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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.[1]

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 rosterview · talk · edit
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[]

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[]

  1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 282
Eastern Division Western Division
Boston Dallas Texans
Buffalo Denver
Houston Oakland
New York Titans San Diego
1961 AFL Draft1961 AFL Championship Game1961 AFL All-Star game
Related: 1961 NFL Season
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