The following AFL and NFL League Championship Games took place after it was announced in June of 1966 that the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) would Merge by 1970.
Because the League Championship Games between the 1966 and 1969 Seasons not only determined who the NFL and AFL Champions were, but also who would go to The AFL-NFL World Championship Game (Later, officially called The Super Bowl.) People generally do not think of these in the same way they would think of other League Championship Games before and after the Merger.
The 1966 Season:
AFL: Kansas City Chiefs defeated The Buffalo Bills 31-7 in Buffalo (War Memorial Stadium)
NFL: Green Bay Packers defeated The Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in Dallas (Cotton Bowl Stadium)
The 1967 Season:
AFL: Oakland Raiders defeated The Houston Oilers 40-7 in Oakland (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)
NFL: Green Bay Packers defeated The Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Green Bay (Lambeau Field)
The 1968 Season:
AFL: New York Jets defeated The Oakland Raiders 27-23 in Flushing (Queens) New York (Shea Stadium)
NFL: Baltimore Colts defeated The Cleveland Browns 34-0 in Cleveland (Cleveland Municipal Stadium)
The 1969 Season:
AFL: Kansas City Chiefs defeated The Oakland Raiders 17-7 in Oakland (Oakland-Alameda Coliseum)
NFL: Minnesota Vikings defeated The Cleveland Browns 27-7 in Bloomington Minnesota (Metropolitan Stadium)
The most famous of these games is of course, The 1967 NFL Championship Game between Green Bay and Dallas. Nicknamed "The Ice Bowl" due to it having the Coldest Actual Temperature for a Game. (-15 degrees.) It's also famous for the ending when Packers QB Bart Starr scored on a 1-yard Touchdown Run with 13 seconds left in the game.
Interesting Facts resulting from The Pre-Merger Era:
ONLY COACH TO WIN BOTH THE NFL CHAMPIONSHIP, AFL CHAMPIONSHIP AS WELL AS A SUPER BOWL: Weeb Ewbank who coached The Baltimore Colts to the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championships and The New York Jets to the AFL Championship and then coached The Jets Win in Super Bowl III over his old team, The Colts.
The only other Head Coach to win Championships in Two Different Leagues is Paul Brown (Who Ewbank was an assistant for before becoming a Head Coach.) who Coached The Browns to all four All-America Football Conference (AAFC) Championships from 1946 to '49 (Including an Undefeated Season in 1948.) and NFL Championships in 1950, '54 and '55.
ONLY TEAM TO WIN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AS BOTH AN AFL & NFL TEAM: The Oakland Radiers. Who won their only AFL Title in 1967 (but lost to The Packers in Super Bowl II) then won three Post-Merger NFL Championships in 1976 (SB XI), 1980 (SB XV) and 1983 (SB XVIII).
The only other Active Team to win League Championships in two Separate Leagues is The Browns as mentioned above. (They also won the 1964 NFL Championship.)
ONLY TEAM TO WIN A SUPER BOWL ERA NFL TITLE, YET NEVER WIN A SUPER BOWL: Minnesota Vikings, who won the last NFL Title (1969) before the two leagues merged, went on to lose Super Bowls IV, then also lost Super Bowls VIII, IX and XI in the Post Merger Era.
OTHER FACTS:
Other than The 1967 Raiders, no team that won the AFL Title (both Pre Super Bowl and Pre Merger Super Bowl.) has won any NFL Titles in The Post Merger Era. The two teams that won Super Bowls III and IV (New York Jets, and KC Chiefs.) as AFL Teams have yet to make it back to a Super Bowl.
Next Blog: The AFL and The AAFC.
Thanks.
George.
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