Yesterday we put together our Mt. Rushmore monuments for the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, two stories franchises of the old AFL. There were a lot of great lists put together, and probably, a bit of frustration with the process because narrowing a list down to just four names can be next to impossible!
Let’s continue this process today with the San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers. Both franchises won were in contention for several AFL championships, and had their share of important figures. Here are some names for you to think about while constructing your lists, and you are certainly welcome to add names that I have not provided. Again, I ask only that the people on your lists were in some way involved with their teams during the 1960s. As great as Earl Campbell was, he doesn’t belong on the Oilers AFL Mt. Rushmore.
LOS ANGELES/SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Jack Kemp, Lance Alworth, Sid Gillman, Barron Hilton, George Pernicano, Al Davis, Chuck Noll, Ron Mix, Paul Lowe, Keith Lincoln, John Hadl, Ernie Wright, Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison, Chuck Allen, Frank Buncom, Dickie Post, Sam Gruneisen, Walt Sweeney
HOUSTON OILERS
Bud Adams, George Blanda, Charlie Hennigan, Charlie Tolar, Billy Cannon, Lou Rymkus, Tony Banfield, Don Floyd, Jim Norton, Doug Cline, Bob Talamini, Ed Husmann, Sid Blanks, Ode Burrell, Walt Suggs, Miller Farr
My work is now done. Let’s see what you all come up with. Have fun!!
Chargers: Alworth, Lowe, Hadl, Gillman
Oilers: Bud Adams, Blanda, Hennigan, Cannon
Lou Rymkus? Have you gone mad?
Throwing it out for consideration. You guys get to make the final judgments. He won the first AFL championship.
Suits or no suits, my list is the same. George Blanda, Charles Hennigan, Ken Norton, and George Webster. Honorable mention to Bob Talamini, Miller Farr, and Wally Lemm.
Chargers: Sid Gillman, Lance Alworth, Keith Lincoln, John Hadle. Honorable mention to Faison, Mix, Sweeney, and Ladd.
Haha, how hilarious would it be to see Al Davis on the Chargers’ Mt. Rushmore? I think I would go with Hadl, Alworth, Lowe and Faison. My second choice would be Sweeney, Ladd, Lincoln and Mix.
Todd Wow, that I would even disagree w/Dave Steidel and legendary Chargers’ collector Pete Lowry, BUT: Alworth, Gillman, and Mix (Hall of Famers all, ‘nough said)…and Earl Faison, almost certainly (arguments?) the best defensive player of the A.F.L. Chargers (and that was HARD, because I LOVED Lincoln, Lowe, and the under-praised Hadl!!!) Bob, I know you’re “out there”; whadda YOU think?
You are right on. I should have put mix on instead of Hadl
Sorry. I forgot to add the great Paul Lowe as Honorable Mention.
1)Barron Hilton for putting up the cash and giving Sid Gillman a open cheque book to sign players and running a first class organization….2)Lance Alworth..First AFL player on the Cover of SI…First Team Wide Receiver of NFL all 75th All Time Team(with the Great Kellen Winslow)…And my idol Growing up…3)Ron Mix The Top Lineman Ever in the AFL 4)Sid Gillman…What separated the AFL from the NFL back in the 60’s was how exciting the games were…Sid = high powered offense later seen in air Coryell…plus Sid was a personality,snappy dresser and sunglasses…I Loved sitting in sunny Balboa Stadium and Being entertained
SAN DIEGO: my four would be Gillman, Alworth, Mix and ‘the Chargers uniform’, 1967-1969 period
HOUSTON: Adams, Blanda, Talamini, Hennigan
Reviewing the list of all players etc that had their numbers retired I discovered the only original Oilers player to be so honored is Jim Norton, which is understandable as unlike Blanda or Cannon or Ken Houston he played his entire career in Houston.
I also found # 46 Don Fleming Cleveland Browns number retired and learned that the former Florida Gator standout was killed in June 1963 working in the off season as a heavy equipment crane operator. Fleming was coming off an All Pro season in 1962 and like most players of his day worked in the off season to support himself, when he and a co worker were killed when the crane they were operating at a Winter Park Fla. construction site hit a high tension electrical wire and were killed.
Fast forward to June 2013 50 years later to a time when All Pro and other athletes find time in the off season to do anything but work 40+ hour a week jobs and tragically some, with possibly to much time find time for alleged mayhem or self destruction.
The Chargers (my team/bias warning) should have at least a series of peaks:
1: Mix, Alworth, Lincoln, Faison
2: Lowe, Hadl, Ladd, Sweeney
3: Gilman, Davis, Noll, Klosterman
The Oilers: Blanda, Hennigan, Cannon, Groman
Glad to see you have Bill Groman on your list. Willard Dewveall was also a good receiver. Blanda, Tolar, Cannon, Hennigan, Groman and Dewveall could match up with anyone.
Absolutely – Hennigan obviously set the incredible records, but I believe Groman was probably the better receiver…for that matter, the ’60-’63 Oilies don’t get nearly enough credit…they belong right beside the ’60-’65 Chargers, ’67-’69 Raiders, ’66-’69 Chiefs and ’63-’66 Bills…I realize it is a bit of a heresy, but I would rate them ahead of the “68-’69 Jets…
You are daedon
I missed dialed, I was commenting on Groman, he holds a the consecutive year record in TD receptions with 29 in 28 games. Arguably the greatest player in Pro Football history, Lance Alworth is second with 27 tds’ in 26 games.
While I really liked Groman with Oilers, he really only had two good years before injuries took the life out of what was looking like a great career. Even though Cannon was not an exceptional back with Houston his signing with the AFL and two championship
MVPs and league leading rusher qualifies him, in my mind. I wish Groman could have sustained his two year surge because I really liked him.
James, YOU are one well informed guy if you know Klosterman is deserving of this Mt. Rushmore consideration. Well done. Of course Gifford felt there would have been no merger without him. Think about this. The very first year, for a very brand new team, in a brand new league with no history, no prestige, no fans, no promise of a future… having to sell itself to players who were usually already drafted by the far more established NFL for whom they’d aspired to play for all their lives. And along comes Klosterman to convince them that playing for the Chargers is the best option for them. And then does it again in year two. Lamar Hunt was so enamored with how he stocked the Chargers that he stole him away to come to the faltering Texans, who then won the AFL in Klosterman’s first year there. Then the Chargers, using many of the great players Klosterman brought them took 2nd in ’64 and ’65 again. What a great beginning for the Chargers. I wish the team would celebrate these. achievements. But thankfully there is Pro-football-reference.com at least. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sdg/
Correction: The Chargers won the AFL Championship in 1963. Then they took 2nd again in 1964 and 1965.
So altogether: AFL Championship won: 1963
: 2nd in AFL: 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965
I agree with the analysis of Groman’s contributions to the Oilers. I believe the discussion speaks to the different factors that can be considered, and weighed in various ways, when trying to pair down a large number of deserving candidates into such limited space. Also, it occurs to me that with players of this era, and in particular it seems with AFL players, often players had only 2-3 great/productive years. I considered that, as well as somewhat of an “X” factor with respect to a player’s contribution to a franchise’s best moments (thus, although Paul Lowe’s numbers, indeed perhaps his performance in the absolute sense, are superior to his mate Lincoln’s, I just can’t get past Lincoln’s two great years, all-around productivity/versatility, and mostly, that 300+ yard arguably greatest single day any player has ever had performance in the 1963 championship game that got the Chargers over their title game hump for the only time in franchise history). Great discussion – and a heck of a lot of fun!
Chargers: Alworth, Lowe, Lincoln, Mix (There are so many others, but please remember 1963!)
Oilers: Blanda (F the Raiders!), Cannon (F the Raiders!), Norton (he punted, too), Tolar (Gritty & Tough!)
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