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Home , 1958 Pro Bowl, 1961 Pro Bowl, 1962 Pro Bowl, AFC Championship Game, AFC West, Air Coryell

BY JOHN WALTERS THE CHILD’S WORLD® INSIDECHANHASSEN, THE NFL THE BRONCOS, THE CITY CHIEFS, THE OAKLAND RAIDERS, AND THE CHARGERS INSIDE THE NFL AFC WEST: The , the , the Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers

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Copyright © 2004 by The Child’s World®. All rights reserved. No part of the book may be repro- duced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Walters, John (John Andrew) AFC West: the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers / by John Walters. p. cm. — (The Child's World of sports. Inside the NFL) Summary: Introduces the four teams that form the ’s AFC West conference. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 1-59296-028-6 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. National Football League—History—Juvenile literature. [1. National Football League—History. 2. Football—History.] I. Title. II. Series. GV955.5.N35W34 2004 796.332'06'0973—dc21 2003012947 T ABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction, 4

CHAPTER ONE THE DENVER BRONCOS, 6

CHAPTER TWO THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 15 ####

CHAPTER THREE THE OAKLAND RAIDERS, 24

CHAPTER FOUR THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, 33 ####

Stat Stuff, 42 Glossary, 45 Time Line, 46 For More Information about the AFC West and the NFL, 47 Index, 48

#### INTRODUCTION

DENVER BRONCOS Year Founded: 1960 he roots of the AFC ( : Invesco Field at Conference) West can be traced to 1958 Mile High T and to future Kansas City Chiefs owner Year Stadium Opened: 2001 . A wealthy 26-year-old business- Team Colors: and man, Hunt hoped to purchase the Cardinals (now the Cardinals) and relocate them to . The National Football League (NFL) didn’t let him, however. Hunt then attempted to persuade the NFL to put an in Dallas (the Cowboys did not yet exist). Again, he was denied. Frustrated, Hunt formed his own league, the (AFL), with seven other owners. Hunt and his cohorts called themselves “The ” because other rival leagues to the NFL had come and gone. But in 1960, the AFL began a successful 10-year run. The four teams that today make up the AFC West—the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers—were then the AFL’s KANSAS CITY Western Conference, although you might not recog- CHIEFS Year Founded: 1960 nize those franchises today. Home Stadium: The San Diego Chargers were then the Los Year Stadium Angeles Chargers. The Kansas City Chiefs were the Opened: 1972 Dallas Texans. The Broncos played in Denver, but Team Colors: Red and

4 OAKLAND RAIDERS were outfitted in ugly brown-and-yellow uniforms Year Founded: 1960 Home Stadium: with vertical-striped socks! The Oakland Raiders Network Associates played across the Bay in Kezar Coliseum Year Stadium Stadium. Opened: 1966 Team Colors: Thanks in part to the wild, wild AFL West, Silver and black Hunt’s league flourished. In 1970, the AFL West became the AFC West after the NFL-AFL merger formed the American and National Football Con- ferences. The , an expansion team, joined the AFC West in 1976, but moved to the NFC Central the next year. The Sea- hawks joined the AFC West in 1977 and resided there until 2002, when the NFL realigned from six to eight divisions and Seattle migrated to the NFC West. The Raiders moved to from 1982 to 1994, but are now back in Oakland. AFC West teams have been to the 13 times, winning six. More than that, though, this has provided some of the most outrageous and incredible moments in pro football history. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Inside, you’ll read about the “Heidi Game,” the Year Founded: 1960 NFL’s longest game, the “,” Home Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium and “,” just to name a few. Year Stadium Opened: 1967 Team Colors: Blue and gold

5 CHAPTER ONE

THE DENVER BRONCOS

f the Denver Broncos had any horseshoes I for good luck, they were all pointed in the wrong direction in the franchise’s early years. Denver won the first AFL game ever played, beating the Patriots 13–10 on September 9, 1960. However, the Broncos would not have a win- ning until 1973 and would not make the until 1977. Denver began play in chocolate-colored jerseys with gold helmets and pants. They wore socks with vertical stripes. After going 4–9–1 and 3–11 their first two seasons, the Broncos fired coach . The new coach, , destroyed Denver’s striped socks at a public bonfire and ordered burnt-orange jerseys. The manufacturer delivered bright-orange jerseys by mistake. Wearing bright orange, Denver finished in last place in the AFL West each of the next five years. In the 1966 season-opener, a 45–7 loss to the Oilers, the Broncos failed to make a single first

6 was the Broncos’ first star player. . In 1968, Denver moved into newly enlarged and renamed , which would pro- vide a huge home-field advantage over the next three earned decades. In 1970, halfback Floyd Little, the fran- the nickname chise’s first bona fide star, led the AFC in rushing “Captain ” with 901 yards. Denver won four of its first five by leading the games that year but finished just 5–8–1. Their bad Broncos on 47 come- luck continued for another six years. from-behind, fourth- The Broncos’ fortunes changed in 1977, howev- quarter drives dur- er. , the 26th starting in ing his career.

7 Ed (Wahoo)

McDaniel was a THE DENVER BRONCOS for the Broncos from 1961 franchise history, led Denver to a 12–2 season. to 1963. After his Finally, the Broncos were in the playoffs. Denver’s NFL playing career vaunted “Orange Crush” defense featured All-Pros ended in 1968, he , Rubin Carter, , and went on to greater Tom Jackson. fame as a profes- On Christmas Eve at Mile High Stadium, the sional wrestler. Broncos won their first playoff game, humbling the

The Raiders (in white) knocked off Denver in the 1977 AFC title game.

8 THE DENVER BRONCOS

Pittsburgh Steelers, 34–21. A week later, the Broncos edged the defending Super Bowl-champion Oakland Raiders, 20–17, earning a berth in Super Bowl XII. ’s team needed to play its best game to beat Dallas in the Super Bowl. Instead, the Broncos played their worst. Denver committed eight turnovers and lost 27–10. In 1981, was hired as head coach. Two years later, the Broncos made the biggest trade in franchise his- Dan Reeves coached the Broncos to three AFC .

9 STAT STUFF

AFC WEST CAREER LEADERS (THROUGH 2002)

DENVER OAKLAND Name Name Category (Years with Team) Total Category (Years with Team) Total

Rushing yards (1995–2002) 7,607 Rushing yards (1982–1992) 8,545

Passing yards John Elway (1983–1998) 51,475 Passing yards (1970–79) 19,078

Touchdown passes John Elway (1983–1998) 300 passes Ken Stabler (1970–79) 150

Receptions (1990–99, 2002) 613 Receptions Tim Brown (1988–2002) 1,018

Touchdowns Terrell Davis (1995–2002) 65 Tim Brown (1988–2002) 102

Scoring (1993–2002) 1,193 Scoring (1967–1975) 863

KANSAS CITY S AN DIEGO Name Name Category (Years with Team) Total Category (Years with Team) Total

Rushing yards (1987–1992) 4,897 Rushing yards (1960–67) 4,963

Passing yards (1962–1975) 28,507 Passing yards (1973–1987) 43,040

Touchdown passes Len Dawson (1962–1975) 237 Touchdown passes Dan Fouts (1973–1987) 254

Receptions Henry Marshall (1976–1987) 416 Receptions (1976–1986) 586

Touchdowns Otis Taylor (1965–1975) 60 Touchdowns (1962–1970) 83

Scoring (1980–1993) 1,466 Scoring John Carney (1990–2000) 1,076

44 GLOSSARY

bona fide—authentic or genuine; real catalyst—the person or thing that instigates change cornerstone—a vital or fundamental part of something expansion team—a new franchise that starts from scratch inaugural—the first one magnate—a powerful or influential businessperson sacked—when a quarterback is tackled behind the while attempting to pass

Super Bowl—the NFL’s annual game, played in late January or early February at a different stadium each year turnovers—when teams give up possession of the ball by throwing or losing waivers—when teams give up their rights to players, allowing other teams to sign them

45 TIME LINE

1960 The Dallas Texans, Denver Broncos, , and Oakland Raiders become charter members of the American Football League

1961 The Chargers move their franchise to San Diego

1963 The Texans move to Kansas City and become the Chiefs

1963 San Diego wins its first, and only, league championship

1966 Kansas City wins the AFL title and plays in the first Super Bowl

1969 The Chiefs win the last Super Bowl before the AFL-NFL merger, beating Minnesota

1976 The Raiders beat the Vikings for the first of the franchise’s three Super Bowl victories

1977 Denver makes the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but loses Super Bowl XII to Dallas

1982 Oakland shifts its franchise to Los Angeles

1994 San Diego reaches the Super Bowl for the first time, but loses game XXIX to San Francisco

1995 The Raiders move back to Oakland

1997 After four losses in the Super Bowl, the Broncos win the first of back- to-back titles

46 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE AFC WEST AND THE NFL

BOOKS

Buckley, James Jr., and . America’s Greatest Game. : Hyperion Books for Children, 1998.

Elway, John. Comeback Kid. Dallas: Taylor Publishing, 1997.

Nelson, Julie, and Loren Stanley. Kansas City Chiefs. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education, 2000.

Nelson, Julie, and Loren Stanley. San Diego Chargers. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education, 2000.

ON THE WEB

Visit our home page for lots of links about the AFC West: http://www.childsworld.com/links.html Note to Parents, Teachers, and Librarians: We routinely verify our Web links to make sure they are safe, active sites—so encourage your readers to check them out!

47 INDEX

AFC Championship Game, 13, Davis, Al, 24, 25, 30 Lamonica, Daryle, 25 , 13, 40 28, 38 Davis, Terrell, 13 Lanier, Willie, 17 Schottenheimer, Marty, 22 AFL Championship Game, 15, Dawson, Len, 15 Little, Floyd, 7 , 5 16–17, 18, 34 Denver Broncos, 4, 5, 6–10, Los Angeles Chargers, 4, 33 Seau, Junior, 40 AFL-NFL World 13–14, 22 Los Angeles Coliseum, 17 Shanahan, Mike, 13 Championship Game, 17 “The Drive,” 13 Los Angeles Raiders, 5, 30–31 Sharpe, Shannon, 13 offense, 36 Lowe, Paul, 33 Shell, Art, 28, 31 Allen, Marcus, 30 Elway, John, 10, 13, 14 Smith, Neil, 21 Alworth, Lance “Bambi,” expansion teams, 4, 5 Madden, John, 27, 28 Stabler, Ken “The Snake,” 28 35–36 Means, Natrone, 40 Stram, Hank, 16 Alzado, Lyle, 8 Faulkner, Jack, 6 Dolphins, 19, 39 Sullivan, Billy, 15 American Football Conference Filchock, Frank, 6 Mile High Stadium, 7, 8 , 17 (AFC), 5 Fouts, Dan, 36, 38 Miller, Red, 9 Super Bowl II, 25 American Football League rule, 28 , 28 Super Bowl IV, 18 (AFL), 4, 5 Fuqua, Frenchy, 27 Morton, Craig, 7–8 Super Bowl XI, 28 , 4 Super Bowl XII, 9 Arrowhead Stadium, 19 Gannon, Rich, 32 Namath, Joe, 10 Super Bowl XV, 30 Falcons, 14 Gillman, Sid, 33 National Football Conference Super Bowl XVIII, 30 Gonzalez, Tony, 23 (NFC), 5 Super Bowl XXI, 13 Colts, 10 Gradishar, Randy, 8 National Football League Super Bowl XXII, 13 Bartle, H. Roe, 16 , 17, 25 (NFL), 4, 5 Super Bowl XXIV, 13 Bell, Bobby, 17 Guy, Ray, 28 New Patriots, 31 Super Bowl XXIX, 40 Benirschke, Rolf, 39 , 13 Super Bowl XXXII, 13–14 Biletnikoff, Fred, 25, 28 Harris, Franco, 27 , 17, 19, 26–27 Super Bowl XXXIII, 14 Blanda, George, 25 Hilton, Barron, 33 Super Bowl XXXVI, 31 Boston Patriots, 6, 34 Holmes, Priest, 23 Oakland Raiders, 4, 5, 9, 17, Bradshaw, Terry, 27 Houston Oilers, 6, 15, 25, 34, 18, 24–28, 30–32 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 5 Brady, Tom, 31 36 Okoye, Christian “Nigerian Tatum, Jack “Assassin,” 27 Brees, Drew, 41 Hunt, Lamar, 4, 15, 16 Nightmare,” 21 Taylor, Otis, 16 Brooker, Tommy, 15 O’Neal, Leslie, 40 Thomas, Derrick, 21, 23 Brown, Tim, 32 “Immaculate Reception,” 27 “Orange Crush,” 8 Tomlinson, LaDainian, 41 Buchanan, Buck, 17 Colts, 22 Otto, Jim, 24–25 , 17, 35, 38 Upshaw, Gene, 28 Jackson, Tom, 8 Steelers, 9, 27, 28 Carter, Rubin, 8 Jefferson, John, 36 Plunkett, Jim, 28, 30 Vermeil, Dick, 23 Casper, Dave “Ghost,” 27–28 Joiner, Charlie, 36 Pollard, Fritz, 31 Chicago Cardinals, 4 Washington , 13 Coryell, Don, 36 Kansas City Chiefs, 4–5, Reeves, Dan, 9, 14 Winslow, Kellen, 36, 38, 39 , 15 15–19, 21–23 Rice, Jerry, 32 Culp, Curley, 17 Karlis, Rich, 13 Ross, Bobby, 40 Yepremian, Garo, 19 Kemp, Jack, 33–34, 35 , 9, 15 , 5 San Diego Chargers, 4, Dallas Texans, 5, 15 33–36, 38–41

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Walters is a former staff writer at who worked at the magazine from 1989 to 2001. He has also written two books, Basket- ball for Dummies, which he co-wrote with former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, and The Same River Twice: A Season with Geno Auriemma and the Huskies, which chronicles the women’s basketball team’s 2000–2001 season.

48

INSIDE THE NFL E very fall, American football fans gather with in front of the or by the thousands in enormous with the same purpose—to experience the action and suspense, the joys and disappointments of the National Football League. But when the final victors leave the field with their Super Bowl rings and the season has ended, what is left for a football enthusiast to do? Why, read about their favorite NFL teams, of course! Inside the NFL keeps the game alive for young football fans during the off-season by providing in- depth histories of the eight NFL divisions and their teams. It is also a great resource during the season, with statistics on each team and their star players, and provides insight into some of the longest and most heated rivalries of professional football. Readers can relive or discover for the first time all the exciting moments of their favorite sport Inside the NFL.