1961 Houston Oilers season

1961 Houston Oilers season
Owner	Bud Adams
Head coach	Wally Lemm (9–0) and Lou Rymkus (1–3–1, fired)
General manager	Don Suman
Home field	Jeppesen Stadium
Results
Record	10–3–1
Division place	1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Won AFL Championship (at Chargers) 10–3
← 1960 Oilers seasons 1962 →

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was the second season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; For the second consecutive season, the Oilers scored a triumph in the AFL championship game over the San Diego Chargers (12–2), the Western Division champions.^[1][2][3]

The Oilers started slowly in 1961, with a 1–3–1 record. After a tie on October 13 with the Boston Patriots, head coach Lou Rymkus was fired by owner Bud Adams. Wally Lemm was hired,^[4] and the team went undefeated for the remainder of the season, including the championship game, a winning streak of ten games.

The Oilers set the AFL record for points scored in 1961, with 513 (36.6 points per game).^[5] They also set an American Football League record with a +271 point differential, by allowing only 242 points.^[6] The 1961 Oilers are the only team in AFL or NFL history to score 45 points or more six times in a single season.^[7]

Offseason[]

On January 14, end Willard Dewveall played out his option with the Chicago Bears of the NFL and joined the Oilers.^[8] He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.^[9] Dewveall was the only one to move between leagues for five years, until placekicker Pete Gogolak moved from the Buffalo Bills to the New York Giants of the NFL in 1966.^[10]

AFL Draft[]

• Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Mike DitkaMike Ditka	Offensive End	Pittsburgh
2	Tom GoodeTom Goode	Center	Mississippi State
3	Walter SuggsWalter Suggs 1	Tackle	Mississippi State
4	Bobby WaldenBobby Walden	Halfback	Georgia
5	Monte LeeMonte Lee	Linebacker	Texas
6	Jake GibbsJake Gibbs	Quarterback	Mississippi
7	Dick Reynolds	Tackle	North Carolina State
8	Houston AntwineHouston Antwine 1,2	Guard	Southern Illinois
9	Ralph WhiteRalph White	Tackle	Bowling Green
10	Charles LeeCharles Lee	Center	Iowa
11	Robert BirdRobert Bird	Guard	Bowling Green
12	Bob McLeodBob McLeod	Offensive End	Abilene Christian
13	Gerald Hinton	Guard	Louisiana Tech
14	Jimmy King	Tackle	Clemson
15	Dennis Ferriter	Center	Marquette
16	Larry Wood	Halfback	Northwestern
17	Sam Fewell	Tackle	South Carolina
18	Mike Grimsley	Halfback	Michigan State
19	Myron Pearson	Halfback	Colorado
20	Lewis Johnson	Halfback	Florida A&M
21	Ron MillerRon Miller	Quarterback	Wisconsin
22	Bob KellyBob Kelly	Offensive End	New Mexico State
23	James Anderson	Fullback	Mississippi
24	Ken Gregory	Offensive End	Whittier
25	Jack Kreider	Halfback	Tulsa
26	Don FuellDon Fuell	Quarterback	Mississippi Southern
27	Boyd King	Center	Rice
28	John FrongilloJohn Frongillo	Center	Baylor
29	Tom LewisJohn Frongillo	Offensive End	Lake Forest
29	Tom LewisErrol Linden	Defensive end	Houston
30	Tom LewisJim Stroud	Tackle	Rice

Standings[]

AFL Eastern Division
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Houston Oilers	10	3	1	.769	4–1–1	513	242	W9
Boston Patriots	9	4	1	.692	2–3–1	413	313	W4
New York Titans	7	7	0	.500	3–3	301	390	L2
Buffalo Bills	6	8	0	.429	2–4	294	342	L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Season schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game Recap
1	September 9	Oakland Raiders	W 55–0	1–0	Jeppesen Stadium	16,231	Recap
2	Bye
3	September 24	at San Diego Chargers	L 24–34	1–1	Balboa Stadium	29,210	Recap
4	October 1	at Dallas Texans	L 21–26	1–2	Cotton Bowl	28,000	Recap
5	October 8	Buffalo Bills	L 12–22	1–3	Jeppesen Stadium	22,761	Recap
6	October 13	at Boston Patriots	T 31–31	1–3–1	Boston University Field	15,070	Recap
7	October 22	Dallas Texans	W 38–7	2–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	21,237	Recap
8	October 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 28–16	3–3–1	War Memorial Stadium	23,228	Recap
9	November 5	at Denver Broncos	W 55–14	4–3–1	Bears Stadium	11,564	Recap
10	November 12	Boston Patriots	W 27–15	5–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	35,649	Recap
11	November 19	New York Titans	W 49–13	6–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	33,428	Recap
12	November 26	Denver Broncos	W 45–14	7–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	27,864	Recap
13	December 3	San Diego Chargers	W 33–13	8–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	37,845	Recap
14	December 10	at New York Titans	W 48–21	9–3–1	Polo Grounds	9,462	Recap
15	December 17	at Oakland Raiders	W 47–16	10–3–1	Candlestick Park	4,821	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Roster[]

1961 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks 16 George Blanda 15 Jacky Lee 12 Charlie Milstead Running backs 46 21 Ken Hall 44 Charlie Tolar FB 32 Dave Smith Wide receivers 87 Charley Hennigan 89 Bill Groman Tight ends 20 Billy Cannon 81 Bob McLeod 86 John White 88 Willard Dewveall End		Offensive Linemen 70 Al Jamison T 77 Rich Michael T 66 T 73 Bob Kelly T 61 Bob Talamini G 60 Buzz Guy G 63 Hogan Wharton G 52 Bob Schmidt C 57 George Belotti C Defensive Linemen 80 Dalva Allen DE 75 Don Floyd DE 64 DE 62 Dick Frey DE 82 Ed Husmann 79 Orville Trask DT 74 George Shirkey		Linebackers 31 Doug Cline 50 Dennit Morris 30 Mike Dukes 34 Jack Laraway 25 Gene Jones 33 John Guzik 37 Ron Botchan Defensive backs 40 Tony Banfield 27 Fred Glick 22 Gary Wisener 24 Julian Spence 43 Jim Norton 41 Mark Johnston Special Teams		Reserve Lists Practice Squad Rookies in italics

Postseason[]

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance	Recap
Championship	December 24	San Diego Chargers	W 10–3	Balboa Stadium	29,556	Recap

AFL Championship Game[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	3	7	0	10
Chargers	0	0	0	3	3

Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3

December 24, 1961, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California
Attendance: 29,556

Scoring

• HOU – Field goal George Blanda 46
• HOU – Billy Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
• SD – Field goal Blair 12

References[]

External links[]

• Oilers on Pro Football Reference
• Oilers on jt-sw.com