1965 American Football League season
Encyclopedia
The 1965 American Football League
season was the sixth regular season
of the American Football League.
The season also saw a change of television address as the games moved from ABC
to NBC
.
The season ended when the Buffalo Bills
defeated the San Diego Chargers
in the AFL Championship game. The next season, the AFL would join the NFL
to form the AFL-NFL World Championship game, known today as the Super Bowl
.
There was little drama in either of the AFL's division races in 1965. The Bills led the Eastern Division from start to finish, ending five games ahead of the 5-8-1 Jets. In the Western Division, San Diego had three potential wins cancelled out when they were tied by Kansas City (10-10), Boston (13-13) and Buffalo (20-20), but their 9-2-3 finish (.818) was well ahead of Oakland's 8-5-1 record (.615).
* — Qualified for Championship Game.
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
season was the sixth regular season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
of the American Football League.
The season also saw a change of television address as the games moved from ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
The season ended when the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
defeated the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the AFL Championship game. The next season, the AFL would join the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
to form the AFL-NFL World Championship game, known today as the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
.
Division Races
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 tie in the standings, a playoff would be held to determine the division winner.There was little drama in either of the AFL's division races in 1965. The Bills led the Eastern Division from start to finish, ending five games ahead of the 5-8-1 Jets. In the Western Division, San Diego had three potential wins cancelled out when they were tied by Kansas City (10-10), Boston (13-13) and Buffalo (20-20), but their 9-2-3 finish (.818) was well ahead of Oakland's 8-5-1 record (.615).
| Week | EASTERN | WESTERN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tie (Buf, Hou) | 1-0-0 | Tie (Oak, SD) | 1-0-0 |
| 2 | Tie (Buf, Hou) | 2-0-0 | SAN DIEGO | 2-0-0 |
| 3 | BUFFALO | 3-0-0 | SAN DIEGO | 2-0-1 |
| 4 | BUFFALO | 4-0-0 | SAN DIEGO | 3-0-1 |
| 5 | BUFFALO | 4-1-0 | SAN DIEGO | 4-0-1 |
| 6 | BUFFALO | 5-1-0 | SAN DIEGO | 4-0-2 |
| 7 | BUFFALO | 6-1-0 | SAN DIEGO | 5-0-2 |
| 8 | BUFFALO | 6-2-0 | SAN DIEGO | 5-1-2 |
| 9 | BUFFALO | 7-2-0 | SAN DIEGO | 6-1-2 |
| 10 | BUFFALO | 8-2-0 | SAN DIEGO | 6-2-2 |
| 11 | BUFFALO | 8-2-0 | SAN DIEGO | 6-2-2 |
| 12 | BUFFALO | 8-2-1 | SAN DIEGO | 6-2-3 |
| 13 | BUFFALO | 9-2-1 | SAN DIEGO | 7-2-3 |
| 14 | BUFFALO | 10-2-1 | SAN DIEGO | 8-2-3 |
| 15 | BUFFALO | 10-3-1 | SAN DIEGO | 9-2-3 |
Standings http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1965a.pdf
Playoffs
- AFL Championship Game
- Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0, December 26, 1965, Balboa StadiumBalboa StadiumBalboa Stadium is a football and soccer stadium located in San Diego, California. The original stadium was built in 1914 as part of the many buildings erected for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition located in Balboa Park. Originally called City Stadium, and designed by the Quayle Brothers...
, San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
- Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0, December 26, 1965, Balboa Stadium