Which NFL teams were originally part of the AFL?
Survivors of league gone bye-bye
AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File
The AFL provided some of the highest-scoring games in football history. The league also was strong enough to force a merger with the vaunted NFL. So, what current NFL franchises were originally in the AFL? Let's take a look at the teams—including those that moved locations.
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The AFL was wise enough to put a franchise in South Beach. The Dolphins called the Orange Bowl home and were an AFL team from 1966-69. Oddly, they never had an above-.500 mark in the AFL, but in their first NFL season went 10-4.
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The Patriots were not always labeled as "New England." When the AFL began, they were the Boston Patriots. They were known as that from 1960-70. The Boston Patriots lost the AFL championship game in 1963.
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They were not always the New York Jets. The team was known as the New York Titans from 1960-62. In 1963, they became the Jets. The Titans called the famed Polo Grounds their home through 1962. The Jets played there for one season before moving to brand new Shea Stadium.
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The Denver Broncos were an original AFL franchise and remain in the Mile High City. The AFL years were a struggle for the team, which finished 7-7 in 1962, and was never close to .500 in another season before moving to the NFL.
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The Buffalo Bills were an original AFL franchise, too. They won the league championships in 1964 and '65. They have not won a championship since famously losing four consecutive Super Bowls as the AFC representative in the title game.
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They were not always the Kansas City Chiefs. First came the Dallas Texans. In 1962, the final season in Dallas, the Texans went 11-3 and won the AFL championship. They also lost a Super Bowl as an AFL team and won one, representing the AFL in its final year before the leagues merged.
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What goes around comes around, for better or worse. The AFL started in 1960 and the Chargers called Los Angeles home. The next season they moved to San Diego. The Bolts lost four AFL championship games, but did win one in 1963. Then, in 2017, they returned to Los Angeles and now share SoFi Stadium with the Rams. San Diego, however, still sounds more like home.
Oakland Raiders
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They were the Oakland Raiders for their years in the AFL. The move to Los Angeles did not happen until 1982, and they returned to Oakland for the 1995 season. Now, they have relocated again, to the desert, playing in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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The Bengals were an AFL team for the 1968 and '69 seasons. They went 7-20-1 under legendary coach Paul Brown before becoming part of the NFL.
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Long ago, the Tennessee Titans played their home games in Houston. They went by the nickname of the Oilers. They had pretty sharp uniforms that featured a great logo on the helmets and powder blue. The Oilers won the first two AFL championships and missed a trifecta by losing the third championship game.
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