# 1961 Houston Oilers season

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was the second season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; For the second consecutive season, the Oilers scored a triumph in the AFL championship game over the San Diego Chargers (12–2), the Western Division champions.
The Oilers started slowly in 1961, with a 1–3–1 record. After a tie on October 13 with the Boston Patriots, head coach Lou Rymkus was fired by owner Bud Adams. Wally Lemm was hired, and the team went undefeated for the remainder of the season, including the championship game, a winning streak of ten games.
The Oilers set the AFL record for points scored in 1961, with 513 (36.6 points per game). They also set an American Football League record with a +271 point differential, by allowing only 242 points. The 1961 Oilers are the only team in AFL or NFL history to score 45 points or more six times in a single season.

## Offseason

On January 14, end Willard Dewveall played out his option with the Chicago Bears of the NFL and joined the Oilers. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another. Dewveall was the only one to move between leagues for five years, until placekicker Pete Gogolak moved from the Buffalo Bills to the New York Giants of the NFL in 1966.

### AFL Draft

* Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)
| Round | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | Mike DitkaMike Ditka | Offensive End | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | Tom GoodeTom Goode | Center | Mississippi State |
| 3 | Walter SuggsWalter Suggs $^1$ | Tackle | Mississippi State |
| 4 | Bobby WaldenBobby Walden | Halfback | Georgia |
| 5 | Monte LeeMonte Lee | Linebacker | Texas |
| 6 | Jake GibbsJake Gibbs | Quarterback | Mississippi |
| 7 | Dick ReynoldsDick Reynolds | Tackle | North Carolina State |
| 8 | Houston AntwineHouston Antwine $^{1,2}$ | Guard | Southern Illinois |
| 9 | Ralph WhiteRalph White | Tackle | Bowling Green |
| 10 | Charles LeeCharles Lee | Center | Iowa |
| 11 | Robert BirdRobert Bird | Guard | Bowling Green |
| 12 | Bob McLeodBob McLeod | Offensive End | Abilene Christian |
| 13 | Gerald HintonGerald Hinton | Guard | Louisiana Tech |
| 14 | Jimmy KingJimmy King | Tackle | Clemson |
| 15 | Dennis FerriterDennis Ferriter | Center | Marquette |
| 16 | Larry WoodLarry Wood | Halfback | Northwestern |
| 17 | Sam FewellSam Fewell | Tackle | South Carolina |
| 18 | Mike GrimsleyMike Grimsley | Halfback | Michigan State |
| 19 | Myron PearsonMyron Pearson | Halfback | Colorado |
| 20 | Lewis JohnsonLewis Johnson | Halfback | Florida A&M |
| 21 | Ron MillerRon Miller | Quarterback | Wisconsin |
| 22 | Bob KellyBob Kelly | Offensive End | New Mexico State |
| 23 | James AndersonJames Anderson | Fullback | Mississippi |
| 24 | Ken GregoryKen Gregory | Offensive End | Whittier |
| 25 | Jack KreiderJack Kreider | Halfback | Tulsa |
| 26 | Don FuellDon Fuell | Quarterback | Mississippi Southern |
| 27 | Boyd KingBoyd King | Center | Rice |
| 28 | John FrongilloJohn Frongillo | Center | Baylor |
| 29 | Tom LewisTom Lewis | Offensive End | Wake Forest |
| 29 | Errol LindenErrol Linden | Defensive end | Houston |
| 30 | Jim StroudJim Stroud | Tackle | Rice |

## Standings

AFL Eastern Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 4–1–1 | 513 | 242 | W9 |
| Boston Patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 2–3–1 | 413 | 313 | W4 |
| New York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 301 | 390 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 294 | 342 | L1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

### Season schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
| 1 | September 9 | Oakland Raiders | W 55–0 | 1–0 | Jeppesen Stadium | 16,231 | Recap |
| 2 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 3 | September 24 | at San Diego Chargers | L 24–34 | 1–1 | Balboa Stadium | 29,210 | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at Dallas Texans | L 21–26 | 1–2 | Cotton Bowl | 28,000 | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | Buffalo Bills | L 12–22 | 1–3 | Jeppesen Stadium | 22,761 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | at Boston Patriots | T 31–31 | 1–3–1 | Boston University Field | 15,070 | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | Dallas Texans | W 38–7 | 2–3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 21,237 | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Buffalo Bills | W 28–16 | 3–3–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 23,228 | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | at Denver Broncos | W 55–14 | 4–3–1 | Bears Stadium | 11,564 | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | Boston Patriots | W 27–15 | 5–3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 35,649 | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | New York Titans | W 49–13 | 6–3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 33,428 | Recap |
| 12 | November 26 | Denver Broncos | W 45–14 | 7–3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 27,864 | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | San Diego Chargers | W 33–13 | 8–3–1 | Jeppesen Stadium | 37,845 | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | at New York Titans | W 48–21 | 9–3–1 | Polo Grounds | 9,462 | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at Oakland Raiders | W 47–16 | 10–3–1 | Candlestick Park | 4,821 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Roster
## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| Championship | December 24 | San Diego Chargers | W 10–3 | Balboa Stadium | 29,556 | Recap |

### AFL Championship Game

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3
    December 24, 1961, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California Attendance: 29,556
Scoring
* HOU – Field goal George Blanda 46
* HOU – Billy Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
* SD – Field goal Blair 12