1967 NFL season
Encyclopedia
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season
of the National Football League
. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints
. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and Coastal Divisions in the Western Conference. The Saints and the New York Giants
agreed to switch divisions in 1968
and return to the 1967 alignment in 1969
.
The NFL season concluded on December 31, when the Green Bay Packers
defeated the Dallas Cowboys
in the NFL Championship Game
(in a game that would be known as the "Ice Bowl"). Two weeks later, the Packers handily defeated the AFL
's Oakland Raiders
in Super Bowl II
in Miami's Orange Bowl
, Vince Lombardi
's final game as the Packers' head coach.
The Baltimore Colts
had tied for the NFL's best record at 11–1–2, but were excluded from the four team playoff, because of the rules for breaking ties within a division. The L.A. Rams
won their division title over Baltimore as a result of the Rams' 34–10 win over Baltimore on the last game of the regular season and a 20–20 tie against Baltimore earlier. In competition against Baltimore, L.A. had a 1–0–1 edge, giving them the tiebreaker. Each of the other three division winners had only nine victories.
Note: Prior to 1972, the NFL did not include tie games when calculating a team's winning percentage in the official standings
. NOTE: The result would be the same under the modern tiebreaker, which relies first on head-to-head record (Los Angeles won the head-to-head series, 1–0–1).
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and Coastal Divisions in the Western Conference. The Saints and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
agreed to switch divisions in 1968
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
and return to the 1967 alignment in 1969
1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.As per the...
.
The NFL season concluded on December 31, when the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
defeated the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
(in a game that would be known as the "Ice Bowl"). Two weeks later, the Packers handily defeated the AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
in Miami's Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
, Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
's final game as the Packers' head coach.
The Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
had tied for the NFL's best record at 11–1–2, but were excluded from the four team playoff, because of the rules for breaking ties within a division. The L.A. Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
won their division title over Baltimore as a result of the Rams' 34–10 win over Baltimore on the last game of the regular season and a 20–20 tie against Baltimore earlier. In competition against Baltimore, L.A. had a 1–0–1 edge, giving them the tiebreaker. Each of the other three division winners had only nine victories.
Major rule changes
- The "slingshotSlingshotA slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
" or "tuning forkTuning forkA tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the prongs formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal . It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and emits a pure musical tone after waiting a...
" goalpost, with one curved support from the ground and offset behind the crossbar, was made standard in the NFL. This replaced the previous year's offset goalpost, which had two non-curved supports from the ground. Before the introduction of the offset goalpost, the supports were directly on the goal line. - A 6 feet (1.8 m) border around the field was also made standard in the league. Its outer edge designates the closest that non-players can be to the field, and thus enables the game officialsOfficial (American football)In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field...
to have a running lane to work in.
Division races
The Eastern Conference was split into the Capitol and Century Divisions, and the Western Conference had the Coastal and Central Divisions. (Each of the new division names began with the letter C and contained seven letters.) Under the new system, each team would play six division games (a home-and-away series against teams in its division); a game against each of the other four teams in its conference; and a nonconference game against each member of a four-team division, for a total of 14 games. In the past, if two teams were tied for the division lead at season's end, a one-game playoff was conducted to break the tie. Starting in 1967, a tiebreaking system was implemented that started with net points in head-to-head competition, followed by which team that had less recently been in a title game . As such, only one team in a division would be the division winner, even if the won-loss record was the same.| Week | Capitol | Century | Coastal | Central | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DALLAS | 1–0–0 | PITTSBURGH | 1–0–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 1–0–0 | DETROIT | 0–0–1 |
| 2 | DALLAS | 2–0–0 | ST. LOUIS | 1–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 2–0–0 | DETROIT | 1–0–1 |
| 3 | PHILADELPHIA | 2–1–0 | ST. LOUIS | 2–1–0 | LOS ANGELES | 3–0–0 | GREEN BAY | 2–0–1 |
| 4 | DALLAS | 3–1–0 | ST. LOUIS | 3–1–0 | BALTIMORE | 4–0–0 | GREEN BAY | 3–0–1 |
| 5 | DALLAS | 4–1–0 | NEW YORK | 3–2–0 | BALTIMORE | 4–0–1 | GREEN BAY | 3–1–1 |
| 6 | DALLAS | 5–1–0 | CLEVELAND | 3–2–0 | BALTIMORE | 4–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 4–1–1 |
| 7 | DALLAS | 5–2–0 | N.Y. GIANTS | 4–3–0 | BALTIMORE | 5–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 5–1–1 |
| 8 | DALLAS | 6–2–0 | ST. LOUIS | 5–3–0 | BALTIMORE | 6–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 5–2–1 |
| 9 | DALLAS | 7–2–0 | ST. LOUIS | 5–3–1 | BALTIMORE | 7–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 6–2–1 |
| 10 | DALLAS | 7–3–0 | CLEVELAND | 6–4–0 | BALTIMORE | 8–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 7–2–1 |
| 11 | DALLAS | 8–3–0 | CLEVELAND | 7–4–0 | BALTIMORE | 9–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 8–2–1 |
| 12 | DALLAS | 8–4–0 | CLEVELAND | 8–4–0 | BALTIMORE | 10–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 9–2–1 |
| 13 | DALLAS | 9–4–0 | CLEVELAND | 9–4–0 | BALTIMORE | 11–0–2 | GREEN BAY | 9–3–1 |
| 14 | DALLAS | 9–5–0 | CLEVELAND | 9–5–0 | LOS ANGELES | 11–1–2 | GREEN BAY | 9–4–1 |
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points AgainstNote: Prior to 1972, the NFL did not include tie games when calculating a team's winning percentage in the official standings
Tiebreakers
Los Angeles won the Coastal Division based on better point differential in head-to-head games (net 24 points) vs. Baltimore. The Rams and Colts played to a 24–24 tie in Baltimore in October before the Rams won 34–10 on the season's final Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. NOTE: The result would be the same under the modern tiebreaker, which relies first on head-to-head record (Los Angeles won the head-to-head series, 1–0–1).
Playoffs
Awards
| Most Valuable Player NFL Most Valuable Player Award The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP... |
Johnny Unitas Johnny Unitas John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football... , Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... , Baltimore Colts |
| Coach of the Year NFL Coach of the Year Award The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the... |
George Allen George Allen (football) George Herbert Allen was an American football coach in the National Football League and the United States Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.-Early life:... , L.A. Rams; Don Shula Don Shula Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.... , Baltimore Colts (tie) |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Mel Farr Mel Farr Melvin Farr is a former American football player.-Early life:As a youth, Farr played football, baseball, track and basketball. He graduated from Hebert High School in 1963, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track... , Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... , Detroit |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Lem Barney Lem Barney Lemuel Joseph "Lem" Barney is a former American Football cornerback who played for the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.-College years:... , Cornerback Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... , Detroit |
See also
- Super Bowl IISuper Bowl IIThe second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
: Green Bay (NFL) 33, Oakland (AFL) 14, at Miami Orange BowlMiami Orange BowlThe Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
, Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625... - 1967 American Football League season1967 American Football League seasonThe 1967 American Football League season was the eighth regular season of the American Football League, and one of the last before the AFL-NFL Merger....