history of the American Football League

Anyone have an AFL history book that they like? I'm in a reading about the AFL kind of mood. Any excellent columns on the AFL that stick in your mind? Either contemporary or after the fact?

On that note, do any team histories of the original eight do a particularly good job with the AFL era?

Just to refresh your memory, the eight franchises were Houston Oilers, NY Titans/Jets, Buffalo Bills, Boston/NE Patriots, LA/SD Chargers, Dallas Texans/KC Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos.

 

Nothing to contribute here, just wanted to let everyone know -- my being a Buffalo Bills fan -- that the 1964 and 1965 teams indeed won championships.

So, in closing, we are not losers. We are winners. And insecure.

 

"We're the Houston Oilers...Houston Oilers...Houston Oilers Number One!"

And they were, in 1960 and 1961.

 

If you can find it there's one out there called "Going Long". Don't remember who wrote it though. It's mostly a collection of interviews than anything else but it does a great job telling the story.

 

I still remember when the Bills used a QB with No. 40 for a little while. Name was Paul Rutkowski or something like that?

 

anyone still have those long AFL football cards?

 

The Sporting News put out a book called The History of the American Football League - probably in the late 60s or early 70s. It is a summary of each season and the history of the AFL - the real AFL, not the Arena Football League. I think I still have a copy and although the cover is faded, I can still read it.

 

Ed Rutkowski. An emergency QB when Kemp and everyone else got hurt one year. Few people remember, but Marlin Briscoe also played some QB for the Bills back in the day.

Ed R. later became chief executive of Erie County, I think, the latest of several Buffalo-area jocks to enter politics, following Jack Kemp, who we all know, and Tony Masiello, the former Canisius basketball stud who became mayor of Buffalo.

I have a great photographic history book of the Bills from 1960-95 by Bob Smith, the team's official photographer.

 

As I recall, the Oakland Raiders were originally supposed to be in Minnesota, until the NFL preempted that by launching the expansion Vikings.

Lamar Hunt was by far the richest AFL owner, so he didn't instantly run and hide when the NFL put the Cowboys in Dallas. (Although the Murchisons had a lot of money, too.) It took Hunt a couple of seasons before he decided being the big dog in KC was better than second banana in Dallas.

I think this is where the old story originated:

Reporter to H.L. Hunt, Lamar's father: "They say your son is losing a million dollars a year on his football team."
Hunt: "At that rate, he'll be bankrupt in 500 years."


The tale of Harry Wismer and the Titans is a real hoot. I believe there has been a book or two written on the team.

 

When the Grass Was Real. Bought this about 12-15 years ago. Although it encompasses the AFL and NFL from 1960-69, there's plenty on the AFL.

 

ESPN really should do what it can to acquire some old AFL telecasts for Classic.

 

Chiefs fans- any good team histories out there?