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39-480: For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968 , the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions (although ties in the standings in 1963 (Eastern) and 1968 (Western) necessitated a tiebreaker divisional playoff game the week before). In 1969 , the tenth and final year of the independent ten-team AFL, a four-team playoff

78-553: A 10-year agreement to use the venue for its college events. The Natural was filmed at the venue in 1983. The Bisons moved to newly constructed Pilot Field following the 1987 season. The final event at the venue saw the Akron Zips defeat the Canisius Golden Griffins 11–2 on May 6, 1989. Canisius moved its football and baseball teams to the newly built Demske Sports Complex . War Memorial Stadium

117-513: A 49-yard field goal attempt. In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs put the game away with consecutive touchdown drives. First, Dawson's 45-yard completion to Chris Burford gave the team a first down on the Buffalo 4-yard line. Garrett then ran the ball on the next four plays, his last carry a 1-yard touchdown run. Then on the first play of Buffalo's next drive, receiver Glenn Bass lost a fumble that

156-611: A championship drought as long, as of 2020 (57 years). This is also the only time that the Chargers have beaten the Patriots in a postseason game. at War Memorial Stadium , Buffalo, New York Mike Stratton's hit on San Diego Chargers running back Keith Lincoln set the stage for the Buffalo Bills and their first AFL championship. at Balboa Stadium , San Diego, California This was the last AFL Championship Game before

195-484: A kickoff for 3 yards, and added another 37 yards on 3 punt returns. Kemp completed just 12/25 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. Burnett caught 6 passes for 127 yards. at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California The Oakland Raiders were ten and a half point favorites over the Houston Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game. Quarterback Daryle Lamonica , acquired in

234-735: A trade from the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, led the Raiders to a 13–1 record, throwing 30 touchdown passes in the process. The Oilers went from last place in the Eastern Conference in 1966 to first in '67, beating out the New York Jets by a game. Most of the Oilers' offense centered on big fullback Hoyle Granger , and a midseason quarterback trade for the shifty Pete Beathard (sending their own starter, Jacky Lee, to

273-914: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts took place at the venue on August 11, 1951. Hamilton defeated Toronto by a score of 17–11. The venue was host to the Coaches All-America Game from 1961 to 1965. Originally called the Graduation Bowl in its inaugural year, the game was an exhibition between the best college seniors in America who were turning professional. The stadium hosted three postseason American Football League games: The stadium hosted two Major League Baseball exhibitions: A touring Old-Timers' Game staged Buffalo's Grand Old Game at

312-503: The Kansas City Chiefs ) proved to be the spark that turned Houston's season around. The previous meeting between the two teams had been a close game won 19-7 by the Raiders, with Lamonica struggling offensively. This was not the case in the rematch. Oakland took a 10–0 lead in the second quarter on a 69-yard run down the left sidelines by Hewritt Dixon , and on a fake field goal attempt Lamonica passed to Dave Kocourek for

351-495: The NFL playoffs . at Jeppesen Stadium , Houston, Texas at Balboa Stadium , San Diego, California at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas at War Memorial Stadium , Buffalo, New York at Balboa Stadium , San Diego, California The Chargers championship win is noted for being the only and most recent major sports championship won for the city of San Diego. No other city with at least two professional sports teams has

390-528: The Super Bowl era began the following season and the last time a final pro football championship game was played in December. It was also the most recent championship won by a Buffalo-based professional sports team. at War Memorial Stadium , Buffalo, New York The Bills went into the 1966 AFL Championship having already won the game the previous two years. Though the game was to be played in Buffalo,

429-589: The 17-0 halftime margin. Former Oilers quarterback George Blanda , who had led Houston to the AFL's first two championships, kicked four field goals for the Raiders. Houston did not score until the fourth quarter, when they already trailed 30–0. Oakland lost Super Bowl II to the NFL champion Green Bay Packers . at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California at Shea Stadium , New York City The Jets went on to win Super Bowl III to become

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468-463: The AFL holding championship games on December 24, 1961, and December 23, 1962, a week before the NFL's games of December 31, 1961, and December 30, 1962). In 1963, the AFL held its Eastern Division tiebreaker playoff on Saturday, December 28, 1963, thereby avoiding the NFL championship game that Sunday (the AFL championship game was held on January 5). In 1964, pro football had a championship weekend, with

507-422: The AFL went to great lengths to avoid scheduling its playoffs head-to-head with the NFL. In 1960, the NFL's game was held on Monday, December 26; the AFL had that week off, and played its title contest on Sunday, January 1, as the college bowl games were played on Monday. In 1961 and 1962, the AFL played its game during the off-week between the end of the NFL's regular season and its title game (thus resulting in

546-509: The AFL's title game held on Saturday, December 26, and the NFL championship on Sunday. For 1965, the AFL tried to return to the practice of playing its game on a Sunday during the off-week between the NFL playoff, slating its championship contest for December 26, while the NFL's game was not held until January 2, 1966; the Colts and Packers required a Western Conference tiebreaker on the December 26, date --- and since that game went to overtime,

585-547: The AFL's worst record at 4–9–1. The Chargers, still in Los Angeles, pulled ahead the next week with a Friday night win over the Titans of New York, 21–7, and finished at 10–4–0. The Eastern Division lead was held by Houston, except for a setback from a 14–13 loss to Oakland on September 25. In Week Five , the Oilers beat the visiting Titans, 27–21 and led the rest of the way. Note: Tie games were not officially counted in

624-460: The Eastern's runner-up, Houston (6–6–2), would not have.) The 1969 AFL playoffs were only the second time a U.S. major professional football league allowed teams other than the first place teams (including ties) to compete in post-season playoffs (the first was the seven-team All-America Football Conference 's 1949 four-team playoff). Prior to the advent of the Super Bowl for the 1966 season,

663-643: The Los Angeles Chargers 21–20 win over the Dallas Texans, the Houston Oilers 37–22 win over the Oakland Raiders, and the Titans of New York 27–3 win over the Buffalo Bills. In the Raiders game, J. D. Smith caught a pass from Tom Flores to score the first two-point conversion in pro football history. In Week Eight (October 30), Denver lost to the visiting Texans, 17–14, and did not win any of their last eight games, finishing with

702-593: The TV audience for the Bills – Chargers title game in San Diego was diminished considerably. Even in 1966, the AFL originally scheduled its championship game for the off-week, planning to hold its playoff on Monday, December 26, six days before the NFL title game on January 1. Negotiations prior to the first Super Bowl, in early December 1966, resulted in the two leagues agreeing to have championship doubleheaders for

741-634: The combined league's 50,000 seat requirement for venues and was unable to be expanded. Rich Stadium was constructed for the Bills in suburban Orchard Park , where the team moved after the 1972 season . The venue sat vacant until 1976 when the Buffalo Blazers of the National Soccer League began play. A new Buffalo Bisons franchise was founded in 1979 that returned baseball to the venue. That same year, Canisius College signed

780-587: The division winner. The Denver Broncos, who would not have a winning season until they went 7–5–2 in 1973, were the Western Division leaders halfway through 1960. They won the AFL's first game, played on Friday night, September 9, 1960, beating the Boston Patriots 13–10. The Patriots' Gino Cappelletti scored the AFL's first points with a 35-yard field goal. Other results in Week One were

819-560: The first AFL Super Bowl champion. at Shea Stadium , New York City at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California This was the final AFL Championship Game, as well as the final game played between two AFL teams before the merger with the National Football League . The Chiefs won Super Bowl IV as the last AFL champion. 1960 American Football League season The 1960 AFL season

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858-406: The game when receiver Elbert Dubenion raced ahead of defensive back Fred Williamson , caught a pass from Jack Kemp at the Chiefs 45, and raced all the way to the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown reception. Later on, Mike Garrett 's 27-yard punt return gave the Chiefs a first down on the Bills 45-yard line. After a few plays, Dawson made a key 15-yard completion to Arbanas on the Buffalo 29. It

897-494: The inaugural AFL Championship game. The AFL had 8 teams, grouped into two divisions. Each team would play a home-and-away game against the other 7 teams in the league for a total of 14 games, and the best team in the Eastern Division would play against the best in the Western Division in a championship game. If there was a tie in the standings at the top of either division, a one-game playoff would be held to determine

936-452: The most crucial plays of the game, Kemp's next pass was intercepted in the end zone by safety Johnny Robinson , who returned it 72 yards to the Bills 28. Mike Mercer eventually cashed in the turnover with a 32-yard field goal that gave the Chiefs a 17-7 halftime lead. The third quarter was a defensive struggle with each team punting twice. Near the end, Kansas City got the ball on the Bills 42-yard line, but failed to score when Mercer missed

975-420: The next four years, with each holding its title game on the same day but staggered, so that television audiences could view both. Thus the final four AFL championship games were held on the same day as the NFL championship game: January 1, 1967; December 31, 1967; December 29, 1968; and January 4, 1970. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Football League include AFL playoffs in their statistics for

1014-412: The opening kickoff, Fletcher Smith 's short kick was fielded by defensive end Dudley Meredith , who promptly fumbled the ball, and KC punter Jerrel Wilson , who also played on the kick coverage team, recovered it for the Chiefs on the Bills 31-yard line. This led to the first score of the game, a 29-yard touchdown pass from Len Dawson to tight end Fred Arbanas . After an exchange of punts, Buffalo tied

1053-584: The stadium, "looks as if whatever war it was a memorial to had been fought within its confines." While the Buffalo Bills were popular and regularly filled the venue, the Buffalo Bisons struggled to attract crowds. The Bisons moved mid-season in 1970 and became the Winnipeg Whips . The stadium was deemed unsuitable for National Football League play after the AFL–NFL merger , as it sat fewer than

1092-568: The standings in the AFL. The AFL began play with the following stadiums: The AFL began play with the following head coaches: War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo) Roesch Memorial Stadium was built on the East Side of Buffalo for $ 3 million as a Works Progress Administration project in 1937. It was built on a large, rectangular block that had once housed the Prospect Reservoir. The 36,500-seat venue

1131-490: The venue on June 23, 1984. The American League All-Stars defeated the National League All-Stars 6–1. The stadium hosted two NASCAR events: The 1984 film The Natural was filmed at War Memorial Stadium, with it representing the home ballpark of the fictional New York Knights. †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium

1170-423: The visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by Head Coach Hank Stram . The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense. Kansas City dominated the game from start to finish, forcing four turnovers (without losing any themselves) and outscoring Buffalo 24–0 over the last three quarters. On

1209-420: Was added to the interior perimeter of the venue in 1940 for auto racing . Both midget car racing and stock car racing were popular at the venue, attracting NASCAR events in 1956 and 1958. Due to the small size of the track, drivers were forced to leave the venue to make pit stops at nearby Masten Armory. Fans were also forbidden from sitting in the first five rows of the venue for safety reasons. Buffalo

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1248-656: Was awarded an expansion franchise by the Continental League of Major League Baseball in January 1960, and made plans to play at the venue beginning with the 1961 season. However, the league folded before the season began. The Buffalo Bisons remained in the International League and began play at the newly renamed War Memorial Stadium in 1961, as their previous home of Offermann Stadium had already been slated for demolition. The venue's race track

1287-711: Was demolished in 1989 and replaced with the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, a high school athletic field. Built in 1992 for $ 6.8 million, the complex incorporates the original entrances from War Memorial Stadium. It was previously home to the Buffalo Gladiators, an amateur football team. The original flag pole from center field at War Memorial Stadium was preserved and installed at Pilot Field in July 1990, where it stands to this day. A preseason neutral site Canadian Football League game between

1326-526: Was held, with the second-place teams in each division traveling to play the winner of the other division in what were called the "Interdivisional" playoffs. These playoffs were not, and are not considered to have been, " wildcard " playoffs since the runners-up in both divisions qualified, rather than the two best non-division winners. (Had the 1969 playoffs been true wildcard playoffs, the Western's third-place team, San Diego (8–6–0), would have qualified while

1365-531: Was primarily used for college football when it opened on October 16, 1937, with the Tulane Green Wave defeating the Colgate Raiders 7–6 in the inaugural game. The venue's name was changed to Grover Cleveland Stadium in 1937 and then to Civic Stadium in 1938. The Buffalo Indians-Tigers became the venue's first professional football team in 1940. A quarter mile cinder oval race track

1404-485: Was recovered by Bobby Hunt and returned 21 yards to the Bills 20-yard line, leading to the final score of the game on Garrett's 18-yard touchdown burst. Buffalo could do nothing with their next drive, and on their final one of the day, Kemp was intercepted by Emmitt Thomas . Dawson was near perfect, completing 16/24 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 28 yards. Garrett rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns, caught 4 passes for 16 yards, returned

1443-532: Was removed in 1960 so that the stadium could accommodate both baseball and football for the Buffalo Bisons and Buffalo Bills . The stadium's baseball diamond had an unorthodox southeast alignment (home plate to center field). The east-west alignment of the football field was also unorthodox, running along the third base line. The stadium was expanded to hold 46,306 fans in 1965. The venue was poorly maintained, lending to its nickname of "The Rockpile". Brock Yates of Sports Illustrated jokingly wrote in 1969 that

1482-671: Was the inaugural regular season of the American Football League . It consisted of 8 franchises split into two divisions: the East Division ( Buffalo Bills , Houston Oilers , Titans of New York , Boston Patriots ) and the West Division ( Los Angeles Chargers , Denver Broncos , Dallas Texans , Oakland Raiders ). The season ended when the Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 24–16 in

1521-503: Was the last catch of the day for Arbanas, who ended up leaving the game with a separated shoulder, but it paid off big time as Dawson threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Otis Taylor on the next play, giving the Chiefs a 14-7 second quarter lead. Buffalo responded with a drive deep into Chiefs territory, featuring Kemp's 30-yard completion to rookie receiver Rob Burnett on the Kansas City 12-yard line. But in what turned out to be one of

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