1969 American Football League season

Division races

In its final two years of existence, the AFL had ten teams, grouped into two divisions. Each team played a home-and-away game against the other four teams in its division, a home-and-away series against one of the five teams in opposite division, and one game each against the remaining four teams from the opposite division. Using that format, the defending World Champion New York Jets went 10–0 against the five teams they played twice, but were 0–4 against the top four teams in the West.

For the 1969 season, a provision was made for a four-team playoff to determine the AFL champion, the league's representative in the Super Bowl, with the #1 team in the division hosting the #2 team in the opposite division. The NFL also had a four-team playoff, introduced in , matching the winners of the Capitol and Century divisions, and the Coastal and Central divisions.

The 1970 merger placed the ten AFL teams (along with three teams from the pre-1970 NFL) into the 13-team AFC. The other NFL teams went into the 13-team NFC.

Regular season

Results

Standings

For its tenth and final season before merging with the NFL, the AFL instituted a four team playoff tournament with the second place teams in each division also participating.

Playoffs

Main article: 1969 American Football League playoffs

|December 20, 1969 – Shea Stadium|Kansas City Chiefs|13|New York Jets|6 |December 21, 1969 – Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum|Houston Oilers|7|Oakland Raiders|56 |January 4, 1970 – Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum|Kansas City Chiefs|17|Oakland Raiders|7}}

Super Bowl

Main article: Super Bowl IV

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23–7 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 11, 1970. The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award was given to Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson

Stadium changes

• After six seasons at Fenway Park, the Boston Patriots moved to Alumni Stadium at Boston College in 1969.

Coaching changes

Offseason

• Boston Patriots: Mike Holovak was fired and replaced by Clive Rush.
• Buffalo Bills: John Rauch became the new Bills head coach after resigning from the Oakland Raiders. Joe Collier was fired after two games into the 1968 season, and defensive coordinator Harvey Johnson then served as interim head coach.
• Oakland Raiders: John Madden replaced John Rauch, who resigned to join the Bills. At age 33, Madden became the youngest head coach in pro football.

In-season

• San Diego Chargers: Sid Gillman sat out five games due to health issues. Charlie Waller, the team's offensive backfield coach, served as interim.

Officials

References

References

1. [https://pro-football-history.com/game/10866/1969-minnesota-vikings-vs-kansas-city-chiefs-super-bowl-score-7-to-23 Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs 7 to 23], [[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]. Accessed January 31, 2024. "The Chiefs played the Vikings in Super Bowl IV on Sunday, January 11, 1970. The Chiefs entered the game with a record of 11-3-0, while the Vikings entered the game with a record of 12-2-0. The Chiefs won 23-7 to win Super Bowl IV, finishing their championship season with a record of 11-3-0 in the regular season, 3-0 in the playoffs."
2. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/sports/football/early-patriots-were-a-comical-traveling-sideshow.html "A Team’s Ragtag Roots"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 28, 2012. Accessed January 31, 2024. "In 1963, the Patriots moved to Fenway Park. They walked into the Red Sox locker room and gaped at what had been Ted Williams’s locker.... By 1969, the Patriots had moved to Boston College’s Alumni Stadium, and a year later, at the end of a preseason game against the Washington Redskins, a fire erupted in the grandstand."
3. via [[Associated Press]]. [https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2008/01/28/former-patriots-coach-dead-at/52653612007/ "Former Patriots coach dead at 88"], ''[[Worcester Telegram]]'', January 27, 2008. Accessed January 31, 2024. "The Patriots didn’t return to the playoffs before Holovak was replaced after the 1968 season by Clive Rush."
4. via [[Associated Press]]. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-2-5-1969-ap-raiders/7393650/ "Raiders Raid Own Ranks; Madden Youngest Pro Boss"], ''[[The Orlando Sentinel]]'', February 5, 1969. Accessed January 31, 2024, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "The Oakland Raiders once 'again dipped into their own ranks for a head coach Tuesday, naming assistant John Madden to do the job. Madden, who at 33 becomes professional football's youngest coach, replaces John Rauch at the helm of the American Football League club which won the championship in 1967 and the Western Division title in '68."