by Marie Vibbert

It’s an active time for the National Football League, and the 1966 season that culminated this January will be remembered as one of the most exciting. Football continues to evolve and change. Last year, the NFL split the Eastern and Western conferences into two divisions each, and added a new official, the Line Judge, brought on specifically by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran “the scrambler” Tarkenton: he was so fond of running all over the backfield to avoid sacks that another official was needed to make sure he didn’t cross the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball.

Another change was adding a new team, bringing the number of teams in the NFL to 15. Now, the even numbers we’ve enjoyed for scheduling have been disrupted. The odd team out is the newly-added Atlanta Falcons in the Eastern Conference with my (Cleveland) Browns. There are plans to add a second team soon, possibly in Philadelphia or Miami. It’s said that Atlanta was added a year early, instead of joining next year with a partner, so that the NFL's rival, the American Football League (AFL) wouldn’t get them. To handle the odd number of teams, every team had a bye week, playing 14 games over 15 weeks.

The season started with controversy for my Browns. We were all justifiably proud that Jim Brown was going to star in a major Hollywood movie, The Dirty Dozen, filming during the off-season, but when production delays meant he would miss the start of training camp, team owner Art Modell threatened a hefty fine. Jim Brown responded by simply retiring from the game, rather than pay the owner. Jim Brown is still in his prime, and was the lead rusher in the league last season. The hole he left may never be filled, and I hope Mr. Modell doesn’t cross the street when I’m driving by. Let’s not forget this is also the man whose feud with Paul Brown cost us the best coach in football back in ‘63.

The Cleveland Browns on the cover of LIFE!

This was the first time since 1963 that my Browns didn’t make the playoffs, despite an offense that regularly racked up points and finished the season 9-5. (Tied with the Eagles in second place and with a better conference record…they also had a tied record and better conference percentage than the second place team in the Western Conference, the Baltimore Colts. HOW do they determine playoff positions again?! I’m writing a letter to the commissioner.) The Browns scored a hefty average of 28.8 points per game. If only their defense had been as strong. It’s so odd not having the Browns in the postseason. Is this what other team’s fans feel like?

The Western Conference did have an unusual season, with the unbeaten Cardinals playing the unbeaten Cowboys in week six to a 10-10 tie! It looked like the division would never be decided, but in week seven, both teams suffered their first losses–Dallas losing of course to the Browns.

In the Eastern Conference, the Packers have been unquestionably dominant, defending their league title. They finished 12-2, losing only to San Francisco and their arch-rivals, Minnesota. It’s hard to believe this is the team that had the worst record in the league in 1958 before Vince Lombardi turned them around. Who doesn’t love a rags-to-riches story? While Lombardi has stepped down, his picks are still beefing up the team, like Safety Willie Wood, a college quarterback no one wanted until Lombardi saw his true talents and put him to work.

I like the Packers, even if they defeated the Browns in last year’s Championship in Green Bay. I know the Browns will return to the title game soon, they have so rarely been out of it.

And speaking of the title game…

It’s hard to talk about the NFL this year without also talking about the AFL. The upstart league has done what previous challengers could not: it has won television contracts and it bid for top free-agents and draft picks against NFL teams. Quarterback Joe Namath was selected by the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals, but chose a sweeter deal with the AFL's New York Jets, and showed great promise in his rookie season in 1965. The winless Jets became the winning Jets when they started Namath from their seventh game on, and they have not looked back. He’s getting better every season.

(The AFL of course claims that the NFL fired the first shot in this war by signing placekicker Pete Gogolak to the New York Giants when he had already been contracted to the AFL’s Buffalo Bills.)

Everyone wondered what the NFL would do to defeat their new, popular rival. Much to the surprise of everyone, they opted for a friendly agreement. The AFL and NFL have signed peace accords, agreeing to a common draft to end the bidding wars, and promising to merge together no later than 1970. Until then, they would play one game a year together while maintaining separate schedules.

NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who oversaw the league unification

For the first time, the NFL would pit their champion against the champion of another league, a championship of championships some are calling “The Super Bowl.” Given how unusual this was, logistics proved challenging and a location and date were not announced until December! Still, the world was ready to watch whenever it landed, with NBC televising for the AFL and CBS for the NFL, simulcast on both coasts!

The AFL-NFL World Championship was played January 8th in the beautiful Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, ensuring that neither league could complain of home field advantage. Kansas City would use the AFL’s longer, narrower ball, and Green Bay the NFL standard. The AFL’s two-point conversion rule would not be used.

While many felt that no team from the younger and less experienced league could be a match, the Chiefs came into this game with a lot to brag about. Their 11-1-1 record was just a tie behind Green Bay’s. Their high-powered offense stomped over other teams with a trio of talented running backs, Mike Garrett, Bert Coan, and Curtis McClinton, each running over 500 yards for a combined 2,274 rushing yards on the season. Quarterback Len Dawson threw for 26 touchdowns and 2,527 yards of his own through the air. On the other side of the ball, their defense was packed with all-league players, including a secondary that racked up interceptions like they had been attending the other team’s throwing practices. The two safeties split 10 interceptions between them and defensive back Fred Williamson had four to himself. In their final game, they trounced the Buffalo Bills, a team I personally thought would put up more of a fight, 31-7. If any team in the AFL could put the nay-sayers to rest, it would be the Chiefs.

As the game started, it looked like that was exactly what they would do.

But first a note of special interest to Galactic Journeys readers: The opening of the Super Bowl was science fiction themed, with two adventurous souls in rocket packs flying around the field to meet in the middle. What a spectacle!

And the Jets aren't even playing…

The game started with back-to-back punts by both teams, then the Packers had a fantastic drive to come up 7-0. The Chiefs answered with a drive to the 33, but they couldn’t kick it in. However, they came back strong in the second quarter with a 6-play, 66-yard drive that tied the game.

At halftime, the score was 14-10 Green Bay, but it still felt like anyone’s game.

But then at the start of the third quarter, on a third-down play the Packers defense came alive and forced the Chiefs quarterback to throw a wobbly, weak ball that was intercepted and run back for 50 yards. From this point, the Packers defensive line had Quarterback Dawson’s number. Kansas City only managed 12 yards of offense in the entire third quarter. Green Bay buried Dawson on two consecutive sacks, so the team was forced to punt on their own 2 yard line.

Modern-day Blitz

Kansas City bravely fought on, but never scored again in the competition. The final score was Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10, and no one could deny that it was the interception by Willie Wood that broke the AFL’s back.

It seemed a fulfillment of what many predicted, that while it has been more successful than previous competing leagues, the AFL is not playing at the level of the NFL. Will the AFL survive this clear and public humiliation, broadcast live on two major networks? Or will they quietly die off like other competing leagues of the past, leaving their best teams to be scavenged by the NFL well before their dreams of league-marriage?

Stay tuned for "Superbowl" II!

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