Dec
On December 26th 1965, the Buffalo Bills shut out the San Diego Chargers 23-0 to win back-to-back AFL Championships. The game marked the last time a pro football championship was decided in December; the following season would conclude with the first Super Bowl, played in January of 1967.
Aug
On this day in 1967, the Denver Broncos defeated the Detroit Lions 13-7 in an exhibition game, marking the first time an AFL team beat an NFL team. The Broncos Cookie Gilchrist rushed for 89 of Denver’s 227 total yards and the team’s only touchdown.
On the bus following the game, Lions defensive tackle Roger Brown moaned, “The Denver Broncos… It didn’t happen!“ The first bite was the best for the aspiring league thanks to the lowly Broncos; in the words of Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp, “The AFL is going to surprise a lot of people. In fact, since Denver beat the Lions… I guess it already has.”
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