1961 Houston Oilers season

1961 Houston Oilers season
Head Coach	Lou Rymkus and Wally Lemm
Home Field	Jeppesen Stadium
Results
Record	10–3–1
Place	1st AFL Eastern
Playoff Finish	Won AFL Championship (Chargers) (10–3)
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1960	1962

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.

AFL Draft

• Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Tommy MasonMike Ditka	Offensive End	Pittsburgh
2	Tom GoodeTom Goode	Center	Mississippi State
3	Walter SuggsWalter Suggs 1	Tackle	Mississippi State
4	Bobby WaldenBobby Walden	Halfback	Georgia
5	Monte LeeMonte Lee	Linebacker	Texas
6	Jake GibbsJake Gibbs	Quarterback	Mississippi
7	Dick ReynoldsDick Reynolds	Tackle	North Carolina State
8	Houston AntwineHouston Antwine 1,2	Guard	Southern Illinois
9	Ralph WhiteRalph White	Tackle	Bowling Green
10	Charles LeeCharles Lee	Center	Iowa
11	Robert BirdRobert Bird	Guard	Bowling Green
12	Bob McLeodBob McLeod	Offensive End	Abilene Christian
13	Gerald HintonGerald Hinton	Guard	Louisiana Tech
14	Jimmy KingJimmy King	Tackle	Clemson
15	Dennis FerriterDennis Ferriter	Center	Marquette
16	Larry WoodLarry Wood	Halfback	Northwestern
17	Sam FewellSam Fewell	Tackle	South Carolina
18	Mike GrimsleyMike Grimsley	Halfback	Michigan State
19	Myron PearsonMyron Pearson	Halfback	Colorado
20	Lewis JohnsonLewis Johnson	Halfback	Florida A&M
21	Ron MillerRon Miller	Quarterback	Wisconsin
22	Bob KellyBob Kelly	Offensive End	New Mexico State
23	James AndersonJames Anderson	Fullback	Mississippi
24	Ken GregoryKen Gregory	Offensive End	Whittier
25	Jack KreiderJack Kreider	Halfback	Tulsa
26	Don FuellDon Fuell	Quarterback	Mississippi Southern
27	Boyd KingBoyd King	Center	Rice
28	John FrongilloJohn Frongillo	Center	Baylor
29	Tom LewisTom Lewis	Offensive End	Lake Forest
29	Errol LindenErrol Linden	Defensive End	Houston
30	Jim StroudJim 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	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 9, 1961	Oakland Raiders	W 55–0	16,231
2	Bye
3	September 24, 1961	at San Diego Chargers	L 34–24	29,210
4	October 1, 1961	at Dallas Texans	L 26-21	28,000
5	October 8, 1961	Buffalo Bills	L 22–12	22,761
6	October 13, 1961	at Boston Patriots	T 31–31	15,070
7	October 22, 1961	Dallas Texans	W 38-7	21,237
8	October 29, 1961	at Buffalo Bills	W 28-16	23,228
9	November 5, 1961	at Denver Broncos	W 55–14	11,564
10	November 12, 1961	Boston Patriots	W 27–15	35,649
11	November 19, 1961	New York Titans	W 49–13	33,428
12	November 26, 1961	Denver Broncos	W 45–14	27,864
13	December 3, 1961	San Diego Chargers	W 33–13	37,845
14	December 10, 1961	at New York Titans	W 48–21	9,462
15	December 17, 1961	at Oakland Raiders	W 47–16	4,821

Roster

Houston Oilers 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	OT
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
Attendance: 29,556

Scoring

• HOU – Field goal Blanda 46
• HOU – Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
• SD – Field goal Blair 12

References

• Oilers on Pro Football Reference
• Oilers on jt-sw.com