The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference (NFC), each contain 16 teams with 4 divisions. Both conferences were created as part of the 1970 merger between the National Football League, and the American Football League (AFL). All ten of the AFL teams, and three NFL teams, became members of the new AFC, with the remaining thirteen NFL teams forming the NFC. A series of league expansions and division realignments have occurred since the merger, thus making the current total of 16 teams in each conference. The current AFC champions are the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 season's AFC Championship Game for their third conference championship.
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 Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium, located in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida. The team is currently owned by Stephen M. Ross. The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida. Of the four AFC East teams, the Dolphins are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins were also one of the first professional football teams in the southeast, along with the Atlanta Falcons.
Roland Owen McDole is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL).
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti was an American professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins, winning two Super Bowls with the Dolphins. Buoniconti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
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.
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills ; the Miami Dolphins ; the New England Patriots ; and the New York Jets. All four members of the AFC East were previously members of the Eastern Division of the American Football League (AFL).
William Thomas Stanfill was a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and then the National Football League (NFL) after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. He was a member of Miami's two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Richard Paul Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football at Colorado and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected in third round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, and he played for his entire professional career for the Dolphins.
George William Wilson, Jr. was an American football player. He played college football at Xavier University and professionally for the American Football League's (AFL) 1966 expansion team, the Miami Dolphins. In 1965, Wilson was selected in the 20th round of the National Football League (NFL) draft by the Detroit Lions, with the overall 277th pick. However, he eventually signed with the AFL's Buffalo Bills, who drafted him as the 96th pick in the 12th round of the Red Shirt draft. In 1966, Wilson was traded to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 13th round 1967 draft pick. At the time, the Dolphins' head coach was his father, George Wilson, Sr.
The 1966 American Football League season was the seventh regular season of the AFL. The league began its merger process with the National Football League (NFL) in June, which took effect fully in 1970.
Kenneth Earl Rice was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and the Miami Dolphins. Rice played college football for the Auburn Tigers, where he was named a two-time All-American.
Laverne Joseph Torczon or LaVerne Joseph Torczon, also known as Tarzan Torczon, was an American football defensive end. He played college football at the University of Nebraska, and played professionally in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills, the New York Titans/Jets, and the Miami Dolphins. He was the Sporting News selection as an AFL All-League defensive end in 1960 and played in the 1961 AFL All-Star game.
The 1969 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s tenth season, and was the final season of the American Football League before the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger. The Bills played an AFL-record seven games against opponents that went on to reach the postseason; Buffalo lost all seven of these games.
The 1966 Miami Dolphins season was the team's inaugural year as an expansion franchise in the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins were the first of two expansion teams in the AFL, founded by Minneapolis attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. Future Harlem Globetrotters and Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett, Jr. was a minority partner, and the team was led by head coach George Wilson. The franchise was granted in August 1965 for $7.5 million.
The 1969 Miami Dolphins season was the team's fourth season, and their final season in the American Football League (AFL). This was the final season for George Wilson as head coach, as Don Shula was hired next season and coached the team for the next 25 seasons until 1995. The team looked to improve on their 5–8–1 record from 1968. However, the Dolphins struggled from the season's start, losing their first 3 games before tying the Oakland Raiders and losing their next 2 games to start the season 0–5–1. After their week 7 win over the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins would end the season with a 3–10–1 record. Their week 10 loss to the Buffalo Bills would be the last time the Dolphins lost to the Bills until 1980, as the Dolphins won 20 straight against Buffalo from 1970–1979. This became known as "The Streak", as it set an NFL record for the longest winning streak for one team against one opponent, which, as of 2023, is still an NFL record that has not been seriously threatened.
The 1968 Miami Dolphins season was the team's third in the American Football League (AFL). The team improved on their 4–10 record from 1967, finishing the season 5–8–1 and moving one place up in the AFL Eastern Division. In week 6, the Dolphins tied the Buffalo Bills, 14–14, the first tie in franchise history. The Dolphins finished their season with a 5-8-1 record, a mild improvement from the previous season.
The 1967 Miami Dolphins season was the team's second in the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins improved by 1 game over their 3–11 inaugural season from 1966, finishing 4–10 and in 4th place in the AFL Eastern Division. The team began its season with two straight bye weeks. In the first game, they beat Denver, 35–21, to win their first ever season opener. However, the Dolphins then lost 8 straight games before beating the Buffalo Bills, 17–14, at home. The Dolphins went winless on the road this season. However, the Dolphins scored 40 points in back-to-back games, with 41-24 and 41-32 wins over the Chargers and Patriots, respectively. 1967 was also the rookie campaign for quarterback Bob Griese.
William Harold Dolphin was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
William F. Cronin, Jr. was an American football tight end who played one season with the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifteenth round of the 1965 AFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College. Cronin was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
