# 1961 Dallas Texans season

The 1961 Dallas Texans season was the 2nd season for the Dallas Texans as a professional AFL franchise; They finished the season with a 6–8 record and second-place finish in the AFL Western Conference.
The club moved its training camp to Lamar Hunt's alma mater of Southern Methodist University and started the regular season at 3–1 before hitting a six-game losing skid, the longest such streak of head coach Hank Stram's tenure with the franchise. One of those losses was a 28–21 decision in a Friday night contest at Boston (11/3) which featured a bizarre ending as a raincoat-clad fan knocked down a potential game-tying TD from Cotton Davidson to Chris Burford on the game's final play. The team rebounded to claim wins in three of its final four contests to finish 6–8, marking the club's second straight finish behind the Chargers in the AFL West standings.

## Draft

| Round | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | E.J. HolubE.J. Holub $^1$ | Center | Texas Tech |
| 2 | Bob LillyBob Lilly | Tackle | TCU |
| 3 | Jim TyrerJim Tyrer $^{1,2}$ | Tackle | Ohio State |
| 4 | Claude MoormanClaude Moorman | Offensive End | Duke |
| 5 | Jerry MaysJerry Mays $^{1,2}$ | Tackle | Southern Methodist |
| 7 | Fred ArbanasFred Arbanas $^{1,2}$ | Offensive End | Michigan State |
| 8 | John O'DayJohn O'Day | Tackle | Miami |
| 9 | Dick MillsDick Mills | Tackle | Pittsburgh |
| 10 | Jerry DanielsJerry Daniels | Tackle | Mississippi |
| 11 | Marvin TibbetsMarvin Tibbets | Halfback | Georgia Tech |
| 12 | Paul HynesPaul Hynes | Halfback | Louisiana Tech |
| 13 | Glynn GregoryGlynn Gregory | Halfback | Southern Methodist |
| 14 | Curtis McClintonCurtis McClinton $^{1,3}$ | Halfback | Kansas |
| 15 | Ed NuttingEd Nutting | Tackle | Georgia Tech |
| 15 | Roy Lee RamboRoy Lee Rambo | Guard | TCU |
| 16 | Aaron ThomasAaron Thomas | Offensive End | Oregon State |
| 17 | Jarrell WilliamsJarrell Williams | Halfback | Arkansas |
| 18 | Ron HartlineRon Hartline | Fullback | Oklahoma |
| 19 | Frank JacksonFrank Jackson | Halfback | Southern Methodist |
| 20 | Bob LaneBob Lane | Offensive End | Baylor |
| 21 | Dick ThorntonDick Thornton | Quarterback | Northwestern |
| 22 | Ed SharockmanEd Sharockman | Halfback | Pittsburgh |
| 23 | Lou ZivkovichLou Zivkovich | Tackle | New Mexico State |
| 24 | Pat DyePat Dye | Guard | Georgia |
| 25 | Ray RamseyRay Ramsey | Quarterback | Adams State |
| 26 | Danny HouseDanny House | Halfback | Davidson |
| 27 | Bob SchloredtBob Schloredt | Quarterback | Washington |
| 28 | Bill StineBill Stine | Guard | Michigan |
| 29 | Lonnie CaddellLonnie Caddell | Fullback | Rice |
| 30 | Cedric PriceCedric Price | Offensive End | Kansas State |

## Preseason

The Texans began the preseason with four consecutive victories before falling in the final exhibition game in San Diego.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 5 | New York Titans | W 39–28 | 1-0 | Cotton Bowl | Not reported |
| 2 | August 12 | Denver Broncos | W 31-13 | 2-0 | Midland, Tx | 10,000 |
| 3 | August 18 | at Buffalo Bills | W 35-26 | 3–0 | Boston University Field | 11,166 |
| 4 | August 25 | Denver Broncos | W 29-27 | 4-0 | Farrington Field (Fort Worth, TX) | 21,700 |
| 5 | September 3 | San Diego | L 10-31 | 4-1 | Balboa Stadium | 15,232 |

## Regular season

The Texans fell from contention after dropping six straight games in mid-season.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 10–26 | 0–1 | Cotton Bowl | 24,500 | Recap |
| 2 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 3 | September 24 | at Oakland Raiders | W 42–35 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 6,700 | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | Houston Oilers | W 26–21 | 2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 28,000 | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | at Denver Broncos | W 19–12 | 3–1 | Bears Stadium | 14,500 | Recap |
| 6 | October 15 | at Buffalo Bills | L 24–27 | 3–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 20,678 | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | at Houston Oilers | L 7–38 | 3–3 | Jeppesen Stadium | 23,228 | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | Boston Patriots | L 17–18 | 3–4 | Cotton Bowl | 20,500 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | at Boston Patriots | L 21–28 | 3–5 | Boston University Field | 25,063 | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 20–30 | 3–6 | Cotton Bowl | 15,000 | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–24 | 3–7 | Balboa Stadium | 33,788 | Recap |
| 12 | November 26 | Oakland Raiders | W 43–11 | 4–7 | Cotton Bowl | 14,500 | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | at New York Titans | L 7–28 | 4–8 | Polo Grounds | 14,117 | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | Denver Broncos | W 49–21 | 5–8 | Cotton Bowl | 8,000 | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | New York Titans | W 35–24 | 6–8 | Cotton Bowl | 12,500 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

## Standings

AFL Western Division :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK |
| San Diego Chargers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–0 | 396 | 219 | L1 |
| Dallas Texans | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–2 | 334 | 343 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–5 | 251 | 432 | L7 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–5 | 237 | 458 | L6 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.