1963 American Football League Championship Game

Eastern Division playoff

In their final regular season games on Saturday, December 14, Boston lost and Buffalo won to draw even in the standings. Three-time division winner Houston (6–6) controlled their own destiny, but lost the next day and were eliminated. Buffalo and Boston had two weeks to prepare for the playoff, as their bye weeks were postponed from November 24 to December 22, due to the assassination of President Kennedy.

The game was played on Saturday, December 28, as the following day was the 1963 NFL Championship Game. On a slippery field at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo with an inch of snow, visiting Boston led 16–0 at halftime and won 26–8. Quarterback Babe Parilli threw a touchdown pass in each half to fullback Larry Garron and Gino Cappelletti made four field goals for the Patriots. The Bills' sole score was a 93-yard touchdown pass play in the third quarter with a two-point conversion, which cut the lead to eight points. The AFL would not need a playoff to determine a division winner until 1968.

wind 11 mph, wind chill 9 F Scoring

• First quarter
  • BOS – Gino Cappelletti 28-yard field goal. Patriots 3–0
  • BOS – Larry Garron 59-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Cappeletti kick). Patriots 10–0
• Second quarter
  • BOS – Gino Cappelletti 12-yard field goal. Patriots 13–0
  • BOS – Gino Cappelletti 33-yard field goal. Patriots 16–0
• Third quarter
  • BUF – Elbert Dubenion 93-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (John Tracey pass from Lamonica). Patriots 16–8
• Fourth quarter
  • BOS – Larry Garron 17-yard pass from Babe Parilli (Cappeletti kick). Patriots 23–8
  • BOS – Gino Cappelletti 36-yard field goal. Patriots 26–8

Championship Game

Idle during the week of Eastern Division playoff, well-rested San Diego was a touchdown favorite at home to win the AFL. Fullback Keith Lincoln performed tremendously and led the Chargers to a 51–10 rout of Boston. Named the game's MVP, he rushed for 206 yards on 13 carries, led the team with 123 yards in receiving, and completed a pass for 20 yards.

The game was not a sellout; the attendance of 30,127 was several thousand under Balboa Stadium's capacity.

The Chargers' championship win is noted for being the only major sports title for the city of San Diego, the longest drought for a major American city. The Chargers played in San Diego through 2016, then returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The Patriots' first league championship came in the 2001 season in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Scoring

• First quarter
  • SD – Tobin Rote 2-yard rush (George Blair kick). Chargers 7–0
  • SD – Keith Lincoln 67-yard rush (Blair kick). Chargers 14–0
  • BOS – Larry Garron 7-yard rush (Gino Cappelletti kick). Chargers 14–7
  • SD – Paul Lowe 58-yard rush (Blair kick). Chargers 21–7
• Second quarter
  • SD – George Blair 11-yard field goal. Chargers 24–7
  • BOS – Gino Cappelletti 15-yard field goal. Chargers 24–10
  • SD – Don Norton 14-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Blair kick). Chargers 31–10
• Third quarter
  • SD – Lance Alworth 48-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Blair kick). Chargers 38–10
• Fourth quarter
  • SD – Keith Lincoln 25-yard pass from John Hadl (pass failed). Chargers 44–10
  • SD – John Hadl 1-yard run (Blair kick). Chargers 51–10 Top passers
• BOS – Babe Parilli – 14/29, 189 yards, 1 INT
• SD – Tobin Rote – 10/15, 173 yards, 2 TD Top rushers
• BOS – Harry Crump – 7 rushes, 18 yards
• SD – Keith Lincoln – 13 rushes, 206 yards, 1 TD Top receivers
• BOS – Gino Cappelletti – 2 receptions, 72 yards
• SD – Keith Lincoln – 7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD

Starting lineups

Statistics

Players' shares

The attendance in San Diego was nearly 8,000 lower than the previous year's game in Houston, but the players' shares were up slightly with increased television revenue. The winning Chargers players each made around $2,500, while the Patriots received about $1,700 each.

References

American Football League Champions 1962 AFL Champions 1964 AFL Champions

References

1. [http://talesfromtheamericanfootballleague.com/afl-record-book/paid-attendance/ Paid Attendance. Tales from the AFL]
2. "Boston beats Buffalo, 26-8, in playoff". Chicago Tribune.
3. (December 29, 1963). "Boston beats Bills for division crown". Milwaukee Journal.
4. (January 5, 1964). "San Diego, Boston vie in battle for AFL title". Eugene Register-Guard.
5. (January 5, 1964). "Chargers choice over Patriots". Chicago Tribune.
6. (January 6, 1964). "Chargers shred 'AFL's best defense,' wallop Patriots, 51-10, for first crown". Chicago Tribune.
7. (January 6, 1964). "Chargers roll over Boston in AFL final". Pittsburgh Press.
8. Means, Raymond. (January 6, 1964). "Chargers Smash Boston 51–10 For AFL Crown". The Press-Tribune.
9. (January 6, 1964). "Chargers rout Boston, 51-10; compared with NFL teams". Milwaukee Journal.
10. (January 6, 1964). "Are Chargers good enough for NFL opponents?". Eugene Register-Guard.
11. (January 6, 1964). "Charger win Lincolnesque; Palouse Moose gains 349". Spokesman-Review.
12. "Are San Diego Sports Teams Cursed?". San Diego 6.
13. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090808214229/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1032492/4/index.htm Thirteen years after missing a Super Bowl-winning field – 07.12.04 – SI Vault]
14. link. (December 11, 2008)
15. (December 30, 1963). "Each Bear to receive about $6,000". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.