| Team: | Dallas Texans (AFL) |
| Teamdisplay: | Dallas Texans |
| Year: | 1961 |
| Record: | 6–8 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFL Western |
| Coach: | Hank Stram |
| General Manager: | Jack Steadman |
| Owner: | Lamar Hunt |
| Stadium: | Cotton Bowl |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Afl Allstars: | HB Abner Haynes LB Sherrill Headrick LB E. J. Holub DE Mel Branch TE Chris Burford QB Cotton Davidson G Bill Krisher C Jon Gilliam DT Paul Rochester DB Dave Webster |
| Previous: | 1960 |
| Next: | 1962 |
| Shortnavlink: | Dal. Texans seasons |
The 1961 Dallas Texans season was the 2nd season for the Dallas Texans as a professional AFL franchise; They finished the season with a 6–8 record and second-place finish in the AFL Western Conference.
The club moved its training camp to Lamar Hunt's alma mater of Southern Methodist University and started the regular season at 3–1 before hitting a six-game losing skid, the longest such streak of head coach Hank Stram's tenure with the franchise. One of those losses was a 28–21 decision in a Friday night contest at Boston (11/3) which featured a bizarre ending as a raincoat-clad fan knocked down a potential game-tying TD from Cotton Davidson to Chris Burford on the game's final play. The team rebounded to claim wins in three of its final four contests to finish 6–8, marking the club's second straight finish behind the Chargers in the AFL West standings.[1]
See main article: article and 1961 American Football League Draft.
| Round | width=20% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Player ! | width=15% style="background:#A8BDEC;" | Position ! | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E.J. Holub 1 | Center | Texas Tech | ||
| 2 | Tackle | TCU | |||
| 3 | Jim Tyrer 1,2 | Tackle | Ohio State | ||
| 4 | Claude Moorman | Offensive End | Duke | ||
| 5 | Jerry Mays 1,2 | Tackle | Southern Methodist | ||
| 7 | Fred Arbanas 1,2 | Offensive End | Michigan State | ||
| 8 | Tackle | Miami | |||
| 9 | Dick Mills | Tackle | Pittsburgh | ||
| 10 | Tackle | Mississippi | |||
| 11 | Marvin Tibbets | Halfback | Georgia Tech | ||
| 12 | Paul Hynes | Halfback | Louisiana Tech | ||
| 13 | Halfback | Southern Methodist | |||
| 14 | Curtis McClinton 1,3 | Halfback | Kansas | ||
| 15 | Tackle | Georgia Tech | |||
| 15 | Roy Lee Rambo | Guard | TCU | ||
| 16 | Offensive End | Oregon State | |||
| 17 | Jarrell Williams | Halfback | Arkansas | ||
| 18 | Ron Hartline | Fullback | Oklahoma | ||
| 19 | Halfback | Southern Methodist | |||
| 20 | Offensive End | Baylor | |||
| 21 | Quarterback | Northwestern | |||
| 22 | Halfback | Pittsburgh | |||
| 23 | Tackle | New Mexico State | |||
| 24 | Guard | Georgia | |||
| 25 | Ray Ramsey | Quarterback | Adams State | ||
| 26 | Danny House | Halfback | Davidson | ||
| 27 | Quarterback | Washington | |||
| 28 | Bill Stine | Guard | Michigan | ||
| 29 | Lonnie Caddell | Fullback | Rice | ||
| 30 | Cedric Price | Offensive End | Kansas State | ||
The Texans began the preseason with four consecutive victories before falling in the final exhibition game in San Diego.[1]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Titans | W 39–28 | 1-0 | Cotton Bowl | Not reported | ||
| 2 | Denver Broncos | W 31-13 | 2-0 | Midland, Tx | 10,000 | ||
| 3 | at Buffalo Bills | W 35-26 | 3–0 | Boston University Field | 11,166 | ||
| 4 | Denver Broncos | W 29-27 | 4-0 | Farrington Field (Fort Worth, TX) | 21,700 | ||
| 5 | San Diego | L 10-31 | 4-1 | Balboa Stadium | 15,232 |
The Texans fell from contention after dropping six straight games in mid-season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | San Diego Chargers | L 10–26 | 0–1 | Cotton Bowl | 24,500 | Recap | |
| 2 | Bye | |||||||
| 3 | September 24 | at Oakland Raiders | W 42–35 | 1–1 | Candlestick Park | 6,700 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 1 | Houston Oilers | W 26–21 | 2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 28,000 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 8 | at Denver Broncos | W 19–12 | 3–1 | Bears Stadium | 14,500 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 15 | at Buffalo Bills | L 24–27 | 3–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 20,678 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 22 | at Houston Oilers | L 7–38 | 3–3 | Jeppesen Stadium | 23,228 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 29 | Boston Patriots | L 17–18 | 3–4 | Cotton Bowl | 20,500 | Recap | |
| 9 | at Boston Patriots | L 21–28 | 3–5 | Boston University Field | 25,063 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 20–30 | 3–6 | Cotton Bowl | 15,000 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 19 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–24 | 3–7 | Balboa Stadium | 33,788 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 26 | Oakland Raiders | W 43–11 | 4–7 | Cotton Bowl | 14,500 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 3 | at New York Titans | L 7–28 | 4–8 | Polo Grounds | 14,117 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 10 | Denver Broncos | W 49–21 | 5–8 | Cotton Bowl | 8,000 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 17 | New York Titans | W 35–24 | 6–8 | Cotton Bowl | 12,500 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||