Owner Bud Adams Record 10–3–1 | Home field Jeppesen Stadium Division place 1st AFL Eastern | |
Head coach Wally Lemm (9–0) and
Lou Rymkus (1–3–1, fired) Playoff finish Won AFL Championship
San Diego Chargers, (10–3) | ||
The 1961 Houston Oilers season was their second. 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.
Contents
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, 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). They also set an American Football League record with a +271 point differential, by allowing only 242 points. The 1961 Oilers are the only team in AFL or NFL history to score 45 points or more six times in a single season.
Offseason
On January 14, end Willard Dewveall played out his option with the Chicago Bears of the NFL and joined the Oilers. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another. 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.
AFL Draft
Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
AFL Championship Game
Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3
December 24, 1961, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, CaliforniaAttendance: 29,556
Scoring