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AFL Championship Game
Houston
Oilers 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16
Long Beach (CA) Independent
By Hank Hollingworth
Executive Sports Editor
 HOUSTON-
A fine blend of age and youth in the persons of George
Blanda, 32, and Billy Cannon, 23, gushed the Houston
Oilers to the first championship of the year-old
American Football League here Sunday as the Oilers
drilled the Los Angeles Chargers, 24-16.
A turnout of 32,183 witnessed the fight-filled battle
in person, while an estimated 41 million fans viewed it
over national television.
Even though Paul Lowe, the Chargers' jet from Oregon
State, gallantly tried to bring home the young league's
pennant to the Southland with 165 yards in 21 rushes,
the heroes at the finish were Blanda and Cannon.
Blanda was this writer's choice for
player-of-the-game, but Cannon gained that honor with
eight votes to seven for Blanda and Lowe.
The former Chicago Bear quarterback was the
difference in the two clubs Sunday. His list of
achievements included:
1. Having a hand in every one of Houston's 24 points.
2. The even more important feat of coming through
eight times on third down-and-long yardage-to-go
situations. Blanda's big third down plays broke the
Charger backs.
Cannon totaled 179 yards passing and rushing,
including the day's biggest play, an 88-yard touchdown
burst. The play came early in the fourth quarter when
the Oilers had only a 17-16 lead, but it forced the
Chargers to press from that point. And Sid Gillman's
troops were not equal to the occasion.
Blanda's heroics weren't all that whipped the
Chargers- they beat themselves, in effect, by their
shoddiest pass defense of the long 19-game campaign and also by
a below-normal performance of quarterback Jack Kemp.
The all-league star from Occidental had an Easter
basket full of excuses, however: his receivers bobbled
key passes, his protection was sad and Kemp was
wounded. He suffered a painful groin injury in the first
quarter when Houston's safetyman, Julian Spence, a 153
pounder, cut him down with vicious tackle.
Mighty mite Spence was the central figure in an all
out brawl you must have enjoyed over your video set. It
came midway in the second period when Houston's Bobby
Gordon intercepted a wayward Kemp aerial.
While Lowe, Kemp and Howie Ferguson were engaged in
the not-too-familiar activity of bringing down Gordon,
the rest of the Charger squad had Spence trapped in
midfield and were using the Austin, Texas lightweight as
a punching bag.
 Spence
not only got belted, he got booted- right out of the
game, as did Charger end Maury Schleicher. Hogan "Kid"
Wharton, off-season pro wrestler who also plays guard
for the Oilers, got the thumb in the last quarter when
he applied a half-nelson to an official.
The Chargers were in the game during the first half
only because of the battle weary foot of Ben Agajanian.
Benny bounced three field goals over the bars as Houston
enjoyed a 10-9 halftime edge. His distances were 38, 22
and 27 yards. Blanda personally passed Houston to a 7-6
lead by gobbling up 68 yards on three aerials in one
drive. The payoff punch was a 17-yarder to fullback Dave
Smith.
Blanda's other first-half contribution was an 18-yard
field goal, which immediately followed Gordon's pass
interception.
Blanda's passing, plus a 43-yard kickoff return by
Cannon, juiced the Oilers to their next touchdown early
in the third quarter. Blanda hit the jackpot with a
7-yarder to Bill Groman.
The Chargers raced right back following that kickoff
with the aid of the season's screwiest play, cut the gap
to 17-16. On the drive, Kemp was trapped 20 yards behind
the line of scrimmage but hobbled back nearly that
entire distance to uncork a jump pass. The wobbly heave
found its target, too, the big paws of end Dave Kocourek,
who was pushed out on the 2-yard line. One play after
that 33-yard pass completion, Lowe skimmed into the end
zone untouched.
The Charger hopes were high for only nine minutes,
however, as Cannon and Blanda united on the 88-yard
pass-and-run play to wrap up the old flag.
With three minutes remaining, the Chargers had the
almost impossible task of grinding out 99 yards to knot
the count. With two minutes to go, they had moved to
Houston's 29, but on four tries they could nudge the
ball only six yards as Kemp registered three
incompletions.
Gillman, nettled not only at the loss but also
because the defeat was pinned on his club by a former
assistant, Lou Rymkus, commented only that: "Our basic
protection and defense broke down- and without those
things you can't win ball games."
Rymkus, named AFL coach-of-the-year three days ago,
pinned most of his plaudits on Blanda: "He's the money
guy in this league and when the chips are down that's
the people who win big games. George is the Van Brocklin
of the AFL."
The five-hour jet flight back to Los Angeles probably
will be the Chargers longest of the season. However,
they may have one even longer soon- an entire move to
San Diego, if owner Barren Hilton's apparent mood is in
interpreted correctly.
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