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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. |
| From Joe LaPlante: nospam.joesox99@yahoo.com 10/19/2004 12:50:30 AM EDT Give me a break, will ya? You gotta be kiddin'!!! Chris Berman has been enshrined in the AFL Hall of Fame? Why? Because he is a celebrity? You said yourselves, he never played, never wrote or covered the league, never owned a team. Please, don't mention him in the same breath as worthy enshrinees like Will McDonough, Jim Nance, Joe Namath, Don Maynard et al. I thoroughly enjoy the updates you folks provide about the AFL. But this one sickens me. Berman has no more place in the HOF than do I or the thousands of other fans who followed the AFL in the 60s. The only personages worthy of the AFL HOF are the players who captured our hearts, the writers who told us the story and the owners and executives who made it all possible. Joe LaPlante, a Boston Patriots fan who slogged thru the mud to get to Harvard Stadium, braved the snows of Schaeffer Stadium and shivered in Fenway to see my team play. That doesn't make me HOF material. It just makes me a loyal fan. I love your passion! Yes, you ARE AFL Hall of Fame material; every loyal AFL fan is! By the way, it's not us "folks". It's "me", one fan, one person, who's had enough NFL propaganda, trying to get the AFL some "props". Chris Berman does that, so he's in "my" hall of fame. Remember the AFL |
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| From Virgil Baldon, Jr.: nospam.bmslouisville@hotmail.com 17 Nov 2004 10:38:41 Just wondering...did ABC preserve the kinescopes, film or videotape from the 1960 through 1965 AFL Championship games they telecast? I would LOVE to see those games in their entirety on NFL Network or ESPN Classic. (I do know that NBC has the 1966 through 1969 games intact on videotape.) Also, I remember seeing a snippet of what I believe was a 1963 San Diego Chargers team highlight film somewhere. Exactly what do the individual AFL teams have in their own archives? Has it all been turned over to NFL Films for storage, like the "This Week In The AFL" series I remember running on my local NBC station right before the live games? One more quick note...when two ex-AFL teams have a throwback jersey game, the NFL should put the refs back in the old AFL red and white-striped gear, too! Just a thought... Virgil Baldon, Jr., Louisville, KY I don't know about ABC. Probably not. On-line searches may turn up private fans who will trade or sell highlight films. Each team is different. The Bills, for example, have highlight films of varying length, coverage, and quality from most years. Other teams may not. As far as I know, NFL Films owns all AFL Films properties. I agree . . . not only should they have AFL refs' uniforms, when an AFL team wears a throwback, it should play another AFL team wearing their throwback, not an NFL team or a newcomer like the Jaguars, etc. Now all we have to do is convince the NFL! Remember the AFL |
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| From a Broncos Fan: nospam.txpgapro@yahoo.com 20 Nov 2004 12:44:34 The Denver Broncos of the 60's - really brings back some memories. For a franchise that couldn't do much right, they did a lot for pro football. I remember John McCormick busting his back against the goal posts along with many wide receivers until they were moved. I remember PK Bobby Howfield from England having his sideline practice net banned. How about the first black quarterback to play, Marlin Briscoe, who once ran a quarterback sneak from deep in his own territory on the last play of the game, and nearly scored? I was lucky enough to live in the Lakewood neighborhood of several Bronco players. I remember game balls that were kicked in the stands for fans to keep, unlike today with the nets collecting them. I even remember witnessing a lady giving birth in the North end zone, while fans held sheets up around her to sheild the view. I remember watching all the greats that played - Namath, Hadl, Kemp, Taylor, Little and so many more from that era. I just turned 50, and now live in the Dallas area, but still bleed orange. Just thinking of those fans in the South stands banging their feet against the metal just gets my blood pumping. |
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| From a Raiders Fan: nospam.cmjm1266@aol.com 21 Nov 2004 11:27:14 I think this is a great site. I'm a big time Raiders fan and this is great. Would like to see more vintage photos on the site as you get them. |
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| From Mike Allen: nospam.nepatsaz@aol.com http://www.nepfca.com Phoenix, AZ 23 Nov 2004 19:07:25 First, let me compliment you on a great, great site. Brought back memories, and tears. It was 1960 and I was a mere punk kid of 21. The Boston Patriots were born and I spent my Friday evenings at Braves Field (Boston University Field) where it cost a mere $2.50 to sit in the end zone to watch the Patriots. They were the days of Butch Songin, Babe Parilli, Ron Burton, and on to others like Jim Nance, Jim Colclough, Gino Cappelletti, Larry Garron, etc . . . and onto the 70's , 80s, 90s and the days of today where I founded the New England Patriots Fan Club Of Arizona in 1997 and we are still going strong, bigger and better. I remember traveling to Buffalo on a cold wintry day, standing on the sideline behind the Pats bench (they invited us down, all 45 of us) during the second half as they beat Buffalo in the divisional championship to go on to their FIRST AFL title game against San Diego. From Braves Field to Fenway Park, Harvard Stadium BC Field, and Foxboro......those were great days. I remember almost grabbing referee Walter Fitzgerald from behind after he made a bad call against Tom Yewcic, the Pats QB . . . only to be horse-collared by one of Boston's finest before I reached Fitzgerald . . . Lunging for the footballs on points after, and we kept the footballs . . . . . No nets behind the goal posts. The fire in the stands at BC field. When they called one of the fans out of the stands to report to the Pats dressing room to get into uniform. The time when the Friday night game was postponed because of a hurricane threat and the storm never got to Boston until Sunday, the day they had it re-scheduled for, and they played it in a horrendous downpour and the Pats buried the Bills. Houston Antwine returning an interception for a touchdown. How I hated Charlie Tolar and George Blanda. The battles between Cookie Gilchrist and Jim Nance. I could go on and on, but that’s enough memories for now. Mike Allen |
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| From Dave Rohring: nospam.rohringd@comcast.net 1497 Sheridan Walk Atlanta, GA 30324 23 Nov 2004 Ange, the other night I was jumping around your site and I could not believe my eyes, the picture you have of Ron Mcdole from the 1967 football card set has Ron with a logo and stripes on his helmet. You have to tell us how this picture came about. This web site is so vast, I love it. Keep up the great graphics. I just found this page, so I will logging in more often with some questions I have regarding old AFL stuff I have collected over the years. Thanks to all for this site. Dave Rohring The McDole "card" is just a piece of "computer magic". See the 1965 Topps Bills' Gilchrist card. Remember the AFL |
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| From Edward Guidry: nospam.edscarsrus@yahoo.com po box 439178 chicago il 60637 25 Nov 2004 12:56:02 i just like to know why the league(afl) do not force the nfl to let the players come into the hall of fame. edward o. guidry The AFL ceased to exist after the merger in 1970. Unfortunately, there were more NFL cities (16) than AFL cities (10). The Hall of Fame selectors from the NFL cities did not know the AFL players, and for years they refused to recognize the talent in the American Football League. Remember the AFL |
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| From Jerry L.: nospam.JerryL8622@aol.com 2600 Harwood Bedford, Texas 76021 05 Dec 2004 08:36:42 I remember the great days of the AFL very well. I first started following the Oilers in 1967. I remember the great draft Don Klosterman crafted for them that year when George Webster, Tom Regner, HOF Ken Houston, Alvin Reed, Roy Hopkins, Zeke Moore, Larry Carwell, Woodie Campbell, and Pete Barnes all joined the team that year. It has always been difficult to be an Oiler fan. It is best that they no longer exist, as Bud Adams has proven over the years to be the worst owner in the history of professional sports. A lifetime of mediocrity, that is the bottom line, Bud. Forty-four years of ownership of one team, and only one super bowl appearance, and that courtesy of a fluke trick play. I remember PRAYING for the AFL teams to beat the NFL teams in the preseason games of 67-69. I remember the pure joy and pride of Jets 16 Colts 7. The AFL will always occupy a special place in my heart. Jerry L. Too bad you couldn't have started watching sooner. The Oilers were in the AFL's first three title games, won the American Football Championship in the league's first year, 1960, and then repeated in the following year. Remember the AFL |
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| From Chic: nospam.chicscards@yahoo.com 258 Lairwood Dr. Centerville, OH 45458 09 Dec 2004 21:50:22 I was 8 years old and living in New Rochelle, N.Y. when the AFL was established in 1960. My first exposure to the AFL was in buying a pack of Fleer football bubblegum cards and not knowing a single player. But disappointment soon turned to curiosity as I started to watch those AFL players on ABC. I loved watching those early games in black and white. Names like Elbert Dubenion, Jim Colclough, "Earthquake" Hunt, Ernie Ladd, Keith Lincoln, Tobin Rote and Jack Kemp I will never forget. That 1968 season was magical. As a Jets fan, the first game of the season against a GREAT Kansas City Chiefs team set the tone for what would be that magical Super Bowl III. With 8 or 9 minutes left in that first game and the Jets holding a 20-19 lead and stuck deep in their own territory with a 3 and 10 (and Jan Stenerud warming up on the sidelines for the kick that would win it for KC and the raucous KC faithful rocking old Municipal Stadium), Namath hit his skinny flanker Don Maynard for an 11 yard gain to keep the drive going. He did it again 3 plays later and the Jets didn't fold (as they had done so many times the previous 3 years) as Namath gradually drove the jets down the field killing the clock and setting the Jets on their way to the Super Bowl. Ah, what a game . . . it was like the war of the worlds with Weeb Ewbank and all the other NFL castoffs like himself (Sample, Smolinski, Parilli et al) chomping at the bit to show his old Colts team that they made a BIG mistake in firing him for being too old at the end of the 1962 season. Johnny Unitas, Weeb's old champion, was at mid-field with high tops and flat top, along with Joe Willie, his new champion, with the sideburns, the white shoes, the lamp black under his eyes, for the pre-game coin toss and a chill of excitement ran up and down my spine. Indeed, it had to be a miracle . . . where else could a championship defense have gotten away with starting a 195 pound outside linebacker against the a powerful Colt team featuring the such stalwarts as John Mackey, Tom Matte and Earl Morrall? Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Remember the AFL |
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| From Al Wideman: nospam.buffalobills@starpower.net 12/13/2004 10:47:55 PM EDT Man what a site! This is so important to me . . . . . . . I am originally from Buffalo New York and lived across the street from War Memorial Stadium. I love the Bills to this day and everything about the AFL. When the Jets won the superbowl I shed some tears of pride and did the same when Kansas City won the next year. I was one who never wanted a merger because I thought we were better and more entertaining. Names on the back of the jerseys, down field passing and wide open games it couldn't get any better. Thank you for this site and you can believe that I will be back many times to Remember!!! Al Wideman |
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| From Paul: nospam.res07snc@verizon.net 10085 Tujunga Cyn Blvd 14 Dec 2004 18:24:01 I was at the Championship game when the Bills beat the Chargers in 1964. I was 13 years old at the time and lived and breathed AFL football. This site is the best thing anyone could give to the TRUE AFL fan! I want to thank Angelo for all the research, photos and love he has put into "Remembering the AFL" This is truly an amazing place! ( I hope you don't mind I downloaded a copy of the Bills Championship Photo as my mom threw mine away a long time ago!) Thanks again, Paul No problem downloading anything. See the disclaimer at the bottom of this page. Just tell your friends about this site. Remember the AFL |
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| From Joe: nospam.JDBKC@aol.com 12/15/2004 11:45:27 AM EDT Just saw the highlights of the 1969 Chiefs on classic sports. Haynes and McClinton were gone, but Otis Taylor, Lynch, Buchanan, Dawson and Arbanas were still there. Great team, I think Stram should have won more. I sort of question his coaching. Stram DID win three AFL championships and a Super Bowl. He probably outsmarted himself at times, but the Chiefs sure ripped a great Bills team in 1966. The Chiefs played well against the Packers in the first half of the first Super Bowl. At the start of the second half, the Chiefs received, and got a good runback. But NBC (which failed in a lot of ways, in its AFL coverage) missed the kick, and it was re-kicked! The Packers stopped the Chiefs deep, and it all went downhill from there. What might the Chiefs (and Stram) have done if that first return hadn't been disallowed? Remember the AFL From Joe: nospam.JDBKC@aol.com 12/17/2004 2:22:18 PM EDT You make some good points. I think the Bills in 1966 were on the way down after whipping the Chargers the past two years. I realize Stram won a super bowl, but with the talent they have I just thought they should have won more then they did. Just an opinion. Have a nice Christmas. |
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| From Bob: nospam.catbertbob@aol.com Palm Bay, Florida 18 Dec 2004 07:09:52 In response to Virgil Baldon's 11/17 inquiry [see above] about kinescopes: I saw a vintage ABC's Wide World of Sports episode on ESPN Classic that featured "miking" Jack Kemp (then QB of the Chargers), a special crane-mounted overhead TV camera, in-huddle camera, and ground level cameras, that had the effect of innovatively doing what the Sabols (NFL Films) take credit for inventing with film in the late 60's. This was a 1961 regular season game with the Bills. Evidently ABC still has copies of the early-years broadcasts, when they were still covering AFL games. Another first by the AFL, the league of forward thinking. Remember the AFL |
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| From Dave Rohring: nospam.rohringd@comcast.net 22 Dec 2004 21:28:39 Ange and all guestbook members, I was fishing around on e-bay the other day and I found a true AFL collectors item. Under the e-bay heading bm141414 the seller is offering the original 1965 Topps AFL football card photo transparencies. The cheapest ones are $100.00 apiece, but they are at the "buy now" price setting, which in this case I like. I picked up two (GOLDEN WHEELS and GOGO), way past my budget before Christmas, but when are you EVER going to see these gems offered again? It is really cool looking at the true picture scanned for each card, you see the background and the wind-blown hair, along with some Topps art department touch ups. I haven't received my items yet, but anyone on this site will hear the truth about what I think of these items when they arrive. I don't know how long they are going to last, there are a lot of rich e-bayers out there. Just thought I would drop a quick line to make sure all things AFL find a good home. Ange, love the book updates, keep writing. Best holiday wishes to all. Dave Rohring |
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| nospam.fouts2jj@hotmail.com 23 Dec 2004 00:59:00 hey thanks again for the great site Mr. Coniglio, such a cool way to drift back in years!!! Just call me ANGE. Remember the AFL |
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| From A Jets Fan: 02 Jan 2005 17:10:37 This is a great site, and it's good to see you expanding it. I heartily agree with you that the AFL shouldn't have merged, but been "recognized", much as MLB has the NL and AL set up (although inter-league play, in my opinion, has been a bad idea). Three things. One is minor - the logo you're using for the Jets at the top of the page is the modern NFL/AFC rendition of the classic AFL design, not the AFL design itself. Second, what do you think about moving the Colts and Browns back into the NFC when expansion teams are added? (I would say the same for the Steelers, but I don't want the AFC to lose 4 Super Bowls - the Colts have only won one, and the Browns none). There was so much talk that Super Bowl V wasn't really a Super Bowl because it pitted two old NFL teams against one another. It's true that, back then, the players were old NFL players as well, but I still think there should be a campaign to move the teams out of the AFC, and move the Seahawks back in. Third, can you find out anything about the Booth Memorial Game? I found only one oblique reference on the internet on Yale's sports site. The "Booth Game" was an annual exhibition series played by the Giants at the Yale Bowl to benefit charity. Before the NFL-AFL merger, the Giants played other old NFL teams, but after, they always played the Jets, probably to get the best NY area draw. This is undoubtedly how the annual Jets-Giants exhibition series got started. the games were real grudge matches. The first one was known as "Super Bowl 3-1/2". Can you include some history of these games? 1) Go to http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFL.htm and you'll see I've corrected the Jets logo. 2) My suggestion is that they give Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Cleveland back to the NFL (NFC). Put the former AFL teams and all expansion teams since the merger in the AFL (AFC). There would then be 16 teams in the old-line NFL, and 16 in the newer AFL. 3) See Dennis Riehman's post on Page 1 of the AFL Guest Book . I knew about and followed the Jets-Giants exhibition series, but never knew it was called the "Booth Game". If you have any literature on that, send it to me and I'll use it where I can. Remember the AFL |
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| From Glenn
Prida: nospam.cleangto@san.rr.com 02 Jan 2005 08:07:20 I just received Todd Tobias' book "Charging Through the AFL" for Christmas and found this web site listed. As an AFL fan from the sixties, I am finding it difficult to spend enough time to search everything! The new found excitement of this years' Chargers team is great but it doesnt compare to those teams from the AFL. I look forward to finding new entries on the site! Glenn Prida |
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| nospam.zieek57@yahoo.com 429 South Arlington Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46219 10 Jan 2005 12:07:16 IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT I'M NOT ALONE WITH MY PASSION FOR THE OLD AFL, VERY NICE WEBSITE. I GREW UP A CHIEFS FAN, THEY WERE A GREAT TEAM IN THE 60'S & EARLY TO MID 70'S. THE WAY THEY HUDDLED UP, THE GREAT PLAYS COACH STRAM RAN, AND I USED TO THINK THEIR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN WERE FROM ANOTHER PLANET THEY WERE SO HUGE, BUCK, LADD, CULP, THEY WERE JUST A FUN TEAM TO WATCH, AND THE GAMES WITH THE RAIDERS, FORGET ABOUT IT! THEY REALLY HATED EACH OTHER, AND OF COURSE THE GAME AGINST MIAMI, TRIPLE OVERTIME! SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE WEBSITE. OH YES, TO THE GUY LOOKING FOR PAST GAMES, I COLLECT THEM ALSO, BUT BE CAREFUL AND NEVER SEND CASH, THERE ARE A LOT OF SCAMS BUT YOU CAN FIND OLD GAMES. Of course, the classic Chiefs-Dolphins OT game was, technically, played after they were "in" the NFL, but we all know that it was the epitome of an American Football League contest! Remember the AFL |
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| Frpm Jim K.: nospam.Kellaw@mchsi.com Springfield, MO 65807 16 Jan 2005 08:01:35 Ange: Thanks, thanks, thanks for this awesome site. I DO Remember the AFL! I have a trivia question, the answer to which I can't seem to verify: I say that the opening kickoff of Super Bowl I (i.e., THE kickoff of the Super Bowl) was done by one Fletcher Smith, then of the Chiefs. Not Tommy Brooker, not Mike Mercer - Fletcher Smith. Can you help with the answer? Also - I've noticed any number of postings referring to videotapes of AFL game broadcasts. Might you be able to point me to sources where I could get some? E-bay doesn't seem to help - so, please - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I was able to get, from a one time only source, the tape of Super Bowl III. Of all the cool things about it, the most noticeable part to me was the respect and professionalism displayed by the players. I mean, the Jets were pulling off sports' greatest upset by the beginning of the second half - but there was NO hot-dogging, NO dancing, NO high-fiving, NO tacky celebrating (do ya hear me, Moss?). Rather, the players went about their business with a truly professional demeanor and moved on to the next play. Even AFTER the game there was none of the cockiness we see now. The AFL days were truly better than where we've gone since. Thanks again for this excellent site, Ange! Jim K. Are there any AFL fans out there that can help with the Fletcher Smith question? Remember the AFL |
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| From Rick Tomberlin: nospam.tomberlinr@bellsouth.net 1560 Plantation Drive Sandersville, GA 31082 17 Jan 2005 08:36:36 I am the Head High School Football Coach & Athletic Director at Washington County High School in Sandersville GA. I was the Head High School Coach of Takeo Spikes (Bills), Robert Edwards (Patriots & Dolphins), Terrence Edwards (Falcons), and Randall Godfrey (Chargers). I am a big old AFL fan, I grew up in rural GA and we had an antenna not cable or certainly not satellite TV. We could get NBC, PBS and sometimes CBS if the weather was good. As a result I grew up watching the Jets, Chiefs, Dolphins and always pulled like crazy for the AFL in the 1st four Super Bowls. My question is this: Prior 1970 in preseason games how did the AFL compare with the NFL in terms of winning percentage. I realize pre-season does not count but other AFL/NFL pre merger match-ups intrigue me. I saw on another AFL site where the Raiders and Colts actually played sometime in the 67 or 68 pre season. Do you know who won that contest? I would appreciate you getting back with me when you have time. Thanks in advance. Rick M. Tomberlin Proverbs 22:29 Though they were exhibition games, those first contests between AFL and NFL opponents meant a lot to AFL fans. Sorry, I don't have any records of them. The best place to find them would be in each team's annual media guide, for 1967 through 1970. If any AFL fans out there have them, please post any AFL-NFL exhibition results here. Remember the AFL |
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| mailto:nospam.johnyrad@optonline.net 28 Park Lane Bethpage, N.Y. 11714 19 Jan 2005 13:57:11 First I'd like to thank you for putting together something that so vividly brings out the best moments of my childhood, sitting by the 19" Zenith, with the channel knob broken off, and the pair of pliers on top of the set to change the channels. The endless contortions to get the signal right, all so we could watch the "Heidi Game". The pictures of all of the football cards brought back a ton of "another Larry Grantham?" while thumbing through my prized posessions. My friends and I never could seem to get the Lance Alworth, Fred Biletnikoff, Don Maynard & Otis Taylor cards we always wanted. I'd like to submit a couple of names for the AFL Hall of Fame. First: Curt Gowdy. I can still hear him call "Hadl, deep to Alworth" like it was yesterday. Obviously, the second person is the late Al DeRogatis. My father and I enjoyed listening to them so much, we used to plan our watch schedule around whichever game they were doing. They were a big part of mine and many other childhoods of those of us growing up with the AFL. Please consider adding these 2 Voices of the AFL for enshrinement in your Hall of Fame. Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it. Curt Gowdy covered all ten years of the AFL, 1960 through 1964 on ABC-TV, and 1965 through 1969 on NBC-TV. Charlie Jones also covered all ten years, on the same networks. Al DeRogatis covered only two years of network telecasts of the AFL, 1968 and 1969; though he may have done some other local broadcasts. I have to expose my bias here: while memories of Gowdy, Jones and DeRogatis, for many AFL fans, elicit thoughts of the great games that they covered, I was always a little disappointed in them. My reason was that they never "threw it back" at the pompous CBS-TV shills that covered the NFL. AFL fans heard the NFL and their broadcasters deride, or worse, ignore, the American Football League for ten years, but Gowdy, Jones, and DeRogotis lapped it up when the leagues merged and THEY got to be "NFL broadcasters". I suppose I should be bigger than that, and it could be argued that they were simply more professional than the CBS toadies. I'll consider, if not actually inducting them, at least establishing a separate page for AFL announcers who are forever intertwined in our memories of the league that was the genesis of modern professional football. Remember the AFL |
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| From Mark Parisi: Everett, MA nospam.parisi@noblenet.org 27 Jan 2005 13:49:46 Hi: I have a question for Patriots fans out there. Who was the first radio voice of the Pats? Something tells me it was Bob Gallagher on WEEI. Am I right? Thanks, Mark Parisi |
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| From Rande: nospam.Nightfall@Insightbb.com 30 Jan 2005 03:46:59 Hi Ange, I have an answer for Jim K. [16 Jan 2005] about the kickoff of Superbowl #1, In the book THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE by Ed Gruver on page 176 first paragraph it states KC's rookie Fletcher Smith kicks off for the opening of the game. Rande... |
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| From Jack
Barry: nospam.jackbarry99@earthlink.net www.jackbarryrealtors.com 1627 Tenth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122 01 Feb 2005 11:36:17 I agree with Joe LaPlante, that Chris Berman, no matter how good he is as a broadcaster . . . , is out of place in the AFL HOF. I was at the first Pats game, a Friday night loss to Denver, and walked on the field, as the seats we were in, were out in what had been left field . . . We could look over the top barrier, out across the Charles River. Gino Cappeletti should totally be in the ["pro football"] HOF. He was a great field goal kicker, and a clutch one, at that, . . . as Babe Parilli was at q.b. . . . Jim Lee Hunt was v. good, but I thought Houston Antwine was better, and that Larry Eisenhauer was tops, as well. ++++ Bob Gallagher of WEEI was the Pats' first voice, and long time voice. ++++++++++ I had season tix thru 1968, when I moved west to S.F., where I still follow the Pats intensely, so much so . . . that I toured the new stadium in August, before the Pats' first home game, in what was then CGI Field. jack barry |
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| From Jim Yost: 01 Feb 2005 15:40:52 can you give any information Rich Jackson from the Broncos jim yost ft pierce fl If you have a question like this, e-mail me, with your return e-mail address. Please don't post it on the guest book. Remember the AFL |
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| From Mark
Gallagher: nospam.mjjgallagher@yahoo.com 05 Feb 2005 19:18:58 First of all, I tip my cap to the Coniglio family for launching such an overdue tribute to the AFL and all of its alumni and knowledgable fans. As I sit here in Providence, RI with my sleeping four-month old daughter on the eve of the Patriots fifth Super Bowl, I've become immersed in the commentary and recollections of AFL aficionados rekindling the great names and moments that ultimately made the NFL better. If it weren't for the AFL, today's NFL would probably have a million less passing yards and we'd still be raving about Green Bay's great running game. I had responded to Mark Parisi who posted a question in regards to Bob Gallagher being the first voice of the Patriots on WEEI Radio. Gallagher was indeed the original voice of the Patriots from their opening game and continued through 1967 until Joe Robbie offered Bob play-by-play duties for the Dolphins in Miami which he accepted. One footnote is that Gallagher thought very highly of Nick Buoniconti as both a player and a person and convinced Joe Robbie to pay the right money to take Nick along with him. And the rest as they say is history. My family possesses hundreds of these stories, old letters, photos and newspaper articles about the AFL because Bob Gallagher was my father. He died too young at age 48. However, such memorabilia and the wisdom of this site revive fond memories of my eventful childhood in the 60's when everyone in our home, as well as anyone who visited, was drinking the same AFL kool-aid. It's still refreshing today, particularly in the post-season. But that's until my daughter wakes up. Then I switch to beer. Hail to the Patriots! Long live the AFL. Godspeed. Mark Gallagher (Bob's fifth and final offspring) |
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| From Bob Ginther: nospam:BobGinther@msn.com 06 Feb 2005 08:32:30 Here's what the AFL did. It changed the way people looked at football players. NFL players were all big dumb brutes, or at least they were depicted that way. AFL players were small fast graceful . . . Too Small, Too Fast, and Too Graceful for the stiffs in the old NFL. The AFL also opened a lot of doors for African-Americans that never would have been open to them in the NFL. I recall Al Davis drafting Elridge Dickey as a QB out of college. That was unheard of in the NFL. Wasting a pick on a black QB! The founding of the AFL was the precursor to the changes society was going to endure in the '60s . . . my generation . . . . my League. Go Raiders. |
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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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