1961 Houston Oilers season
| 1961 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Lou Rymkus and Wally Lemm |
| Home field | Jeppesen Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10-3-1 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Won AFL Championship (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 over the San Diego Chargers.
Offseason
On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.[1]
AFL Draft
- Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)
| Round | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Ditka | Offensive End | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | Tom Goode | Center | Mississippi State |
| 3 | Walter Suggs 1 | Tackle | Mississippi State |
| 4 | Bobby Walden | Halfback | Georgia |
| 5 | Monte Lee | Linebacker | Texas |
| 6 | Jake Gibbs | Quarterback | Mississippi |
| 7 | Dick Reynolds | Tackle | North Carolina State |
| 8 | Houston Antwine 1,2 | Guard | Southern Illinois |
| 9 | Ralph White | Tackle | Bowling Green |
| 10 | Charles Lee | Center | Iowa |
| 11 | Robert Bird | Guard | Bowling Green |
| 12 | Bob 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 Miller | Quarterback | Wisconsin |
| 22 | Bob Kelly | Offensive End | New Mexico State |
| 23 | James Anderson | Fullback | Mississippi |
| 24 | Ken Gregory | Offensive End | Whittier |
| 25 | Jack Kreider | Halfback | Tulsa |
| 26 | Don Fuell | Quarterback | Mississippi Southern |
| 27 | Boyd King | Center | Rice |
| 28 | John Frongillo | Center | Baylor |
| 29 | John Frongillo | Offensive End | Lake Forest |
| 29 | Errol Linden | Defensive End | Houston |
| 30 | Jim Stroud | Tackle | Rice |
Regular season
Season standings
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 513 | 242 |
| Boston Patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 413 | 313 |
| New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 301 | 390 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 294 | 342 |
Season schedule
- Week 1 Sep 9 W 55-0 vs Oakland Raiders
- Week 3 Sep 24 L 34-24 at San Diego Chargers
- Week 4 Oct 1 L 26-21 at Dallas Texans
- Week 5 Oct 8 L 22-12 vs Buffalo Bills
- Week 6 Oct 13 T 31-31 at Boston Patriots
- Week 7 Oct 22 W 38-7 vs Dallas Texans
- Week 8 Oct 29 W 28-16 at Buffalo Bills
- Week 9 Nov 5 W 55-14 at Denver Broncos
- Week 10 Nov 12 W 27-15 vs Boston Patriots
- Week 11 Nov 19 W 49-13 vs New York Titans
- Week 12 Nov 26 W 45-14 vs Denver Broncos
- Week 13 Dec 3 W 33-13 vs San Diego Chargers
- Week 14 Dec 10 W 48-21 at New York Titans
- Week 15 Dec 17 W 47-16 at Oakland Raiders
Roster
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive Backs CB Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
Practice Squad Rookies in italics | |||
Postseason
AFL Championship Game
- 1961 Championship
| 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
Scoring
- HOU - Field goal Blanda 46
- HOU - Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
- SD - Field goal Blair 12
References
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 282