| < 1960 | 1962 > |
The 1961 AFL season was the second season of the American Football League and made up of 14 regular season games.
It consisted of 8 franchises split into two divisions: the East Division (Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers, Titans of New York, Boston Patriots) and the West Division (San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders).
After having spent its inaugural season in Los Angeles, the Chargers moved to San Diego, California for this AFL season; 56 years later, the franchise returned to their original home.
| REGULAR SEASON | September 9 – December 17 |
| 1961 afl championship game | December 24, 1961 |
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W | L | T | |
| 1 |  |
Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 |  |
boston patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 3 |  |
New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 4 |  |
Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| AFL Western Division | |||||
| RK | TEAM | W | L | T | |
| 1 |  |
San Diego Chargers | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 |  |
Dallas Texans | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 3 |  |
Denver Broncos | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| 4 |  |
Oakland Raiders | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 1961 AFL Championship Game | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balboa Stadium, San Diego,CA | |||||
| DEC 24 1961 |
LAC |
10 @ 3 | HOU |
||
The 1961 AFL Championship Game was a rematch of the 1961 game, played in December rather than in January, and featured the Houston Oilers (2nd consecutive appearance) beating the Los Angeles Chargers (2nd consecutive appearance) to win their 2nd AFL consecutive title.