The 1960 Houston Oilers season was the first season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; Head Coach Lou Rymkus led the Oilers to the AFL Eastern Division title, with a 10–4 record. It was also the first

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

season. It ended with a 24–16 victory in the AFL championship game at home over the Los Angeles Chargers (10–4).

Offseason

AFL draft

In the 1960 AFL draft, the Houston Oilers selected the following players. * Peter Arena, G, Northwestern * Dick Bass, HB, College of Pacific * William Bohler, E/T, St. Ambrose * Larry Cadwell, T, Louisville * Billy Cannon, HB, Louisiana State * Doug Cline, LB, Clemson * DeJustice Coleman, HB, Illinois * Bob Crandall, HB, New Mexico * Cleatus Drinnon, C, Hardin–Simmons * John Gremer, G, Illinois * George Herring, G/T, North Texas State * Steve Johnson, QB, Pepperdine * John Lands, E, Montana * Jacky Lee, QB, Cincinnati * Bruce Maher, HB, Detroit * Don Mattson, T, Southern California * Mike McGee G, Duke * Hugh McInnis, E, Mississippi State * Max Messner, T, Cincinnati * George Mulholland, E, New Mexico State * Gary O'Steen, HB, Alabama * Gene Prebola, E, Boston University *

Palmer Pyle William Palmer Pyle (June 6, 1937 – September 30, 2021) was a former professional American football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played for six seasons for the NFL's Baltimo ...

T, Michigan State * William Roach, T, Texas Christian * Robert Simms, E, Rutgers * Phillip Snowden, QB, Missouri * Don Underwood, G/T, McNeese State * Duane Whetstone, FB, George Washington * Bob White FB, Ohio State * Maury Youmans, T, Syracuse

Regular season

* The Oilers scored an important victory over the NFL when they signed the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon of LSU. Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as veteran quarterback George Blanda.

Standings

Schedule

Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders

Notable stats

Roster

Postseason

AFL Championship Game

Houston Oilers 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16 :''January 1, 1961, at Jeppesen Stadium,

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

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Attendance: 32,183 Scoring * LA – Field goal Ben Agajanian 38 LA 3–0 * LA – Field goal Agajanian 22 LA 6–0 * HOU – Smith 17 pass from George Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 7–6 * HOU – Field goal Blanda 18 HOU 10–6 * LA – Field goal Agajanian 27 HOU 10–9 * HOU – Bill Groman 7 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 17–9 * LA – Paul Lowe 2 run (Agajanian kick) HOU 17–16 * HOU – Billy Cannon 88 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 24–16

Awards

''
Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
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American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
All-League Team – 1960

The

did not have an All-Star game after its first season in 1960, but an All-League team, selected by vote of the AFL players themselves, was published by the ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

''. In later years, the All-League players were augmented by

References

Oilers on Pro Football Reference

Oilers on jt-sw.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1960 Houston Oilers Season

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

American Football League championship seasons Houston Oilers seasons