The American Football League Is Created

On Aug. 14, 1959, at the call of Dallas businessman Lamar Hunt, a new professional football league to be called the American Football League (AFL) was organized to begin play in 1960. 

 Charter memberships were issued to Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. Buffalo and Boston were admitted later that year. Early in 1960, Minneapolis defected to the National Football League (NFL) and Oakland was picked as a replacement city. 

The whole idea seemed so far-fetched, even after AFL teams started playing, that the eight team owners became known as the "Foolish Club."

At 9 a.m. on August 14, 1959, a group of visionary men that included Hall of Famer Lamar Hunt and Tennessee Titans Bud Adams met in the South Imperial Suite of The Conrad Hilton in Chicago, Illinois to form the American Football League.

Almost every element that makes pro football the world's most popular sport that it is today can be traced to the American Football League and the huge changes its presence eventually brought to the sport. 

By the time the fierce AFL-NFL war of the 1960s was over, the expanded National Football League of the 1970s stretched from coast-to-coast and from border to border. Fans poured into NFL stadiums in record numbers. Rapidly increasing television coverage introduced pro football to hundreds of millions of new fans on every continent.

The Super Bowl was destined to become the most watched sports spectacle in the history of the world. The AFL was viewed by the masses as a "David" matched against an unbeatable "Goliath" for almost half of its 10-year history. 

But when the "rags-to-riches" story was concluded, the AFL had achieved what no other NFL challenger had ever accomplished - equality in a new and exciting pro football world.  

The Green Bay Packers of the original NFL won the first two Super Bowls convincingly, causing many people to question if the AFL teams could compete. The very next year, the New York Jets of the AFL upset the Baltimore Colts of the NFL for the AFL's first Super Bowl Title. The Chiefs also of the AFL won the 4th Super Bowl, evening the record at 2-2.

Since the construction of the combined league, the original AFL teams have won 20 Super Bowls while original NFL teams have taken 25. Three Super Bowls have been won by teams created after the merger (the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens, twice.)

The Winner of each Super Bowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after Vince Lombardi, the great coach for the Green Bay Packers who led his team to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls. Following his death, the trophy was named prior to Super Bowl V in his honor.

NFL Announces Usage of Instant Replay

On March 11, 1986, the National Football League announces that it will begin using instant replay for the upcoming 1986-1987 season.

 

One of the original 'on-field instant replay booths' the NFL put up during the 1990s at the Metrodome in Minnesota, the former home of the Vikings.

In 1986 the technology was nowhere near what it is today, which made instant replay unpopular with players, coaches and the fans.

A few years later in 1992, the NFL decided to abandon its instant replay system but after years of complaining from several coaches, instant replay made a comeback during the 1999 season.

The newer, high definition 'on-field NFL replay booth' as seen at a San Francisco 49ers game in 2013.

Although there were still many aspects that were flawed, the ability for a coach to challenge a disputed call definitely improved the game. The current rules allow a coach to challenge two plays throughout the course of the game. If both challenges are successful a third is awarded.

Super Bowl History

January 26th has been a day where many Super Bowls were played. Here are a few that had some very interesting story lines.

On Jan. 26, 1986 Super Bowl XX (20) was played The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 46-10 in the Louisiana Superdome.

At the time, it was the most lopsided Super Bowl in history as linebacker Richard Dent was named the game's MVP.

New England jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but then Chicago's defense clamped down and the offense picked it up a notch. The Bears rattled off the next 44 points to secure their victory.

The Superdome in New Orleans is playing the host for this years Super Bowl with the 49ers and Ravens.

On Jan. 26, 1992, Super Bowl XXVI (26) was played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.,

Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins was the game's MVP as the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills by a score of 37-24. Rypien threw for 292 yards on 18-for-33 passing.

Washington had a 24-0 lead before Buffalo even scored its first points in the third quarter.

On Jan. 26, 1997, the Green Bay Packers won their first Super Bowl in the modern NFL over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (31).

Desmond Howard was the game's MVP as his 99-yard kickoff return in the third quarter sealed the game for the Packers.

The final score was 35-21 as quarterback Brett Favre beat the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe.

On Jan. 26, 2003, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders, in Super Bowl XXXVII (37).

The final score was 48-21 as the Buccaneers scored three touchdowns directly off interceptions.

Dwight Smith had two of those interceptions and Derrick Brooks had the other as Tampa Bay won their only Super Bowl title in their only appearance in the Super Bowl to this point.

Immaculate Reception

On Dec. 13, 1972, one of the most exciting plays in NFL history happened between the Raiders and Steelers, the Immaculate Reception.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game Dec. 23, 1972. The Steelers had won nine of their last 10 games. Oakland came in with a six-game winning streak.

With 22 seconds left in the game, the Steelers had a fourth-and-10 on their own 40-yard line down 7-6. Terry Bradshaw scrambled out of the pocket, was nearly sacked twice before letting a 30-yard pass fly to running back John Fuqua. The ball deflected off of defender Jack Tatum and Fuqua and was knocked towards the line of scrimmage about 15 yards. There, Franco Harris scooped up the ball and ran 40-yards to the end zone untouched.

The remarkable comeback was complete as the Steelers beat the Raiders 13-7.

Neither team played well and the Steelers actually had a 6-0 lead before Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler scampered for 30-yards in the fourth quarter for the only score for the Raiders. The seven-point total was the lowest of the season for Oakland.

Pittsburgh lost the AFC Championship to the Miami Dolphins a week later. The Dolphins went on to have the only undefeated season in modern football. Had the Raiders played Miami, the outcome might have been different for the Dolphins.

The New England Patriots would try to recreate the undefeated season with a longer, 16-game schedule in 2007. However, the Patriots would eventually lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Since 2007 no team has come close to have an undefeated season, as no team has gone 16-0 into the playoffs.

Payton Sets NFL Record

On Nov. 20, 1977, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game with 275 Nov. 20, 1977. Payton scored the lone touchdown for the Chicago Bears en route to a 10-7 victory over their division rival the Minnesota Vikings.

ESPN reports his record is now fifth all-time as his record stood for 23 years.

The Vikings went on to lose in the NFC Championship game. Payton ran for his record while he was sick and battled the flu. Payton broke O.J. Simpson's record by two yards.

The current mark is 296 yards in one game set by Adrian Peterson playing for the Vikings Nov. 4, 2007.

Peterson’s record breaking 296-yards in a single game were only one-yard more than the record Jamal Lewis set rushing for the Baltimore Ravens against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 14, 2003.

Since Peterson broke the single game rushing record, several backs have eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark for a single game, and have come close to breaking Peterson’s record but none have done it.

Here are the list of backs in chronological order to get close to breaking the single-game rushing record:

Jerome Harrison at 26-years old ran for 286-yards for the Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs, on Dec. 20 2009. Harrison’s effort was good for third all-time.

Jamaal Charles at 23-years old ran for 259-yards for the  Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, on  Jan. 3, 2010. Charles’ effort was good for eighth all-time.

DeMarco Murray at 23-years old ran for 253-yards for the  Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams, on Oct. 23, 2011 . Murray’s effort was good for ninth all-time.

Last year the “Muscle Hamster” Doug Martin at 23-years old ran for 251-yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders, on Nov. 4, 2012. Martin’s effort against the Raiders put him in the top 10 all-time tied with Mike Anderson’s 251-yard rushing game with the Denver Broncos vs. New Orleans Saints on Dec. 3, 2000.

The "Heidi" Game

On Nov. 17, 1968, one of the worst moments in sports broadcasting took place. 

The New York Jets were facing the Oakland Raiders in an AFL battle. The Jets held a 42-29 lead against the Raiders and seemed to be in good shape.

However, NBC made the controversial decision to switch off the game in the final minutes and start showing "Heidi" instead.

What fans on the east coast missed was an exciting comeback by the Raiders. They scored two touchdowns in the last minute to win the game 43-42.

This game would lead to new measures to make sure nothing like this would happen again.

In the late 1960s, few professional football games took longer than two and a half hours to play, and the Jets–Raiders three-hour time slot was thought to be adequate. A high-scoring contest, together with a number of injuries and penalties for the two bitter American Football League rivals, caused the game to run long. NBC executives had ordered that Heidi must begin on time, but given the exciting game, they decided to postpone the start of the film and continue football coverage. As 7 p.m. approached, many members of the public called NBC to inquire about the schedule, to complain or opine, jamming NBC's switchboards.

As NBC executives were trying to call the same switchboards to implement their decision, the change could not be communicated, and Heidi began as scheduled. The movie preempted the final moments of the game in the eastern half of the country, to the outrage of viewers who missed two Oakland touchdowns that turned the game around.

The Heidi Game led to a change in the way professional football is shown on network television; games are shown to their conclusion before evening programming begins. To ensure that network personnel could communicate under similar circumstances, special telephones (dubbed "Heidi phones") were installed, with a connection to a different telephone exchange from other network phones. In 1997, the Heidi Game was voted the most memorable regular season game in pro football history.

Dempsey Sets NFL Field Goal Record

On Nov. 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints set a new NFL mark by kicking a 63-yard field goal. 

To make the kick even more exciting, Dempsey hit it in the fourth quarter to give the Saints a 19-17 win over the Detroit Lions. Dempsey also had no ties on his right foot.

A strange fact about Dempsey was that he had a deformed kicking foot, it was shaped like a club and he would kick the ball straight on. 

Compared to now, as kickers do more of a soccer style kick, with the inside of their foot.

  

Since Dempsey’s record setting kick, Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos tied it in 1998 in the snow in Denver against the Jacksonville Jaguars; Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders did it in 2011 against the Broncos in Denver; and David Akers of the San Francisco 49ers did it last year against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau field, as the ball bounced off the cross bar and thru the uprights.

The only lefty to have reached the record is Janikowski, who also kicked a 61-yard field goal in 2009 against the Browns, and is the only person to have two or more field goals of 60 plus yards in his career.

Foles' Eagles Fly By Raiders

OALAND, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders were looking to get back to the .500 mark with a win on Sunday over the Michael Vick-less Philadelphia Eagles. However, the Raiders second consecutive week against a franchise from Pennsylvania would look much different than their first week, when they edged out the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Raiders would get behind early as former Arizona Wildcat, and current backup quarterback for the Eagles, Nick Foles would have an impressive day. Foles would light up the Raiders secondary in the first quarter to the tune of a 21-3 lead, with three passing touchdowns, two on back-to-back plays to Riley Cooper, in which the Raiders first round draft pick DJ Hayden was burned both times.

The Raiders did have opportunities to pull closer to the Eagles, with a 66-yard pass from Terrelle Pryor to Rod Streater on their second drive, posting up a first and goal down just 7-0, but the offense would stall in the red zone and would settle for a Sebastian Janikowski field goal.

But settling for field goals wasn’t the worst of what the Raiders offense had in store for its fans on Sunday. Running back Darren McFadden would once again hit the sideline with an injury, a hamstring issue, and would not return to the game, making Rashad Jennings, once again the workhorse to the carry the load.

Jennings would have a decent day, carrying the ball 15 times for 102 yards and a score, but most of those came late in the game once the Eagles were up big.

After Jennings score, the Raiders were down 21-10, but the Eagles offense kept on pushing as Foles would hit another former Pac-12 product in former Stanford tight end Zach Ertz for his fourth touchdown of the game.

The Raiders would settle for another field goal late in the first half to pull within 15 at 28-13, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the game.

The second half started and it was the Eagles who go the ball rolling quickly, not the Raiders. Foles continued to impress as he tossed three more touchdowns in the second half, one of which was a 46-yard pass to former Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson, on a play in which Raiders defensive back Mike Jenkins was also called for defensive holding.

Foles seven touchdown passes on the day tied an NFL record, that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning also reached this year in week one of the season. Foles now joins George Blanda, Sid Luckman, Y.A. Tittle, Joe Kapp and the previously mentioned Manning in the seven-touchdown club.

"A couple people came up to me and said that I tied the record with seven touchdowns," said Nick Foles. "It's a great honor. Hats off to our guys for doing a great job."

Just to put this in perspective, the Jacksonville Jaguars through eight games in the 2013-2014 campaign have scored seven touchdowns on offense all season, and those seven touchdowns are more than the Raiders have accounted for through the passing game all year as well.

"When a quarterback has seven touchdowns, we have to sit there and take that personal," said Tracy Porter. "We can't give a guy seven touchdowns in a game, let alone put up 49 points on us. It was flat-out embarrassing that we allowed that to happen."

Down 48-13 the Raiders struggled to get anything going, as they were held without a score in the third quarter.

Then it was time for the backups, as both teams brought in their back up quarterbacks. For the Eagles it was another Pac-12 product in former USC rookie quarterback Matt Barkley, and for the Raiders it was a Penn State rookie, Matt McGloin.

While Barkley would only complete one pass, McGloin would lead the Raiders to s score, albeit in garbage time. The score for the Raiders came on a Jeremy Stewart rush up the middle for two-yards after McGloin had moved the offense 71-yards.

The final score was 48-20 in favor of the Eagles as the Raiders drop to 3-5, and the Eagles raise their record to 4-5 on the season.

"It's embarrassing," said Pryor. "I hate losing. It's not acceptable to me and I don't like it. All the guys in here agree with me. We have to do something about it instead of tanking it."

The next game for the Raiders comes on the road as they travel to face their second NFC East opponent in as many weeks as the New York Giants (2-6) open their doors to host the silver and black.

The matchup will be the twelfth between the two teams, and the Raiders first game in the new MetLife Stadium. The Raiders lead the all-time matchup 7-4, however the Giants have won the last two meetings in 2005 in Oakland and 2009 in New Jersey.

The game is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10 with a 10 a.m. kickoff.

Raiders End Bye Week Drought In Win Over Steelers

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry goes back several decades, and it was reignited Sunday, Oct. 27 when the Silver and Black hosted the Black and Yellow to a matinee kickoff at the O.Co Coliseum.

Right from the get go the game was exciting as on the first play of scrimmage, Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor busted off a 93-yards quarterback option run for a touchdown. Giving the Raiders an early 7-0 lead after Sebastian Janikowski added on the extra point.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy - Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor broke NFL history on Sunday, Oct. 27 rushing for a 93-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. Pryor's play broke the NFL record for longest rush by a quarterback.

"I was very surprised, because it's never open like that," Pryor said. "Very surprised. But with the game plan, the way they put things together, it doesn't surprise me that sometimes it may happen like that."

"You have to understand the beast that's playing quarterback," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. "You have to understand what he brings to the game and that that's a part of their game and that they can do that. Once a guy like that gets in front of the whole defense, he's a legit 4.4. It's real. It just looks slow because he's 6-6, but he was moving."

The run by Pryor was the longest in Raiders franchise history and longest quarterback run in NFL history.

The Raiders offense would continue to pour it on against the Steelers as Darren McFadden tacked on a touchdown to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Steelers would put their first points of the game on the board with a Shaun Suisham field goal to start the second quarter. But the Raiders would answer that with their third touchdown of the game, a direct snap to McFadden in which he opted to run for the touchdown although he was looking for Pryor in the end zone.

The Raiders 21-3 lead would hold into the half as Suisham missed the first of two errant field goals on the day.

The second half saw the Raiders defense step up and get to Ben Rothelisberger several times, as they hit Big Ben five times separate times for sacks.

"We are becoming a football team," said Charles Woodson. "I think we have some good players that have been assembled on this team, and we're learning how to play together. We're learning each other and what each other's strengths and weaknesses are. We're just making some plays out there."

The Steelers would miss out another field goal attempt in the third quarter as Suisham missed another kick wide right with 5:49 to play in the third quarter. But the Steelers would make a game of it over the final 20 minutes.

The fourth quarter saw the Steelers punch in two touchdowns, the first on a short pass from Rothelisberger to Emmanuel Sanders, and the second on a Le’Veon Bell touchdown run with 1:27 left to play. Down 21-16 the Steelers would opt to go for the two-point conversion to pull within three points, and they were successful as Sanders rushed it in for the conversion, putting the score at 21-18.

The Steelers luck would run out though as they were not able to convert on the onside kick attempt as the Raiders ran down the majority of the clock, giving just 18 seconds to the Steelers to make a hail mary pass from their own three-yard line.

Rothelisberger would hit his favorite target on the day in Sanders, but he was well short of the end zone being tackled for a 33-yard gain.

The final score was 21-16 in favor of the Raiders, making it their first win after a bye week in ten seasons. The win also improves their record to 3-4 on the season.

The Raiders next game on the schedule comes at home as they face their second opponent from Pennsylvania in as many weeks when they host the  Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) on Nov. 3. Kick off is scheduled for 1:25 p.m.

Monk Begins Reception Streak

On Oct. 2, 1983, Hall of Fame wide receiver Art Monk begins his streak of catching one reception in at least 180 games in a row. Monk was the first player to mark this feat.

With all the receptions Monk was bringing in during his career he was able to eclipse several records including, the first wide receiver to record over 100 plus receptions in a season since the Super Bowl era. Monk was also the first player to record over 90 catches and 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons. He was also the first player to record over 15 touchdowns in a season.

Monk also put up some big time career stats, he was the first receiver to catch over 820 passes in a career, and the first player to record over 900 receptions in a career, he finished with 940 receptions. The record for most receptions was broken 11 times since Monk retired in 1997.

Most notably by two San Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice (1,549), Terrell Owens (1,078) and one Oakland Raider, Tim Brown (1,094).

Monk was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and a three-time Super Bowl Champion. He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and one of the 70 greatest Redskins of all-time, Monk’s number 81 jersey was retired by the Redskins shortly after his retirement. Monk was inducted into the Canton the NFL Hall of Fame in 2008.

Raiders Blow Early Lead In Loss To Redskins

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders looked to get back to .500 with a win over the struggling Washington Redskins on Sunday, Sept. 29, when they jumped out to an early 14-0 lead behind a blocked punt touchdown and Matt Flynn’s first touchdown pass of the year, an 18-yard pass to rookie tight end Mychal Rivera in the first quarter.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy
Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn only managed one touchdown in his first start with the Raiders this  season on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 against the Washington Redskins.

But it was all down hill for the Raiders after the early lead, as the Raiders gave up 24 unanswered points falling to 1-3 on the season and now just 1-1 at home.

"What we did when we were down 14-0, and that's what we've got to do the rest of the season," said Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

TOD FIERNER / Courtesy
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III helped his team to their first win on the 2013 season on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 over the Oakland Raiders.

For the silver and black, missing quarterback Terrelle Pryor was just the tip of the injury plagued iceberg for the Raiders, who would also be without the services of starting running back and full back Darren McFadden and Marcell Reece, who both left the game before the half, McFadden on the first offensive play from scrimmage with an apparent hamstring injury.

Without their best offensive weapons, and an offensive line that has been struggling, Flynn did not look at ease in the pocket, which collapsed on him several times as he was sacked seven-times in the game.

"I didn't think I wasn't seeing the field well,” said Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn.

"We needed that so bad," said Redskins defensive lineman Ryan Kerrigan. "It really feels good. Seven was kind of the magic number today - we give up only seven points, we have seven sacks, scored seven points on defense. Great feeling right now."

McFadden’s backup, Rashad Jennings, quietly came in and put up 45-yards on 15 carries, but it was masked, as the Raiders were not able to get back into the game, which saw them drop to a previously 0-3 team.

"That one hurt, said Raiders Head Coach Dennis Allen. "I felt the way we were able to start out the game, getting to 14-0, but then we let them back in the game. Give them credit, they continued to fight. But we didn't do enough to win the football game.”

If Pryor is hurt again come Sunday when the Raiders host the divisional rival San Diego Chargers, Flynn might not get a chance at quarterback with Matt McGloin already being named in conversations for starting quarterback, should Pryor be out for any amount of time.

Bay Area and San Ramon Valley High School product Roy Helu Jr. rushed for his first touchdown of the season, a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter giving the Redskins their second win on the road, after being down 14 points in the first quarter since 1991.

The Raiders next game comes on Sunday, Oct. 6, against the San Diego Chargers. The game is at the O.Co Coliseum. Kick off is TBA.

Raiders Run By Jaguars In Home Opener

Tod Fierner / Courtesy – Former Oakland Raiders linebacker and actor in several movies including Rocky Carl Weathers (back left) poses with the Hern Family before Aaron (front left) handed the game ball to Weathers.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Before the Oakland Raiders would kick off their home opener for the 2013-2014 NFL season, they gave one Martinez resident the game ball to hand off to officials. That one Martinez resident was Aaron Hern, who was hurt in the Boston Marathon bombing. Hern attended, what would be the Raiders first win, a 19-9 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.



The Raiders were headed by running back Darren McFadden who had quite an impressive performance with 129 yards rushing and one touchdown on 19 touches. He also caught four passes from Terelle Pryor for 28 yards.

Tod Fierner / Courtesy – Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden provided most of the offense for the silver and black, and their only touchdown against Jacksonville.

The Raiders offense was simple by design in their week two performance. They ran 34 rushing plays against only 24 passing plays, for a total of 340 offensive yards, 226 which of came on the ground.

The Raiders defense, which only allowed 248-yards was aided in part by an injury to former De La Salle standout Maurice Jones-Drew, who was injured near the end of the first half with an ankle injury. In Jones-Drew’s last appearance at the O.Co Coliseum last year, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season after being injured by the silver and black defense.

"I think our defense is stepping up,” said Head Coach Dennis Allen.

However, the Raiders defense had their own injury problems as Tyvon Branch was helped off the field in the first quarter, in what appeared to be a quite serious leg injury.

"That looks to be a significant injury," said Coach Allen. "We'll find out more later."

Branch is the Raiders highest paid player for the current season making 9.5 million dollars this year, and is one of just two returning starting defensive players from last years squad. The other, defensive lineman Lamarr Houston.

Branch was replaced by Usama Young and Brandian Ross to play along side of Charles Woodson as the Raiders two safety positions.

The Raiders also saw an injury to Lucas Nix, who injured his ankle. Nix was replaced by Andre Gurode.

Despite the injuries the Raiders were able to hold off the Jaguars and earn there first victory of the season, with 13 of their 19 points coming from the leg of Sebastian Janikowski.

Tod Fierner / Courtesy – Oakland Raiders Sebastian Janikowski was 4-5 on field goal attempts in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013.

"It's one win. There's bigger fish out there," said Charles Woodson. "It looks like Denver put up a lot of points again, so we've got to get over this one."

The Raiders next matchup takes them a mile high when they travel the Denver to take on the Broncos on Monday Night Football.

The game is scheduled for a 5:40 p.m. kickoff.