1967: Bills Rally in Fourth Quarter to Defeat Jets

The refurbished Buffalo Bills hosted the New York Jets in an American Football League season-opening game on September 10, 1967. Coached by Joe Collier for the second year, the Bills had won the last three Eastern Division titles but, after advancing to consecutive league championships in 1964 and ‘65, failed to win the AFL title game in ’66, thus costing them a spot in the first Super Bowl. The team made major trades during the offseason in an effort to upgrade at key positions. QB Tom Flores and split end Art Powell were obtained from Oakland and HB Keith Lincoln from San Diego.  All three were highly regarded veterans and Flores moved ahead of QB Jack Kemp (pictured above), who had been behind center during the previous successful seasons. The Bills even had a new placekicker in Mike Mercer, an experienced hand who performed ably for the Chiefs in 1966.

New York, entering the fifth year under Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, was coming off of a 6-6-2 record in ’66, which was a step up from four consecutive five-win seasons. Talented QB Joe Namath had a strong arm and quick release that could yield big gains through the air but also gave up many interceptions. There were outstanding receivers in flanker Don Maynard and split end George Sauer, and an effective running tandem in FB Matt Snell and HB Emerson Boozer. However, the defense had been a sore spot and would need to improve if the club was to rise further in the standings.

There were 45,478 fans in attendance at War Memorial Stadium and they saw both teams miss scoring opportunities in the first quarter. Mike Mercer attempted a 46-yard field goal for the Bills that was blocked by DB Cornell Gordon and New York’s Jim Turner was wide to the left on a 16-yard field goal try.

During the second quarter, the Jets put together a 10-play, 57-yard series that was helped along by a pass interference penalty on LB John Tracey. Three plays later, Joe Namath threw to Don Maynard, who outmaneuvered CB Booker Edgerson for a 19-yard touchdown. Turner added the extra point.

Buffalo responded with a promising possession, but after Keith Lincoln (pictured at left) ran for 23 yards to the New York 35, a holding penalty and two sacks moved the Bills back. On the next series, the Jets took just five plays to advance 71 yards. Namath again connected with Maynard, this time for a 56-yard TD with 21 seconds left in the first half. Turner’s conversion staked New York to a 14-0 lead at halftime.

The Bills were unable to put together sustained drives with Flores behind center and a twisted knee suffered late in the second quarter forced him to the bench. Jack Kemp took his place in the second half, although the results were not immediately different. One of his passes was intercepted by safety Jim Hudson, and the result was that the Jets increased their lead less than five minutes into the third quarter when Turner kicked a 32-yard field goal.

The home team continued to struggle on offense and another New York interception, this time by Cornell Gordon, who was injured on the play, nearly led to another score but Turner missed a field goal attempt from 40 yards.

Down 17-0 after three quarters, the Bills came to life early in the final period. They advanced 46 yards in five plays, although it nearly was for naught when Lincoln fell while running a pass route and Solomon Brannan, the replacement for Gordon, dropped a potential interception. On the next play, Kemp passed to Art Powell for a 24-yard touchdown and Mercer added the point after.

The Jets had to punt following their next possession and Curley Johnson’s 29-yard kick was returned seven yards by CB Butch Byrd to the New York 37. On the next play Kemp threw long to Powell in the end zone for another TD. Mercer’s conversion narrowed the tally to 17-14 with 4:39 on the clock.

New York fought back as Namath completed two passes and a personal foul penalty again moved the visitors into scoring territory. However, Turner once again failed on an attempted field goal, this time from 35 yards. The Bills were forced to punt but Paul Maguire’s kick traveled 50 yards and was downed at the New York one yard line. The Jets had to punt in turn, and while three plays by Buffalo gained nothing, Mercer kicked a 51-yard field goal (a new club record at the time) to tie the score with 2:27 remaining to play.

Another series by the Jets resulted in a punt and the Bills had the ball at their 18 with 1:20 to go. Kemp tossed a swing pass to Lincoln that gained 24 yards and then threw to TE Paul Costa, who made a leaping catch for 21 yards. With the clock down to four seconds, Mercer booted a 43-yard field goal and Buffalo won by a final score of 20-17.

New York had the edge in total yards (287 to 248) although the Bills led in first downs (15 to 14). Buffalo also suffered the only two turnovers of the game and sustained four sacks by the Jets while recording two of its own.  However, while Mike Mercer (pictured at right) kicked the two big field goals for Buffalo, Jim Turner missed on three of his four attempts.

Jack Kemp completed 12 of 23 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns while giving up two interceptions in relief of Tom Flores, who was 6 of 11 for 40 yards and no TDs (or interceptions) in the first half. Keith Lincoln rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries and netted another 23 yards on three pass receptions. Flanker Elbert Dubenion caught 6 passes for 54 yards while Art Powell gained 91 yards on his 5 receptions that included the two touchdowns.

For the Jets, Joe Namath was successful on 11 of 23 throws for 153 yards and two TDs while having none picked off. Don Maynard caught 5 of those passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Snell topped the rushers with 95 yards on 19 attempts and Emerson Boozer contributed 53 yards on his 16 carries.

While Buffalo fans might have felt optimistic following the come-from-behind win, particularly with newcomers Art Powell, Keith Lincoln, and Mike Mercer having starring roles (if not Tom Flores), the season went downhill from there. The Bills lost their next three games on their way to a 4-10 record that tied with Miami for third place in the Eastern Division that they had previously dominated. While Lincoln and Mercer performed well, Powell lasted for six games before going out with a knee injury that required surgery and Flores, suffering from a sore arm, completed only 34.4 percent of his 64 passes and threw for no touchdowns while giving up eight interceptions, thus being relegated to the bench. Adding insult to injury, QB Daryle Lamonica, the backup who was sent to Oakland in the deal for Flores and Powell, had a MVP season as the Raiders won the AFL Championship.

The Jets went 5-0-1 over the next six weeks and appeared to be the successors to the Bills, who they defeated in the rematch at New York, until a late-season collapse caused them to finish second to Houston with an 8-5-1 tally. Joe Namath passed for a record 4007 yards but threw for more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26). Don Maynard (pictured at left) caught 71 passes, second only to teammate George Sauer, for a league-leading 1434 yards and 10 TDs.

1967: Bills Obtain Keith Lincoln from Chargers

On March 13, 1967, which was a day prior to the first combined AFL/NFL draft, disgruntled FB Keith Lincoln was dealt to the Buffalo Bills for DE Tom Day and a second-round draft choice.

Lincoln was accurately described by Buffalo Head Coach Joe Collier as a “fine runner, a strong blocker, a real good receiver and the type who is tough in the clutch.” His relations with Chargers Head Coach Sid Gillman having become strained, Lincoln’s stated desire was to play for the Bills or Oakland.

The 6’1”, 212-pound Lincoln, who turned 28 prior to the ’67 season, described his style as “heading for the goal” and “running over people to get there”.  Known for his versatility, the native Southern Californian had gone to Washington State as a quarterback and was converted to running back. Often compared to New York Giants great Frank Gifford as an all-purpose halfback, he was chosen by the Chargers in the second round of the AFL draft (and fifth round by the Bears in the NFL draft) and used primarily on defense as a rookie with the Chargers in 1961, seeing only sporadic action on offense. However, when star HB Paul Lowe went down for the year in 1962 with an injury, Lincoln got his chance at halfback and rushed for 574 yards with a 4.9 yards-per-carry average. Adding in other yardage that included a 103-yard kickoff return, he gained 1280 yards in all and, along with the four touchdowns he scored, also threw for two more TDs on option passes.

Lowe, who was back with the team in 1963, was faster and, with Lincoln being the more versatile back, Gillman shifted him to fullback, despite his protests that he was too small for the position. The tandem of Lowe and Lincoln proved to be outstanding, especially in a ’63 season in which Lowe rushed for 1010 yards and Lincoln 826. In the AFL Championship game against the Patriots, it was Lincoln putting on perhaps the most spectacular postseason performance in pro football history as he gained 206 rushing yards on just 13 carries and caught 7 passes for another 123 yards. He scored two touchdowns and San Diego demolished the Patriots by a score of 51-10.

The running back pairing was still effective in 1964 as the Chargers again won the Western Division, but in a key play in the title game against the Bills, LB Mike Stratton hit Lincoln hard as he was gathering in a pass and knocked him out of the contest with broken ribs. Buffalo went on to win the game and, in 1965 and ’66, injuries became more of a factor with Lincoln. In those two seasons combined, he carried the ball just 132 times for 516 yards (3.9 avg.), although he caught 37 passes for 640 yards (17.3 avg.) and a total of 10 touchdowns – most of that production came in the latter year. Lincoln missed significant time with a hamstring injury in 1966.

Meanwhile, the Bills had won the AFL’s Eastern Division in each of the three previous seasons, winning the league title in 1964 and ’65. HB Bobby Burnett was the Rookie of the Year, rushing for 766 yards and gaining another 419 on 34 pass receptions. Veteran FB Wray Carlton had 696 rushing yards, so Lincoln was really obtained to add depth as the club stockpiled veteran talent to try to regain the Championship and proceed to the Super Bowl in 1967.

The player they had to give up to the Chargers was 31-year-old Tom Day, 6’2” and 262, who started his pro career with the NFL Cardinals in 1960 before moving over to the Bills in ’61. Originally a guard on offense, he moved to defensive end and received second-team All-AFL recognition in both 1965 and ‘66. Known for his boisterousness on the field, he had been part of an outstanding unit in Buffalo and Coach Gillman, seeking to upgrade the defensive line, quickly opened up a starting spot by dealing DE Bob Petrich to the Dolphins. With the second round draft choice, the Chargers picked DB Bob Howard from San Diego State.

Lincoln joined QB Tom Flores and split end Art Powell, obtained from Oakland for backup QB Daryle Lamonica, and PK Mike Mercer as key veteran acquisitions by the Bills, and ended up accomplishing the most with a team that, instead of soaring to the top, fell to 4-10. Burnett suffered through an injury-plagued season and Lincoln started at halfback, where he led the club in rushing with 601 yards on 159 carries (3.8 avg.) and four touchdowns and caught a career-high 41 passes for 558 yards and five more TDs.

Lincoln gained a season-high 81 rushing yards on 13 carries in an opening-week win over the Jets and had 90 yards on three catches in a loss to San Diego. He was selected to the AFL All-Star Game for the fifth time.

It proved to be the last hurrah for the all-purpose star, who was let go by the Bills during the ’68 season and finished up back with the Chargers where a broken leg suffered on a kickoff return ended his eight-year career. It was a dismal ending for one of the AFL’s most electrifying stars who gained 5633 yards from scrimmage and added another 1360 yards on kick returns while scoring a total of 40 touchdowns and passing for another five TDs.  He was even San Diego’s placekicker for a time in 1964, although with far less satisfying results.

For San Diego’s part, Tom Day suffered through a disappointing injury-plagued season and returned to Buffalo for one last year in 1968. Bob Howard went on to play eight seasons at cornerback for the Chargers and intercepted 21 passes before moving on to the Patriots and Eagles. Competitive but blocked from the top of the Western Division by the Chiefs and Raiders, the club didn’t reach the AFL title game again after 1965 and, following the merger, did not make it to the postseason until 1979.

1963: Raiders Upset Chargers in Wild Cliffhanger

The Oakland Raiders were a franchise transformed in 1963. After three seasons in the American Football League that produced a 9-33 record and little fan support, 34-year-old Al Davis was hired away from the San Diego Chargers to become head coach and general manager. He brought a new attitude as well as a new look to the club, and it was beginning to show on the field. By the time the Raiders faced Davis’ old team, the Chargers, on October 27 the record was just 3-4 – but that was two more wins than they had in all of 1962.

San Diego, under Head Coach Sid Gillman, was a powerful and well-balanced team with a 5-1 record. Veteran QB Tobin Rote directed an offense that was potent both on the ground with HB Paul Lowe and all-purpose FB Keith Lincoln as well as through the air thanks to flanker Lance Alworth. Moreover, the Raiders had never beaten the Chargers, going back six games in series history, and most of the scores had been lopsided.

There were 30,182 fans at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. They saw the Raiders get a major break following a first quarter interception by LB Archie Matsos, who lateraled to CB Claude “Hoot” Gibson for a 13-yard return to the San Diego 25. After two short carries by HB Clem Daniels, split end Art Powell, who was double-covered all day, put Oakland on the board by catching a 20-yard pass from QB Tom Flores.

Keith Lincoln returned the ensuing kickoff for San Diego 43 yards to near midfield. In a series highlighted by a 17-yard run by Paul Lowe and 13-yard Keith Lincoln carry, the Chargers advanced to the Oakland 16 where the defense stiffened and George Blair kicked a 23-yard field goal.

A punt by the Raiders from deep in their own territory gave the Chargers good starting field position at their own 42 on their next possession. Rote threw to Alworth for 15 yards and Lowe ran for 10. On first down, Rote fired to Alworth in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, San Diego was in front by 10-7.

Following the touchdown by Alworth, Al Davis moved CB Fred Williamson to cover him, with good results as the fleet receiver was essentially shut down the rest of the way.

In the second quarter, Williamson set up Oakland’s second touchdown with an interception at the San Diego 30. Daniels got the ball to the 10 on two carries and, after advancing to the five, Flores threw to FB Alan Miller for a TD. The Raiders were back in front at 14-10.

The Chargers retook the lead by 17-14 after a pass from QB John Hadl, subbing for Rote, to TE Jacque MacKinnon that covered 69 yards and concluded the first half scoring. In addition, Oakland’s Flores had to leave the game late in the second quarter due to a head injury and was replaced by Cotton Davidson.

On the second play of the third quarter, CB Dick Harris returned an interception 23 yards for a TD to make it 23-14. Blair’s extra point attempt failed following a bad snap. A fumble recovery by Gibson set up a 39-yard scoring pass from Davidson to flanker Dobie Craig that, with Mike Mercer’s successful PAT, brought the Raiders back to within two points behind. George Blair kicked another field goal for San Diego, this time from 36 yards, to make it a five-point game at 26-21 heading into the final period.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Powell (pictured below) scored another touchdown, this time on an outstanding 46-yard catch on a pass from Davidson in which he pulled the ball in over his shoulder while well-covered by two defenders. The Raiders were back in front at 28-26.

Oakland’s lead didn’t last long, however. San Diego’s Lincoln took off on a 51-yard scoring run on the next series. Following a key defensive stand by the Raiders, they got the ball back with just under four minutes remaining on the clock. Daniels took off on a 41-yard run to the San Diego 20. Davidson, unable to find any receivers on the next play, ran for 11 yards to the nine. Two plays lost a yard before Davidson, with 1:52 left on the clock, scrambled for time and threw to FB Glenn Shaw in the end zone for a ten-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt failed, but Oakland had the lead.

There was still time for the Chargers, but Rote was tossed for a 20-yard loss and then Gibson intercepted a pass with a minute left to seal the exciting 34-33 win for the Raiders.

The Chargers had more total yards (380 to 296) and first downs (18 to 13) than Oakland, but they also turned the ball over six times against three turnovers by the Raiders.

In relief of Tom Flores, who was successful on three of 11 passes for 31 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, Cotton Davidson (pictured at left) was very effective, completing 5 of 10 throws for 115 yards with three good for TDs against one intercepted. He also gained 27 yards on five runs. Clem Daniels was outstanding as he rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries. Art Powell caught three passes for 77 yards, two of them for scores.

As for the Chargers, Tobin Rote, who encountered heavy pressure, had a subpar performance as he completed 6 of 14 passes for 67 yards and a TD with four interceptions. Keith Lincoln was sensational in rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, but while Paul Lowe gained 82 yards on 12 attempts, most of that came in the first half - he was largely a nonfactor in the last two quarters. Thanks to the long TD reception, Jacque MacKinnon had 111 yards on three catches while Lance Alworth gained 50 yards, also on three receptions.

“San Diego’s a great football team, but we’ve got a great bunch on our club and they just wanted that game so badly today they wouldn’t quit,” summed up Al Davis.

The win for Oakland was the second straight of an eventual eight in a row to close out the season and included another victory over the Chargers at home. The Raiders, at 10-4, ended up second to San Diego (11-3) in the AFL Western Division. The Chargers routed the Boston Patriots in the league’s title game.

Clem Daniels went on to lead the AFL in rushing with 1099 yards on 215 carries (5.1 avg.). Art Powell ranked second with 73 pass receptions for a league-leading 1304 yards and 16 touchdowns. Both were All-AFL selections and Daniels received Player of the Year consideration from The Sporting News.

1964: Bills Shut Down Chargers to Win AFL Championship

On December 26, 1964 the Buffalo Bills, champions of the American Football League’s Eastern Division, hosted the defending AFL champions, the San Diego Chargers. It was truly a study in contrasts between the Bills, a ball-control team with an outstanding defense, and San Diego, with its potent offense.

Coached by Lou Saban, the Bills had gone 12-2 and defeated the Chargers twice during the season, but didn’t clinch the division until a win over the Patriots in the final contest. The offense was conservative but effective, leading the league in ground-gaining and scoring. Hard-hitting 250-pound FB Cookie Gilchrist (pictured above) was the AFL’s leading rusher (981 yards). QB Jack Kemp, formerly of the Chargers, was a good field general and if a change of pace was necessary, backup QB Daryle Lamonica was capable of effective relief. An additional weapon was rookie PK Pete Gogolak out of Cornell who brought his then-unique soccer-style placekicking to pro football and was successful on 65.5 % of his field goal attempts (19 of 29), making the ball-control offense all the more effective. The rugged defense that allowed the fewest points in the AFL had an outstanding line that included ends Ron McDole and Tom Day and tackles Tom Sestak and Jim Dunaway, and had other stars in LB Mike Stratton and FS George Saimes.

Head Coach Sid Gillman’s Chargers were not as dominant as they had been in ’63. They got off to a 1-2-1 start but then ran off six straight wins to take control of the Western Division. While the streaky club lost three of its last four contests, it was good enough for an 8-5-1 record. The Chargers still had an outstanding offense that was transitioning from 36-year-old Tobin Rote to 24-year-old John Hadl at quarterback. They also had the exciting flanker Lance Alworth to pass to and the running game featured all-purpose FB Keith Lincoln, the hero of the 1963 title game with 329 yards from scrimmage, and HB Paul Lowe. And while defense may have been an afterthought, there were outstanding players in DT Ernie Ladd, DE Earl Faison, linebackers Chuck Allen and Frank Buncom, and CB Dick Westmoreland. Injuries were an issue, however, and San Diego would be going into the title game without Alworth, who had injured his left knee.

There were 40,242 in attendance at War Memorial Stadium and it didn’t look promising for the home team as the Chargers quickly drove to a score. Lincoln took off for a 38-yard gain on San Diego’s first play from scrimmage and he accumulated four more running and 11 on a pass reception before Rote threw to TE Dave Kocurek for a 26-yard touchdown that put the Chargers ahead 7-0 at just 2:11 into the first quarter (for good measure Lincoln, also the club’s placekicker, added the extra point).

However, on San Diego’s next series, a play occurred that changed the complexion of the contest. In a second down situation, Rote threw a flare pass toward Lincoln and as the ball arrived Mike Stratton delivered a jarring hit to the star running back that knocked him out of the game with a broken rib (he did kick off to start the second half, but that was the extent of his action for the rest of the day). Once Lincoln was gone, the Chargers offense was unable to sustain a long drive the remainder of the game. (Stratton pictured below just a moment before hitting Lincoln)


The Bills scored on a 12-yard field goal by Pete Gogolak and the score was 7-3 after one quarter of play. DB Speedy Duncan returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Buffalo 35, where he was brought down by LB Paul Maguire, but Rote was intercepted by DB Charley Warner to end the threat.

The Bills began to move the ball again as Gilchrist carried for a 31-yard gain and Kemp threw to TE Ernie Warlick for 27 yards to the San Diego eight yard line. The Chargers held, however, and on fourth-and-four the Bills lined up for a Gogolak field goal attempt. However, holder Daryle Lamonica bootlegged instead and was stopped just short of a first down.

The Chargers were again unable to generate offense and punted. Kemp threw to flanker Elbert Dubenion for 18 yards, runs by HB Wray Carlton and Gilchrist gained another 11, Dubenion ran for 8 on an end-around, and Kemp threw to Gilchrist for 15 yards. Carlton finished off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run (pictured below) that put the Bills ahead, 10-7.


Later in the period, Buffalo added a 17-yard field goal by Gogolak following a 39-yard carry by Gilchrist. With time running out in the half, the Chargers threatened with the aid of a pass interference penalty. However, once more the Bills ended the threat with an interception as Stratton picked off a Rote pass at his 20.

Gillman had started Rote due to his greater experience, but late in the third quarter, John Hadl replaced the ineffective veteran at quarterback for the Chargers. There was no further scoring until 5:28 into the fourth quarter. Kemp connected with end Glenn Bass for a 51-yard gain to the San Diego one yard line. Two plays later, Kemp carried the ball in for the TD that effectively sealed the win for Buffalo.

Gilchrist was finally forced out of the game with bruised ribs in the fourth quarter, once the result was assured. With 26 seconds left, the celebrating Buffalo fans broke through the police line and began tearing down the goal posts while the Chargers were attempting their last play. Buffalo had won the AFL title for the first time by a score of 20-7.

The Bills outgained San Diego (387 yards to 259) and had more first downs (21 to 15). They played outstanding ball-control football, rushing for 219 of those yards and not turning the ball over. Meanwhile, the vaunted Chargers passing game was held to 135 net yards and they suffered three turnovers, all on interceptions.

Cookie Gilchrist ran for 122 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 22 more. Wray Carlton added 70 yards and a touchdown on his 18 rushing attempts. Jack Kemp completed 10 of 20 passes for 188 yards and, while he didn’t complete any for TDs, he didn’t give up any interceptions. Elbert Dubenion had three pass receptions for 56 yards and Glenn Bass gained 70 yards on his two catches.

It was telling that, even though he was gone before the game was midway through the first quarter, Keith Lincoln still ended up leading the Chargers in rushing with 47 yards on just three carries. Paul Lowe ran 7 times for 34 yards and Lincoln’s replacement, FB Keith Kinderman, gained 14 yards on four carries. Kinderman also caught 4 passes for 52 yards while Dave Kocurek gained 52 yards as well on his two receptions that included the one TD. Tobin Rote was successful on just 10 of 26 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. John Hadl went to the air 10 times and completed three for 31 yards with one picked off. Lost in the defeat were Speedy Duncan’s three kickoff returns for 147 yards – a 49.0 average.

Afterward, a jubilant Lou Saban said he was glad the Chargers had scored first. “It jarred us quick. It jarred us to our senses – woke us up.”

The teams went on to win their respective divisions in 1965 and met for the AFL title in San Diego. In perhaps a more stunning result, the Bills dominated the Chargers even more thoroughly by a 23-0 score. By that point, Gilchrist was gone, having been dealt to Denver in the offseason. But despite a lesser running game, the defense was still strong enough to carry the club. And while Keith Lincoln was back in the San Diego backfield in ’65, and still capable when healthy, injuries would diminish his effectiveness for the remainder of his career.

1964: Keith Lincoln Leads Chargers to Blowout of Patriots for AFL Title

The San Diego Chargers won the AFL’s Western Division in 1963 with an 11-3 record and featured perhaps the most explosive offense in either league that year. Coached by the innovative Sid Gillman, they had two outstanding running backs in HB Paul Lowe (1010 yards) and FB Keith Lincoln (826 yards rushing, 325 receiving). 35-year-old veteran QB Tobin Rote led the AFL in passing overall as well as completion percentage (59.4) and yards-per-attempt (8.8). He had flanker Lance Alworth to throw to, who caught 61 passes for 1205 yards with 11 touchdowns. The defense, to be sure, was solid and built around DE Earl Faison, DT Ernie Ladd, LB Chuck Allen, and CB Dick Harris.

The title of the weaker Eastern Division came down to a tiebreaking playoff game between two 7-6-1 teams, the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Boston won, 26-8, and thus had the unenviable task of heading west to meet up with the Chargers on January 5, 1964 before a crowd of 30,127 at Balboa Stadium. Under Head Coach Mike Holovak, the Patriots featured the league’s top scorer in split end/placekicker Gino Cappelletti, veteran QB Babe Parilli, and a solid defense that included DE Larry Eisenhauer, DT Houston Antwine, and linebackers Nick Buoniconti and Tom Addison.

It didn’t take long for the Chargers offense to begin dissecting the Patriots defense. On the second play from scrimmage, Lincoln broke loose up the middle on a 56-yard run that set up a two-yard quarterback keeper touchdown by Rote seven plays later. On their next possession, it was Lincoln taking off once again on a 67-yard touchdown run (by this point his rushing line was 2 carries for 123 yards).

The Patriots fought back and scored on a 7-yard run by FB Larry Garron to cut the San Diego lead to 14-7. However, the Chargers came right back as Lowe took off on a 58-yard touchdown jaunt. It was 21-7 in favor of San Diego at the end of the first quarter.

The scoring onslaught calmed a bit early in the second quarter with the two teams exchanging field goals. San Diego scored one more touchdown before the half on a 14-yard pass play from Rote to split end Don Norton for a 31-10 lead. Lincoln touched the ball four times during the period, with one run for 44 yards and three catches for another 46 yards. His totals at halftime stood at 6 rushing attempts for 176 yards and 5 pass receptions for 66 yards – a total of 242 yards from scrimmage on just 11 touches.

If the first half had been tough for the Patriots, the second half turned into a nightmare. Babe Parilli faced an overwhelming pass rush and the offense was unable to move. The Chargers kept piling on points: Rote threw a 48-yard TD pass to Alworth in the third quarter, and backup QB John Hadl passed to Lincoln for a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter and ran one in from a yard out himself to cap the scoring. The final tally was 51-10.

Keith Lincoln’s final totals were truly staggering – he rushed for 206 yards on 13 attempts with a TD, caught 7 passes for 123 yards and another score, and even threw an option pass for a 20-yard gain. His combined total of 329 yards ranks second in NFL/AFL postseason history, as does his 15.85 yards-per-carry rushing average. He outgained the entire Boston Patriots offense, which totaled 261 yards.

The title game performance certainly provided a highlight reel for the ’63 Chargers. Tobin Rote (pictured handing off to Lowe below) completed a tidy 10 of 15 passes for 173 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. John Hadl added 7 completions in 11 passes for another 132 yards and a score. While Paul Lowe was overshadowed by his backfield mate’s performance, he contributed 94 yards on 12 carries and the long TD run. And while Lincoln was the top pass receiver as well as rusher, Lance Alworth also had a typically good outing with 4 catches for 77 yards and a score. Altogether, the Chargers gained 610 yards (still an NFL/AFL postseason record) and turned the ball over just once on a fumble.

By contrast, Parilli and his backup, Tom Yewcic, completed 17 of 37 passes for 228 yards with two picked off. Falling behind so quickly, Boston ran the ball just 16 times for 75 yards with FB Harry Crump leading the team with 18 yards on 7 attempts. Gino Cappelletti gained 72 receiving yards on two catches, while HB Ron Burton had the most receptions, with 4 (for 12 yards).

A triumphant Sid Gillman had the players’ championship rings engraved with “World Champions” rather than “AFL Champions”, and stated, “If anyone wants to dispute the claim, let them play us.” The war between the young AFL and the established NFL was still going on and there was not yet a Super Bowl to pit the two league champions against each other. It has often been a subject of speculation as to what might have happened had the Chargers, with their well-balanced team featuring the potent offense, had gone up against the NFL champion Chicago Bears, with a tremendous defense but nondescript offense.

Regardless, the Chargers were definitely the best team in their league and remained contenders, winning the Western Division again in 1964 and ’65, but losing to Buffalo each time in the title game. While the Patriots improved their record in 1964 to 10-3-1, they finished second to the Bills and didn’t appear in the postseason again until 1976, at which point they were the New England Patriots.

Keith Lincoln had a very good, if injury-marred, career. A bit small for a fullback at 6’1” and 215 pounds, he played the position because Lowe was well-established at halfback and the stocky Lincoln was the better inside runner. As he demonstrated against the Patriots, he also had breakaway speed and was a good receiver out of the backfield. His performance in the AFL Championship game following the 1963 season has stood the test of time as one of the greatest in pro football history.