Historic Moments:
1959: A 26-year-old Texan, frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts to gain a pro football
franchise in the National Football League, embarked on an alternate course that
was to drastically change the face of pro football forever. The young man was
Lamar Hunt, who founded the American Football League with six original cities
Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Minneapolis (Buffalo and Boston
were added and Oakland replaced Minneapolis). Lamar Hunt was the cornerstone,
the integrity of the league. Without him, there would have been no AFL.
1960: Lamar Hunt's own team, the Dallas Texans, was located in his hometown where he would
face direct competition from the NFL's newest expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys.
For their inaugural season in the Cotton Bowl, the Texans had a strong
home-state identity with quarterback Cotton Davidson (Baylor), fullback Jack
Spikes (TCU), and running back Abner Haynes (North Texas State). Haynes, who
was named the league's Player of the Year, led the league in rushing with 875
yards and touchdowns with nine. The Texans had a flashy, high scoring club, and
only three close losses kept them from challenging for the division title, as
they finished 2nd with an 8-6 record. The Texans averaged 24,500 for their
home games, the highest average in the league.
1961: The Texans would struggle, with a midseason 5 game losing streak in their second
season posting a disappointing record of 6-8 while finishing a distant second in
the AFL West.
1962: After a disappointing 6-8 season, the Texans sign Len Dawson who toiled around in
the NFL for 6 years, without much success. Another key addition was Rookie of
the Year FB Curtis McClinton, who helped RB Abner Haynes, enjoyed his finest season
with 1,049 yards and an AFL-high 13 touchdowns. The Texans would go on to
finish with an 11-3 record, and the AFL's Western Division Title. In the
AFL Championship Game the Texans would face their inner state rival Oilers in Houston.
The Texans would jump out to a 17-0 as Abner Haynes scored two Touchdowns,
but the Oilers would score 17 unanswered points in the 2nd half to send the
game to overtime. The two teams west through the first OT without a score, which
created the first ever-double OT game in Pro-Football history. The Texans
would end the long day victorious as Tommy Brooker nailed a 25-yard FC to win
their first AFL title.
1963: Shortly after the AFL Championship Game Owner Lamar Hunt decided for the best interest
of his team and the future of the league to move to Kansas City. The Texans
fared well in Dallas, but had trouble convincing fans that they were on a level
with NFL's Cowboys. In Kansas City they had a city with out pro-football, and
a new market to spread the new league to.
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