By Anthony Holden
CBS SportsLine Historian

The 10 years George Blanda spent with the Chicago Bears were not the happiest times of his life. In fact, when he retired after the 1958 NFL season, he was bitter because he felt Bears coach George Halas never gave him an opportunity to prove himself as a top-notch NFL quarterback.

Blanda's exploits in the AFL, not the NFL, are responsible for his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. (AP)

To this day Blanda carries a grudge, so perhaps his claim that the 1960 Houston Oilers -- the team that coaxed him out or retirement and who he went on to lead to the inaugural AFL championship -- could have competed in the NFL that first season is a bit prejudiced.

"That first year, the Houston Oilers or Los Angeles Chargers (24-16 losers to the Oilers in the title game) could have beaten the NFL champion (Philadelphia) in a Super Bowl," Blanda said. "I think the AFL was capable of beating the NFL in a Super Bowl game as far back as 1960 or '61. I just regret we didn't get the chance to prove it."

Halas called the AFL a Mickey Mouse league, but the NFL patriarch was wrong. The AFL was raw, but 1960 proved it had great potential, and in 1961, that potential began to flourish as the league overcame some embarrassing controversies and produced an improved on-the-field product.

Showing remarkable stability for a one-year-old league, the only franchise shift occurred when the Chargers left the vast emptiness of the Los Angeles Coliseum and relocated 90 miles south in San Diego. Ownership changes took place in Oakland and Denver, but the teams remained in their original towns.

Attendance continued to be a problem as an average of just 17,000 fans attended AFL games, and commissioner Joe Foss had his authority breached when the AFL owners conducted a secret draft of college players one month before the date Foss had set aside for the occasion. The owners felt they could get a jump on their NFL counterparts by drafting early and secretly. Each team selected six players, the most notable being New York's picking of Syracuse All-American and Heisman Trophy winning running back Ernie Davis.

Foss nullified the draft and made the owners repeat the process on the scheduled date. Buffalo took Davis, and Titans owner Harry Wismer revolted, publicly feuding with Foss. In the end, Foss won out, but the AFL was the big loser. Only a handful of star collegians -- led by Ken Rice, E.J. Holub and Earl Faison -- signed with AFL teams.

One inroad was made, though, as wideout Willard Dewveall of the Chicago Bears became the first NFL player to jump ship and join the AFL when he signed with Houston.

Heading into the season, it was clear that the Oilers and Chargers would again be the class of their divisions, and San Diego certainly came through as it won its first 11 games. Houston, meanwhile, stumbled out to a 1-3-1 start and fiery head coach Lou Rymkus was fired and replaced by mild-mannered defensive coordinator Wally Lemm. The Oilers won their final nine games to finish 10-3-1 while the Chargers ended up 12-2 and opposite Houston again in the championship game.

The Oilers won with offense, scoring a pro record 513 points with Blanda throwing for 3,330 yards and a pro record 36 touchdowns. Billy Cannon led the league in rushing with 948 yards, and another pro record was set when Charley Hennigan totaled 1,746 yards receiving.

The Chargers did it the opposite way, using a dominating defense to win the West by six games over Dallas. San Diego allowed a league-low 219 points and intercepted an incredible 49 passes, a record that still stands and may never be broken. Green Bay's 42 picks in 1943 are second-best. Rookies Faison and Ernie Ladd anchored the defense up front and Charley McNeil and Dick Harris keyed the ball-hawking secondary.

Boston started slowly under Lou Saban, so he was fired and Mike Holovak won seven of his final nine games, but a 27-15 loss to Houston proved to be the difference in the East as the Patriots finished a game behind the Oilers at 9-4-1. New York was in the race until the final five weeks when it lost twice to Houston by 49-13 and 48-21 scores. By the time 1961 ended, all four teams had new coaches as Sammy Baugh in New York and Buster Ramsey in Buffalo were fired after the season.

In the West, the Chargers were never even threatened. Dallas suffered a six-game losing streak at midseason that killed its hopes. Abner Haynes had another productive year for the Texans, but quarterback Cotton Davidson threw 23 interceptions. Denver (3-11) and Oakland (2-12) were simply horrendous teams. The Raiders lost their first two games by a combined 99-0 so Eddie Erdelatz was fired and replaced by Marty Feldman, but it mattered little.