The Original AFL Teams
The First Eight Teams and an American Football Conference History
Oct 13, 2009
The American Football Conference began as the American Football League, which was designed to compete with the National Football League, the only professional football league at the time of the AFC's early formation.
Brief History of the AFC
The AFL (American Football League) was formed in 1959, and served as a league separate to the NFL. Initially, many franchises were proposed that did not take off, but over the next year, the young league had come up with eight AFL franchises, which are still in play today as the eight original AFC teams. Throughout the 1960s, both the AFL and NFL were very popular, and players were torn between the two leagues, as competitive salaries were offered by both entities. The NFL and AFL also competed for fans and media support. In 1970, a merger between the two leagues was carried out, resulting in the National Football Conference (formerly the NFL) and the American Football Conference (formerly the AFL), both of which have been part of the National Football League since.
The Original Eight Teams of the AFC (Then, the AFL)
The American Football League was originally separated into two divisions. The Eastern Division had the Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers, and New York Titans. The Western Division was composed of the Dallas Texans, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Oakland Raiders. All of these franchises are still in the NFL today, although some of them have relocated and changed names.
Changes in the Original Eight Franchises of the AFC
Some of the teams in the AFC have remained unchanged throughout their histories, but some of them have moved and/or renamed. The Boston Patriots changed their name to the New England Patriots in the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Following the 1996 season, the Houston Oilers moved the franchise to Tennessee, and played the next two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers. In 1999, the Oilers became the Tennessee Titans. The New York Titans were renamed as the Jets in 1963. The Dallas Texans relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Chiefs a few years after the franchise's start, which is why the Chiefs had the Texas logo on their helmets in week 5 of the 2009 NFL season. The Los Angeles Chargers played a single season in their city after their formation, and then the team moved to San Diego.
The 2009 NFL season is a season that remembers the beginning of the American Football Conference, and the eight original teams of the AFC that began as the American Football League will be seen at times wearing historic jerseys, donned by the respective franchises' original players in the AFL's 50th anniversary season.
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