Post by TheShadow on Mar 30, 2009 4:44:21 GMT -5
www.examiner.com
by Patrick Patterson
With the NFL celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Football League, it is easy to dismiss the AFL as just part of the growth of the NFL. However, the legacy of the AFL goes far beyond the addition of ten teams to the NFL. In fact, much of what modern fans come to expect from the NFL with high octane offenses originated with the AFL.
The AFL consisted of eight teams in its inaugural year of 1960. The New York Titans, Houston Oilers, Boston Patriots, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Texans, Buffalo Bills, and Oakland Raiders. The initial years of the AFL, the league saw limited success financially.
In fact, in the early going only a loan from Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson saved Wayne Valley from having to fold the Oakland Raiders. In a little known transaction, Wilson through a shell corporation was actually owned limited partnership in the Raiders for several years due to this transaction.
However, despite the early financial insecurity of the league, they had to make a name for themselves in competing against the NFL. They did this by focusing on rules that favored passing and high scoring offenses. One of the masters of the high scoring offense was the LA/San Diego Charger head coach Sid Gillman. Gillman preached what he called the horizontal offense, which spread the field to open up the run with the passing game. Two men who learned under him with the Bolts before going on to their own head coaching jobs were Chuck Noll and Al Davis.
Davis took the concepts of Gillman's horizontal offense and added more speed to run the routes further downfield and that became his famed vertical quick strike offense. Davis favored faster fullbacks such as Clem Daniels who could be downfield threats, which was a forerunner of today's three and four receiver sets.
Whist the upstart AFL was beginning to wow the crowds by opening up the offense and throwing the ball all over the field, the NFL was playing classic three yards and a cloud of dust style football. It was typified by Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers who ran the ball, ran the ball and ran it some more.
The two leagues would enter merger negotiations in 1966, and soon after Davis would be named the last AFL commissioner. Davis actively encouraged the AFL teams to not only outbid the NFL on college talent, but the AFL started raiding the talent of the NFL. The NFL, which had essentially ignored the AFL early on, and dismissed the upstart league as insignificant found themselves negotiating the merger. Davis opposed the merger, and felt that he had been sold out by the AFL owners. Davis's goal was two seperate but equal leagues along the lines of major league baseball. His biggest defeat in the merger negotiations was the amount of money the AFL teams had to pay to become part of the NFL. He fought hard to have the amount significantly lowered, but the AFL owners were so set on merging they accepted the high tribute despite Davis's objections.
The watershed moment of the AFL came when Joe Nameth led the New York Jets over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, thus proving that the AFL could defeat the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs played the last ever game by an AFL team when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Just because the name AFL has not been used since 1970, and the teams are now all a part of the NFL that does not mean that the AFL is irrelevant. Sid Gillman's ideas for the horizontal game are still alive and well with some evolutions. Both the west coast offense that is credited to former Gillman and Davis assistant coach Bill Walsh and the spread offense are variations on the Sid Gillman theme.
It was the AFL that started recruiting in the smaller black colleges that the NFL neglected. The AFL was far ahead of the NFL in integration. The AFL saw black quarterbacks and linemen, which was virtually unheard of in the NFL. It was Al Davis, one of the key figures in the AFL that hired both the first Hispanic and black head coaches.
Had it not been for the AFL, the NFL would not have evolved and become America's passion the way it has become. All NFL fans owe a debt to the "Foolish Club" that started the league that took on the NFL and won. In fact, a game in today's NFL more closely resembles an AFL game than the NFL of the time.
by Patrick Patterson
With the NFL celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Football League, it is easy to dismiss the AFL as just part of the growth of the NFL. However, the legacy of the AFL goes far beyond the addition of ten teams to the NFL. In fact, much of what modern fans come to expect from the NFL with high octane offenses originated with the AFL.
The AFL consisted of eight teams in its inaugural year of 1960. The New York Titans, Houston Oilers, Boston Patriots, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Texans, Buffalo Bills, and Oakland Raiders. The initial years of the AFL, the league saw limited success financially.
In fact, in the early going only a loan from Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson saved Wayne Valley from having to fold the Oakland Raiders. In a little known transaction, Wilson through a shell corporation was actually owned limited partnership in the Raiders for several years due to this transaction.
However, despite the early financial insecurity of the league, they had to make a name for themselves in competing against the NFL. They did this by focusing on rules that favored passing and high scoring offenses. One of the masters of the high scoring offense was the LA/San Diego Charger head coach Sid Gillman. Gillman preached what he called the horizontal offense, which spread the field to open up the run with the passing game. Two men who learned under him with the Bolts before going on to their own head coaching jobs were Chuck Noll and Al Davis.
Davis took the concepts of Gillman's horizontal offense and added more speed to run the routes further downfield and that became his famed vertical quick strike offense. Davis favored faster fullbacks such as Clem Daniels who could be downfield threats, which was a forerunner of today's three and four receiver sets.
Whist the upstart AFL was beginning to wow the crowds by opening up the offense and throwing the ball all over the field, the NFL was playing classic three yards and a cloud of dust style football. It was typified by Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers who ran the ball, ran the ball and ran it some more.
The two leagues would enter merger negotiations in 1966, and soon after Davis would be named the last AFL commissioner. Davis actively encouraged the AFL teams to not only outbid the NFL on college talent, but the AFL started raiding the talent of the NFL. The NFL, which had essentially ignored the AFL early on, and dismissed the upstart league as insignificant found themselves negotiating the merger. Davis opposed the merger, and felt that he had been sold out by the AFL owners. Davis's goal was two seperate but equal leagues along the lines of major league baseball. His biggest defeat in the merger negotiations was the amount of money the AFL teams had to pay to become part of the NFL. He fought hard to have the amount significantly lowered, but the AFL owners were so set on merging they accepted the high tribute despite Davis's objections.
The watershed moment of the AFL came when Joe Nameth led the New York Jets over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, thus proving that the AFL could defeat the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs played the last ever game by an AFL team when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Just because the name AFL has not been used since 1970, and the teams are now all a part of the NFL that does not mean that the AFL is irrelevant. Sid Gillman's ideas for the horizontal game are still alive and well with some evolutions. Both the west coast offense that is credited to former Gillman and Davis assistant coach Bill Walsh and the spread offense are variations on the Sid Gillman theme.
It was the AFL that started recruiting in the smaller black colleges that the NFL neglected. The AFL was far ahead of the NFL in integration. The AFL saw black quarterbacks and linemen, which was virtually unheard of in the NFL. It was Al Davis, one of the key figures in the AFL that hired both the first Hispanic and black head coaches.
Had it not been for the AFL, the NFL would not have evolved and become America's passion the way it has become. All NFL fans owe a debt to the "Foolish Club" that started the league that took on the NFL and won. In fact, a game in today's NFL more closely resembles an AFL game than the NFL of the time.