AUGUST 24 – 30

The upstart American Football League faced numerous challenges before the teams even took the field. Minneapolis withdrew from the AFL in January of ‘60 as Oakland replaced Minneapolis as the eighth franchise. Despite the setbacks, the AFL continued to gain support in the public.

On June 9, 1960 the AFL announced a deal that turned out to be perhaps the biggest moment in the short life of the league. ABC and the AFL agreed to a five-year, $8.5 million television contract that paid all eight teams in the AFL $112,000 during the ‘60 season. The TV contract was the first among its kind in professional sports and introduced equal sharing for television revenue.

“Lamar was the first one who had the idea of equal sharing of all television revenue,” longtime Chiefs executive Jack Steadman recalled. “Pete Rozelle gets credit for that, but basically he was copying what the American Football League had already done.”

The ‘64 season brought stability to the league and a second television contract. The AFL signed a new five-year, $36 million deal with NBC that caught the attention of the established NFL. After hearing news of the AFL’s new TV deal, Steelers owner Art Rooney commented, “They don’t have to call us Mister anymore.”