The Texans won their first AFL championship (and only title in Dallas) when they defeated their intrastate rivals, the two-time defending champion Houston Oilers, 20–17 in double overtime—a game which now stands as the second longest game in pro football history and the longest in AFL history.[1][2]
Coach Hank Stram was named the AFL Coach of the Year and RBCurtis McClinton was named AFL Rookie of the Year. Haynes became the franchise's first 1,000-yard rusher, concluding the season with 1,049 yards and an AFL-high 13 rushing TDs.[3]
The Texans set an AFL record for completion percentage in a season (60.6%).[4] They led the league in both points scored (389), fewest points allowed (233), and total touchdowns (50; 29 passing, 21 rushing) in 1962.[5]
The Texans clinched their initial AFL Western Division Championship in November and finished with an 11–3 regular season record. Dallas won the 1962 AFL Championship when KTommy Brooker connected on a 25-yard field goal during the second overtime of the title game, giving the Texans a 20–17 victory at Houston (12/23). Spanning an elapsed time of 77:54, the game still stands as the second-longest contest in pro football history as the franchise claimed its first of three AFL titles.[3] The game is the longest in the history of the American Football League.
^"Dallas wins in sudden death". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 24, 1962. p. 2, part 2. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.