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1961 Dallas Texans season

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1961 Dallas Texans season
OwnerLamar Hunt
General managerJack Steadman
Head coachHank Stram
Home fieldCotton Bowl
Results
Record6–8
Division place2nd AFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify
AFL All-StarsHB Abner Haynes
LB Sherrill Headrick
LB E. J. Holub
DE Mel Branch
TE Chris Burford
QB Cotton Davidson
G Bill Krisher
C Jon Gilliam
DT Paul Rochester
DB Dave Webster

The 1961 Dallas Texans season was the 2nd season for the Dallas Texans as a professional AFL franchise; They finished the season with a 6–8 record and second-place finish in the AFL Western Conference.

The club moved its training camp to Lamar Hunt's alma mater of Southern Methodist University and started the regular season at 3–1 before hitting a six-game losing skid, the longest such streak of head coach Hank Stram's tenure with the franchise. One of those losses was a 28–21 decision in a Friday night contest at Boston (11/3) which featured a bizarre ending as a raincoat-clad fan knocked down a potential game-tying TD from Cotton Davidson to Chris Burford on the game's final play. The team rebounded to claim wins in three of its final four contests to finish 6–8, marking the club's second straight finish behind the Chargers in the AFL West standings.[1]

Draft

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Round Player Position College
1 E.J. HolubE.J. Holub 1 Center Texas Tech
2 Bob LillyBob Lilly Tackle TCU
3 Jim TyrerJim Tyrer 1,2 Tackle Ohio State
4 Claude MoormanClaude Moorman Offensive End Duke
5 Jerry MaysJerry Mays 1,2 Tackle Southern Methodist
7 Fred ArbanasFred Arbanas 1,2 Offensive End Michigan State
8 John O'DayJohn O'Day Tackle Miami
9 Dick MillsDick Mills Tackle Pittsburgh
10 Jerry DanielsJerry Daniels Tackle Mississippi
11 Marvin TibbetsMarvin Tibbets Halfback Georgia Tech
12 Paul HynesPaul Hynes Halfback Louisiana Tech
13 Glynn GregoryGlynn Gregory Halfback Southern Methodist
14 Curtis McClintonCurtis McClinton 1,3 Halfback Kansas
15 Ed NuttingEd Nutting Tackle Georgia Tech
15 Roy Lee RamboRoy Lee Rambo Guard TCU
16 Aaron ThomasAaron Thomas Offensive End Oregon State
17 Jarrell WilliamsJarrell Williams Halfback Arkansas
18 Ron HartlineRon Hartline Fullback Oklahoma
19 Frank JacksonFrank Jackson Halfback Southern Methodist
20 Bob LaneBob Lane Offensive End Baylor
21 Dick ThorntonDick Thornton Quarterback Northwestern
22 Ed SharockmanEd Sharockman Halfback Pittsburgh
23 Lou ZivkovichLou Zivkovich Tackle New Mexico State
24 Pat DyePat Dye Guard Georgia
25 Ray RamseyRay Ramsey Quarterback Adams State
26 Danny HouseDanny House Halfback Davidson
27 Bob SchloredtBob Schloredt Quarterback Washington
28 Bill StineBill Stine Guard Michigan
29 Lonnie CaddellLonnie Caddell Fullback Rice
30 Cedric PriceCedric Price Offensive End Kansas State

Personnel

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Roster

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1961 Dallas Texans roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers / Flankers

Tight Ends

Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Rookies in italics

[2]

Preseason

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The Texans began the preseason with four consecutive victories before falling in the final exhibition game in San Diego.[1]

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 5 New York Titans W 39–28 1-0 Cotton Bowl Not reported
2 August 12 Denver Broncos W 31-13 2-0 Midland, Tx 10,000
3 August 18 at Buffalo Bills W 35-26 3–0 Boston University Field 11,166
4 August 25 Denver Broncos W 29-27 4-0 Farrington Field (Fort Worth, TX) 21,700
5 September 3 San Diego L 10-31 4-1 Balboa Stadium 15,232

Regular season

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The Texans fell from contention after dropping six straight games in mid-season.

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 10 San Diego Chargers L 10–26 0–1 Cotton Bowl 24,500 Recap
2 Bye
3 September 24 at Oakland Raiders W 42–35 1–1 Candlestick Park 6,700 Recap
4 October 1 Houston Oilers W 26–21 2–1 Cotton Bowl 28,000 Recap
5 October 8 at Denver Broncos W 19–12 3–1 Bears Stadium 14,500 Recap
6 October 15 at Buffalo Bills L 24–27 3–2 War Memorial Stadium 20,678 Recap
7 October 22 at Houston Oilers L 7–38 3–3 Jeppesen Stadium 23,228 Recap
8 October 29 Boston Patriots L 17–18 3–4 Cotton Bowl 20,500 Recap
9 November 3 at Boston Patriots L 21–28 3–5 Boston University Field 25,063 Recap
10 November 12 Buffalo Bills L 20–30 3–6 Cotton Bowl 15,000 Recap
11 November 19 at San Diego Chargers L 14–24 3–7 Balboa Stadium 33,788 Recap
12 November 26 Oakland Raiders W 43–11 4–7 Cotton Bowl 14,500 Recap
13 December 3 at New York Titans L 7–28 4–8 Polo Grounds 14,117 Recap
14 December 10 Denver Broncos W 49–21 5–8 Cotton Bowl 8,000 Recap
15 December 17 New York Titans W 35–24 6–8 Cotton Bowl 12,500 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

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AFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
San Diego Chargers 12 2 0 .857 6–0 396 219 L1
Dallas Texans 6 8 0 .429 4–2 334 343 W2
Denver Broncos 3 11 0 .214 1–5 251 432 L7
Oakland Raiders 2 12 0 .143 1–5 237 458 L6

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

References

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  1. ^ a b Kansas City Chiefs History 1960s Archived April 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine KCChiefs.com
  2. ^ "1961 Dallas Texans Roster & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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