1963: Transitional Season In The AFL

1963 was a year of transition for the AFL. Before the season even began there were team makeovers, name changes, and an unexpected relocation. There were name worthy personnel changes and noticeable power shifts. And the season ended with an unanswered challenge which could have potentially featured the first ever Super Bowl. In 1963:

The Texans became the Chiefs.

The Titans became the Jets.

The Raiders became the Raiders. (The redundancy will be explained)

And the Chargers became the Champs.

When the 1962 AFL Champion Dallas Texans departed from Dallas a mere few months after they had defeated the two time defending AFL champion Houston Oilers on December 23, 1962 in that season’s AFL Championship Game, the trend was set for the variety of changes that the league was to experience throughout the 1963 season. By abandoning the city of Dallas to the Cowboys, Big D from that time forward became an NFL town. But the departing organization was welcomed by a city that was enthusiastic for a professional football franchise, and so began the era of the Kansas City Chiefs. The relocation of the defending AFL Champions was but one of many changes to come within the league.

Two teams experienced makeovers intended to distance each respective organization from their early years of ineptness both on the field and at the highest level of team management. The Titans of New York; aka the New York Titans, initially enjoyed moderate success on the field of play, posting a 7-7 record in each of the league’s first two seasons of play in 1960 and again in 1961. But in 1962, as their record slipped to 5-9, the Titans’ lack of gridiron success was further surpassed by the financial woes of the ownership. Struggling to even cover payroll, responsibility for the team was assumed by the league itself before the completion of the 1962 season. When a new ownership took over after that fiasco, the primary owner Sonny Werblin changed the name of the team and the color of the uniforms. And so beginning in 1963 the Titans of New York became the Kelly green clad New York Jets. Although the new look did not net immediate results on the field, the hiring of NFL Champion Weeb Ewbank as the new Head Coach laid the groundwork for the historic success that the revamped AFL New York franchise would experience in the years to come.

The origin of the Oakland Raiders was a haphazard affair through no fault of their own. The Oakland franchise had replaced the Minneapolis organization which sold out to the NFL shortly after the initial AFL Draft, and so the Raiders originated as a group of players who were still available after the league Draft secured the best talent that had been available in the Autumn of 1959. The effects of their humble beginnings bottomed out when they were 1-13 in 1962. But in early 1963, the Raiders hired a young Chargers Assistant, Al Davis to be their new Head Coach. Davis immediately changed the atmosphere of the Raiders organization, and the positive results were instant. In their new silver and black clad uniforms, and with the addition of Titans receiver Art Powell, the remade Oakland Raiders utilized Sid Gillman’s vertical game that Davis had learned while on the Chargers coaching staff. Subsequently, the revamped Raiders immediately became one of the most lethal and productive Offenses in the AFL, and actually finished second in the West, with a record of 10-4. The entire attitude of the team was recreated in the image of their new brash Head Coach, who was recognized as the Coach of the Year due to the team’s turnaround. In essence, the Oakland Raiders “commitment to excellence” and “just win baby” attitude originated in 1963, the year the Raiders as they have been known ever since initially came to be.

In 1963, there was a notable power shift within the AFL. Whereas all three of the league champions to date had been from Texas, the 1963 AFL Championship Game was the first ever without a representative of the Lone Star State. The Texans had relocated to Kansas City, and finished third in the West to the revamped Oakland Raiders and the three time West Champion San Diego Chargers. Meanwhile the aging Houston Oilers relinquished their three peat East Title as they likewise descended to a third place finish. In fact, the two best teams of 1963 were the Chargers and the Raiders, as the power within the league shifted from the Lone Star State to the West Coast.

The 1963 AFL Championship Game pitted the West Division Champion San Diego Chargers against the Boston Patriots, who won the East Title in spite of posting their worst record since 1960. The Patriots were only 7-6-1 for the season, but they did boast an aggressive and stingy defense that specialized in brutalizing opponents with Red Dog blitzes. The game turned out to be a mismatch as Gillman’s game plan to confuse the blitzing Boston Defense with pre snap backfield in motion maneuvers was executed flawlessly and to perfection. From the outset, the Chargers seemingly scored at will. Keith Lincoln’s 329 all purpose yards performance is the most ever accumulated in a regulation professional football game. The versatile Lincoln in fact had over 100 yards receiving to complement his 206 yards rushing. In addition, Chargers tail back Paul Lowe gained 94 yards on the ground, including a 58 yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Sid Gillman game plan to stretch the field and utilize every available space in order to advance the football was realized in its most effective manner that day as the Chargers crushed the Patriots by the score of 51-10 and claimed the AFL Title.

But for the innovative and competitive Gillman, the claim to the AFL Title was only a step to the ultimate quest. For the day after his Chargers had conquered the Patriots, Gillman sent a telegram to Pete Rozelle, challenging the NFL Commissioner to authorize a game between the NFL Champion Chicago Bears and his AFL Champion San Diego Chargers. In essence, Gillman was suggesting an AFL-NFL Championship Game before the fact. With minimal explanation, Rozelle declined the challenge. Not to be outdone, the irrepressible Gillman had the AFL championship ring of each member of the Chargers team inscribed “1963 AFL and World Champions.” Gillman went on to explain “If anyone wants to dispute that claim, just let them play us.”

1963 was indeed a transitional season for the AFL, with notable implications that directly affected the duration of the history of the league itself. The decision to relocate the AFL’s charter team, the Dallas Texans, to Kansas City may very well have salvaged the very existence of the franchise itself. The Chiefs would subsequently represent the AFL in two Super Bowls, including a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the last game ever played by an AFL team. Likewise the purchase of the New York Titans by Sonny Werblin probably salvaged the existence of the renamed Jets franchise, and the subsequent hiring of Head Coach Weeb Ewbank paved the way for their historic victory over the NFL’s Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III after the 1968 season. The hiring of Head Coach Al Davis by the Oakland Raiders not only led to instant respectability for the AFL’s Bay Area team, but also to his selection as AFL Commissioner in 1966, which indirectly resulted in the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. And Sid Gillman’s unanswered challenge to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to play a postseason inter league Championship Game put the NFL on notice that the AFL would no longer accept the role of inferior league.

Ironically enough, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’” was recorded in 1963, and then released a week after Sid Gillman’s unanswered challenge to the NFL to put up or shut up. For the AFL, 1963 was a transitional season, and in the world of professional football, the times were indeed a-Changin’.

Long live the memory of the AFL

AFL History: The Productive and Principled Art Powell

Art Powell was one of the most productive receivers in the history of the AFL. Playing during the era of 14 game schedule; Powell netted career numbers that would be regarded as worthy of the Hall of Fame had he played in the NFL. In fact, Powell is the only receiver from the 14 game era with over 80 touchdown receptions who is not in the HOF. Furthermore, Powell has almost equally as many career receptions as recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee Drew Pearson, yet he had more career yards and substantially more career touchdowns than the Dallas Cowboys great. Powell also had over a hundred more receptions in addition to more yardage and touchdown receptions than Bob Hayes, another Dallas Cowboy star who has been enshrined in pro football’s Hall of Fame. The fact that he played his entire career in the 14 games per season era, and has better statistical achievements than NFL Hall of Fame greats like Pearson and Hayes sustains the case that Art Powell should have been inducted into the HOF decades ago. The truth be told though, he will likely never be honored on the scale of Pearson, Hayes, and others.

Art Powell would qualify to some as an NFL reject. Granted he signed with the New York Titans (later Jets) after only one season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet Powell’s departure from the NFL was by no means based upon any lack of productivity. In fact, as a Defensive Back/Kick Returner, Powell intercepted 3 passes while averaging over 27 yards per kick return including a 95 yards touchdown during his rookie season of 1959. His release by the Eagles was due to applied principles rather than a lack of productivity. Powell had refused to participate in a 1960 preseason game against Washington in Virginia because he and the other black players were not allowed to stay in the same hotel as their teammates. Subsequently, he was released.

Shortly thereafter Powell signed with the Titans in time for their inaugural 1960 season. When Head Coach Sammy Baugh converted him to a receiver, the results were historic. Powell teamed up opposite Don Maynard to become the first pair of 1,000 yards receivers in the same season, then for good measure the duo repeated the feat again two years later in 1962. Powell led the AFL in touchdown receptions in 1960, as well as 1963, which was his first season with the Oakland Raiders. The fact is that his acquisition by the Raiders gave rookie coach Al Davis the key component to implement the vertical aerial assault Offensive plan that he had learned while on Sid Gillman’s Chargers coaching staff from 1960-1962. The newly acquired Powell had his best season in 1963; leading the league in both receiving yardage and touchdowns. It was the second time in his career that he led the AFL in each category, and the second year in a row that the former Titan led the league in receiving yardage.

Even after he signed with the AFL, Powell had continued to take a stand against systemic racism. While with the Titans he withheld his services from a preseason game that was played in South Carolina due to the segregated and deplorable lodging conditions of the black players. Later with the Raiders, Powell led a four player strike that actually resulted in a change of venue for a game that was originally scheduled to be played in Mobile, Alabama. Credit Raiders Coach and General Manager Al Davis for moving the game to Oakland after listening to the concerns expressed by Powell and three other principled players who all four refused to play in the game due to segregated seating. Powell had even more peer support when he and 20 other black players united in solidarity and refused to participate in the 1964 AFL All Star Game after being subjected to undue racist treatment by the locals upon arrival in New Orleans. The winds of social change were evident as the league reluctantly moved the entire venue to Houston.

Art Powell was an accomplished professional football star whose 8,046 career receiving yards and 81 touchdown receptions constitute a Hall of Fame worthy career. He was likewise a principled individual who lived in accord with the courage of his convictions. In an era when the black male was expected to comply with the standards of systemic racism, Powell refused to acquiesce to the social prejudices to which he and others were subjected.

Long live the memory of the productive and principled Art Powell.

Long live the memory of the AFL.

AFL History: The George Blanda and Billy Cannon Connection

Undoubtedly, the two most well known players to sign with the Houston Oilers for their inaugural season of 1960 were George Blanda and Billy Cannon. Blanda had retired following the 1958 season after a 10 year career in the NFL; primarily as a Quarterback/Placekicker with the Chicago Bears. His decision to retire was a protest against Coach George Halas’ insistence that Blanda be utilized strictly as a placekicker based on Papa Bear’s opinion that the veteran no longer had the skills to be a quarterback in the NFL. Cannon on the other hand had just completed one of the most successful collegiate football careers ever, leading the LSU Tigers to the 1958 National Title, and then having earned the Heisman Trophy in 1959. The Oilers won a lawsuit against the NFL Los Angeles Rams over the legal rights to Cannon since he initially signed an illegal contract with the Rams before Houston signed him to a valid post collegiate career professional contract following his final game for LSU. The senior Blanda then was regarded as a has been NFL reject; while young Cannon was a Heisman Trophy winner who rejected the NFL in order to play for the newly formed American Football League. Together these two skilled players from contrasting circumstances would prove to be the collective cornerstone of a powerhouse offense that would lead the Oilers to the first two AFL Championships in 1960 and again in 1961.

Neither the allegedly falling star Blanda nor the affirmed rising star Cannon posted overwhelming personal statistics throughout the 1960 regular season. Blanda completed less than half of his passes, and Cannon only rushed for a single touchdown throughout the entire regular season. Blanda’s completions however netted 24 touchdowns, including five to Cannon, who proved himself early on as a quite capable receiver. Cannon did lead the team with over 600 yards rushing, alongside fullback Dave Smith, whose rushing totals were almost identical. Blanda also tossed 12 touchdowns to receiver Bill Groman, whose over 1400 receiving yards still stands as a professional football record for rookies. Even then, Blanda distributed the passes such that receivers Johnny Carson and Charley Hennigan combined for in excess of another 1300 yards and 10 additional touchdowns. At season’s end, the Oilers were AFL Eastern Division Champions, and they squared off against the Western Division Champions Los Angeles Chargers on January 1, 1961 for the first ever AFL Championship contest.

It was in this very contest that Blanda and Cannon connected on the play of the 1960 AFL season. The entire game throughout the first three quarters had been as tight as each team’s identical record of 10–4. In the 4th quarter, clinging to a 17–16 lead, Houston found themselves facing a 3rd and 9 situation while boxed deep in their own territory. The savvy veteran Blanda called for a “down and out” to Cannon, knowing that this would leave the sure handed back in one on one coverage by a Chargers linebacker. The play was designed to net a first down and keep the chains moving. But the outcome was much more. Cannon completely beat the coverage and then he converted the catch and run into an 88 yard touchdown that gave the Oilers the biggest lead in the game up to that point. The Oilers defense held against a late drive by the Chargers and quarterback Jack Kemp; and Houston prevailed as the inaugural AFL Champions by the final score of 24–16.

Having connected on the 88 yard catch and run touchdown that had clinched the 1960 AFL Championship the prior season, Blanda and Cannon each had career seasons in 1961, while leading the Houston offense to historic accomplishments. The 1961 Houston Oilers were the only team in AFL history to score more than 500 points in a single season, and their offense was so potent and overpowering, that they scored at least 100 more points than any other team in the league. As a favorable contrast, the stingy Houston defense gave up more points than only one other team in the entire league. Blanda earned the league MVP by tossing in excess of 3300 yards, while at the same time setting a professional football record with 36 touchdown passes. Although tied a couple of years later, Blanda’s single season TD record would stand unbroken for 23 years. Hennigan was Blanda’s favorite target with 82 receptions and over 1700 yards, and he and Groman combined to catch 29 touchdowns. Cannon himself caught nine TD receptions out of the backfield, and the versatile back likewise won the rushing title with 948 yards on the ground. Between Blanda’s record setting aerial performance and Cannon’s all purpose yards in excess of 2,000 yards; the has been NFL reject and the Heisman Trophy winner who had rejected the NFL led Houston to yet another AFL East Division Title, and a repeat appearance in the 1961 AFL Championship Game against the Western Division Title winning San Diego Chargers.

When the Oilers and the Chargers met on December 24th at San Diego’s Balboa Stadium in the 1961 AFL Championship Game, their gridiron contest marked the fourth time the two teams had played each other that calendar year, dating back to the 1960 AFL Championship Game on New Year’s Day. Having split the regular season performances, the host Chargers were hoping to even the contests at two apiece and thereby claim the league championship. But the duo of Blanda and Cannon once again connected for a game deciding catch and run score that proved to be the sole touchdown in a surprisingly low scoring defensive battle. In fact, Cannon’s 3rd quarter 35 yard touchdown reception from Blanda secured the 10–3 victory, giving the Oilers their second consecutive AFL Title. Once again Cannon was named the MVP of the league championship contest.

Although Houston repeated as AFL East Champions for a third consecutive year, the 1962 season was clouded with mishaps and miscues which resulted in a drop off of productivity of both Blanda and Cannon. Cannon was hampered by a back injury throughout the season, and his all purpose yards were dramatically reduced after his record setting performance the previous season. As for Blanda, his overall productivity dropped dramatically, in particular his accuracy. In fact, just one year removed from setting the single season TD passes record, Blanda tossed an unprecedented 42 Interceptions in the 1962 campaign, a single season mark that remains unmatched almost 60 years later. Although he would continue to produce noteworthy passing yardage and aerial touchdowns for the next few years; from that season on Blanda consistently threw more Interceptions than Touchdowns. Yet in spite of the diminishing skills of the aging quarterback and the notable reduction of productivity of the star running back; nonetheless Blanda and Cannon once again lead the Oilers into a third consecutive AFL Title Game. This time however; the league championship would be a matchup of teams from the Lone Star State, as Houston hosted their North Texas rival Dallas Texans on December 23, 1962 in the third annual AFL Championship Game.

The 1962 AFL Championship Game at Jeppeson Stadium was marred by inclimate weather that produced a half time winter norther with high winds, plummeting temperatures and a tornado warning throughout the afternoon. For the fans who braved the elements and remained for the duration, they were witness to history in the making in the midst of the gusty winds and harsh conditions.

The game itself was a tale of two halves and a historic double overtime. In fact, the marathon gridiron contest remains the longest championship game in professional football history. The first half was Abner Haynes and the Dallas Texans. Haynes, who primarily played flanker in the game to fill in for the injured Chris Burford, scored touchdowns from the receiver position and out of the backfield to lead the Texans to a 17–0 halftime lead. The second half was Blanda and the Oilers as the gritty veteran led a patient rally that culminated in a 17–17 regulation tie, which subsequently resulted in the AFL’s first and only Championship game overtime. In spite of having possession of the ball with the wind at their backs to open the overtime period, Houston was unable to convert any points in the 5th period of play. When the wind advantage reverted to the Texans for the 6th quarter of play, Dallas was able to convert on a game winning 25 yard field goal 2:54 later.

When Brooker’s field goal sailed through the uprights, the era of the Houston Oilers as the sole and dominant AFL champions came to an abrupt end. The passing of the league’s pinnacle position to the Texans likewise entailed a transition in the respective careers of both Blanda and Cannon. For just as the Oilers were never able to reclaim the degree of success that they experienced in ’60 and ’61; likewise the careers of both Blanda and Cannon went into steady decline from that point forward. Blanda continued at the helm of the Houston offense throughout 1966, but he was never able to lead the Oilers to another winning season before he was eventually released in March of 1967. As for Cannon, who was hampered by injuries in 1963, he hardly played another game in an Oilers uniform before being traded to Oakland before the 1964 season. The effects of aging on Blanda and those of ailments on Cannon was such that by 1967 the veteran quarterback was unemployed and the once speedy back was now primarily a blocking tight end for the Raiders who had not carried the football out of the backfield for three years. Yet it was in this unlikely context that the Blanda and Cannon connection was once again rekindled; though with significant changes in the role of each former superstar.

1967 was Cannon’s fourth season with the Oakland Raiders, after four seasons as a star running back for the Houston Oilers. No longer mobile after his injuries that led to an early decline in his productivity as a running back, at Oakland the former Heisman Trophy winner and the original AFL superstar was converted to a tight end who primarily blocked and ran decoy routes. In fact in the previous two seasons Cannon had only caught a total of 21 passes and had been limited to a mere two touchdowns. He had actually been more productive as a receiver when he was a running back in Houston than as a receiver for the Raiders. There were no indications at this point other than an inevitable end to the once promising and briefly productive career of Billy Cannon.

Meanwhile, on March 18, 1967 George Blanda was unceremoniously released by the Houston Oilers. Albeit Blanda had rewritten several major professional football statistics in passing the Oilers to the original back to back AFL Titles in 1960 and again in 1961; his diminishing skills were nonetheless evident. The fact is that during the previous five seasons he had consistently thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and for four consecutive years the once dominant Oilers lost significantly more games than they won. The once proud performer and organization were each in decline.

And so it was that in the off season of 1967 Billy Cannon and George Blanda each seemed at the end of their formerly productive careers. Ailments had diminished the skills of the once productive running back, and the effects of aging had finally resulted in the decline of the gritty gridiron veteran quarterback. And yet 1967 would prove to be a turn around season for both George Blanda and Billy Cannon; though each embraced new primary roles while once again wearing the same uniforms.

In spite of the limited role that Cannon played in previous seasons, he was reported to have been enthusiastically optimistic about the playoff possibilities of the 1967 Raiders. So much so that he allegedly encouraged Al Davis to sign his former teammate George Blanda to both serve as a mentor to the Raiders recently acquired young quarterback Daryle Lamonica, and to also fill the role of full time place kicker. Although the offer to Blanda entailed the very role that he had rejected nine years earlier as a Chicago Bear, the aged veteran evidently accepted his diminishing skills and indeed did sign with Oakland as a backup quarterback and full time placekicker. The result was a new chapter in the Blanda and Cannon connection.

The newly acquired Blanda led the league in scoring in his new capacity as full time placekicker. His field goal conversions would make the difference in more than one Raider victory during the season, including a four field goal performance in a hostile environment in Houston that proved to be the difference in Oakland’s 19–7 road victory against his former team. This role actually gave new life to his career, and Blanda would go on to be one of the most successful placekickers in the league over the course of the next few years, retiring in 1976 at the age of 48 as professional football’s all time leading scorer and unprecedented senior patriarch. Meanwhile Cannon likewise had a turnaround season as the Raiders tight end, with 32 receptions and 10 touchdowns; his most successful offensive productivity since his days as a running back with the Oilers. Like Blanda, Cannon renewed his productivity and seemingly extended his career as he would go on to catch more than 20 receptions in each of the following season, totals which exceeded his entire receiving tally for the previous two seasons combined. Both Blanda and Cannon were AFL All Stars in 1967; with Cannon earning 2nd team AFL status again in 1968 and 1969. The addition of the two playoff performance savvy veterans was timely as the 1967 Oakland Raiders; whose 13–1 record was the most successful season in AFL history, participated in the first playoff game in franchise history when they hosted Blanda and Cannon’s former team; the East Division Champion Houston Oilers, on December 31, 1967 in the 1967 AFL Championship Game.

The Raiders dominated the game from the outset. Blanda matched his earlier performance against his former club by booting four field goals, and added four successful PAT’s to account for 16 of the Raiders tally of 40 points. The Oilers did not even score until the 4th quarter in the 40–7 blowout. Cannon had two receptions in the game, one for 21 yards. Although neither former superstar contributed to the degree that they had in former years; nonetheless Blanda and Cannon were once again teammates and AFL Champions. Two weeks later, Blanda and Cannon played in the second AFL-NFL Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. The NFL Champions soundly defeated the Raiders, and Cannon was held to just another 2 receptions for 25 yards, while Blanda managed a mere 2 points off converted PAT’s.

For the next two seasons thereafter, Blanda and Cannon were productive teammates for consecutive AFL West Championship Oakland Raiders teams. Blanda kicked three field goals and converted on an additional two PAT’s in Oakland’s 27–23 loss to the Joe Namath lead New York Jets in the 1968 AFL Championship game. Cannon likewise contributed in spite of the loss, catching four passes for 69 yards, including one grab for 36 yards. The 1969 AFL West Championship Oakland team had the league’s best record as they hosted Blanda and Cannon’s former Houston Oilers in the Divisional Round of the final playoffs in the league’s history. The favored Raiders crushed their weaker opponent by the lopsided score of 56–7. Blanda nailed eight PAT’s; and though Cannon was limited to a single reception, his three yard TD reception was his third career playoff TD catch, and his first since his 35 yard game clincher in the 1961 AFL Championship Game as a Houston Oiler. A disappointing 17–7 loss to AFL West rival Kansas City in the following week’s Championship Game was the final contest between any two AFL teams, and likewise closed the curtain on the Blanda and Cannon connection.

The increasingly hobbled Cannon was released by the Raiders, and then he only saw limited action with the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring after a season ending injury in 1970. Blanda continued as the Raiders place kicker and back up quarterback until retiring in 1976 at 48 years of age.

George Blanda and Billy Cannon were teammates for a total of seven seasons during their respective careers. After four seasons together on the Houston Oilers from 1960–1963; they were reunited and played together for the Oakland Raiders from 1967–1969. Of significant note is the fact that during those seven seasons as teammates, they played together in six AFL Championship Games, winning two AFL Titles with the Oilers in 1960 and 1961; and a third with the Raiders in 1967. It is difficult to imagine the Oilers winning either of their two inaugural AFL Championships without either of the two offensive superstars. And though their respective roles in Oakland were limited and specialized; nonetheless Blanda and Cannon each contributed to the success of the Raiders in the latter ‘60s.

The Blanda and Cannon connection then involved the history of two highly successful AFL organizations; the early and the latter history of the league itself; and the tenacious determination of two aging gridiron stars to extend their respective careers by accepting specialized roles in order to adapt to their diminishing skills. Though both Blanda and Cannon have each passed on; nonetheless their legacy lives on in the history of the AFL.

Long live the memory of the Blanda and Cannon connection.

Long live the memory of the AFL.

AFL History: The Abner Haynes and Clem Daniels Connection

In spite of the reputation of the AFL as primarily a passing style of professional football, the fact is that the league itself was also replete with a host of highly talented running backs. There were powerful runners such as Cookie Gilchrist and Jim Nance; speedy elusive backs like Paul Lowe and Abner Haynes; and other powerful all around performance backs including Billy Cannon and Clem Daniels. These are but a few of the top running backs of that era, and the debate as to the best of the lot makes for an interesting discussion. There is however the undeniable and statistically sustained fact that the AFL career leaders in the two primary benchmark standards for running back performance are native North Texans Clem Daniels and Abner Haynes.

Born two months apart in 1937 in neighboring North Texas counties; McKinney’s Clem Daniels and Denton’s Abner Haynes were teammates on the 1960 Dallas Texans. Raised 30 miles apart, Daniels was a quarterback at Prairie View A&M after leaving McKinney; while Haynes along with his Dallas Lincoln High teammate and friend Leon King had broken the Lone Star State’s collegiate men’s athletic color barrier by playing for North Texas State in Haynes’ hometown of Denton. Daniels was unable to experience even remote playing time as the back up to the 1960 AFL MVP Haynes, and then when the Texans attempted to move him to the defensive side of the ball, Daniels requested and was granted his release.

After being released, Daniels signed with the Oakland Raiders. Although initially used primarily as a kick returner; Daniels became the Raiders starting halfback by 1962; and established his place as one of the AFL’s elite players with a league MVP performance in 1963. That season he led the league in rushing yards as he also became the first 1,000 yard rusher in Raiders history. Daniels was an AFL All Star for four years from 1963–1966; is a member of the AFL All Time Team, and holds the distinction of being the All Time AFL rushing yardage leader.

Haynes meanwhile won the original AFL rushing title during his 1960 AFL MVP performance season. Like Daniels, Haynes was also a four time AFL All Star. He holds both the AFL single game record for touchdowns scored with five, and the single season record for touchdowns scored with 19. His 19 touchdown performance was in 1962, the same year that he scored the only two touchdowns in the Texans 1962 AFL Championship 20–17 victory over the two time defending champion Houston Oilers. A versatile back and skilled receiver, Haynes is a member of the AFL All Time Team and also holds the prestigious distinction of being the AFL’s career all purpose yards leader with over 12,000 yards during his eight year career.

These two native North Texans from neighboring counties then hold the distinction of being the AFL’s all time leaders in the two benchmark standards of running back performance. Daniel’s durability and slashing running style netted the most rushing yards ever in the 10 year history of the AFL. Meanwhile, Haynes versatility and speed led him to yield more career all purpose yards than any other AFL player.

In addition to their athletic accomplishments, Daniels and Haynes were each AFL All Star teammates in 1964; the year of the historic players strike. The 1964 All Star Game was originally scheduled to take place in the city of New Orleans. However; after several of the black All Stars from each squad were subjected to extreme racist treatment by citizens, taxi cab drivers and local bar owners, a meeting was held that included all 21 black players. Daniels and Haynes were among those who voted to refuse to play in the exhibition contest, essentially withholding their labor due to the atmosphere surrounding the game. The risk to their careers and livelihood was not enough to justify their participation in the game under those conditions, and Daniels and Haynes were among those with the most to lose at this point in each respective star’s career. Yet principle prevailed as the socially slighted players maintained solidarity and did not back down from their decision to withhold their services from the pending contest. Prominent white stars Ron Mix and Jack Kemp likewise supported and helped deliver the players’ decision to the AFL Commissioner Joe Foss.

Under the conditions, the AFL was forced to either cancel the All Star Game altogether, or relocate the event in deference to the players. The league opted to acquiesce to the concerns of the players, and the game was moved to Houston. The fact that the game was relocated was a major victory for the cause of racism awareness, and deserves to be chronicled among the many other human rights struggles and victories of the Civil Rights movement of the ’50s and ’60s. Daniels, who passed away in 2019, was among the key leaders at the famous meeting that led to the players’ decision to take a stand against the maltreatment that they had endured in New Orleans. Haynes, who was interviewed on the topic of players’ strike as recently as 2020, remains proud of his fellow players who stood in solidarity against racism at such a sensitive time in the history of the Civil Right movement.

Although there were several outstanding running backs who played in the AFL during its 10 year history; Clem Daniels and Abner Haynes stand out as the league’s career leaders in rushing yards and all purpose yards respectively. Their athletic achievements notwithstanding, the major contribution of these two native North Texans to sports in general was their role in forcing the awareness of social and systematic racism in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.

Long live the memory of Abner Haynes and Clem Daniels.

Long live the memory of the AFL.