1960 Houston Oilers season

1960 Houston Oilers season
1960 Houston Oilers season
Owner	Jeppesen Stadium
Local radio	KXYZ
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Won AFL Championship; (vs. Chargers) 24–16
	Oilers seasons; 1961 →;

The 1960 Houston Oilers season was the first season for the

franchise; Head Coach Lou Rymkus led the Oilers to the AFL Eastern Division title, with a 10–4 record.^[1] It was also the first American Football League season. It ended with a 24–16 victory in the AFL championship game at home over the Los Angeles Chargers (10–4).^[2]

Player movements

AFL draft

In the 1960 AFL draft, the Houston Oilers selected the following players.

Peter Arena, G, Northwestern
Dick Bass, HB, College of Pacific
William Bohler, E/T, St. Ambrose
Larry Cadwell, T, Louisville
Billy Cannon, HB, Louisiana State
Doug Cline, LB, Clemson
DeJustice Coleman, HB, Illinois
Bob Crandall, HB, New Mexico
Cleatus Drinnon, C, Hardin–Simmons
John Gremer, G, Illinois
George Herring, G/T, North Texas State
Steve Johnson, QB, Pepperdine
John Lands, E, Montana
Jacky Lee
, QB, Cincinnati
Bruce Maher, HB, Detroit

Don Mattson, T, Southern California
Mike McGee G, Duke
Hugh McInnis, E, Mississippi State
Max Messner, T, Cincinnati
George Mulholland, E, New Mexico State
Gary O'Steen, HB, Alabama
Gene Prebola, E, Boston University
Palmer Pyle T, Michigan State
William Roach, T, Texas Christian
Robert Simms, E, Rutgers
Phillip Snowden, QB, Missouri
Don Underwood, G/T, McNeese State
Duane Whetstone, FB, George Washington
Bob White FB, Ohio State
Maury Youmans, T, Syracuse

Regular season

The Oilers scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed the Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon of LSU. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as veteran quarterback George Blanda.

Roster

**1960 Houston Oilers roster**

	Quarterbacks 16 George Blanda 15 Jacky Lee Running backs 47 Don Brown 20 Billy Cannon 32 Dave Smith FB 33 Bob White FB 44 Charley Tolar FB Wide receivers 82 Johnny Carson 89 Bill Groman 37 Charley Hennigan 88 Al Witcher Tight ends 86 John White 80 James Yeats		Offensive linemen 65 Gary Greaves T 70 Al Jamison T 77 Rich Michael T 51 John Simerson T 60 Jim McCaneless G 61 Bob Talamini G 64 Fred Wallner G 63 Hogan Wharton G 57 George Belotti C Defensive linemen		Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game Recap
1	September 11	at Oakland Raiders	W 37–22	1–0	Kezar Stadium	12,703	Recap
2	September 18	Los Angeles Chargers	W 38–28	2–0	Jeppesen Stadium	20,156	Recap
3	September 20	Oakland Raiders	L 13–14	2–1	Jeppesen Stadium	16,421	Recap
4	Bye
5	October 9	New York Titans	W 27–21	3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	16,151	Recap
6	October 16	Dallas Texans	W 20–10	4–1	Jeppesen Stadium	19,026	Recap
7	October 23	at New York Titans	W 42–28	5–1	Polo Grounds	21,000	Recap
8	October 30	at Buffalo Bills	L 24–25	5–2	War Memorial Stadium	23,001	Recap
9	November 6	at Denver Broncos	W 45–25	6–2	Bears Stadium	14,489	Recap
10	November 13	at Los Angeles Chargers	L 21–24	6–3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	21,805	Recap
11	November 20	Denver Broncos	W 20–10	7–3	Jeppesen Stadium	20,778	Recap
12	November 25	at Boston Patriots	W 24–10	8–3	Nickerson Field	27,123	Recap
13	December 4	at Dallas Texans	L 0–24	8–4	Cotton Bowl	20,000	Recap
14	December 11	Buffalo Bills	W 31–23	9–4	Jeppesen Stadium	25,247	Recap
15	December 18	Boston Patriots	W 37–21	10–4	Jeppesen Stadium	22,352	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

Uke 1: Houston Oilers at Oakland Raiders

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	7	0	13	17	37
Raiders	0	7	7	8	22

at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, California

Date: September 11
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 12,703
Recap

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Oilers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	7	0	14	28
Oilers	14	7	17	0	38

at

Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: September 18

Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C)

Game attendance: 20,156

Recap

Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 3: Oakland Raiders at Houston Oilers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	0	0	7	14
Oilers	0	10	3	0	13

at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: September 20
Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
Game attendance: 16,421
Recap

Notable stats

Player	Comp.	Att.	Comp%	Yards	TD's	INT's
George Blanda (HOU)	169	363	46.6	2413	24	22

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Houston Oilers	10	4	0	.714	5–1	379	285	W2
New York Titans	7	7	0	.500	2–4	382	399	L1
Buffalo Bills	5	8	1	.385	3–3	296	303	L2
Boston Patriots	5	9	0	.357	2–4	286	349	L4

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

Postseason

AFL Championship Game

AFL Championship Game 1960 – Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	6	3	7	0	16
Oilers	0	10	7	7	24

at

Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: Sunday, January 1, 1961

Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 32,183
Referee: John McDonough
TV announcers (ABC): Jack Buck, George Ratterman, and Les Keiter^[3]
Recap

Game information

First quarter

LAC – Ben Agajanian 38-yard field goal. Chargers 3–0.
LAC – Ben Agajanian 22-yard field goal. Chargers 6–0.

Second quarter

HOU – Dave Smith 17-yard pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick). Oilers 7–6.
LAC – Ben Agajanian 27-yard field goal. Chargers 9–7.
HOU – George Blanda 17-yard field goal. Oilers 10–9.

Third quarter

HOU – Bill Groman 7-yard pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick). Oilers 17–9.
LAC – Paul Lowe 2-yard run (Agajanian kick). Oilers 17–16.

Fourth quarter

HOU – Billy Cannon 88-yard pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick). Oilers 24–16.

References

^ "Houston, Los Angeles play for AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1961. p. 2, section 2.
^ "Blanda paces Oilers to AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 44.
^ 1960 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews^{[permanent dead link]}

[hlapft-1] "Houston, Los Angeles play for AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1961. p. 2, section 2.

[bpotat-2] "Blanda paces Oilers to AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 44.

[1960_NFL-AFL_Commentator_Crews-3] 1960 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews^{[permanent dead link]}

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Tennessee Titans
Founded in 1960 Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998) Based and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee
Franchise	History in Houston Coaches Seasons Players First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks
Stadiums	Jeppesen Stadium Rice Stadium Houston Astrodome Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Vanderbilt Stadium Nissan Stadium
Culture	Bud Adams Luv Ya Blue T-Rac Cheerleaders
Lore	The Comeback Music City Miracle One Yard Short
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Dallas Cowboys Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars Pittsburgh Steelers
Division championships (11)	1960 1961 1962 1967 1991 1993 2000 2002 2008 2020 2021
Conference championships (1)	1999
League championships (2)	1960 1961
Retired numbers	1 9 27 34 43 63 65 74
Media	Broadcasters Titans All Access Titans Preseason Football Titans Radio Network WKRN-TV WTVF WZTV WGFX-FM WSMV-TV
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: South Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Key personnel	Bud Adams Amy Adams Strunk

Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance