1963 Boston Patriots season

Last updated

1963 Boston Patriots season
Owner Billy Sullivan
Head coach Mike Holovak
Home field Fenway Park
Results
Record7–6–1
Division place1st AFL Eastern (playoff)
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(at Bills) 26–8
Lost AFL Championship
(at Chargers) 10–51
AFL All-StarsLB Tom Addison
DT Houston Antwine
LB Nick Buoniconti
WR/K Gino Cappelletti
DE Bob Dee
DE Larry Eisenhauer
RB Larry Garron
DB Ron Hall
G Charlie Long
G Billy Neighbors
QB Babe Parilli
Uniform
AFC-1961-1964-Uniform-NE.PNG

The 1963 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's 4th season in the American Football League.

Contents

In their first season at Fenway Park, switching from Nickerson Field, the Patriots hovered around the .500 mark all season, and were in position to win the Eastern Division title outright with a victory on their final game. [1] The 35–3 road loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs allowed the Buffalo Bills catch up and both finished at 7–6–1, which required a divisional playoff game, the AFL's first. [2] [3] Both teams had a bye the following week, postponed from the Sunday after the assassination of President Kennedy; the tiebreaker playoff was scheduled for Saturday, December 28, at Buffalo's War Memorial Stadium. The teams split their two games during the regular season, with the home team winning, and the host Bills were slight favorites. [3]

The visiting Patriots won the playoff game 26–8 on a snowy field, with quarterback Babe Parilli throwing two touchdown passes to fullback Larry Garron, and four field goals were added by end Gino Cappelletti. [4] [5] With the win, Boston became Eastern Division champions, while the Western champion San Diego Chargers (11–3) were idle. The AFL championship game was played the next week in southern California on January 5, where San Diego routed the Patriots 51–10 at Balboa Stadium. [6] [7] [8] [9]

This was Boston's only postseason appearance during the AFL's ten years; the Patriots' next playoff game was in 1976 (as a wild card) and the next division title came in 1978.

AFL draft

Staff

1963 Boston Patriots staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Trainer - William T “Billy” Bates

Roster

Boston Patriots 1963 roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 8 New York Jets W 38–141–0 Alumni Stadium 24,120 Recap
2September 14at San Diego Chargers L 13–171–1 Balboa Stadium 26,097 Recap
3September 22at Oakland Raiders W 20–142–1 Frank Youell Field 17,131 Recap
4September 29at Denver Broncos L 10–142–2 Bears Stadium 18,636 Recap
5October 5at New York Jets L 24–312–3 Polo Grounds 16,769 Recap
6October 11 Oakland Raiders W 20–143–3 Fenway Park 26,494 Recap
7October 18 Denver Broncos W 40–214–3Fenway Park25,418 Recap
8October 26at Buffalo Bills L 21–284–4 War Memorial Stadium 29,243 Recap
9November 1 Houston Oilers W 45–35–4Fenway Park31,185 Recap
10November 10 San Diego Chargers L 6–75–5Fenway Park28,402 Recap
11November 17 Kansas City Chiefs T 24–245–5–1Fenway Park17,200 Recap
November 24AFL games postponed to December 22
12December 1 Buffalo Bills W 17–76–5–1Fenway Park16,981 Recap
13December 7at Houston Oilers W 46–287–5–1 Jeppesen Stadium 23,462 Recap
14December 14at Kansas City Chiefs L 3–357–6–1 Municipal Stadium 12,598 Recap
15December 22 Bye week, (originally December 1)
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
Boston Patriots 761.5384–2327257L1
Buffalo Bills 761.5383–3304291W2
Houston Oilers 680.4293–3302372L4
New York Jets 581.3852–4249399L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

Postseason

RoundDateOpponentResultVenueAttendanceGame
recap
Division December 28at Buffalo Bills W 26–8 War Memorial Stadium 33,044 Recap
Championship January 5, 1964at San Diego Chargers L 10–51 Balboa Stadium 30,127 Recap

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Football League</span> League that merged with the NFL in 1970

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. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. It was more successful than earlier rivals to the NFL with the same name, the 1926, 1936 and 1940 leagues, and the later All-America Football Conference.

Keith Payson Lincoln was an American professional football halfback who played for eight seasons in the American Football League (AFL), primarily with the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars. Lincoln was a two-time All-AFL selection and a five-time AFL All-Star. A member of the Chargers Hall of Fame, he won an AFL championship with the Chargers in 1963, when he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the championship game. He had a stint with the Buffalo Bills before returning to San Diego and finishing his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Saban</span> American football player and coach (1921–2009)

Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. He played for Indiana University in college and as a professional for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between 1946 and 1949. Saban then began a long coaching career. After numerous jobs at the college level, he became the first coach of the Boston Patriots in the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He joined the Buffalo Bills two years later, and led the team to consecutive AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. Saban was the first head coach to win multiple AFL championships, with only Hank Stram passing him. After serving briefly as head coach at the University of Maryland, he was hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos in 1967, where he remained for five years. Saban returned to the Bills—by then in the National Football League (NFL) following the AFL–NFL merger—from 1972 to 1976, reaching the playoffs once but failing to bring Buffalo another championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe Parilli</span> American gridiron football player (1930–2017)

Vito "Babe" Parilli was an American football quarterback and coach who played professionally for 18 seasons. Parilli spent five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), three in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and 10 in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football at the University of Kentucky, where he twice received consensus All-American honors and won two consecutive bowl games.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobin Rote</span> American football player (1928–2000)

Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Rice Owls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 American Football League season</span> American Football League season

The 1969 AFL season was the tenth and final regular season of the American Football League. To honor the AFL's tenth season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each Kansas City Chiefs player wore a patch on his jersey with the logo during Super Bowl IV, the final AFL-NFL World Championship Game prior to the AFL–NFL merger.

The 1965 AFL Championship Game was the American Football League's sixth championship game, played on December 26 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California.

The 1964 AFL Championship Game was the American Football League's fifth championship game, played at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, December 26.

The 1963 AFL season was the fourth regular season of the American Football League.

The 1963 AFL Championship Game was the fourth American Football League (AFL) title game. The Western Division champion San Diego Chargers won 51–10 over the Eastern Division champion Boston Patriots. The Chargers' Keith Lincoln was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).

The 1961 AFL Championship Game was a rematch of the first American Football League title game, between the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers. It was played on December 24 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California, and the Oilers were three-point favorites.

The 1976 Baltimore Colts season was the 24th season for the team in the National Football League. Led by second-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, tied for first in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots. Baltimore won the AFC East title based on a better division record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 San Diego Chargers season</span> NFL team season

The 1965 San Diego Chargers season was their sixth as a professional AFL franchise; the team improved on their 8–5–1 record in 1964. Head Coach Sid Gillman led the Chargers to their fifth AFL West title with a 9–2–3 record, before losing the AFL Championship Game to the Buffalo Bills for the second consecutive season. It would prove to be the Chargers' last post-season appearance until 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 San Diego Chargers season</span> American Football League team season

The 1964 San Diego Chargers season was their fifth as a professional AFL franchise; the team failed to repeat as AFL champions after winning the championship in 1963 with a record of 11–3, and finished at 8–5–1. San Diego struggled at the start and finish of the season, but a six-game winning streak in the middle proved to be enough to win the AFL West, in a league where the two strongest teams were in the Eastern division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 San Diego Chargers season</span> 4th season in franchise history; first and only league championship win

The 1963 San Diego Chargers season was the team's fourth in the American Football League. The team had gone 4–10 in 1962 but rebounded with an 11–3 record, winning the AFL West by one game over the Oakland Raiders, who were coached by former Chargers assistant Al Davis. San Diego scored the most points in the league and conceded the fewest. Their offense, led by veteran quarterback Tobin Rote, and featuring future Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth, gained more yards than any other team; Rote and Alworth were each named the league MVP, by the Associated Press and UPI, respectively.

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was the second season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; For the second consecutive season, the Oilers scored a triumph in the AFL championship game over the San Diego Chargers (12–2), the Western Division champions.

The 1963 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s fourth season in the American Football League. Winless after their first four games, Buffalo won seven of the final ten games, including the final two over the New York Jets, to finish with their second-consecutive 7–6–1 record, tied with the Boston Patriots atop the Eastern division. In this era, this required a tiebreaker playoff, the AFL's first. The Patriots and Bills had split their season series, each team winning at home, and the Bills were slight favorites as playoff hosts.

References

  1. ↑ "Hopeful Packers, Patriots open pro grid weekend". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 14, 1963. p. 11.
  2. ↑ "AFL has title tie, may get another". Milwaukee Journal. UPI. December 16, 1963. p. 17, part 2.
  3. 1 2 "Bills, Patriots play for title". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 28, 1963. p. 7.
  4. ↑ "Boston beats Bills for division crown". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. December 29, 1963. p. 1, sports.
  5. ↑ "Parilli passes Patriots past Buffalo, 26-8". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 29, 1963. p. 1, section 4.
  6. ↑ "Chargers roll over Boston in AFL final". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 6, 1964. p. 27.
  7. ↑ "Chargers rout Boston, 51-10; compared with NFL teams". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 11, part 2.
  8. ↑ "Are Chargers good enough for NFL opponents?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 3B.
  9. ↑ "Charger win Lincolnesque; Palouse Moose gains 349". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.