< NFL
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, until it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference (AFC). The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. It was more successful than earlier rivals to the NFL, including not only the organizations founded in 1926, 1936, and 1940, respectively, under the AFL name, but also the later All-America Football Conference, which existed between 1944 and 1950, but conducted operations only between 1946 and 1949.
aFL Champions
Most Successful Team
Kansas City Chiefs
3 titles
Teams
Eastern Division Teams
| TEAMS | FIRST SEASON | TITLES | STADIUM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
BOSTON PATRIOTS |
1960 | 0 |  ALUMNI Stadium(CHESTNUT HILL, MA) (1969) |
 |
BUFFALO BILLS |
1960 | 2 |  War Memorial Stadium(BUFFALO, NY) (1960–1969) |
 |
HOUSTON Oilers |
1960 | 2 |  Houston Astrodome (HOUSTON, TX) (1968-1969) |
 |
MIAMI DOLPHINS |
1966 | 0 |  Miami Orange Bowl(MIAMI, FL) (1966-1969) |
 |
NEW YORK JETS |
1960 | 1 |  Shea Stadium(NEW YORK, NY) (1964-1969) |
DIVISION CHAMPIONS
| SEASON | TEAM |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | | Houston Oilers (1) |
| 1961 | | Houston Oilers (2) |
| 1962 | | Houston Oilers (3) |
| 1963 | | Boston Patriots (1) |
| 1964 | | Buffalo Bills (1) |
| 1965 | | Buffalo Bills (2) |
| 1966 | | Buffalo Bills (3) |
| 1967 | | Houston Oilers (4) |
| 1968 | | New York Jets (1) |
| 1969 | | New York Jets (2) |
STANDINGS
| Team | T | RT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOUSTON OILERS | 4 | 1967 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 1966 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 1969 |
| BOSTON PATRIOTS | 1 | 1963 |
Western Division Teams
| TEAMS | FIRST SEASON | TITLES | STADIUM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
CINCINNATI BENGALS |
1968 | 0 |  Nippert Stadium (CINCINNATI, OH) (1968-1969) |
 |
DENVER BRONCOS |
1960 | 0 |  Bears Stadium/ Mile High Stadium (DENVER, CO) (1960–1969) |
|
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS |
1960 | 3 |  Municipal Stadium (KANSAS CITY, MO) (1963-1969) |
 |
OAKLAND RAIDERS |
1960 | 1 |  Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (OAKLAND, CA) (1966–1969) |
| SAN DIEGO CHARGERS |
1960 | 1 |  San Diego Stadium (SAN DIEGO, CA) (1967–1969) |
Former Teams
 |
DALLAS TEXANS (1960–1962) |
 Cotton Bowl (DALLAS, TX) (1960-1962) |
|---|
Dallas Texans relocated to become the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963.
DIVISION HISTORY
| 1960 | |
|---|---|
| 4 | DALLAS TEXANS DENVER BRONCOS LOS ANGELES CHARGERS OAKLAND RAIDERS |
| 1961-1962 | |
| 4 | DALLAS TEXANS DENVER BRONCOS OAKLAND RAIDERS |
Los Angeles Chargers › San Diego Chargers |
|
| 1963-1967 | |
| 4 | DENVER BRONCOS OAKLAND RAIDERS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS |
Dallas Texans › Kansas City Chiefs |
|
| 1968-1969 | |
| 5 | DENVER BRONCOS Kansas City Chiefs OAKLAND RAIDERS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS |
Cincinnati Bengals (Expansion) |
|
DIVISION CHAMPIONS
| SEASON | TEAM |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | | Los Angeles Chargers (1) |
| 1961 | | San Diego Chargers (2) |
| 1962 | | Dallas Texans (1) |
| 1963 | | San Diego Chargers (3) |
| 1964 | | San Diego Chargers (4) |
| 1965 |
| San Diego Chargers (5) |
| 1966 |
| Kansas City Chiefs (2) |
| 1967 |
| Oakland Raiders (1) |
| 1968 |
| Oakland Raiders (2) |
| 1969 | | Oakland Raiders (3) |
STANDINGS
| Team | T | RT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 1965 |
| OAKLAND RAIDERS | 3 | 1969 |
| KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | 1 | 1966 |
FORMER TEAMS
| TEAMS | SEASONS | STADIUM | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DALLAS TEXANS | 1960–1962) | Cotton Bowl (DALLAS, TX) (1960-1962) |
 |
Titans of New York | 1960–1962 |  POLO GROUNDS (NEW YORK, NY) (1960–1963) |
Dallas Texans relocated to become the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963.
Titans of New York became the New York Jets in 1963.
AFL Legacy
The American Football League operated from 1960–1969 before merging with the NFL.
Key Achievements: Introduced modern passing offenses, secured national TV deals, signed top college talent, and forced NFL competition.
Super Bowl Impact: AFL teams won two of the four AFL–NFL World Championship Games (Jets in III, Chiefs in IV).
Notes: All 10 AFL teams became the AFC in the 1970
Seasons
1969 Season
AFL Champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Runner-Up: Oakland Raiders
Playoff Teams: Kansas City, Oakland, New York, Houston
Notes: Final AFL season; Chiefs win Super Bowl IV, validating AFL competitiveness.
1968 Season
AFL Champions: New York Jets
Runner-Up: Oakland Raiders
Playoff Teams: New York, Oakland, Kansas City
Notes: Jets win AFL title and famously upset Baltimore in Super Bowl III.
1967 Season
AFL Champions: Oakland Raiders
Runner-Up: Houston Oilers
Playoff Teams: Oakland, Houston
Notes: Raiders dominate; Cincinnati Bengals join as expansion team.
1966 Season
AFL Champions: Kansas City Chiefs
Runner-Up: Buffalo Bills
Playoff Teams: Kansas City, Buffalo
Notes: AFL–NFL merger announced; Chiefs appear in first Super Bowl.
1965 Season
AFL Champions: Buffalo Bills
Runner-Up: San Diego Chargers
Playoff Teams: Buffalo, San Diego
Notes: Bills shut out Chargers 23–0 for back-to-back championships.
1964 Season
AFL Champions: Buffalo Bills
Runner-Up: San Diego Chargers
Playoff Teams: Buffalo, San Diego
Notes: Bills’ defense leads them to their first AFL title.
1963 Season
AFL Champions: San Diego Chargers
Runner-Up: Boston Patriots
Playoff Teams: San Diego, Boston
Notes: Chargers win 51–10 in one of the most dominant championship performances.
1962 Season
AFL Champions: Dallas Texans
Runner-Up: Houston Oilers
Playoff Teams: Dallas, Houston
Notes: Texans win the longest game in pro football history; franchise moves to Kansas City afterward.
1961 Season
AFL Champions: Houston Oilers
Runner-Up: San Diego Chargers
Playoff Teams: Houston, San Diego
Notes: Chargers relocate to San Diego; Oilers repeat as champions.
1960 Season
AFL Champions: Houston Oilers
Runner-Up: Los Angeles Chargers
Playoff Teams: Houston, Los Angeles
Notes: First season in AFL history; Oilers win inaugural title.
AFL championship Game
| SEASON | WINNER | SCORE | LOSER | STADIUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 1960 |
Houston Oilers (1) |
24 VS 16 | Los Angeles Chargers |
 Jeppesen Stadium(1) Houston,tx(1) |
| 2 1961 |
Houston Oilers (2) |
10 @ 3 | San Diego Chargers |
 Balboa Stadium(1) San Diego,CA(1) |
| 3 1962 |
Dallas Texans (1) |
20 @ 17 (2OT) | Houston Oilers |
Jeppesen Stadium(2) Houston,tx(2) |
| 4 1963 |
San Diego Chargers (1) |
51 VS 10 | Boston Patriots |
Balboa Stadium(2) San Diego,CA(2) |
| 5 1964 |
Buffalo Bills |
20 VS 7 | San Diego Chargers |
War Memorial Stadium(1) Buffalo,NY(1) |
| 6 1965 |
Buffalo Bills (2) |
23 @ 0 | San Diego Chargers |
Balboa Stadium(3) San Diego,CA(3) |
| 7 1966 |
Kansas City Chiefs (2) |
31 @ 7 | Buffalo Bills |
War Memorial Stadium(2) Buffalo,NY(2) |
| 8 1967 |
Oakland Raiders |
40 VS 7 | Houston Oilers |
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum(1) Oakland,CA(1) |
| 9 1968 |
New York Jets (1) |
27 VS 23 | Oakland Raiders |
Shea Coliseum(1) New York,NY(1) |
| 10 1969 |
Kansas City Chiefs (3) |
17 @ 7 | Oakland Raiders |
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum(2) Oakland,CA(2) |
STANDINGS
| Team | REC | A | RT | RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs | 3-0 | 3 | 1969 | 1969 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2-1 | 3 | 1965 | 1966 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-2 | 4 | 1961 | 1962 |
| Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers | 1-4 | 5 | 1963 | 1964 |
| New York Jets | 1-0 | 1 | 1968 | 1968 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-2 | 3 | 1967 | 1969 |