1964 American Football League Championship Game
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox AFLChamp
| type = aflc
| name = 1964
| visitor = San Diego Chargers
| visitor_record = 8–5–1
| home = Buffalo Bills
| home_record = 12–2
| visitor_abbr = SD
| home_abbr = BUF
| visitor_coach = Sid Gillman
| home_coach = Lou Saban
| visitor_conf = Western
| home_conf = Eastern
| visitor_qtr1 = 7
| visitor_qtr2 = 0
| visitor_qtr3 = 0
| visitor_qtr4 = 0
| visitor_qtr5 =
| visitor_total = 7
| home_qtr1 = 3
| home_qtr2 = 10
| home_qtr3 = 0
| home_qtr4 = 7
| home_qtr5 =
| home_total = 20
| date = December 26, 1964
| stadium = War Memorial Stadium
| city = Buffalo, New York
| MVP =
| referee = Bob Finley
| attendance = 40,242
| network = ABC
| announcers = Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman
| HOFers = Chargers: Sid Gillman (coach), Lance Alworth, Ron Mix
Bills: Ralph Wilson (owner), Billy Shaw
}}
{{Location map
|USA
|relief = 1
|label = Buffalo
|lat = 42.905
|long = -78.856
|caption = Location in the United States
|position = bottom
|marksize = 5
|float =
|background =
|width = 290
}}
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.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1964/12/27/page/49/article/bills-bruise-chargers-win-a-f-l-title-20-7 |newspaper=Chicago Sunday Tribune |title=Bills bruise Chargers; win A.F.L. title, 20-7 |date=December 27, 1964 |page=1, section 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BFIaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5682%2C1592418 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=UPI |title=Buffalo's Bills bull past San Diego for title, 20-7 |date=December 27, 1964 |page=1, sports }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W7ZQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2859%2C5436411 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Rathet |first=Mike |title=Buffalo gains AFL championship |date=December 27, 1964 |page=1B }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UTxYAAAAIBAJ&pg=2844%2C6636388 |newspaper=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Buffalo Bills out-charge Charger 20-7 in finale |date=December 28, 1964 |page=9 }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1965/01/04/607241/foggy-feast-for-buffalos-faithful|magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Shrake |first=Edwin |author-link=Bud Shrake |title=Foggy feast for Buffalo's faithful |date=January 4, 1965 |page=14}}
The Buffalo Bills (12–2) of the Eastern Division hosted the defending AFL champion San Diego Chargers (8–5–1) of the Western Division. The two had met twice in the regular season and the Bills won both, most recently by three points in San Diego a month earlier on Thanksgiving Day. Hall of fame wide receiver Lance Alworth of the Chargers was injured in the final regular season game (left knee hyperextension) and did not play.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1964/12/26/page/31/article/alworth-is-out-of-a-f-l-title-game |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=UPI |title=Alworth is out of AFL title game |date=December 26, 1964 |page=1, section 2}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rThWAAAAIBAJ&pg=7202%2C2775059 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press|title=Chargers lose star for AFL title game |date=December 26, 1964 |page=12 }} The Chargers had lost three of their last four games to end the regular season, and the Bills were slight favorites to win the title at home;{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DltYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5523%2C5969728 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Weather factor in pro finales |agency=Associated Press |date=December 24, 1964 |page=10 }} with Alworth out they became strong favorites.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EF8tAAAAIBAJ&pg=833%2C4901031 |work=Schenectady Gazette |location=(New York) |agency=Associated Press |title=Bills rated as strong favorites to win AFL title |date=December 26, 1964 |page=18}}
Game summary
San Diego opened the game with an 80-yard drive in four plays, but it was their only score as the Bills won 20–7 for their first league championship. Combined with the next season, the Bills' consecutive AFL titles are the only two championships ever won by a major league team based in Buffalo.
One of the game's most iconic plays was one known as the "hit heard 'round the world," when Bills linebacker Mike Stratton laid a particularly hard hit on Chargers running back Keith Lincoln that broke a rib and forced him out of the game midway through the first quarter. Lincoln had over 330 yards of offense in the previous year's title game and had already rushed for 47 yards, caught a pass for 11 yards, and kicked an extra point (as the reserve placekicker) in the first 6½ minutes.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EVtYAAAAIBAJ&pg=2629%2C6810496 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Linebacker key in Buffalo win |date=December 28, 1964 |page=10}} Without Lincoln and Alworth, the San Diego offensive attack was severely hindered.
Bills' fullback Cookie Gilchrist rushed for 122 yards on sixteen carries, while quarterback Jack Kemp completed ten of twenty passes for 188 yards and scored a fourth quarter touchdown on a sneak. Rookie kicker Pete Gogolak added two field goals in the first half. War Memorial Stadium was filled with a sellout attendance of 40,242.
{{Americanfootballbox | titlestyle=text-align:center; background:#eee
|title=Buffalo Bills 20, San Diego Chargers 7
|Road=Chargers
|R1=7
|R2=0
|R3=0
|R4=0
|Home=Bills
|H1=3
|H2=10
|H3=0
|H4=7
|date=December 26, 1964
|stadium=War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York
|attendance=40,242
|time=2:00 p.m. EST
|referee=Bob Finley
|weather=
|TV=ABC
|TVAnnouncers=Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman[http://the506.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1223123501 1964 NFL-AFL Commentator Crews] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129090229/http://the506.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1223123501 |date=January 29, 2009 }}
|scoring=
Scoring
- First quarter
- SD – Dave Kocourek 26 pass from Tobin Rote (Keith Lincoln kick), 7–0 SD
- BUF – Field goal Pete Gogolak 12, 7–3 SD
- Second quarter
- BUF – Wray Carlton 4 run (Gogolak kick), 10–7 BUF
- BUF – Field goal Gogolak 17, 13–7 BUF
- Third quarter
- Fourth quarter
- BUF – Jack Kemp 1 run (Gogolak kick), 20–7 BUF
}}
Aftermath
It was the final game for Chargers quarterback Tobin Rote, who had led the Detroit Lions to the NFL title seven years earlier in 1957 and the Chargers to the AFL crown in 1963. He was replaced in the game by John Hadl, who had played most of the regular season.
The 1964 AFL championship game was the penultimate pro football championship game played in Buffalo (the Bills hosted again in 1966, but lost in their attempt for a third consecutive AFL crown). Held six days after the completion of the 1964 regular season, it was the only AFL title game not played on Sunday, as well as the final one televised in black-and-white. The NFL's championship game was played the following day on Sunday, December 27.
This was the last AFL game on ABC television; rights were sold in January 1964 to NBC for $36 million over five years, beginning with the 1965 season.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BusxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5992%2C4622151 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=UPI reports |title=AFL, NBC ink pact |date=January 29, 1964 |page=3B}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jZcrAAAAIBAJ&pg=5397%2C2441193 |newspaper=Nashua Telegraph |location=(New Hampshire) |agency=Associated Press |title=American Football League may be expanded in 1966 |date=May 23, 1964 |page=8}} This infusion of cash helped spur a bidding war for talent with the NFL, which led to the AFL–NFL merger agreement in June 1966. With the exception of the 1966 Continental Football League championship, ABC did not carry pro football again until after the completion of the merger and the subsequent creation of Monday Night Football for the {{nfly|1970}} season.
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{coord|42.905|-78.856|type:event|display=title}}
{{1964 AFL season by team}}
{{1964 Buffalo Bills}}
{{Buffalo Bills}}
{{San Diego Chargers}}
{{NFLC-SuperBowl}}
{{NFL on ABC}}
Category:Buffalo Bills postseason
Category:San Diego Chargers postseason
Category:American football in Buffalo, New York
American Football League Championship Game