What so wonderful about this: The football is played outdoors; the grounds grew making the field just right; the fans filing in; the game wonderful to watch and raw and the music. A wonderful touch to it all. A real gem to watch over and over again.
My father in law coached for Lou at the U. Lou Saban sent my father in law up to Pennsylvania to recruit Jim Kelly to the U...and he did..then a year later Lou quit the U..my Father in Law never got to coach Jim Kelly..
For anybody who loves uploads like this I highly recommend "FULL COLOR FOOTBALL" the documentary of the history of the AFL and the war between them and NFL during the 60's and how the merger happened. It's on YT and it's awesome!
#66 Billy Shaw! The Hall of Fame Buffalo Bill offensive lineman who chose retirement over being traded. He said later, "I couldn't wear another jersey. I was a Buffalo Bill." That is dedication to his team and the City of Buffalo.
I was lucky enough to be sitting in the end zone seats and saw that hit by Stratton on Lincoln right in front of me. I'll never forget it. didn't have a season ticket, but went to just about every game. You could get a cheap nosebleed seat and then move around and find a good empty one. We would bring our own six-pack of Ballantine Ale and a half-pint of brandy. Nobody cared. Great times.
I've heard that fans would actually bring hibachi grills and quarter-kegs right into the Rockpile without interference. That must have been a hell of a place to watch a game.
@@VandelayIndustries61 I don't think I ever saw a keg up there, but I wouldn't be surprised to know they were there. For sure, no one went thirsty. Six- packs and jugs everywhere.
How did you see the tackle heard round the world "right IN FRONT of [YOU]" if you were "sitting in the END ZONE SEATS" ... given the fact that the hit occurred right at the 30 yard line number in-between the sideline and hashmark ??? Seemingly you would have had to be sitting not only right on the 30 yard line, but also on the correct side of the field (it appears from the video that it would be the Bills' sideline along Best St, not the Chargers' sideline along Dodge St) for the play to have been "right in front of you," no ???
LMFAO! "best look in the AFL and now still the best in the NFL." Says a Dolts fan who sees about as good as Ray Charles did! If their "look" was so damn good, why have they changed it so many times over the years? The blue helmets were atrocious and the piss yellow pants are laughable too! Truly iconic, legendary and Super Bowl winning franchises don't have to change uniform designs or the color of their helmets! Dolts fans love to pound their chests and strut around like peacocks trying to convince people they're fans of a winning franchise but that franchise trophy case still has NO Lombardi trophies in it and the only time the pathetic semi-homeless franchise made it to the Super Bowl they were humiliated!
Love the music to this btw,ABC televised this game then in 1965 NBC took over broadcasting the afl. this game is in Buffalo's old "Rock pile" stadium and is noted for a famous tackle by lb mike Stratton on charger rb Keith Lincoln knocking him out. Buffalo would Shutout this same team next yr in SD 23-0 to win back to back afl titles the only championships Buffalo has won to date. 1 final comment is it just me or was pro football much better during this time as opposed to today's watered down version?
Its just you... JUST KIDDIN'.. When Hadl was hurt, number 55 for Buff. was none other than Paul Maguire the still alive and "kickin'" old punter/occasional L-backer, longtime tv NFL/AFC analyst. It was Maguire, an original Charger, who coffin cornered that beautiful punt inside the two. I know the AFL in '64 was not up with the NFL at that time, but I defy anyone to find a longer, more precisely placed punt of the pigskin than that princely pop, in a championship game, to boot=pretty much perfection. Btw, AFC titles are counted the same as AFL titles as far as the NFL is concerned. Buffy has won 6 AFL/AFC's combined.
@@stankatic8182, yep STEVE COX a punter mostly in his pro career, not MARK MOSELEY was the last of the straight-on kickers to make a field goal= in SEPT. of 1987(only the 15th of his 8 season career= CLEVE AND WASH= 4 SEASONS EACH), right after MOSELEY retired after the 1986-87 season. So, the eradication wasn't right away; it took over 30 seasons..but the sidewinder booter had 100 percent of the pointscoring kicking jobs from that point forward in 1995. COX by the way played for MOSELEY'S old team=REDSKINS, because MOSELEY left after being cut by WDC, and finished up in the JAN.'87 playoffs with CLEVELAND, hitting two fgoals, and missing one, in that '87 AFC TITLE TILT= "THE DRIVE GAME" vs. my BRONCOS. He lost, and then retired. Meanwhile, the last straight-on kicker, period, was DIRK BORGOGNONE(BOR GONN YO NEE) who after failing to catch on with a handful of NFL teams OVER A FOUR-YEAR SPAN, finally got to be an NFL regular season kicker in 1995 with G. BAY, while Chris Jacke was sidelined with an injury for two games. BORGOGNONE did not kick any successful field goals before JACKE came off of the injury list and BORGY was cut. Later, his NEVADA highway patrol officer wife was killed on duty in a car accident.. sigh..
Yep. Strange to see a soccer-style kicker in '64. He played out his option & went to the NFL (Giants) which ticked off the AFL and it was ON!!! With prodding from Al Davis a lot of NFL players became targets of AFL teams who tried to get them to jump leagues. In a way you could say the Giants' signing of Gogolak was a spark that lit the flame which led to the eventual merger.
Chargers were already playing without Lance Alworth, And then when Keith Lincoln went down it took too much away from their offense. That was a great clean hit.
If you ever need to teach a young man how to execute a “PERFECT FORM TACKLE”? Have him watch and take notice of Mike “Tennessee “ Stratton executing a perfect form tackle on Keith Lincoln! This tackle changed the momentum and completion of the entire game!
Yes, Stratton's CLINICAL textbook-perfect hit & tackle was indeed a thing of beauty !!! I'm sure Alworth's absence and Lincoln's early departure was certainly a blow to the Chargers in the 1964 AFL Championship Game. HOWEVER, even coming into the game without Alworth, the defending AFL Champion Chargers had been heavy favorites (don't forget they had laid OVER 50 points on the Patriots in the prior year's 1963 AFL Championship Game in San Diego). Moreover, the following year the shoe was on the other foot: in the 1965 AFL Championship Game -- played again in San Diego with gorgeous weather conditions conducive to offensive football -- the Chargers were at FULL STRENGTH with all their stars (Alworth, Hadl, Lincoln, Lowe, Koucerek, etc.), while the Bills had massive depletions on offense coming into the game. The Bills' top 3 WRs had been injured that season (including Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion), and bruising RB Cookie Gilchrist (a Jim Brown clone) had been traded away. So coach Lou Saban had to devise a double tight end offense (previously benched/seldom-used TE Ernie Warlick, and rookie TE Paul Costa). In a total team effort, the depleted Bills not only defeated a healthy Chargers team on their own home field (old Balboa Stadium) in perfect weather for offensive football, but they actually SHUT OUT the full-strength Chargers and beat them more convincingly (23-0) than they had in the 1964 AFL Title Game in Buffalo (which was a 20-7 score).
Omg. Those helmets... toys really back then . Ouch. And I was playing in 1983 through 1987. Then 1995 through 1997 then again 2002 through 2006. Now I feel it. I am 51. Lol...
Wish I was there for the exhibition game with the Browns during the Summer of 1967. If only that game was 2 years earlier when both teams were defending league champions and Jim Brown was still with Cleveland. Cookie may not have been there as he had been shipped off to Denver before the 1965 season.
Lived in Buffalo as a kid from 1966-1972. My dad took me to several Bill's games. Saw the defending Superbowl champion Jets (and "Joe Willie") play after they shocked the world. Saw OJ in his rookie year and the blizzard game between the Bills and the Bengals in (I think) 1970. Left at halftime (brutally cold). Great times, but not a good stadium from a fan's perspective as the posts, if you were unlucky to be behind one of them, obstructed your view.
By the looks of the early warm up shots of the Chargers it’s already 14-0 Buffalo...they don’t seem to thrilled about the dark, dank weather and the ancient stadium. Home field advantage.
If you look closely at 20:37 mark the fans have already gone on the field and torn down the goalpost while the game is still in progress. The entire end from the 5 yd line into the endzone is filled with fans.
@@buffalobraves9, CAL VS. STANFORD was only about the band rushing it before the game ended. I have never ever heard of any place where with minutes, not seconds, still left, the fans were in the endzone, and was it with a torn up goalpost(?). HOW INGENIOUS, YOU GENIUS..
I miss the AFL...the merger of the 2 leagues was the NFLs idea as it was obvious the AFL was here to stay. When the AFL ended operations and merged into the NFL they were no longer a push over in the super bowl..in some ways it would have been interesting to keep the 2 leagues separate but things worked out well.
Jack Kemp went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York and also was Housing Secretary in the administration of George H.W. Bush.
Chargers uniform and logo are great but love the clean classic look of the Bills as well. Buffalo was also the AFL's first great defensive team (and that offense with Kemp, Gilchrist, Dubenion and company was no slouch either.)
That was the public "face" the NFL was presenting on the AFL. Most of the NFL owners were the founding fathers and family dynasties of professional football. They saw the AFL as johnny come lately's who showed up just as the NFL reached sustained success in the 50s. The NFL still remembered the AAFC in the late 40s and how its best team the Cleveland Browns, would be a dominant force across the 50s and 60s. Some people think that the NFL simply thought the AFL would become another AAFC and its strongest teams could be added to the NFL when it went under. They didn't look at the effect TV deals by ABC and then NBC would have on keeping the AFL viable. They also didn't look at the need for other networks to counter-program the CBS monopoly on Sunday afternoon professional football.
@@TheLAGopher that’s true sometime as a fan of football you wonder what if they were separate leagues like before, I wonder which league fans would like more.
the NFL and it's fans also mocked the American Football Association that the Cleveland Browns came from, then Cleveland and the 49ers joined the NFL and the Cleveland Browns immediately dominated the NFL in the 1950's.
@@krisschedler, the AAFC outside of CLEVELAND and about 60-80 players + SOME 49ERS, AND BALTIMORE COLTS FIRST NFL EDITION, was inferior to the NFL. CBROWNS were 52-4-3 in the AAFC, and went 4 for 4 in titles. With the benefit of the NFL draft, the BROWNS with a better team, including RAY RENFRO added from the NFL draft, and HALL GUY, D-LINEMAN LEN FORD picked up from the defunct AAFC'S LA DONS; well, they only won 3 of the six titlegames with QB OTTO GRAHAM that they were in vs. the NFL, and lost 4 regular season games alone, in 1954. Only around 35 percent of the HALL OF FAMERS originally came out of the AAFC from 1946-50, and if you looked at that per capita per rosters(essentially, pretending the AAFC had 10 teams from 1946-1947 thru 1949-50, its only seasons, (even though it only had 8 teams the first three seasons, and 7 in the last campaign), the same number of teams actually in the NFL during those seasons, it jumps to a little over 41 percent with origination in the AAFC. Then, when you stretch it to any AAFC ORIGINATION player who played in the NFL from 1950 to 1955 and beyond, the HALL OF FAME NUMBER JUMPS TO 46 PERCENT. HOWEVER 35 is not equal to 65, and 41 is not = to 59, nor is 46= 54. Finally, the NFL FROM 1946-50, AND '46 TO 56, featured a larger percentage of HALL OF FAMERS= in that same 3:2 ratio, than the '46-50 AAFC, even per capita. Many AAFC origination players did not develop into HALL guys until they were further along in their careers in the NFL. After the BALTY COLTS first NFL edition from the AAFC did not last, Y.A. TITTLE THE QBACK, who had good AAFC numbers WITH BALTIMORE, was grabbed up in the BALTY COLTS#1 FOLDING=dispersal draft of 1951 by SAN FRANCISCO, where after being an AAFC and one year NFL starter, he had to wait about 3 years before he was able to start in the NFL for FRISCO. HE WAS A STAR AFTER THAT BEGINNING IN 1953. BOBBY LAYNE a starting qb from the defunct AAFC NY BULLDOGS, although he started as a CHICAGO BEAR reject, got picked up in the AAFC MERGER dispersal draft by DETROIT in 1950. LAYNE does not have great AAFC stats. When he got his chance with NFL DETROIT though, he made the most of it, winning three NFL CROWNS IN 7 SEASONS BEFORE HEADING TO PITTSBURGH. HE IS IN THE HALL, AND SO IS TITTLE. THE NFL was still a better league from '46-50. GRAHAM in the NFL never had the 25 td passes-only 10 to 15 picks and two 60+ completion percentage seasons or one season averaging 10 yds completed per attempt, or averaged over 8 yds per att. that he had thrown for IN THE AAFC, and he was more mature with a deeper BROWNS team around him in the 1950's NFL= he still had fine 1950's NFL numbers but not the ridiculously higher numbers that he had in the d-challenged AAFC. GRAHAM AND THE BROWNS were not the problem, though. The bottom 45-60 percent of the AAFC talent was the housefly in the vaseline. Many average or subpar AAFC players either only played one or two more seasons in the NFL following the merger, and then were out of the league, or did not make NFL teams at all. Some just "good" players lasted in the NFL as average, and some did not last long. Finally, even though there was a dispersal draft DURING THE MERGER of AAFC players, the mediocre to lousy teams in the NFL, virtually did not keep or sign any of them, maybe a handful;.. total, not per lousy, or mediocre teams, no, total..because the bottom of the barrel of the AAFC was inferior to the NFL. INDISPUTABLY, the AAFC, outside of CLEVE and those 70 to 80 players on different AAFC teams, or ON NFL ABSORBED SFRAN OR the BALTY COLTS#1, the latter gone after one season, squads, was weak at the bottom vs. the NFL weaklings' players. Yep, the NFL was overall top to bottom stronger than the AAFC. The careers and stats and players AAFC PERFORMANCE VS. THEIR NFL PERFORMANCE proves it.
Most famous hit in AFL history. Mike Stratton laying out the Chargers' best all-around offensive player Keith Lincoln. Busted Lincoln's rib cage and turned the game around.
Like how the players were filmed pregame. Noticed they all took off their helmets and even the ref was filmed. Instead of taking off his cap he blew his whistle . Found that a little amusing .
Kemp probably would have won if he was on top of the ticket. They picked Dole because it was “his turn”. Kemp was younger, smarter, very telegenic. Would have changed modern history…..significantly.
These NFL helmets are hilarious looking compared to today's helmets. They look like their two sizes to small and with only one bar guard. Wonder how these teams would match up to today's teams. Who would win?
Tobin Rote should have gone with his first instinct on that play and just heaved the ball downfield. I'm pretty sure I would get a second on that from Keith Lincoln!
The video on this was pre NFL films. But the music was just from NFL films. So this was done by fans. I believe Hughes network did the AFL weekly shows and teams managed their annual stuff. NFL films took over in 1966.
Hadl came in and replaced the starter and got knocked out of the game after a couple of series. I wish I knew who the starter was. While Hadl was laid out I did get to see a couple of names I hadn't noticed before. Paul Maguirre for the Bills and Kyle Rote of the Chargers. Coincidentally they both went on to work as NFL TV analysts. Rote partnered with Curt Gowdy on NBC. I'm not sure who Maguirre worked with and not sure if if it was NBC or CBS. Probably after CBS took over AFC. But he was pretty good. I think they said Alworth (Bambi) was injured.
Slaughter, the Browns would have killed them. Remember, this Buffy team with pretty much the same D lost to the KC CHIEFS 31-7 AT HOME in the '66-67 AFL CHAMP. GAME. Two weeks later, the NFL came calling for KC in LA, 35-10 PACKERS.. SUPE1. SUPE2=14-1 OAKLAND 14-- 11-4-1 GB 33. Only after the common draft and the maturing of their younger pre-common draft AFL players, did the AFL win Supe Bowls. No AFL team as an AFC team would win the SUPE BOWL after KC IN SUPE 4 until MIAMI in SUPE 7, and after that back to back by Miami, only one AFL born team would win a SUPE between SUPE8 AND SUPE 15..OAKLD.IN SUPE 12. In the first year of the AFC VS. NFC interconf. it was heavily old NFL, and that is not counting BALTY, CLEVE AND PITT'S NUMBERS..and in the 'still played seriously' AFC VS. NFC PRO BOWL in '70-71 the first yr. of the sked merger, it went 27-6 NFC. It was the one where old AFL'ers were the majority of the AFC stars, with Balty, Pitt, and Cleve contributing heavily..to the AFC lineup. THE old AFL HAD three teams(FOUR SEASONS) that were as good as the top NFL teams of the 60's='68-69 JETS & RAIDERS, '69-70 CHIEFS AND RAIDERS. The rest were mediocre to bad compared to the NFL..and their records in the early post SKED MERGER YRS. is testament to that=under .500 for Chargers, Pats, Bills. Oilers, Broncs, and Namath injured Jets, while Oak and KC did ok, not 13-1 great, but ok, KC did squat past 1972. OF THE OLD AFL CLUBS, Miami and Cincy the expansion teams guided by old NFL CLEVE BROWNS hands, Shula and P.Brown dominated the AFC along with later in the mid 70's OAK..and in the late 70's DENVER. PITT AND THE BALTY COLTS had more than a little success in the AFC=combo of 5 AFC TITLES, FIVE SUPE BOWLS. OLD AFL TEAMS winning AFC in the '70's=OAK 1, KC 0, DEN1, MIAMI 3...and that is it. Noll of Pitt?= old Cleve. BROWN and old Colts coach. No, the Bills with NFL reject KEMP would have been killed.
Someone mentioned MIAMI's 14-0 and said I was wIldly speculating about the AFL not being up to snuff with the NFL until the 1970's. Well, I mentioned Miami under Shula. Apparently that person cannot read very well=tame speculation on my part=about their reading skills. Btw, the Dolphins 14-0-0 regular season was not the only American pro football 14-0-0 mark in history. Try the 1948 I believe it was '48 CLEVELAND BROWNS of the old, defunct ALL AMERICA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE(AAFC) league. Oh yeah, the poster went by ESOTERIC KNAVE.
@@bemore1134 , yep, and then in the SUPER BOWL instrumentally beat a 12-2-0, longest regular season winning streak in 35 years, at the time, 12 in a row VIKES team.. in SUPE IV.. and, three years later beat a 5-0-0 WDC REDSKINS team in WASH., moving the CHIEFS to 5-1-0 in the NFL.. So, apparently he improved with the playing time he received in the AFL. Here are some other NFL rejects who later beat NFL teams in the SUPER BOWL: WILLIE BROWN(not drafted by any NFL team)..and NyJ's JOHNNY SAMPLE(NFL= PITT, BALT. AND WASH.).. Who drafted JIM OTTO in the NFL? Dawson was a reject..yeahh? So what! There were only 21 pro football teams when he was cut.. Yep.. So what!
The 1964 Buffalo Bills AFL Championship team was the closest thing to an NFL team in the AFL than anyone had seen before. They had a great power running game with Cookie Gilchrist and a really stingy hard hitting defense. Jack Kemp could also throw the ball when he had to. They were just a much more physical football team than Sid Gillman's Chargers were. I think they could've beaten the 1964 NFL Champion Cleveland Browns in a World Championship game
Muzak and Bongo Drums. This is a terrible video that doesn't do justice to two fine teams! No voice overs, no commentary. The two leagues hadn't merged yet. Still, this needs the Voice of NFL Films. The incomparable John Facenda. Facenda would have resuscitated and breathed life into this dog of a video. Perhaps, a Cackling Crow or a Howling Wolf in the background? A herd of stampeding Elephants would be a glaring improvement over this Audio Abomination. Many don't realize just how strong the AFL was by the Mid Sixties. The 1963 Chargers were talented enough that they probably would have whipped the NFL champion Chicago Bears. Lou Sabans Buffalo Bills were even more powerful than San Diegos Fireworks Display. A powerful running game , with a defense that compared to almost any NFL edition. Two wonderful coaches and teams that received the same treatment as a High School Scrimmage game. Shame on the Producers and Editors that allowed this Video "Brain Fart" to be released. The American Football League deserved much better treatment.
What so wonderful about this: The football is played outdoors; the grounds grew making the field just right; the fans filing in; the game wonderful to watch and raw and the music. A wonderful touch to it all. A real gem to watch over and over again.
I played college football for Lou Saban.. 1995through 1997...then I became add me his offensive line coach. VERY GREAT MAN. LIKE A FATHER TO ME.
In SOUTH CAROLINA at a small college?
Canton Ohio?
My father in law coached for Lou at the U. Lou Saban sent my father in law up to Pennsylvania to recruit Jim Kelly to the U...and he did..then a year later Lou quit the U..my Father in Law never got to coach Jim Kelly..
@@josephcutrona1456in the University of Miami Hurricanes 🌀??
For anybody who loves uploads like this I highly recommend
"FULL COLOR FOOTBALL" the documentary of the history of the AFL and the war between them and NFL during the 60's and how the merger happened.
It's on YT and it's awesome!
I remembered when Full Color Football debut on Showtime. Great documentary on the AFL and I also watch it frequently on UA-cam.
@@heydudedolfan13 yeah the AFL and the ABA were both ahead of their time!!
Fantastic show!
This game was played at Buffalo War Memorial Stadium, where the movie "The Natural" was filmed.
Can not think of the great George Carlin "Baseball is played in a Park, FOOTBALL displayed in a stadium...War Memorial Stadium!
I did not know that-COOL!
Ah...the 'Ol Rockpile!!
#66 Billy Shaw! The Hall of Fame Buffalo Bill offensive lineman who chose retirement over being traded. He said later, "I couldn't wear another jersey. I was a Buffalo Bill." That is dedication to his team and the City of Buffalo.
Billy was a great player, and to my knowledge he was the only purely AFL player ever enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame!!
Born in `53 in Buffalo and these were the football hero's of my youth.
I was lucky enough to be sitting in the end zone seats and saw that hit by Stratton on Lincoln right in front of me. I'll never forget it. didn't have a season ticket, but went to just about every game. You could get a cheap nosebleed seat and then move around and find a good empty one. We would bring our own six-pack of Ballantine Ale and a half-pint of brandy. Nobody cared. Great times.
Bet it was probably the best year of your life 😂
I've heard that fans would actually bring hibachi grills and quarter-kegs right into the Rockpile without interference. That must have been a hell of a place to watch a game.
@@VandelayIndustries61 I don't think I ever saw a keg up there, but I wouldn't be surprised to know they were there. For sure, no one went thirsty. Six- packs and jugs everywhere.
@@roboticactivities Every year was better than the last in those days. Now the memories make me smile.
How did you see the tackle heard round the world "right IN FRONT of [YOU]" if you were "sitting in the END ZONE SEATS" ... given the fact that the hit occurred right at the 30 yard line number in-between the sideline and hashmark ??? Seemingly you would have had to be sitting not only right on the 30 yard line, but also on the correct side of the field (it appears from the video that it would be the Bills' sideline along Best St, not the Chargers' sideline along Dodge St) for the play to have been "right in front of you," no ???
This is so cool ❤ Playing football on real grass. Thx for sharing ❤ watching these highlight games. I remember them so well I was 15 in 1964. 😊
Loved those all goal posts.
Chargers uniforms, that lightning bolt, best look in the AFL and now still the best in the NFL. Timeless
LMFAO! "best look in the AFL and now still the best in the NFL." Says a Dolts fan who sees about as good as Ray Charles did! If their "look" was so damn good, why have they changed it so many times over the years? The blue helmets were atrocious and the piss yellow pants are laughable too! Truly iconic, legendary and Super Bowl winning franchises don't have to change uniform designs or the color of their helmets! Dolts fans love to pound their chests and strut around like peacocks trying to convince people they're fans of a winning franchise but that franchise trophy case still has NO Lombardi trophies in it and the only time the pathetic semi-homeless franchise made it to the Super Bowl they were humiliated!
@@davidcobb2693 haha you're cruel and cold.
@@jackburton4892 I speak the truth though.
It kinda sucks tbh.
Bills' defensive end Ron McDole (#72) would go to the Washington Redskins in 1971 and would still be playing with them in 1978.
Billy Shaw of the Buffalo Bills is the only played elected to the HOF who played his entire career in the AFL..
Love the music to this
btw,ABC televised this game then in 1965 NBC took over broadcasting the afl.
this game is in Buffalo's old "Rock pile" stadium and is noted for a famous tackle by lb mike Stratton on charger rb Keith Lincoln knocking him out.
Buffalo would Shutout this same team next yr in SD 23-0 to win back to back afl titles the only championships Buffalo has won to date.
1 final comment is it just me or was pro football much better during this time as opposed to today's watered down version?
Mike Stratton not Patton.
@@buffalobraves9
lol my bad.
In those days locally it was blacked out..Still pains me to this day I never got to watch it
Its just you...
JUST KIDDIN'..
When Hadl was hurt, number 55 for Buff. was none other than Paul Maguire the still alive and "kickin'" old punter/occasional L-backer, longtime tv NFL/AFC analyst. It was Maguire, an original Charger, who coffin cornered that beautiful punt inside the two. I know the AFL in '64 was not up with the NFL at that time, but I defy anyone to find a longer, more precisely placed punt of the pigskin than that princely pop, in a championship game, to boot=pretty much perfection. Btw, AFC titles are counted the same as AFL titles as far as the NFL is concerned. Buffy has won 6 AFL/AFC's combined.
Yes Red this was better than today's football
Cookie Gilchrist. Went from high school football straight to the pros. Unreal talent!
What a hit by Mike Stratton! Keith Lincoln was gasping for air. Horrible feeling. Cookie Gilchrist was a beast of a running back.
It is a proud feeling seeing how good they were at times through the Sixties.
Loved seeing the players individually in the beginning. No mugging for the camera like today.
And none of the black players have long cornrow hair like girls like they do now
TENNESSEE BOY Stratton’s hit ON Lincoln was the hit heard from Buffalo to Knoxville!
Play begins at 5:48, replay after.
Those Tennessee boys would give you a jolt back then ..Jack Reynolds, Steve Kiner, Doug Atkins etc...
The Bills had Pete Gogolak, the first soccer style kicker in pro football.
No more of that Lou" The Toe "Groza stuff !
@@stankatic8182, yep STEVE COX a punter mostly in his pro career, not MARK MOSELEY was the last of the straight-on kickers to make a field goal= in SEPT. of 1987(only the 15th of his 8 season career= CLEVE AND WASH= 4 SEASONS EACH), right after MOSELEY retired after the 1986-87 season.
So, the eradication wasn't right away; it took over 30 seasons..but the sidewinder booter had 100 percent of the pointscoring kicking jobs from that point forward in 1995.
COX by the way played for MOSELEY'S old team=REDSKINS, because MOSELEY left after being cut by WDC, and finished up in the JAN.'87 playoffs with CLEVELAND, hitting two fgoals, and missing one, in that
'87 AFC TITLE TILT= "THE DRIVE GAME" vs. my BRONCOS. He lost, and then retired.
Meanwhile, the last straight-on kicker, period, was DIRK BORGOGNONE(BOR GONN YO NEE) who after failing to catch on with a handful of NFL teams OVER A FOUR-YEAR SPAN, finally got to be an NFL regular season kicker in 1995 with G. BAY, while Chris Jacke was sidelined with an injury for two games.
BORGOGNONE did not kick any successful field goals before JACKE came off of the injury list and BORGY was cut. Later, his NEVADA highway patrol officer wife was killed on duty in a car accident..
sigh..
Yep. Strange to see a soccer-style kicker in '64. He played out his option & went to the NFL (Giants) which ticked off the AFL and it was ON!!! With prodding from Al Davis a lot of NFL players became targets of AFL teams who tried to get them to jump leagues. In a way you could say the Giants' signing of Gogolak was a spark that lit the flame which led to the eventual merger.
Remember his brother Charlie Gogolak. As kids in the 60's we imitated the soccer style kickers: Charlie GOGo! LOL
Chargers were already playing without Lance Alworth, And then when Keith Lincoln went down it took too much away from their offense. That was a great clean hit.
If you ever need to teach a young man how to execute a “PERFECT FORM TACKLE”? Have him watch and take notice of Mike “Tennessee “ Stratton executing a perfect form tackle on Keith Lincoln! This tackle changed the momentum and completion of the entire game!
Complexion
Yes, Stratton's CLINICAL textbook-perfect hit & tackle was indeed a thing of beauty !!!
I'm sure Alworth's absence and Lincoln's early departure was certainly a blow to the Chargers in the 1964 AFL Championship Game. HOWEVER, even coming into the game without Alworth, the defending AFL Champion Chargers had been heavy favorites (don't forget they had laid OVER 50 points on the Patriots in the prior year's 1963 AFL Championship Game in San Diego). Moreover, the following year the shoe was on the other foot: in the 1965 AFL Championship Game -- played again in San Diego with gorgeous weather conditions conducive to offensive football -- the Chargers were at FULL STRENGTH with all their stars (Alworth, Hadl, Lincoln, Lowe, Koucerek, etc.), while the Bills had massive depletions on offense coming into the game. The Bills' top 3 WRs had been injured that season (including Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion), and bruising RB Cookie Gilchrist (a Jim Brown clone) had been traded away. So coach Lou Saban had to devise a double tight end offense (previously benched/seldom-used TE Ernie Warlick, and rookie TE Paul Costa). In a total team effort, the depleted Bills not only defeated a healthy Chargers team on their own home field (old Balboa Stadium) in perfect weather for offensive football, but they actually SHUT OUT the full-strength Chargers and beat them more convincingly (23-0) than they had in the 1964 AFL Title Game in Buffalo (which was a 20-7 score).
Omg. Those helmets... toys really back then . Ouch. And I was playing in 1983 through 1987. Then 1995 through 1997 then again 2002 through 2006. Now I feel it. I am 51. Lol...
War memorial Stadium in Buffalo. "The Natural" was filmed there.
That place was interesting. The old places were the greatest for watching on TV, had character and uniqueness.
Interesting indeed. On a baseball tour in '96, I was lucky enough to visit Tiger Stadium What a pisser it wasn't saved.
Wish I was there for the exhibition game with the Browns during the Summer of 1967. If only that game was 2 years earlier when both teams were defending league champions and Jim Brown was still with Cleveland. Cookie may not have been there as he had been shipped off to Denver before the 1965 season.
I was there as an 8-year-old! Dec 26, 1964
I really miss these old stadiums.
War Memorial Stadium, where The Natural was filmed . In Buffalo , of course .
The only stadium named after a war which looked like it was fought in the confines of the stadium itself 😂
Good night, what a dump it was….
Buffalo had a 'soccer style' kicker in 1964! I thought everybody was still kicking them straight on back then. Love the music, the presentation.
Look up Pete Gogolak. That's the Bills kicker. He probably should be in the HOF for innovating it.
Gogolak was the first soccer style kicker in pro football.
Gogolak and he went to the NY Giants.
Pete Gogolac was the cause of the merger between the AFL and NFL after he signed with Giants.
@@panowa8319 Hardly. I think it was the growing popularity of the AFL
I can tell this is a Dave Volsky production...well done Dave as usual!
I have had this before I knew of him like 6-7 years ago. Could have been one of his early edits though.
Ya, it seems like his early work.
Good soundtrack. No need for commentary. Wish today's games were like this.
Lived in Buffalo as a kid from 1966-1972. My dad took me to several Bill's games. Saw the defending Superbowl champion Jets (and "Joe Willie") play after they shocked the world. Saw OJ in his rookie year and the blizzard game between the Bills and the Bengals in (I think) 1970. Left at halftime (brutally cold). Great times, but not a good stadium from a fan's perspective as the posts, if you were unlucky to be behind one of them, obstructed your view.
Wow, when will you ever see the goal posts missing while the game is still playing? Go to 20:35 sec mark. Fans weren't waiting!! Thx for the upload.
Not unusual back in those days.
@@ronflatter1235 I just find that awesome!!!
Some great footage of The Ol' Rockpile.
Mike Stratton's wicked hit on Keith Lincoln remains imho thecm greatest defensive play in Bills history.
I really miss that old place.
Tell us about it. I've never been to a stadium quite like that one.
So you're the one?
@@howie9751 Peeing on the wall
Standing 10 feet away from the sidelines...
Mike Stratton's "hit heard 'round the world" on Keith Lincoln at 5:48 :)
Great break on the ball by Stratton and text book tackle. Love the way hd walks away like he has something that he forgot to do!
By the looks of the early warm up shots of the Chargers it’s already 14-0 Buffalo...they don’t seem to thrilled about the dark, dank weather and the ancient stadium. Home field advantage.
Same story next year in San Diego, so the Chargers had no excuses. The Bills just spanked them!!!
Baron, I was in San Diego when they got there from LA , that was THE Time if you were an AFL fan
I also enjoyed the music
If you look closely at 20:37 mark the fans have already gone on the field and torn down the goalpost while the game is still in progress. The entire end from the 5 yd line into the endzone is filled with fans.
Buffalo burgers..= meatheads..
Yeah, like no one else in the history of sports has ever rushed the field. Idiot.
@@buffalobraves9, I never said no one had ever rushed the field..but they do it generally speaking after AFTER the game ends..got it, Genius?
@@buffalobraves9, CAL VS. STANFORD was only about the band rushing it before the game ended. I have never ever heard of any place where with minutes, not seconds, still left, the fans were in the endzone, and was it with a torn up goalpost(?).
HOW INGENIOUS, YOU GENIUS..
It's called using your brain to do a quick search. It happens way more than you think. ua-cam.com/video/qUQ_enyo7S8/v-deo.html
I miss the AFL...the merger of the 2 leagues was the NFLs idea as it was obvious the AFL was here to stay. When the AFL ended operations and merged into the NFL they were no longer a push over in the super bowl..in some ways it would have been interesting to keep the 2 leagues separate but things worked out well.
I always thought it was the big salaries both sides that caused the merger but I read somewhere the NFL was going broke.
The AFL should have held out. Their brand of football was taking over.
5:28 Big Cat Ernie Ladd with a big run stuff. Guy was so huge he just ate space and running lanes.
You know this music was from about 6 years after this game. Regardless, great color footage.
RIP Mike Stratton.
Jack Kemp went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York and also was Housing Secretary in the administration of George H.W. Bush.
During the opening minutes needs captions identifying the players, maybe even still framing the video to include his entire professional resume.
Chargers uniform and logo are great but love the clean classic look of the Bills as well. Buffalo was also the AFL's first great defensive team (and that offense with Kemp, Gilchrist, Dubenion and company was no slouch either.)
The AFL was an amazing league I don’t know why the NFL saw them as a joke of a football league.
That was the public "face" the NFL was presenting on the AFL. Most of the NFL owners were the founding fathers and family dynasties
of professional football. They saw the AFL as johnny come lately's who showed up just as the NFL reached sustained success in the 50s.
The NFL still remembered the AAFC in the late 40s and how its best team the Cleveland Browns, would be a dominant force across the 50s and 60s.
Some people think that the NFL simply thought the AFL would become another AAFC and its strongest teams could be added to the NFL
when it went under. They didn't look at the effect TV deals by ABC and then NBC would have on keeping the AFL viable. They also didn't
look at the need for other networks to counter-program the CBS monopoly on Sunday afternoon professional football.
@@TheLAGopher that’s true sometime as a fan of football you wonder what if they were separate leagues like before, I wonder which league fans would like more.
the NFL and it's fans also mocked the American Football Association that the Cleveland Browns came from, then Cleveland and the 49ers joined the NFL and the Cleveland Browns immediately dominated the NFL in the 1950's.
@@krisschedler, the AAFC outside of CLEVELAND and about 60-80 players + SOME 49ERS, AND BALTIMORE COLTS FIRST NFL EDITION, was inferior to the NFL.
CBROWNS were 52-4-3 in the AAFC, and went 4 for 4 in titles.
With the benefit of the NFL draft, the BROWNS with a better team, including RAY RENFRO added from the NFL draft, and HALL GUY, D-LINEMAN LEN FORD picked up from the defunct AAFC'S LA DONS; well, they only won 3 of the six titlegames with QB OTTO GRAHAM that they were in vs. the NFL, and lost 4 regular season games alone, in 1954.
Only around 35 percent of the HALL OF FAMERS originally came out of the AAFC from 1946-50, and if you looked at that per capita per rosters(essentially,
pretending the AAFC had 10 teams from 1946-1947 thru 1949-50, its only seasons, (even though it only had 8 teams the first three seasons, and 7 in the last campaign), the same number of teams actually in the NFL during those seasons, it jumps to a little over 41 percent with origination in the AAFC. Then, when you stretch it to any AAFC ORIGINATION player who played in the NFL from 1950 to 1955 and beyond, the HALL OF FAME NUMBER JUMPS TO 46 PERCENT.
HOWEVER 35 is not equal to 65, and 41 is not = to 59, nor is 46= 54.
Finally, the NFL FROM 1946-50, AND '46 TO 56, featured a larger percentage of HALL OF FAMERS= in that same 3:2 ratio, than the '46-50 AAFC, even per capita.
Many AAFC origination players did not develop into HALL guys until they were further along in their careers in the NFL.
After the BALTY COLTS first NFL edition from the AAFC did not last, Y.A. TITTLE THE QBACK, who had good AAFC numbers WITH BALTIMORE, was grabbed up in the BALTY COLTS#1 FOLDING=dispersal draft of 1951 by SAN FRANCISCO, where after being an AAFC and one year NFL starter, he had to wait about 3 years before he was able to start in the NFL for FRISCO. HE WAS A STAR AFTER THAT BEGINNING IN 1953.
BOBBY LAYNE a starting qb from the defunct AAFC NY BULLDOGS, although he started as a CHICAGO BEAR reject, got picked up in the AAFC MERGER dispersal draft by DETROIT in 1950.
LAYNE does not have great AAFC stats. When he got his chance with NFL DETROIT though, he made the most of it, winning three NFL CROWNS IN 7 SEASONS BEFORE HEADING TO PITTSBURGH.
HE IS IN THE HALL, AND SO IS TITTLE.
THE NFL was still a better league from '46-50.
GRAHAM in the NFL never had the 25 td passes-only 10 to 15 picks and two 60+ completion percentage seasons or one season averaging 10 yds completed per attempt, or averaged over 8 yds per att. that he had thrown for IN THE AAFC, and he was more mature with a deeper BROWNS team around him in the 1950's NFL= he still had fine 1950's NFL numbers but not the ridiculously higher numbers that he had in the d-challenged AAFC. GRAHAM AND THE BROWNS were not the problem, though. The bottom 45-60 percent of the AAFC talent was the housefly in the vaseline. Many average or subpar AAFC players either only played one or two more seasons in the NFL following the merger, and then were out of the league, or did not make NFL teams at all. Some just "good" players lasted in the NFL as average, and some did not last long.
Finally, even though there was a dispersal draft DURING THE MERGER of AAFC players, the mediocre to lousy teams in the NFL, virtually did not keep or sign any of them, maybe a handful;.. total, not per lousy, or mediocre teams, no, total..because the bottom of the barrel of the AAFC was inferior to the NFL.
INDISPUTABLY, the AAFC, outside of CLEVE and those 70 to 80 players on different AAFC teams, or ON NFL ABSORBED SFRAN OR the BALTY COLTS#1, the latter gone after one season, squads, was weak at the bottom vs. the NFL weaklings' players.
Yep, the NFL was overall top to bottom stronger than the AAFC.
The careers and stats and players AAFC PERFORMANCE VS. THEIR NFL PERFORMANCE proves it.
My dad was at this game, he had season tickets in 1964 and 65.
As was my dad.
@Thomas Lane Yeah, all of Buffalo's other championships are all minor league.
REAL hand nosed football. Long gone.
The only league championship game played on a Saturday.
Buffalo New York.......City of Champions!
5:50-The hit that changed the game.
What are they dumping on the field before the game? Salt, sand kitty litter. Wow!
There are AFL games before and after this that are from the Network broadcast. Why not AFL 1964 and 1965?
This was my league. : The AFL!
what a hit! 5:50
Most famous hit in AFL history. Mike Stratton laying out the Chargers' best all-around offensive player Keith Lincoln. Busted Lincoln's rib cage and turned the game around.
Damn. No mercy.
1964...They knew how to tackle back then...unlike today where they run out of bounds!!!
hadl and kemp had a full set
Before the rich memorial stadium was built in 73 I think
Like how the players were filmed pregame. Noticed they all took off their helmets and even the ref was filmed. Instead of taking off his cap he blew his whistle . Found that a little amusing .
Jack Kemp was Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996 presidential election.
Kemp probably would have won if he was on top of the ticket. They picked Dole because it was “his turn”. Kemp was younger, smarter, very telegenic. Would have changed modern history…..significantly.
@@tek6423 no way Kemp would have beaten Clinton,
Why does this only have 15k views?
It doesn't show up on 99.9% of youtube user's suggestions until they've watched some related clip.
5:48--The Hit Heard 'Round the World
The AFL was great revolutionized the game with the explosive passing offense the NFL a bore the refs stayed out of the way and let them play
What happened to the player on the ground @ 17:07? Was that Kemp? Looked like he was having a seizure!
Tobin Rote
These NFL helmets are hilarious looking compared to today's helmets. They look like their two sizes to small and with only one bar guard. Wonder how these teams would match up to today's teams. Who would win?
Why did they dump lime in the middle of the field ?
Not sure that is what is was, but the purpose was to fill the muddy spots before they froze.
SB3 TV 1969 broadcast with retro commercials - @
SB3 TV 1969 broadcast with retro commercials - ua-cam.com/video/s_jtbgcdq50/v-deo.html
Who is #38, the running back on the Chargers?
Jacque McKinnon
That hit by Mike Stratton on Keith Lincoln had to hurt like hell
Broke Lincoln's ribs and COMPLETELY changed the game. It was the turning point.
Tobin Rote should have gone with his first instinct on that play and just heaved the ball downfield. I'm pretty sure I would get a second on that from Keith Lincoln!
The bongos bring to mind a scene where I'm about to smoke some weed with Maynard G. Krebs & Sammy Davis Jr.
So who did the AFL films since This was before the merger with the NFL so obviously NFL films was not in assisting the AFL in this production.
The video on this was pre NFL films. But the music was just from NFL films. So this was done by fans. I believe Hughes network did the AFL weekly shows and teams managed their annual stuff. NFL films took over in 1966.
I think TelRa was the company the AFL used
@Dave Volsky, also Winnick's group?
Some company too cheap to hire voiceover announcers
@@Tommy-76 Yes, Tel Ra did the AFL games until the merger. Tel Ra also did all the NFL highlight shows prior to 1962 ..
Kemp had a cannon
The original opening graphic of Monday Night Football - The QB tossing the ball was Kemp.
Wow this was the beginning of it all tv action all white players mostly slower too
Clown
No Hadl or Alworth
Hadl came in and replaced the starter and got knocked out of the game after a couple of series. I wish I knew who the starter was. While Hadl was laid out I did get to see a couple of names I hadn't noticed before. Paul Maguirre for the Bills and Kyle Rote of the Chargers. Coincidentally they both went on to work as NFL TV analysts. Rote partnered with Curt Gowdy on NBC. I'm not sure who Maguirre worked with and not sure if if it was NBC or CBS. Probably after CBS took over AFC. But he was pretty good. I think they said Alworth (Bambi) was injured.
The starter was Tobin Rote, number 18. He’s the “Rote” that you saw.
Hadl and Allworth lost the next year to the Bills 23-0 in this game. It's out there as well.
Paul McGuire worked color and later in studio for NBC
#21 hadl
Go Bills
Is that Tobin Rote at QB? It's not Hadl.
Yep from the CFL to the AFL....
Well, professionally, Detroit Lions/NFL then CFL and AFL 😉
Rote retired after this game, came out of retirement in mid-season of 1966, played briefly with the Broncos, and then retired for good.
Only quarterback to win championships in 3 leagues: AFL, CFL, NFL. A GREAT QB!!
@@Smecty Correction two Leagues. won in the NFL and the AFL. Played in the CFL championship game Grey Cup , but lost.
Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills.
San Diego Chargers
Slaughter, the Browns would have killed them. Remember, this Buffy team with pretty much the same D lost to the KC CHIEFS 31-7 AT HOME in the '66-67 AFL CHAMP. GAME. Two weeks later, the NFL came calling for KC in LA, 35-10 PACKERS.. SUPE1. SUPE2=14-1 OAKLAND 14-- 11-4-1 GB 33.
Only after the common draft and the maturing of their younger pre-common draft AFL players, did the AFL win Supe Bowls. No AFL team as an AFC team would win the SUPE BOWL after KC IN SUPE 4 until MIAMI in SUPE 7, and after that back to back by Miami, only one AFL born team would win a SUPE between SUPE8 AND SUPE 15..OAKLD.IN SUPE 12.
In the first year of the AFC VS. NFC interconf. it was heavily old NFL, and that is not counting BALTY, CLEVE AND PITT'S NUMBERS..and in the 'still played seriously' AFC VS. NFC PRO BOWL in '70-71 the first yr. of the sked merger, it went 27-6 NFC. It was the one where old AFL'ers were the majority of the AFC stars, with Balty, Pitt, and Cleve contributing heavily..to the AFC lineup.
THE old AFL HAD three teams(FOUR SEASONS) that were as good as the top NFL teams of the 60's='68-69 JETS & RAIDERS, '69-70 CHIEFS AND RAIDERS. The rest were mediocre to bad compared to the NFL..and their records in the early post SKED MERGER YRS. is testament to that=under .500 for Chargers, Pats, Bills. Oilers, Broncs, and Namath injured Jets, while Oak and KC did ok, not 13-1 great, but ok, KC did squat past 1972. OF THE OLD AFL CLUBS, Miami and Cincy the expansion teams guided by old NFL CLEVE BROWNS hands, Shula and P.Brown dominated the AFC along with later in the mid 70's OAK..and in the late 70's DENVER. PITT AND THE BALTY COLTS had more than a little success in the AFC=combo of 5 AFC TITLES, FIVE SUPE BOWLS. OLD AFL TEAMS winning AFC in the '70's=OAK 1, KC 0, DEN1, MIAMI 3...and that is it.
Noll of Pitt?= old Cleve. BROWN and old Colts coach.
No, the Bills with NFL reject KEMP would have been killed.
Someone mentioned MIAMI's 14-0 and said I was wIldly speculating about the AFL not being up to snuff with the NFL until the 1970's. Well, I mentioned Miami under Shula. Apparently that person cannot read very well=tame speculation on my part=about their reading skills. Btw, the Dolphins 14-0-0 regular season was not the only American pro football 14-0-0 mark in history. Try the 1948 I believe it was '48 CLEVELAND BROWNS of the old, defunct ALL AMERICA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE(AAFC) league. Oh yeah, the poster went by ESOTERIC KNAVE.
@@robertsprouse9282 Len Dawson was an NFL reject.
@@bemore1134 , yep, and then in the SUPER BOWL instrumentally beat a 12-2-0, longest regular season winning streak in 35 years, at the time, 12 in a row VIKES team.. in SUPE IV..
and, three years later beat a 5-0-0 WDC REDSKINS team in WASH., moving the CHIEFS to 5-1-0 in the NFL..
So, apparently he improved with the playing time he received in the AFL.
Here are some other NFL rejects who later beat NFL teams in the SUPER BOWL:
WILLIE BROWN(not drafted by any NFL team)..and
NyJ's JOHNNY SAMPLE(NFL= PITT, BALT. AND WASH.)..
Who drafted JIM OTTO in the NFL?
Dawson was a reject..yeahh?
So what!
There were only 21 pro football teams when he was
cut..
Yep..
So what!
That team would have given the Browns a real run for their money in a world Championship game in 1964!
The 1964 Buffalo Bills AFL Championship team was the closest thing to an NFL team in the AFL than anyone had seen before. They had a great power running game with Cookie Gilchrist and a really stingy hard hitting defense. Jack Kemp could also throw the ball when he had to. They were just a much more physical football team than Sid Gillman's Chargers were. I think they could've beaten the 1964 NFL Champion Cleveland Browns in a World Championship game
Cookie Gilchrist should have been a Brown but his age was too young for NFL rules, so he starred in Canada before going to Buffalo.
@@brianwolf6166 He had a car that had the following spelled out in it: Lookie, Lookie, Here comes Cookie!
The players looked like men then
The players today look Feminime by comparison. Long hair and earrings.
Yea but the would kick these guys all over the field.
that field was awful.
So awful it's BEAUTIFUL.
That's the way a football field is supposed to look like. NFL nowadays is too sterile.
@@osaji922 Agree.
Nothing like natural turf!
Always a mud pit late in the year
Muzak and Bongo Drums. This is a terrible video that doesn't do justice to two fine teams! No voice overs, no commentary. The two leagues hadn't merged yet. Still, this needs the Voice of NFL Films. The incomparable John Facenda. Facenda would have resuscitated and breathed life into this dog of a video. Perhaps, a Cackling Crow or a Howling Wolf in the background? A herd of stampeding Elephants would be a glaring improvement over this Audio Abomination. Many don't realize just how strong the AFL was by the Mid Sixties. The 1963 Chargers were talented enough that they probably would have whipped the NFL champion Chicago Bears. Lou Sabans Buffalo Bills were even more powerful than San Diegos Fireworks Display. A powerful running game , with a defense that compared to almost any NFL edition. Two wonderful coaches and teams that received the same treatment as a High School Scrimmage game. Shame on the Producers and Editors that allowed this Video "Brain Fart" to be released. The American Football League deserved much better treatment.
I also enjoyed the music