1960 Houston Oilers season
OwnerBud Adams
General managerDon Suman
Head coachLou Rymkus
Home fieldJeppesen Stadium
Local radioKXYZ
Results
Record10–4
Division place1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finishWon AFL Championship
(vs. Chargers) 24–16

The 1960 Houston Oilers season was the first season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football 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.

Regular season

Roster

1960 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

  • 86 John White
  • 80 James Yeats
 Offensive linemen

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 34Total
Oilers 7 0 131737
Raiders 0 7 7822

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 34Total
Chargers 7 7 01428
Oilers 14 7 17038

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 34Total
Raiders 7 0 0714
Oilers 0 10 3013

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
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

Main article: 1960 American Football League Championship Game
AFL Championship Game 1960 – Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 6 3 7016
Oilers 0 10 7724

at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

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

  1. ^ "Houston, Los Angeles play for AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1961. p. 2, section 2.
  2. ^ "Blanda paces Oilers to AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 44.
  3. ^ 1960 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews[permanent dead link]
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