Remember The American Football League? I Most Certainly Do

It was the kind of Professional Football League one would love. I Most-Certainly Did Love It & a Number of Stories from it:

The League's 8 Original Franchises are still around. The Owners were called "The Foolish Club" in their plan to compete with The NFL;

Harry Wisemer, The Owner of The NY Titans(Later called The NY Jets), was the Guy who came up with Revenue Sharing & Equal Shares in the Television Money for all the Clubs(Perhaps before Wellington Mara's Idea for the National Football League). Gate was 60/40 for Home Team. The NFL considered it an insane idea;

The Boston Patriots played their Home Games on Friday Nights at Boston University Nickerson Field(The Old Braves Field), to keep attendance from falling victim to NY Giants Telecasts on CBS Affiliate, WHDH Channel 5(& one wonders WHY there are still NY Giants Fans in The Boston Area);

The AFL Official Time was kept on the Scoreboard Clock & there was a 2 Point Conversion Option after a Touchdown(Which is NFL Standard in this present time), while The Official Kept the time on the field & there was only the Point After Kick, in the NFL. Players Names on the back of jerseys are part of AFL Tradition and now in the NFL;

The Chargers started in LA in 1960 and moved to San Diego in 1961, to a Stadium called Balboa Stadium, which now only for High School Football & Track & Field Events. They've been in what's called Qualcomm Stadium since 1966;

The 1st Two Years of The League, the Champions of The AFL was The Houston Oilers(Tennessee Titans), playing in a large HS Stadium called Jeppersen Field, which is still around. They played in Rice University Stadium & The Astrodome;

The Thanksgiving Day Game was at The Polo Grounds(Now a Huge NYCHA Housing Development);

The Buffalo Bills were at War Memorial Stadium from 1960 until 1972;

The Oakland Raiders actually played their 1st Two seasons in San Francisco at Kezar Stadium & Candlestick Park, only moving to Frank Youell Field in Oakland in 1963 until 1965, & moving to the Oakland Coliseum in 1966;

The Dallas Texans actually outdrew the hideous expansion Dallas Cowboys & won an AFL Championship over the the Oilers. The Texans became the KC Chiefs, who won Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings, closing up the AFL to History;

The New York Titans were sold to a group headed by David(Sonny)Werblin. Team changed name to NY Jets & Green & White became their colors. They're the team which actually closed The Polo Grounds. The Titans were taken over by the League when Harry Wisemer couldn't meet the team payroll;

The NY Jets actually became the 1st Team to draw 60,000+ crowds because they moved to Shea Stadium in 1964. They became the 1st Team with a World Championship to play there, having won Super Bowl III on Sunday, January 12th, 1969 in Miami's Orange Bowl, defeating the NFL's Baltimore Colts, 16-7, while being 18.5 Point Underdogs. The AFL Championship Game on Sunday, December 29th, 1968, drew an All Time American Football League Championship Record 62,627 Fans to Shea Stadium, thus giving Legitimacy to The American Football League Brand Of Football. Sonny Werblin was forced out of the Ownership of the NY Jets;

The Miami Dolphins were established in 1966, playing at the Orange Bowl. Comedian-Actor Danny Thomas was one of the owning partners in the beginning of that team;

The Denver Broncos played in Mile High Stadium from 1960 until 2000(Demolished in 2001);

The League actually preceded MLB in having a Commissioner who was an owner(Al Davis-Oakland Raiders, a Graduate of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn);

The 1st AFL Television Contract was with ABC. The League signed an even bigger contract with NBC in 1965, the year the Jets signed Joe Namath, who attracted many more viewers to the League & Network;

Paul Brown, Legendary NFL & AAFC Cleveland Browns Coach, owned & coached the Expansion Cincinnati Bengals, who played their only two AFL Seasons at Nippert Field(Part of University of Cincinnati & still standing);

After the merger(Announced in 1966) in 1970, three teams from the NFL were added to become the American Football Conference, namely the Cleveland Browns(Now Baltimore Ravens), Pittsburgh Steelers & Baltimore(Indianapolis)Colts. The Browns(Ravens) actually go back to another League competing with the NFL, The All American Football Conference. The Steelers & the Colts are pure breed NFL, with the Colts winding their way through Dayton, Brooklyn, Boston, Manhattan, The Bronx, Dallas & Baltimore, before running to Indianapolis in the middle of the night in 1980;

It would've been nice if a Charter American Football League Team from that League's 1960 Beginning had won instead of the Team with a checkered Past. It would've been a nice conclusion to the 50th Anniversary of The American Football League;

I'm STILL An American Football League Guy, who remembers $3 Standing Room at Shea Stadium at Jets Games;

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