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1961 Houston Oilers season
1961 Houston Oilers season
Owner	Bud Adams
General manager	Don Suman
Head coach	Lou Rymkus (1–3–1, fired) and; Wally Lemm (9–0)
Home field	Jeppesen Stadium
Results
Record	10–3–1
Division place	1st AFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Won AFL Championship; (at Chargers) 10–3
	← 1960; Oilers seasons; 1962 →;

The 1961 Houston Oilers season was the second season for the Houston Oilers as a professional American football franchise; For the second consecutive season, the Oilers scored a triumph in the AFL championship game over the San Diego Chargers (12–2), the Western Division champions.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The Oilers started slowly in 1961, with a 1–3–1 record. After a tie on October 13 with the Boston Patriots, head coach Lou Rymkus was fired by owner Bud Adams. Wally Lemm was hired,^[4] and the team went undefeated for the remainder of the season, including the championship game, a winning streak of ten games.

The Oilers set the AFL record for points scored in 1961, with 513 (36.6 points per game).^[5] They also set an American Football League record with a +271 point differential, by allowing only 242 points.^[6] The 1961 Oilers are the only team in AFL or NFL history to score 45 points or more six times in a single season.^[7]

Offseason

On January 14, end Willard Dewveall played out his option with the Chicago Bears of the NFL and joined the Oilers.^[8] He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.^[9] Dewveall was the only one to move between leagues for five years, until placekicker Pete Gogolak moved from the Buffalo Bills to the New York Giants of the NFL in 1966.^[10]

AFL Draft

Houston Oilers draft picks (Selected eighth)^[11]

Round	Player	Position	College
1	Mike DitkaMike Ditka	Offensive End	Pittsburgh
2	Tom GoodeTom Goode	Center	Mississippi State
3	Walter SuggsWalter Suggs ¹	Tackle	Mississippi State
4	Bobby WaldenBobby Walden	Halfback	Georgia
5	Monte LeeMonte Lee	Linebacker	Texas
6	Jake GibbsJake Gibbs	Quarterback	Mississippi
7	Dick ReynoldsDick Reynolds	Tackle	North Carolina State
8	Houston AntwineHouston Antwine ^1,2	Guard	Southern Illinois
9	Ralph WhiteRalph White	Tackle	Bowling Green
10	Charles LeeCharles Lee	Center	Iowa
11	Robert BirdRobert Bird	Guard	Bowling Green
12	Bob McLeodBob McLeod	Offensive End	Abilene Christian
13	Gerald HintonGerald Hinton	Guard	Louisiana Tech
14	Jimmy KingJimmy King	Tackle	Clemson
15	Dennis FerriterDennis Ferriter	Center	Marquette
16	Larry WoodLarry Wood	Halfback	Northwestern
17	Sam FewellSam Fewell	Tackle	South Carolina
18	Mike GrimsleyMike Grimsley	Halfback	Michigan State
19	Myron PearsonMyron Pearson	Halfback	Colorado
20	Lewis JohnsonLewis Johnson	Halfback	Florida A&M
21	Ron MillerRon Miller	Quarterback	Wisconsin
22	Bob KellyBob Kelly	Offensive End	New Mexico State
23	James AndersonJames Anderson	Fullback	Mississippi
24	Ken GregoryKen Gregory	Offensive End	Whittier
25	Jack KreiderJack Kreider	Halfback	Tulsa
26	Don FuellDon Fuell	Quarterback	Mississippi Southern
27	Boyd KingBoyd King	Center	Rice
28	John FrongilloJohn Frongillo	Center	Baylor
29	Tom LewisTom Lewis	Offensive End	Wake Forest
29	Errol LindenErrol Linden	Defensive end	Houston
30	Jim StroudJim Stroud	Tackle	Rice

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Houston Oilers	10	3	1	.769	4–1–1	513	242	W9
Boston Patriots	9	4	1	.692	2–3–1	413	313	W4
New York Titans	7	7	0	.500	3–3	301	390	L2
Buffalo Bills	6	8	0	.429	2–4	294	342	L1

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

Season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game Recap
1	September 9	Oakland Raiders	W 55–0	1–0	Jeppesen Stadium	16,231	Recap
2	Bye
3	September 24	at San Diego Chargers	L 24–34	1–1	Balboa Stadium	29,210	Recap
4	October 1	at Dallas Texans	L 21–26	1–2	Cotton Bowl	28,000	Recap
5	October 8	Buffalo Bills	L 12–22	1–3	Jeppesen Stadium	22,761	Recap
6	October 13	at Boston Patriots	T 31–31	1–3–1	Boston University Field	15,070	Recap
7	October 22	Dallas Texans	W 38–7	2–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	21,237	Recap
8	October 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 28–16	3–3–1	War Memorial Stadium	23,228	Recap
9	November 5	at Denver Broncos	W 55–14	4–3–1	Bears Stadium	11,564	Recap
10	November 12	Boston Patriots	W 27–15	5–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	35,649	Recap
11	November 19	New York Titans	W 49–13	6–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	33,428	Recap
12	November 26	Denver Broncos	W 45–14	7–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	27,864	Recap
13	December 3	San Diego Chargers	W 33–13	8–3–1	Jeppesen Stadium	37,845	Recap
14	December 10	at New York Titans	W 48–21	9–3–1	Polo Grounds	9,462	Recap
15	December 17	at Oakland Raiders	W 47–16	10–3–1	Candlestick Park	4,821	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.