AFL Championship (1966)

Lore & Background

The host Bills entered the AFL title game as two-time defending champions, but the visiting Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by head coach Hank Stram. The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense. The two teams had split their season series, played early in the schedule without weather as a factor, with the road team winning each. Played on a sunny day, a Bills fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Chiefs a short field to work with. Quarterback Len Dawson immediately took advantage of it, hitting Fred Arbanas for the game's first score. Buffalo quarterback Jack Kemp's first pass for the Bills was a 69-yard score to Elbert Dubenion. Late in the second quarter and trailing 14–7, Kemp led the Bills to the Kansas City 10. Bobby Crockett was open in the end zone, but Kemp's pass was intercepted by Johnny Robinson, who returned it 72 yards. That set up a Mike Mercer field goal to close out the first half with a ten-point lead. Buffalo found no offensive rhythm in the second half, and the third quarter was scoreless. The Chiefs closed the game out in the fourth quarter with Dawson finding Chris Burford for a 45-yard gain, setting up a one-foot touchdown run by rookie running back Mike Garrett, extending the lead to 24–7. Garrett scored his second touchdown less than two minutes later, following another Bills fumble.

In Their Own Story

The wind screamed across War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, biting through the red and gold uniforms of a Chiefs team that refused to shiver. Inside the huddle, Len Dawson didn't just call plays; he commanded the freezing air, his voice cutting through the gale with a calm that defied the sub-zero reality. As the Patriots' defensive line surged forward like a tidal wave, the pocket held firm against their rush. When Dawson finally launched the ball downfield, it seemed to hang suspended in the gray, churning sky for an eternity before dropping perfectly into the hands of his receiver. The roar of the traveling Chiefs faithful erupted, drowning out the stunned silence of the home crowd as the final whistle confirmed what the wind already knew: Kansas City ruled the AFL once again.

Did You Know?

• Upon their return to Kansas City, the Chiefs were greeted by 12,000 fans at the airport.
• The Chiefs split their players' shares for the title game 51 ways, or $5,308 each.
• The game did not have an official MVP award.