Editing (section) American Football League 0 You are not logged in. The rich text editor does not work with JavaScript switched off. Please either enable it in your browser options, or visit your preferences to switch to the old MediaWiki editor <h3>Watershed years (1964–65)</h3> <p data-rte-fromparser="true">A series of events throughout the next few years demonstrated the AFL's ability to achieve a greater level of equality with the NFL. On January 29, 1964, the AFL signed a lucrative $36 million television contract with <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22NBC%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22NBC%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BNBC%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/NBC" title="NBC">NBC</a> (beginning in the 1965 season), which gave the league money it needed to compete with the NFL for players. Upon hearing this news, an NFL owner was quoted as saying to then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle: "They (The AFL) don't have to call us 'Mister' anymore". A single-game attendance record was set on November 8, 1964, when 61,929 fans packed <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Shea%20Stadium%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Shea%20Stadium%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BShea%20Stadium%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Shea_Stadium" title="Shea Stadium">Shea Stadium</a> to watch the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%20name%3D%5C%22sixtyfour%5C%22%3E%7B%7Bcite%20web%20%7Curl%3Dhttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fnflhistory.net%5C%2Flinescores%5C%2Fpdf%5C%2F1964a.pdf%20%7Ctitle%3D1964%20box%20scores%20%7Caccessdate%3D2007-02-08%20%7Cwork%3DNFL%20History%20Network%7Cformat%3DPDF%7D%7D%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-sixtyfour_0-0" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-sixtyfour_0-0 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000001-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E1%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000002-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-sixtyfour-0%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-sixtyfour-0%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2217%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E1%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2218%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="#cite_note-sixtyfour-0"><span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[​</span>1<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]​</span></a></sup>​</span> </p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">The bidding war for players between the AFL and NFL escalated in 1965. The Chiefs drafted <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22University%20of%20Kansas%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22University%20of%20Kansas%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BUniversity%20of%20Kansas%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/University_of_Kansas" title="University of Kansas" class="mw-redirect">University of Kansas</a> star <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Gale%20Sayers%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Gale%20Sayers%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BGale%20Sayers%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Gale_Sayers" title="Gale Sayers">Gale Sayers</a> in the first round of the 1965 AFL draft (held November 28, 1964), while the Chicago Bears did the same in the NFL draft. Sayers eventually signed with the Bears.<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%20name%3D%5C%22kcsixties%5C%22%20%5C%2F%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-kcsixties_1-0" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-kcsixties_1-0 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000004-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E2%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000005-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-kcsixties-1%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-kcsixties-1%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2223%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E2%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2224%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="#cite_note-kcsixties-1"><span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[​</span>2<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]​</span></a></sup>​</span> A similar situation occurred when the New York Jets and the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals both drafted University of Alabama quarterback <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Joe%20Namath%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Joe%20Namath%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BJoe%20Namath%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Joe_Namath" title="Joe Namath">Joe Namath</a>. In what was viewed as a key victory for the AFL, Namath signed a $427,000 contract with the Jets on January 2, 1965 (the deal included a new car). It was the highest amount of money ever paid to a collegiate football player, and is cited as the strongest contributing factor to the eventual merger between the two leagues.<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%20name%3D%5C%22silverman%5C%22%3E%7B%7Bcite%20news%20%7Cfirst%3DSteve%20%7Clast%3DSilverman%20%7Ctitle%3DThe%20%27Other%27%20League%20%7Curl%3Dhttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.kcchiefs.com%5C%2Fmedia%5C%2Fmisc%5C%2F11_the_other_league.pdf%20%7Cpublisher%3DPro%20Football%20Weekly%20%7Cdate%3D1994-11-07%20%7Caccessdate%3D2007-02-08%20%7Cformat%3DPDF%20%7Carchiveurl%20%3D%20http%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fweb.archive.org%5C%2Fweb%5C%2F20070605071617%5C%2Fhttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.kcchiefs.com%5C%2Fmedia%5C%2Fmisc%5C%2F11_the_other_league.pdf%20%3C%21--%20Bot%20retrieved%20archive%20--%3E%20%7Carchivedate%20%3D%202007-06-05%7D%7D%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-silverman_2-0" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-silverman_2-0 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000007-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E3%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-00000008-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-silverman-2%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-silverman-2%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2229%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E3%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2230%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="#cite_note-silverman-2"><span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[​</span>3<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]​</span></a></sup>​</span> </p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">In early 1965, the AFL considered adding its first expansion team, to begin play in <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Atlanta%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Atlanta%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BAtlanta%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Atlanta" title="Atlanta">Atlanta</a> in 1966. An AFL franchise was awarded to <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Rankin%20Smith%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Rankin%20Smith%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BRankin%20Smith%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" class="new" title="Rankin Smith (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvUmFua2luX1NtaXRoP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Rankin Smith</a> of that city. In a typical NFL move to undermine the AFL, the old league quickly offered Smith a franchise, whereupon Smith, like Max Winter before him, broke his word and deserted the AFL. In March, 1965, <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Joe%20Robbie%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Joe%20Robbie%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BJoe%20Robbie%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Joe_Robbie" title="Joe Robbie">Joe Robbie</a> had met with Commissioner Foss to inquire about an expansion franchise for <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Miami%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Miami%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BMiami%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Miami" title="Miami">Miami</a>, <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Florida%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Florida%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BFlorida%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Florida" title="Florida">Florida</a>. On May 6, after Atlanta's exit, Robbie secured an agreement with Miami mayor Robert King Higho bring a team to Miami. League expansion was approved at a meeting held on June 7, and on August 16 the AFL's ninth franchise was officially awarded to Robbie and television star <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Danny%20Thomas%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Danny%20Thomas%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BDanny%20Thomas%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" class="new" title="Danny Thomas (page does not exist)" rel="nofollow" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvRGFubnlfVGhvbWFzP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==">Danny Thomas</a>. The <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Miami%20Dolphins%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22Miami%20Dolphins%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BMiami%20Dolphins%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/Miami_Dolphins" title="Miami Dolphins">Miami Dolphins</a> joined the league for a fee of $7.5 million and started play in the AFL's Eastern Division in 1966.<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cref%20name%3D%5C%22dolphins%5C%22%3E%7B%7Bcite%20web%20%7Curl%3Dhttp%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.miamidolphins.com%5C%2Fnewsite%5C%2Fhistory%5C%2Fhistoricalhighlights%5C%2Fhistoricalhighlights.asp%20%7Ctitle%3DMiami%20Dolphins%20Historical%20Highlights%20%7Caccessdate%3D2007-02-08%20%7Cwork%3DMiamiDolphins.com%7D%7D%3C%5C%2Fref%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22ref%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false"><sup data-rte-washtml="1" id="cite_ref-dolphins_3-0" class="reference" data-rte-attribs=" id=cite_ref-dolphins_3-0 class=reference"><a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255B%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-0000000A-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E4%3Cspan%20data-rte-instance%3D%5C%2224816-10495298285deee9186e600%5C%22%20data-rte-meta%3D%5C%22%257B%2522type%2522%253A%2522ext%2522%252C%2522wikitext%2522%253A%2522%253Cnowiki%253E%255D%253C%255C%252Fnowiki%253E%2522%252C%2522lineStart%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522placeholder%2522%253A1%252C%2522extName%2522%253A%2522nowiki%2522%257D%5C%22%20class%3D%5C%22placeholder%20placeholder-ext%5C%22%20contenteditable%3D%5C%22false%5C%22%3E%7F%27%5C%22%60UNIQ12541e8a772dd8e1-nowiki-0000000B-QINU%60%5C%22%27%7F%26%23x0200B%3B%3C%5C%2Fspan%3E%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23cite_note-dolphins-3%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5B%23cite_note-dolphins-3%7C%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2235%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E4%3Cext%20_rte_wikitextidx%3D%5C%2236%5C%22%3E%3Cname%3Enowiki%3C%5C%2Fname%3E%3Cattr%3E%3C%5C%2Fattr%3E%3Cinner%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Finner%3E%3Cclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%3C%5C%2Fclose%3E%3C%5C%2Fext%3E%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="#cite_note-dolphins-3"><span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5B%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">[​</span>4<span data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22ext%22%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%3Cnowiki%3E%5D%3C%5C%2Fnowiki%3E%22%2C%22lineStart%22%3A%22%22%2C%22placeholder%22%3A1%2C%22extName%22%3A%22nowiki%22%7D" class="placeholder placeholder-ext" contenteditable="false">]​</span></a></sup>​</span> It is an irony of professional sports history that the two cities that disdained <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22AFL%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22AFL%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BAFL%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="24816-10495298285deee9186e600" href="/wiki/AFL" title="AFL" class="mw-redirect">AFL</a> franchises watched the AFL's Raiders and Dolphins franchises achieve unprecedented success while the NFL's Vikings and Falcons are still looking for their first world championships. </p> <br /><strong data-rte-washtml="1" class="error" data-rte-attribs=" class=error">Cite error: <code data-rte-washtml="1"><ref></code> tags exist, but no <code data-rte-washtml="1"><references/></code> tag was found</strong><p /> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key footbal:rte-parser-cache:2325 --> Loading editor Below are some commonly used wiki markup codes. 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