1960 Houston Oilers season

NFL team season (inaugural)

1960 Houston Oilers season

Owner| Bud Adams
General manager| Don Suman
Head coach| Lou Rymkus
Home field| Jeppesen Stadium
Local radio| KXYZ
Results
Record| 10–4
Division place| 1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish| Won AFL Championship
(vs. Chargers) 24–16

* Oilers seasons
* 1961 ->

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[edit]

### AFL draft[edit]

In the 1960 AFL draft, the Houston Oilers selected the following players.

* Peter Arena, G, Northwestern
* Dick Bass, HB, College of Pacific
* William Bohler, E/T, St. Ambrose
* Larry Cadwell, T, Louisville
* Billy Cannon, HB, Louisiana State
* Doug Cline, LB, Clemson
* DeJustice Coleman, HB, Illinois
* Bob Crandall, HB, New Mexico
* Cleatus Drinnon, C, Hardin–Simmons
* John Gremer, G, Illinois
* George Herring, G/T, North Texas State
* Steve Johnson, QB, Pepperdine
* John Lands, E, Montana
* Jacky Lee, QB, Cincinnati
* Bruce Maher, HB, Detroit

* Don Mattson, T, Southern California
* Mike McGee G, Duke
* Hugh McInnis, E, Mississippi State
* Max Messner, T, Cincinnati
* George Mulholland, E, New Mexico State
* Gary O'Steen, HB, Alabama
* Gene Prebola, E, Boston University
* Palmer Pyle T, Michigan State
* William Roach, T, Texas Christian
* Robert Simms, E, Rutgers
* Phillip Snowden, QB, Missouri
* Don Underwood, G/T, McNeese State
* Duane Whetstone, FB, George Washington
* Bob White FB, Ohio State
* Maury Youmans, T, Syracuse

|

### Regular season[edit]

* The Oilers scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed the Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon of LSU. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as veteran quarterback George Blanda.

## Roster[edit]

1960 Houston Oilers roster

| Quarterbacks

* 16 George Blanda
* 15 Jacky Lee

Running backs

* 47 Don Brown
* 20 Billy Cannon
* 32 Dave Smith FB
* 33 Bob White FB
* 44 Charley Tolar FB

Wide receivers

* 82 Johnny Carson
* 89 Bill Groman
* 37 Charley Hennigan
* 88 Al Witcher

Tight ends

* 86 John White
* 80 James Yeats

|  | Offensive linemen

* 65 Gary Greaves T
* 70 Al Jamison T
* 77 Rich Michael T
* 51 John Simerson T
* 60 Jim McCaneless G
* 61 Bob Talamini G
* 64 Fred Wallner G
* 63 Hogan Wharton G
* 57 George Belotti C

Defensive linemen

|  | Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

|  | Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

## Regular season[edit]

### Schedule[edit]

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[edit]

#### Week 1: at Oakland Raiders[edit]

Uke 1: Houston Oilers at Oakland Raiders

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Oilers | 7 | 0 | 13| 17| 37
Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7| 8| 22

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[edit]

Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Oilers

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0| 14| 28
Oilers | 14 | 7 | 17| 0| 38

at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

* Date: September 18
* Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 20,156
* Recap

#### Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders[edit]

Week 3: Oakland Raiders at Houston Oilers

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Raiders | 7 | 0 | 0| 7| 14
Oilers | 0 | 10 | 3| 0| 13

at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

* Date: September 20
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,421
* Recap

### Notable stats[edit]

Player  | Comp.  | Att.  | Comp%  | Yards  | TD's  | INT's

|
|
|
|
|
|

George Blanda (HOU) | 169 | 363 | 46.6 | 2413 | 24 | 22

## Standings[edit]

AFL Eastern Division

* view
* talk
* edit

| 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[edit]

### AFL Championship Game[edit]

Main article: 1960 American Football League Championship Game

AFL Championship Game 1960 – Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Chargers | 6 | 3 | 7| 0| 16
Oilers | 0 | 10 | 7| 7| 24

at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas

* Date: Sunday, January 1, 1961
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 32,183
* Referee: John McDonough
* TV announcers (ABC): Jack Buck, George Ratterman, and Les Keiter[3]
* Recap

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[edit]

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]

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

* v
* t
* e

Tennessee Titans

* Founded in 1960
* Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
* Based and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee

Franchise|

* History
* in Houston
* Coaches
* Seasons
* Players
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks

Stadiums|

* Jeppesen Stadium
* Rice Stadium
* Houston Astrodome
* Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
* Vanderbilt Stadium
* Nissan Stadium

Culture|

* Bud Adams
* Luv Ya Blue
* T-Rac
* Cheerleaders

Lore|

* The Comeback
* Music City Miracle
* One Yard Short

Rivalries|

* Baltimore Ravens
* Buffalo Bills
* Dallas Cowboys
* Houston Texans
* Jacksonville Jaguars
* Pittsburgh Steelers

Division championships (11)|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1967
* 1991
* 1993
* 2000
* 2002
* 2008
* 2020
* 2021

Conference championships (1)|

* 1999

League championships (2)|

* 1960
* 1961

Retired numbers|

* 1
* 9
* 27
* 34
* 43
* 63
* 65
* 74

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Titans All Access
* Titans Preseason Football
* Titans Radio Network
* WKRN-TV
* WTVF
* WZTV
* WGFX-FM
* WSMV-TV

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League (1970–present)
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: South Division

Former league affiliation|

* League: American Football League (1960–1969)

Key personnel|

* Bud Adams
* Amy Adams Strunk

* v
* t
* e

Tennessee Titans seasons

Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

* v
* t
* e

Houston Oilers 1960 AFL champions (inaugural season roster)

* 12 Charlie Milstead
* 15 Jacky Lee
* 16 George Blanda
* 20 Billy Cannon
* 21 Ken Hall
* 22 Joe Majors
* 24 Julian Spence
* 30 Mike Dukes
* 31 Doug Cline
* 32 Dave Smith
* 33 Bob White
* 34 Charlie Kendall
* 37 Charlie Hennigan
* 40 Tony Banfield
* 41 Mark Johnston
* 43 Jim Norton
* 44 Charlie Tolar
* 47 Don Brown
* 47 Bobby Gordon
* 50 Dennit Morris
* 51 John Simerson
* 53 Hugh Pitts
* 56 Phil Perlo
* 57 George Belotti
* 60 Jim McCanless
* 61 Bob Talamini
* 62 Wahoo McDaniel
* 63 Hogan Wharton
* 64 Fred Wallner
* 65 Gary Greaves
* 70 Al Jamison
* 71 Pete Davidson
* 72 Jerry Helluin
* 73 Dan Lanphear
* 74 George Shirkey
* 75 Don Floyd
* 76 Dalva Allen
* 77 Rich Michael
* 79 Orville Trask
* 82 Johnny Carson
* 84 Jack Atchason
* 86 John White
* 88 Al Witcher
* 89 Bill Groman

* Head coach: Lou Rymkus

* Assistant coaches: Wally Lemm
* Walt Schlinkman
* Mac Speedie
* Fred Wallner

* v
* t
* e

1960 AFL season

| Eastern Division| Boston | Houston| Dallas| Los Angeles | Western Division

|
|
|
|
|

Buffalo | New York| Denver| Oakland

* 1960 AFL Draft
* AFL Championship
* All-Star Game

* Related: 1960 NFL season

* v
* t
* e

National Football League seasons

Early era
(1920–1969)|

* 1920
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* 1960
* 1961
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AAFC seasons (1946–1949)|

* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
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AFL seasons (1960–1969)|

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

Modern era
(1970–present)|

* 1970
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Italics indicate future seasons
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template