The AFL Meets For a Third Time

This is another chapter in the story of the birth and growth of the American Football League.

Dubbed the third organizational meeting of the American Football League, six club owners got together on Saturday, September 12, 1959 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

All six teams were represented by ownership and their lawyers and there was much to discuss on the agenda, including culling a list of potential Commissioners for the league down to three men. That trio of choices was an interesting collection of personalities. More on them later.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the first subject of business was Lamar Hunt reporting that a group trying to get an AFL team in Seattle had been unable to get the consent of the University of Washington to play at their stadium so they were out. As the owners talked about adding two more franchises, they focused on a team out west and a team near New York, to help create rivalries. Barron Hilton, owner of the Los Angeles Chargers said he knew people in San Francisco that were interested in a team. There was discussion of Buffalo in the east.

Hunt told the room that the new league did not want a war with the NFL. As written in the official minutes: “He reiterated his belief that the representatives in the American Football League were primarily interested in bringing professional football to their respective cities and that if any one representing any of the six charger members had as his primary motive making a great deal of money out of football, o r spending exorbitant sums in the establishment of its teams, such thinking was contrary to the express beliefs of t he majority of the representatives. He further stated that he felt there should be a limitation on salaries and that in his opinion the secret of a successful league would be to equalize all of the teams as much as possible so that competition would be keen.”

The next time somebody tries to say that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was the architect of the revenue sharing model that made pro football such a success, remember that in September 1959 Lamar Hunt was well ahead of Rozelle and the NFL on the subject.

The franchise owners then updated the state of their franchises. Hunt reported he would operate the Dallas Texans as an individual owner and that he had worked out a one-year contract to use the Cotton Bowl for home games. Minneapolis ownership said they would be a corporation offering stock to the public and had a five-year exclusive agreement for Metropolitan Stadium. Wismer reporting on the New York franchise said he would lead a group of owners, and that the team would eventually play in a new stadium that was going to be located in Flushing Meadows, but would start play at the Polo Grounds.

Bob Howsam reported that his family company which owned the Denver Bears minor league team would operate the new football club and that they owned their stadium. Bud Adams said he would operate his Houston franchise as an individual and that he planned to use a high school stadium for the next four years Adams also said he had picked a general manager and a coach, but would not announce their names. Hilton reported that his Chargers were considering the L.A. Coliseum and the Rose Bowl for home games, and would also consider the under construction new Dodger Stadium. Hilton said he would operate his team as a corporation with about five stockholders, including his father Conrad Hilton.

That brought about discussion of the Commissioner’s position. Three men were being discussed. There was Joe Foss (right), a World War II flying ace who won the Medal of Honor and was the former governor of South Dakota. Although he little background in football, his leadership skills won the backing of owners with the Minnesota franchise.

Another candidate was Fritz Crisler (left), then the athletic director at the University of Michigan. Crisler had played football at the University of Chicago for the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg and had coached at Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue. His candidacy was being promoted by Hilton and the Los Angeles group.

The third candidate was Elmer Layden (right), one of the legendary names in the history of college football for his playing and coaching career at Notre Dame. Layden had spent four years as Commissioner of the NFL (1941-46) and was in private business in Chicago at the time. He was suggested by Adams.

The group adjourned for the day and returned on Sunday to wrap up some house cleaning items. They passed a constitution and by-laws, including posting of performance bonds to make it more expensive to drop out of the league than stay in. They adopted a 33-player roster and a minimum salary equal to the NFL. They tabled until an October meeting putting in place a system to draft players.

Afterwards, Hunt spoke with the handful of sportswriters. The big subject was where the league would grow to next. Miami remained a possibility and Lamar had visited there the previous week and the Orange Bowl advisory board had recommended leasing to the AFL. “It’s a political issue there,” said Hunt as reported by United Press International. “We still hope to get Miami. Backers on the west coast have come forward from San Diego and San Francisco and we’ll probably take one of those two if we take anybody for the first year.” He also said the other cities under consideration for the eighth franchise were Buffalo, Miami, Kansas City and Louisville.

Hunt also knocked down rumors that Paul Brown and Frank Leahy had not been offered the position of Commissioner.

Other items that came out of the meeting were Hilton disclosed that he had offered contracts to Leahy to be GM and Eddie Erdelatz to be his head coach. He expected answers within the week. Adams said both Sammy Baugh and former Baylor and Navy coach George Sauer had been approached about his coaching position and he expected a decision in 10 days.