With Saturday’s sad passing of former Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs tight end Fred Arbanas, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the American Football League. It was a fun league with great players and great teams. So, in honor of Fred Arbanas’ wonderful football career, here’s a look at the AFL’s All-Time Team.
American Football League All-Time Team
First Team
Offense
Tight End
Fred Arbanas, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
Wide Receivers
Lance Alworth, San Diego Chargers
Don Maynard, New York Titans/Jets
Tackles
Ron Mix, Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers
Jim Tyrer, Kansas City Chiefs
Guards
Ed Budde, Kansas City Chiefs
Billy Shaw, Buffalo Bills
Center
Jim Otto, Oakland Raiders
Quarterback
Joe Namath, New York Jets
Halfbacks
Clem Daniels, Dallas Texans/Oakland Raiders
Paul Lowe, San Diego Chargers/Kansas City Chiefs
Kicker
George Blanda, Houston Oilers/Oakland Raiders
Defense
Defensive Ends
Jerry Mays, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
Gerry Philbin, New York Jets
Defensive Tackles
Houston Antwine, Boston Patriots
Tom Sestak, Buffalo Bills
Linebackers
Bobby Bell, Kansas City Chiefs
Nick Buoniconti, Boston Patriots/Miami Dolphins
George Webster, Houston Oilers
Cornerbacks
Willie Brown, Denver Broncos/Oakland Raiders
Dave Grayson, Kansas City Chiefs/Oakland Raiders
Safeties
Johnny Robinson, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
George Saimes, Buffalo Bills
Punter
Jerrell Wilson, Kansas City Chiefs
Coach
Weeb Ewbank
Second Team
Offense
Wide Receivers
Charley Hennigan, Houston Oilers
Art Powell, New York Titans/Oakland Raiders/Buffalo Bills
Tight End
Dave Kocourek, San Diego Chargers/Miami Dolphins/Oakland Raiders
Tackles
Winston Hill, New York Jets
Stew Barber/Buffalo Bills
Guards
Bob Talamini, Houston Oilers/New York Jets
Walt Sweeney, San Diego Chargers
Center
Jon Morris, Boston Patriots
Quarterback
Len Dawson, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
Fullbacks
Cookie Gilchrist, Buffalo Bills/Denver Broncos/Miami Dolphins
Abner Haynes, Kansas City Chiefs/Denver Broncos/Miami Dolphins/New York Jets
Kicker
Jim Turner, New York Jets
Defense
Defensive Ends
Ron McDole, Houston Oilers/Buffalo Bills
Rich Jackson, Oakland Raiders/Denver Broncos
Defensive Tackles
Buck Buchanan, Kansas City Chiefs
Tom Keating, Buffalo Bills/Oakland Raiders
Linebackers
Mike Stratton, Buffalo Bills
Larry Grantham, New York Titans/Jets
Dan Conners, Oakland Raiders
Cornerbacks
George Byrd, Buffalo Bills
Miller Farr, Denver Broncos/San Diego Chargers/Houston Oilers
Safeties
Ken Graham, San Diego Chargers
Austin Gonsoulin, Denver Broncos
Punter
Bob Scarpitto, San Diego Chargers/Denver Broncos/Boston Patriots
Coach
Sid Gillman, Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers
***
Hall of Famers
Joe Namath
Len Dawson
Lance Alworth
Don Maynard
Ron Mix
Winston Hill
Billy Shaw
Jim Otto
George Blanda
Buck Bucahnan
Bobby Bell
Nick Buoniconti
Willie Brown
Johnny Robinson
Weeb Ewbank
Sid Gillman
A curiosity of this AFL All-Time Team is that second-team defensive tackle Buck Buchanan is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while first-team defensive tackles Houston Antwine and Tom Sestak aren’t. The mistake isn’t that Buchanan is in Canton. It’s that Antwine and Sestak aren’t. The same curiosity is found with the offensive tackles. Second-team tackle Winston Hill is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and first-team tackle Jim Tyrer isn’t. Perhaps his post-career tragedy is keeping Tyrer out but his football career was that of an Hall of Famer.
The AFL is under-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Antwine, Sestak, and Tyrer should be inducted. So should Ed Budde, Walt Sweeney, Charley Hennigan, Larry Grantham, and a host of Bills defensive players. At the very least, they should have their Hall of Fame cases discussed. It too often feels like the selectors have shut the Canton doors on the players that played their football careers before 1970. The AFL should be celebrated and not forgotten.
RIP Fred Arbanas.
No comments:
Post a Comment