another game the rest of the way and finished in second place with a 7-7 record. Still, it was progress and Faulkner received AFL Coach of the Year honors.

San Diego recovered to win handily the next week, but lost Jack Kemp to a hand injury and when the club waived him in an administrative move, he was lost to the Buffalo Bills. The loss of Lowe and Kemp was just the beginning as many starters fell to injury along the way. The Chargers advanced as far as 3-2 with rookie John Hadl at quarterback, but proceeded to lose eight of the last nine games to finish far out of the running in third place with a 4-10 record.