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.
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado.
John Willard Hadl was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. Hadl was named an AFL All-Star four times and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
James Charles Norton was an American professional football safety and punter who played for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). An original member of the Oilers franchise, he played in their first nine seasons from 1960 to 1968. Norton was an AFL All-Star for three seasons and holds the league's record for career interceptions. His jersey No. 43 was the first of eight retired by the Oilers/Titans franchise.
The American Football League draft, the American Football League stocked its teams in two ways:
- Signing free agents.
- Signing players from the previous year's college graduates.
Marlin Oliver Briscoe, nicknamed "the Magician", was an American professional football player who was a quarterback and wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). In October 1968, after being drafted by the AFL's Denver Broncos, he became the first black starting quarterback in professional football, and established a Denver rookie record of 14 touchdown passes that season. He played professionally for nine years.
John Carl Stofa was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL).
Wayne Allen Hawkins was an American professional football guard who played for ten seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Oakland Raiders from its founding in 1960 until 1970. He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the AFL's first draft in 1960, he joined the Raiders through the allocation draft before the start of the first AFL season.
Francis Joseph Tripucka was an American football quarterback who played professionally for 15 seasons. He spent four seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and four in American Football League (AFL). Tripucka achieved his greatest success as the inaugural quarterback for the AFL's Denver Broncos, who he was a member of from 1960 to 1963. During Denver's inaugural year, Tripucka became the first NFL / AFL quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. He received All-Star honors when leading the league in yards in 1962. He was inducted to the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1986. Tripucka has the lowest career Passer Rating in NFL history, minimum 1500 passing attempts, with a career rating of 52.2.
Lewis Pate "Bud" McFadin was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Texas and was a unanimous selection at the guard position on the 1950 College Football All-America Team. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams (1952–1956) and in the American Football League (AFL) for the Denver Broncos (1960–1963) and Houston Oilers (1964–1965). A versatile player, he played tackle and linebacker on defense, as well as guard on offense. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 1955 and 1956, a Sporting News All-AFL defensive tackle in 1960, 1961 and 1962, and an American Football League West Division All-Star in 1963.
The 1962 NFL draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.
Richard John Lucas is an American former football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he won the Maxwell Award in 1959.
Stephen Michael Tensi was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He played professionally for the San Diego Chargers (1965–1966) and the Denver Broncos (1967–1970).
Gerald John Hillebrand is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
James Gallagher Fraser was an American professional football linebacker and punter who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin and was drafted in the 21st round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played three seasons for the Denver Broncos and one season with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Boston Patriots and the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
Paige Parker is an Australian rules football and rugby league footballer who plays for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL Women's Premiership. She previously played for Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW), and the Newcastle Knights in the NRLW.
Thomas Welborn Myers is a former American football quarterback who played for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 1965 NFL Draft, and the Denver Broncos in the twelfth round of the 1965 AFL Draft. He played for the Lions from 1965–1966. He played college football at Northwestern.
James Bluford Price was a professional American football linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) for the New York Jets and Denver Broncos. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 3rd round of the 1963 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn University.
Glenn Murray Glass is a former American football defensive back who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 17th round of the 1962 NFL Draft. He was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1962 AFL Draft. Glass played college football at the University of Tennessee. He previously attended Clewiston High School in Clewiston, Florida. He was also a member of the Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL).
