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AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (AFL) 1960 - 1969 |
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To discourage spam, I have inserted "nospam." in front of e-mail addresses. |
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From Tim C. Jenkins: nospam.cd3m5@Allstate.com Atlanta, GA Hello Ange, Take a look at this Boston Patriot player when considering the AFL Hall of Fame. Tom Addison was an original Patriot and selected to the first AFL all-star squad. He was selected every year afterwards through 1964. Bad luck in 1965 (case of the mumps), and 1966 (knee injury) ended his remarkable run. Tom was selected as the defensive team captain by his teammates and by all accounts was a team leader and mentor to future greats including Nick Buoniconti. Many message board entries list him as a favorite. Defensive stats for this era are hard to come by, but articles, interviews, and Tom's 1966 football card indicate he was one the best defensive players in the AFL. We do know that even though he excelled in defending against the run, he also made 16 interceptions, with one returned for a TD. Finally, Tom was the principal founder of the AFL players association, which gave the players their first pension. He served as the first president (not Jack Kemp) and served several years as President. This accomplishment played a huge role in paving the way for the AFL to compete in the college draft against the NFL. Prior to the Association, the AFL had little to offer in player security. Mr. Addison was drafted by the Colts, was briefly with the Eagles, and came to Boston with the determination to make it in pro football. He brings to life what the AFL means to many people; in heart, determination, and spirit. Thank you for this forum, and for sharing your labor of love with all lovers of football. Tim C. Jenkins Addison is has been added. See the Patriots' page. - Remember the AFL |
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From
David Beck:
nospam.dbeck4@houston.rr.com 12/26/2005 Gentlemen and ladies, The City of Houston did not stop supporting the team, all but the last year they were in Houston, after the ink was dry to moving to Nashville. Bud gets very little of any of the credit for being a major part of the founding and establishment of the AFL. Bud by far was not the best owner in sports but he was far from the worst. Nashville loves him. Lamar Hunt has indicated many times that without Bud the AFL was dead from the start. Bud, remember, signed some of the first stars of the league like Cannon. He signed him over a pr guy for the Rams, Pete Rozelle. Rozelle never forgot this and always treated Bud like a stepchild in league matters after the merger. (Do research about the how Bernie Kosar went to the Browns). The other person for the Rams was Tex Schramm, treated like a god by Rozelle; why do you think the Cowboys got to be in the press favorite NFC East ? Bud got blamed for everything, the comeback (ref assisted) in Buffalo, to injuries, etc. I haven't heard anyone say the Chiefs haven't made it back to the Super Bowl because Mr. Hunt is a bad owner. Players made those mistakes and still cashed Bud's checks. The stadium situation in Houston was never good. Bud never had a facility built for his team to be the primary tenant. Bud did say that the Astrodome was the eighth wonder of the world . . . . . the rent was the ninth. Bud leads with his chin: sometimes he wins, sometimes he gets his block knocked off. It upsets people. He upset basically the mayor of Houston when he wanted a stadium. The Oilers were off to the worst start in a decade. One year while Bud was trying to sell his new stadium idea, the Astroturf was horrible for a preseason game vs. the Chargers. The game got cancelled. The mayor and Astro's owner Drayton McLane both blasted Bud long and hard in the press. Quoting McLane in the press, "The Astrodome is a world class facility", within six months after this game, McLane was quoted in the same press, "This stadium is not worth playing baseball in". Why? Because he threatened to move the Astros to Northern VA. What a bunch of backstabbers, the mayor and his chosen inner circle. Say what you want about Bud not being smooth, no tact etc., but you can not call him a liar. I still miss the Oilers as do many Texans, but this always makes you remember it is business not sport that rules pro football. I only missed a few games over their last 15 yrs or so of the Oilers, and watched them as a small boy. Moving the team was not all Bud's fault, Houston as a result of Bud, has three great facilities: Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center and Reliant Stadium, home of the Texans. I have Texans tickets but I can't give as much of my heart to them as my beloved Oilers. I am still upset they moved but lack of support from the regular fans was not even on the radar. Money and pride vs. the mayor were factors. Look at all the teams that have new stadiums in all major sports; this is because the Oilers and Browns actually moved. I really hope people understand the fans loved and supported the Oilers; many still do. Bud did take the history, which made no sense to me. Bud is one of the major reasons we are remembering the AFL . . . . ~ David Beck Thanks for your impassioned message. You sound like a true AFL fan, and believe me, even as a Bills fan, it broke my heart to see the AFL's first champions leave the city of their origin. Like every other human, Bud Adams has good and bad. That's why he's in both my AFL Hall of Fame AND my AFL Hall of Infamy. No question the NFL treated Adams, Houston, and other AFL owners and cities as second-class citizens . . . Cleveland loses a team, they get the team, records, colors, and name back. Houston loses the Champions of the first two years of the league that created modern pro football - so what? Read my page about the merger , which tells how Rozelle PROMISED Congress that if the merger was allowed, "no city would lose its franchise". When the Oilers were threatening to move, I wrote to Houston's mayor, sportswriters, and Texas congressmen, pointing out that moving the Oilers was contempt of Congress. None of them ever responded. As far as a city being held hostage by an owner who wants a bigger and better stadium . . . as much as I love the Bills, I see no reason why the citizens of New York State should have had to cough up $63,000,000 to keep them in Buffalo. With their TV and NFL Properties revenues, if a team can't build their own stadium and make it financially in a community, let them go elsewhere. If EVERY community followed that concept, none of these teams would have moved! Further, if there were still TWO pro football leagues, do you think a league would leave Cleveland or Houston (or any other city), knowing that as soon as they did, the other league would put a franchise there?. - Remember the AFL |
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From Louis Spencer nospam.Louis.Spencer@united.com 1/10/2005 Hi, Somebody remembers, so many times I’m talking to “ fans” and they don’t know what I’m talking about when the topic is the AFL. Or something that happened just 10 years ago! I started watching the NFL in ’62 and the AFL in ’64. When my older brothers would tell me about games and players before my time, I would read about them and watched film when available. Its’ a different “fan” and sportswriter now! Now there is something about your site that disturbs me; you seem to hate the NFL! "Hate" is a strong word. I dislike the NFL because for ten years the NFL ridiculed my league. Writers in NFL cities, major media like SI and CBS kissed the NFL's butt (and still do!), while the league ridiculed the AFL. I hold a grudge a long time, so I take every chance I can to point out the NFL's past and present shortcomings. When in reality the NFL executives are just “dumb” and have always been that way and the AFL should be thankful. As a kid I remember telling my brothers that the NFL is making a mistake not showing late games, so every late Sunday I could watch an AFL game. I’ve always thought the ’64 Bills could beat the Packers. On to another issue and this can be a little touchy, but to a “football” fan that watched it and watched it again. The Jets were a team of destiny, if they played the colts again 10 more times they wouldn’t win a game and most of those would be blowouts! The Colts beat themselves that day. Another one of my brothers disagreed with me, so one day when ESPN was showing the game and I called him to watch. Later I called to get his opinion and now he agrees, because I knew he hated the Colts! No one knows what would happen "if they played ten games" it's pointless to speculate. Now to Mr. Namath, he called a great game. But why is he first team All AFL? Why is he in the HOF? After SB3 he never beat a team with a winning record. No “Mad Bomber”? Namath should not be on the first or second team. Namath benefited from the NFL-loving media thinking that the Colts were so great, he MUST be a hall of famer, if he beat them. I think he should be in the Hall of Fame, but not on the all-time-all-AFL team. Remember, this team was selected by the induction selectors of the pro football hall of fame in 1970. Many of them admitted they had never watched an AFL game! I would pick Len Dawson, George Blanda, or Jack Kemp as the all-time AFL quarterback. And Rich Jackson on the second team? Come on? No Ladd? So you see the HOF is made up of mostly NFL players and that is wrong too. You're preaching to the choir! Hopefully that will begin to change, it can be upsetting. Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb, before my time, but I read about him and watched film on him and I can’t understand why this guy is not in HOF!!! I know he had a sad ending, but to not have him in the HOF makes it sadder! The only DT to be named MVP of the Pro Bowl twice!!! Did anyone see his last game? Unbelievable! I wouldn't know, I didn't watch NFL games. So keep up the fight, there's not many real football fans left. ~ Louis Spencer |
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From
Randy
Hunsaker:
nospam.rah1876@aol.com 1/14/2006 Thanks for all the great updates and stories.....I just bought a book called The Super Bowl . . An Official Retrospective . . . . . and there on page 12 is that picture of Pete Rozelle holding those two footballs, one with AFL and the other with NFL, acting like it was his idea for the merger and the title game . . . . . but all I have to do is pull out my old copy of SI, and lo and behold, there's old Pete saying that there WILL NEVER BE A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BETWEEN THE AFL AND THE NFL. Those rats of the NFL . . . . . Hunt can't have a franchise in Dallas because Dallas can't support an NFL team . . . but as soon as he puts his new AFL team in Dallas, here comes the Cowboys! And as for the Vikings, they will never ever win a championship . . . . because they allowed themselves to be bought out by the NFL in an attempt to cause the AFL to be 'still-born'. (Those are Harry's {of the New York Titans} words. I can't tell you how much I miss the AFL and how much I hate the NFL . . . . . but what the hell, I can't change city hall, can I ? Thanks again for all the updates. Randy Hunsaker. 16-7 Thanks, Randy: Your words of passion are the best example of why the rivalry of the AFL against the NFL MADE the super bowl, and why the super bowls of the present are just a shadow of the TRUE World Championship games that football fans were once treated to. And I love the explanation you presented for something that deserves its own title ~ the Vikings' "Curse of the AFL". - Remember the AFL |
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From Charles Angell: nospam.angellfamily@charter.net 2/20/2006 I visit your site about 4 or 5 times per week. It brings back great memories of Joe Namath and that smooth release. Big Ben Davidson swarming all over the running back. The great voice of Charlie Jones on Sunday afternoons and so much more. I agree with you, the AFL should have its own Hall Of Fame. I know I would take my boys there several times. It was a great time for football and America welcomed it into their homes. Thanks for the memories and I am sure you know, that your work is admired by thousands of old football fans like me. Thanks Again, Charles Angell |
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From Michael Bordonaro: nospam.mikebordo@adelphia.net 2/21/2006 I was born in 1959, so I have only a partial memory of the AFL. I remember my dad taking me to a couple Buffalo Bills games every season. I think my first year was 1966. The game I remember most though was the one where the NY Jets came to Buffalo for a game in 1969. When the Jets came onto the field at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium, I can still remember how the Buffalo fans stood up from their seats and gave the Jets a long ovation. As a confused 9-year-old I asked my father why our fans were cheering for the Jets as they took the field. He didn’t answer me. As I looked up at him to ask him again, he just stood there and clapped – and I noticed a tear running from his eye. When I got older I realized what that was all about: NY Jets 16 – Baltimore Colts 7. Thanks ~ Michael Bordonaro, Buffalo Michael: you're too young to remember that when the Jets arrived for that game, they were greeted at Buffalo International Airport by thousands of Buffalo Bills fans, who were there to say "Thank you Jets, for shutting up the NFL!" - Remember the AFL |
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From Jim Morris: nospam.cotomob1@yahoo.com 3/2/2006 Ange, You continue to so vividly make such an important time in my life come alive again with your wonderful work.....thank you, thank you, thank you ! Jim Morris |
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From Paul Seaton: nospam.wiz47ard@yahoo.com 3/2/2006, on Robert Phillips' site I wonder if Lamar would've pushed for the merger if he could have seen this site back then!!! The merger was and still is a bad thing.... It's still an injustice with the # of AFLers NOT in the Pro Football HOF.... Though it'll probably never happen, I'd love to see the NFL Network show the Kansas City - Oakland AFL Championship game from January 4, 1970.... or any other AFL game for that matter! I always root for a REAL AFL team (even Oakland) in the Super Bowl.... I'm always looking for AFL, Kansas City / Dallas collectibles & games on video and would appreciate any responses. |
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From Jim Miklitch: nospam.miklijm@yahoo.com 3/16/2006 Mr. Coniglio, Love your web site. But Pete Gogolak's inclusion into the "Hall of Infamy" had to be "tongue in cheek", right? After a remarkable year in 1964, the Bills played hard ball with him over a new contract and even cut him 10 % when he played out his option. I think he made $9,900 in 1965. The Bills could have had him for much less than what the Giants gave him. Blame the Bills GM, if anybody. I base all this on an excellent book I'm sure you're familiar with - "Going Long....." ~ Jim in Detroit Jeff Miller's cover notes say his book tells the AFL's story "in the words of those who lived it." It's a great book, but he only tells one side of the Gogolak story, and further, he forgets that FANS "lived it", too. He spoke to Gogolak and to Wellington Mara, but he didn't interview Bills' GM Harvey Johnson, nor owner Ralph Wilson. Johnson recognized a revolutionary trend and gave Gogolak a chance. Wilson paid him $10,000 and offered him $13,500 for 1965: great pay, in those days, for a kicker. Gogolak wanted to "play out his option"; so he chose to take a standard pay cut to $9,900. Playing out your option meant that your team could match any other team's offer. Of course, a competing league didn't have to comply with that process. Neither did Miller interview any Bills fans about the Gogolak story. Few sports authors ever bother to interview fans ( the "great unwashed"). Talk to Bills fans today, and even forty years later, I believe that the first thing they'll remember is not that Gogolak was pro football's first soccer-style kicker; nor even that he helped the Bills win two straight league championships. What they'll recall is that Gogolak jumped to the other league, and in doing so, hastened the demise of the American Football League. Sorry, but Gogolak stays where he is. - Remember the AFL |
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From Bryan: 5/21/2006 nospam.bryannthom@sbcglobal.net From the beginning it seems I was programmed for football. It was in the early to mid-sixties that my dad coached a semi-pro team in Texas. (An inspiration derived by the energy created from the AFL in shaking the foundations of the ivory tower establishment at the time.) I remember dad viewing AFL games with an air of curiosity more than seriousness at first, but that became more respectful upon the announcement of the AFL-NFL merger. (By the way, that is the first time I and many of my generation had ever heard the word "merger".) I remember the "What the h---?" moment of the Heidi Bowl in the last minutes of the Jets/Raiders AFL championship game in '68. Though NBC said it was a switching foulup, many of us believed it was a conspiracy. Being a Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Colts fan, Dad's loyalties were more or less entrenched with the "old school" NFL. The lead-up to, and the aftermath of, Super Bowl III were events I remember vividly to this day. In the ongoing "generation gap", the perceptions were such that it was easy for kids like me to root for the underdog. For the NFL, Johnny Unitas was the legendary icon, the "old warrior" that marched onto the field wearing his high-tops as Genreal "Blackjack" Pershing, fighting for the American way. For the AFL, "Broadway" Joe Namath, who off the field was a night-clubbing hippy that wore mink coats. (I've heard from friends that it was quite lively for them, and I'm sure as well, for other living rooms across the country.) When the Jets defeated the Colts, it was if the entire world had turned upside down. The surreal-ness. It wasn't that the Colts had lost, but that the dynasty of the NFL had crumbled. What a touchstone in history, when you can remember things like the sheer emotion! One of those “you remember where you were and what you were doing” moments . . . that was day the wall was breached and the game changed forever. Other things I remember were the distinctive "Voice of the AFL" Curt Gowdy, whom I still revere today as the greatest play-by-play man ever. Notable, but missing on your pages, is the fact that it was an AFL game that was first played in a domed stadium, the first on artificial turf, in the Astodome. The AFL had also inspired the creation of another league rivalry, that of the American Basketball Association. The "spirit" of the AFL will never die, especially in the greatest Divisional rivalries. (I'll forgo any schedule, to this day, to tune in to a Chiefs/Broncos or Chiefs/Raiders game. Have you noticed, as in the beginning, that they're still mostly "down-to-the-wire" wins?) Every AFC game seen today, especially amongst the original 10, I always quietly think to myself . . . . "what if . . . ?" ~ Bryan in Texas You define characteristics of AFL fans: bold, ant-establishment , willing to try something new, enjoying getting under the skin of the pompous - just like the AFL! - Remember the AFL |
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From Ray Tate: nospam.lawzoo2@bellsouth.net “Welcome to the best of professional football---The AMERICAN Football League! Hi everybody, this is Curt Gowdy along with Al DeRogatis.” Best, Ray Tate |
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From
Steve Hennigan: (Private address) Hi. My dad is Charlie Hennigan. He played for the Oilers from '60-'66. I love your site. The story about the 1960 championship ring is interesting, but not quite complete. I've enclosed a jpeg of the "true" 1960 championship ring. In previous years, instead of rings, championship teams often received fobs, which I guess were weights that were placed on pocket watches. Anyway, dad says that players grumbled several years later and finally got rings. (I think he ground his ring up in the garbage disposal.) Dad got 6 or 8 game balls. He just gave them to us and we wore them out playing sandlot football with them. My brother has dad's original contract from 1960 if you would like a copy. It's quite interesting to read. Steve Hennigan |
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7/31/2006 1:42:59 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time From: Jason Meisler nospam.jzone7@verizon.net Hi Ange. My name is Jason Meisler of Los Angeles, California. I loved the AFL as you can tell. I recommend Namath by Mark Kriegel. There are some great chapters about his early days with the Jets. It is also interesting to see how Werblin was able to sign Matt Snell away from the Giants. I believe the AFL had pretty much caught up with the NFL by 1965 or 1966. The only edge the NFL had was the Packers. Once the Packers got old then the Jets and Chiefs won. I think that the Chiefs would have killed the Colts. The Raiders could have beaten them, but Lamonica was mistake prone and he would not have fared as well as Namath against their blitz. NFL films did a fine documentary on the AFL and it raised the point that the AFL, especially the Chiefs, were more interesting in winning than racial quotas. Those were great days, and thanks for keeping them alive. Jason Meisler The Packers happened to be better than any other team of their day - including all the other NFL teams. If the first World Championship Game had been after the 1964 season, or after the 1968 season, the AFL might still be in existence, and the NFL might have folded. I think the documentary you're talking about may have been "Rebels With a Cause", by HBO, not NFL Films. NFL Films does not have a habit of saying ANYTHING negative about the sacrosanct NFL. - Remember the AFL |
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8/10/2006 nospam.RHanson@ICMINC.com I stumbled on to this by chance. I grew up in San Diego and attended the early Charger games at San Diego High School stadium before they built San Diego stadium later known as "Jack Murphy Stadium" in the Mission Valley area. Anyway, this sure does bring back those great glory days of wide open football and trick plays game after game! Lance Alworth, Earl Faison, Big Bad Ernie Ladd, Sid Gillman. I could go on and on with stories after stories. Thanks for the memories! Rod C. Hanson What about Keith Lincoln's 'halfback option' passes? - Remember the AFL |
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8/10/2006 nospam.COULTERYORK@aol.com Angelo, as an AFL fan from '62 on, your site is an oasis to someone who hungers for anything AFL. I have a few collectables and some of the books, but mostly just memories. I especially remember the '63 Chargers and their run to the title. The L and L backfield, Alworth, Hadl, Rote, and that fabulous defense led by Big Cat Ladd and Earl Faison were second to none. I still maintain that if there was a Super Bowl that year, the Chargers would have blown the Bears away. I will send more as I get deeper into this site. Thanks a million. Paul B. York Jr. I (and George Blanda) believe that if there had been a Super Bowl in 1960, the Oilers would have won it! - Remember the AFL |
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08/11/2006 nospam.lace15540@sbcglobal.net FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WEBSITE. AS A BOY I WAS A BIG FAN OF THE AFL. I STARTED COLLECTING FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL CARDS BECAUSE OF THE AFL. NOW FORTY YEARS LATER I HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MANY OF THOSE PLAYERS. I STILL HAVE THOSE CARDS AND HOPE TO PASS THEM ON TO MY KIDS. I RECENTLY SAW A 1965 BUFFALO BILLS HIGHLIGHT FILM AND ONE OF THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS WAS BO ROBERSON. HE WAS A CORNELL TRACK STAR THAT STARTED WITH THE OAKLAND RAIDERS. HE WAS TRADED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON FOR TOM KEATING. HE WAS LOST IN THE EXPANSION POOL TO THE MIAMI DOLPHINS THE NEXT YEAR. I WAS CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM. I CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY THE LATE DICK SCHAAP. IT STATED THAT BO ROBERSON HAD PASSED AWAY IN 2001. I THOUGHT I WOULD LET YOU KNOW BECAUSE HE WAS NOT ON YOUR LIST. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFORMATION. I ONLY WISH I COULD FIND A SIMILAR SITE FOR THE NFL PLAYERS. I haven't been able to confirm Roberson's death, but will try to do so. - Remember the AFL |
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The following are some of the messages I received after the Vince Mallozzi New York Times article published on September 17, 2006. - Remember the AFL |
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From: Christman, Paul nospam.paul.christman@wolterskluwer.com Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2006 8:41 AM Subject: Caught you in the New York Times Hi, This will be one of many messages you’ll get after the Vincent Mallozzi piece in the New York Times, which I caught this morning. I used to work with Ralph Wilson’s daughter at a publishing company in New York. We just said the occasional “hi” in the hallway, but still she graciously invited me up to Buffalo if I ever made it up there after I said I collected old sports programs and had a 1948 AAFC Buffalo home program. This was almost 20 years ago, and I never made it up there. Oh well. My college years in Missoula, Montana led to a taste for the Denver Broncos, and I thought I’d send you a picture of them in their striped socks in a game versus Dallas in 1960. This is a copy off an eBay auction. And I’m a New Yorker, so I have to include a copy of a Titans yearbook cover: Again, off eBay, though I have one of these. Same with Jets vs. Chiefs, 1963: We never seemed to have the Titans on TV in New York, though from TV Guides I know that some road games were shown there. From 1960 to 1965 or so, I always remember national games like Houston vs. San Diego or Dallas vs. Oakland showing up on the tube. I was Titans/Jets fan, but more of a Giants rooter from 1960 through 1963. Like a sizable minority here, I was solidly in the Jets corner after the Giants collapsed in 1964, and the Super Bowl III and IV wins by the AFL are still cherished memories. I remember old CBS showing one scoreboard message during Super Bowl IV as the Chiefs were clearly on their way to their win: The Minnesota Vikings were founded in 1961, and the Chiefs in 1960 [as the Texans, of course]. The implication (to me, anyway): The Vikings were the younger franchise, so AFL, don’t take this win too much to heart. Grrr! Glad that you’re keeping AFL memories alive. I’m researching a National Hockey League team from 1930-31 (Philadelphia Quakers), so I have a similar task with a team from a secondary sport from 75 years ago that absolutely no one remembered after about 1940! But many football fans remember the AFL, including me (and I’m only 53 going on 54). Thanks for your site, which keeps the memories fresh. Paul Christman Ange, Thanks for the response. I am not related to number 44, Paul Christman. I have all his football cards and a few other collectibles, and I must mention his brother Mark, who played for the 1944 St. Louis Browns, the only pennant winner that team had. My dad would say “There’s you!” when Paul Christman appeared on the screen with Curt Gowdy. Two friends call me “44” at times. But I’m not directly related. Paul |
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From: Paul D. Silva nospam.phinsfan1@adelphia.net Subject: AFL site WOW!!! What a great site.... As a young boy of 8, I was looking through a Sports Illustrated, I believe, and saw a drawing of a leaping Dick Westmoreland, in the outstanding colors of the Miami Dolphins. As luck would have it, I turned on the TV later that day and who was playing but the Dolphins. I have been a diehard fan for the last 38 years, never wavering in support even though I have lived in New England all my life. I will never forget seeing that image and I have been searching for it for what seems likes eons. While viewing your site, what did I see but that image that I have been searching for. Dick Westmoreland leaping in the Aqua colored jersey of my beloved Dolphins. It changed my life, believe it of not, for a love of the game and a team that has never died. I have two questions which I hope you can answer: 1) When and in what year did that picture appear and in what magazine or publication?? 2) Is there any way to get a reprint of that picture of those great players that appear on your site?? I would more than happy to pay for it. I can not tell you how excited I was to see that image of Dick Westmoreland again. I have repeated my story of why I am so passionate about the Dolphins, living here in New England, after seeing him in the Aqua colors, and I can finally show them what the heck it is I was talking about!!!!! Thanks again for a great site and making my day. I would so love to get an reprint of that picture!! I look forward to hearing from you, please... Thank you so much, Paul D. Silva Defensive Coordinator Stevens High School Claremont, NH The Westmoreland sketch was from an ad in an AFL game program. - Remember the AFL |
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From: Jeffrey Miller nospam.Odosagih@aol.com Subject: Re: NY Times Ange, Congratulations! I haven't had time to read the whole thing yet, but the coverage shows that our mission is valid, and that you are reaching people who care about the AFL. Keep up the great work! Jeffrey Miller |
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From: Reuben Jackson nospam.klconner@mac.com Subject: Wonderful site! Though I grew up in Washington, D.C., I watched the AFL as a child, and like so many others with good taste (!)- fell in love with the deft, thrilling brand of football. That love has not waned. Thanks so much for this wonderful, and much-needed site . Reuben Jackson Washington, DC =|=|=|=|=|= Conner/Jackson Family Washington DC Hi Mr. Coniglio. Thanks for writing back. Yes, I am the guy who wrote the essay for Sports Fan Magazine... I'm so glad you remember it. Best wishes, Reuben Jackson |
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From: Anthony Pugliese nospam.APugl51077@aol.com Subject: AFL HI ANGE MY NAME IS ANTHONY PUGLIESE FROM BROOKLYN N.Y. I AM 52 YEARS OLD A LONG TIME CHARGER FAN AND FAN OF THE AFL. I ALWAYS WATCHED ALL THE GAMES ON SUNDAY. I REMEMBER A GAME BETWEEN THE RAIDERS AND CHIEFS WHEN DAWSON SCRAMBLED DOWN FIELD FOR A LARGE GAIN AND BEN DAVIDSON TRACKED HIM DOWN AND TACKLED HIM LATE AND A BIG FIGHT BROKE OUT AND AFTER THE PLAY WAS RESTORED OFFSETTING PENALTIES WERE CALLED AND THE CHIEF LOST ALL THAT YARDAGE, I THINK THAT PLAY LED TO THAT CHANGING OF THAT RULE THE CHARGERS FIRST SYMBOL WAS THE HORSE AND THE BOLT ANTHONY |
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From: Dan Gage nospam.dgage@dfn.com Subject: The AFL . . Bobby Scrabis Ange . . . I read with great appreciation the NY Times piece. Loved it and your comments and loyalty to that old league, of course. Do you , being from the Buffalo area, remember a player named Bobby Scrabis. My recollection is that he was from the Buffalo area, played football there for NY State Univeristy at Buffalo and came down to NYC to back up Al Dorrow with the Titans. Was there only the one year, as I recall. And if memory serves he went back to University and got an advanced degree in business and taught in that area, perhaps also at the college level. I think he made one touchdown pass in his stay with the Titans in a brief relief of Dorrow. The memory is not as good as it once was so perhaps he only completed a forward pass. Rosemary Freida was Wismer's admin asst, secretary, girl friday, publicist, all everything in the early days when they ran the franchise out of a suite in the old Park Plaze hotel Rosemary did everything and one day she needed Billy Mathis in the office for some urgent reason, called him at home and was putting pressure on him to get his butt down to the office and he kept dodging her request until she barked at him and he told her he had to wait for however many minutes before he could leave because "I have a cake in the oven." She came close to expiring on the spot. He and Thurlow Cooper and, again if memory serves, Scrabis were sharing an apartment and Bill was the best cook so he was doing his keep-them-alive thing by baking chocolate cake. Guess enough years have passed for that to be a good story. If I'm not mistaken he had to swear Rosemary to secrecy about his homemaking duties. I, like you, miss the old league and have such fond memories of those days when I paled around with Rosemary and others from the Titan office . . . learned about football which I had never cared for before. Best to you. Again thanks for/from all of us on your dilligent efforts on the site. Dan Gage Roswell NM |
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From: Don Klosterman nospam.donklos@charter.net Subject: Defending and Remembering the A.F.L. To: Vince Mallozzi, nospam.cheers@nytimes.com Dear Vince, It was great reading your article on Angelo Coniglio and his site and passion for the A.F.L. It's a site I have also come to know and love. As a very young boy growing up in Dallas Texas in 1960 my father took me to Dallas Texans games at the Cotton Bowl where my brother and I were members of the "Huddle Club," the youth fan club that gave us special fan privileges. First and foremost, the most fun my brother and I had attending the games was being able to slide down the grass berms on flattened cardboard boxes on the end zone during half time. That's something you don't see on the pro scene today! But I also have extremely fond memories of watching my childhood heros Abner Haynes and Cotton Davidson tearing up the gridiron turf as they barreled their way to the AFL Championship. It was a very sad day for us when the news came that the team was to move to Kansas City. But those emotions were reborn again when we came out West to attend Super Bowl I to see KC play GB in the L.A. Coliseum. Angelo's website is a dream site and since it grows and grows you can discover new things there every time you visit. There's a really good book you may want to pick up for more great stories about the AFL and how it formed. "When the Grass Was Real" is a wonderful book by Bob Carroll. I've just finished it and frankly couldn't put it down. It's not so much for the writing, which was excellent, but more so for the stories of how the concept of the AFL came to be as a vision of Lamar Hunt... how he was able to assemble the group of team owners to launch the league, and then how the league creatively became stocked with some of the best players in the country. The player personnel people were often very bold, very ingenious and very calculating in going about their business. Angelo has a page devoted to books at this page: http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLbooknotes.htm Two other books I'm getting ready to read are called: "Going Long" by Jeff Miller, and "The Foolish Club," by Jim Acho, which is the story of the original AFL team owners. They look very intriguing. The AFL deserves to be recognized and remembered, just as Angelo is doing, but more so because of the quality of play provided by the league and because it laid a strong foundation for what eventually became the NFL in many ways. One could argue that the NFL, a league that was moving slowly along in the late 50s, wouldn't have become what it is today if not for the AFL. I for one appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to write about it. Very sincerely, Don W. Klosterman |
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From: Howard Wexler nospam.Howardwex61@cs.com Subject: Re: New York Times Ange: i have the article, it is fantastic!!! Glad to be on your mailing list. I told several people about it at work to look for it. But IMHO, two things were missed. The contrast between the NFL style of football in that era, three yards and a yawn, a la Lombardi. Also the fact that the clock on the field in the AFL was the official clock. Finally the fact that no other "other" league before or since ever did so well. BTW, I own a copy of the wonderful book "The Other League" and should you ever make it to NY, I'd be honored to have you autograph it. I remember the AFL. Howie |
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From: Sharon Hawkins nospam.creativesharon@sbcglobal.net Subject: Re: NY Times Dear Ange, thanks so much for sending the NY Times article. the publicity is wonderful for the AFL, the service you provide and I imagine the fans will start filling your email box like carzy. Congrats! Also, than you for referring our "story" to Abner. Goodness I was shocked to receive his kind email this AM. Your ideas inspired me and the additional info. re sculpting the other All Stars is of interest as well. I imagine if there were sculptures of others, I would have to compensate them with a residuals, so that may be more than I can handle. Reading about your son broke my heart. Goodness, what hoops you all have had to jump through these years. I cannot imagine the stress, emotional and financial. I do know situations of this magnitude make one stronger (most of the time). Off to watch the Raider game. Keep up the wonderful work. Warmest Regards. Sharon for Wayne |
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From: Eric nospam.umpire484848@yahoo.com Subject: Re: New York Times I must say your site is outstanding and brings back the good old days. Do you know of any places that sell old uniforms or remakes of the glory years of the A.F.L. Thank you and again what a wonderful site. Eric |
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From: Ken Stephon nospam.kenstephon@msn.com Subject: New York Times Congratulations on a wonderful feature article in the New York Times today! Thank you for all of your great work on this website, which I have enjoyed for some time. Also, thanks for your tireless efforts on behalf of the Greatest Football League of All Time -- The American Football League!!! Best regards, Ken Stephon Doylestown, PA |
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From: Robert Boyle nospam.KatyaBelousBoyle@aol.com Subject: Re:Tex Maule AKA Tex Moyle Dear Ange, Another point. I really liked Tex. He was a friend, and so was his wife Dorothy. But he did have a PRONOUNCED NFL bias as well as a college bias for the Southwest Conference, declaring. to me at least, that it was the strongest in the country, probably because he was from Texas. I told him that he was nuts. The conference played only whites. Just look at a game today, college or pro. Blacks predominate. Dorothy was Jewish, and Tex converted when they married. When he took time off for Yom Kippur, he became known around the office as Tex Moyle after the the rabbi who does circumcisions LaGuerre loved controversy. He once told me that his ideal article was the one that started a bar-room fight. I didn't have knowledge of the X's and O's that Tex did, and I was interested in other things besides pro football, otherwise I might have prevailed in SI's coverage. I did change the magazine's stance toward boxing's us D'Amato, whom I had known before I went to San Francisco. While I was away the mag believed lying Bill Rosensohn (he later confessed to me that he was a liar) and hounded Cus as a conniver, if not a crook. I changed that around. Cus was honest man, but his own worst enemy because he was paranoid As I wrote of him, "For Cus, every night has a full moon." Final note, or rather final question, not about the AFL per se necessarily, but pro football in the last 10 to 15 years. It strikes me that former NFL players,. such as Reggie White, are dying at a very early age. Do you have any mortality statistics on NFL players? Regards, Bob |
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From: R.M. Krasner nospam.rmk@krasnegroup.com Congratulations on an outstanding site and an important effort. The AFL was football at its best – exciting, creative and fun. As a Chiefs season ticket holder in the 1960s (after their move from Dallas), I knew when I saw them walk on the field at Tulane Stadium with their 10th Anniversary patches that they would win Super Bowl IV. I didn’t know that you were responsible for the patch. Thank you, thank you, thank you. |
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From: Robert J. Kalas nospam.kalas@msmary.edu Subject: Thanks! Thanks for the great AFL site. I am an “old” AFL fan who was sad and upset to see the AFL swallowed up in the NFL. I am a Jets fan to this day, but I appreciate the chance to see the old NY Titans players and uniforms. Keep up the good work! Bob Kalas Robert J. Kalas Chair, Department of History Mount St. Mary's University |
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From: P.J. McGroder nospam.PJM@gknet.com Angelo, I read the story in the New York Times. about your efforts to preserve the memory of the AFL. My father was VP of the Bills from inception to his death in 1986. Growing up in Buffalo, I was witness to the inception and development of the AFL. I attended every Bills home game through 1963 and many thereafter. I traveled with the team while I was in High School at St. Joseph's and visited all the AFL cities. It was a great league which I believe my father made greater by his leadership of the Bills. Good luck to you. Patrick J. McGroder III |
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From: Larry Felser Subject: NY Times Ange: Several members of the NY press mentioned the piece on you in the Times when the Jets were here --- including Bob Glauber from Newsday and Frank Ramos, retired Jets public relations director who oversees the replay booth for the league. Excellent story and well deserved. Larry Felser |
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From: Diane Zeeman nospam.DZeeman@cfl.rr.com Subject: AFL Read about the website in the NY Times and had to take a look. I'm a long-time season ticket holder, and was at the 1968 AFL championship game against the Raiders. Your website brought back lots of memories. Thanks. Diane Zeeman Palm Coast, FL |
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Larry Broadus nospam.larry_broadous@hotmail.com November 15, 2006 Hi, I just wanted to send this article from Fox Sports regarding the recent Chargers/Bengals game. - Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, on his team's 49 - 41 victory over the Bengals Sunday: "It took me back to the old AFL days where you just try to find a way to have one more point than they do. It was the kind of game that makes the NFL the most popular sport in the world." http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6155440 Thanks for the terrific quote. In other words, the legacy of AFL football is what makes pro football great today! - Remember the AFL |
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From Dave Steidel
November 28, 2006 Fellow AFL enthusiasts – I am seeking pictures of AFL football cards (or even AFL photos) to include in a book I have written about the AFL (see Ange’s posting about the book at: http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLbooknotes.htm#STEIDEL. I am in need of .jpg or similar images of cards and pix that have a minimum of 300 dpi. You will receive credit in the book for all cards/photos you provide. I can use just about any cards that come my way – although I can also provide anyone with a list of ones that are preferred if you wish. Please help make this project of passion become a reality and add a great new addition to everyone’s AFL library. You can contact me at: steideld@ptd.net - if you can help. Thanks |
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nospam.jetscolt@cox.net December 17, 2006 I love your website. On January 12, 1969, I watched (start to finish) my first professional football game on TV. It was SB 3 and I was HOOKED on the AFL. So much more excitement. What other sport has owners and coaches pulling in as much attention as the players. I was 9 when the JETS won SB3 and to this day I bleed Jet green (even though I live in San Diego, CA). I love Jerry Magee's columns on his AFL memories. Last year I visited the site of SB3, the Orange Bowl. I was lucky enough to bump into a groundskeeper who let me on the field. Without ever setting foot on that field I knew exactly where Snell ran 4 yards for a TD. I knew where Morrall failed with the flea flicker. The best part of that visit is where I had my wife photograph me running off the field, waving 'number 1' exactly where Joe Namath did on January 12, 1969. I found out about your website reading an article by Jerry Magee in todays Sunday SD Union. Thank you for this tribute to the AFL! ~ Jim |
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nospam.EBaron@kayescholer.com December 19, 2006 I remember the AFL in its earliest stages, even went to a Titans-Oilers game at the Polo Grounds in 1961. My father, hating the Giants and the NFL, really loved watching the games on ABC. (I remember Jack Buck and George Ratterman doing the games). His favorite Titan was Larry Grantham and he argued the AFL was every bit of good as the NFL. We had season tickets for the Jets starting in 1965, Joe Namath's first year. What I remember the most was the night of September 12, 1964 when the Jets played their first game at Shea and beat the Broncos 30 - 3. Every time Wahoo McDaniel made a tackle, the announcer would say "Tackle by Guess Who?”, and the fans would say "Wahoo!" Your site is great and brings back unforgettable moments I shared with my dad. Thanks for sharing those memories with us. - Remember the AFL |
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nospam.pdgossage@aol.com December 24, 2006 on http://aflfootball.tripod.com/ As a teen growing up in Houston I remember watching the Houston Oilers practice not far from my house on the University of Houston practice field during the summer prior to the opening 1961 season. Great to watch G. Blanda, B. Cannon, etc. run plays all summer long getting ready for the opening game . . . which I watched in Jeppeson Stadium. One of my 10th grade girl friends was a member of their first cheerleading squad. Great memories. ~ Phillip Gossage |
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nospam.LBClements@aol.com December 25, 2006
I found your family web page
http://www.conigliofamily.com/images/AuerRunbackStrip.jpg
looking for info on
Joe Auer
. I was one of the 26,000 fans in the stadium that first game of the
Dolphins in 1966, what a way to start a franchise, and a guy from my
Coral Gables High School no less!
I will spend hours on your great AFL web site, thanks
Merry Christmas
Les and Gwenn Clements
S Padre Island, TX and Silverton, CO
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My name is Evan Weiner, I do TV and
radio, write a newspaper column and lecture on the Politics of Sports
Business. You left out a very significant name and contributor to the
AFL formation in 1959, 1960. New
York Titans owner
Harry Wismer.
Harry did
two very important things for the AFL.
He helped put together the ABC TV deal that ran from 1960--64 (he worked
on the deal with Al Michaels' father, Jay);
and Harry somehow convinced both AP and UPI to give equal coverage to
the upstart AFL with the NFL. In
interviewing
Lamar Hunt in the 1990s, Hunt
begrudgingly gave Wismer some credit for
getting important media coverage although Hunt
was not enamored with Harry's running of
the Titans into bankruptcy, still without
Harry, there might not have been a TV deal
(this was before Roone Arledge) and wire service equality between the
leagues. Wismer
is an important character, nonetheless.
Evan Weiner
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nospam.louis.vitale@comcast.net |
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©2003
American Football
League Hall of Fame All rights reserved. Duplicate in any form you
like, if you're an AFL fan. You have the permission of the American Football League Hall of Fame. Please credit/link to: http://www.remembertheafl.com Last revision: 10 February 2013 ~ Angelo F. Coniglio, nospam.RemembertheAFL@aol.com |
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