Texans Get First Franchise Victory

On Friday evening, September 16, 1960, the franchise that was the Dallas Texans and became the Kansas City Chiefs won its first game.

It came on a cold, chilly night in Golden Gate State Park, as the Texans beat the Oakland Raiders 34-16 at Kezar Stadium.

To say that the Bay Area was underwhelmed by the matchup and the outcome would be an understatement. Just 8,021 fans braved the cold wind blowing off the Pacific Ocean and into the concrete bowl of the stadium.

San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Bruce Lee had the game story and his lead summarized quite well what happened:

“The Oakland Raiders tried to live by a pass attack and instead died by it last night at Kezar Stadium. The Dallas Texans intercepted five Raiders passes, turned two of those interceptions into touchdowns and with the other four effectively quelled promising drives to take a 34 to 16 victory before 8,021 fans.

“The Oaklanders had little or nothing beyond their passing. Their running attack, except for spasmodic jerks, got nowhere against a strong Dallas line and the Raiders defense leaked badly, especially in the fourth quarter. As was expected the Raiders were hopelessly outmanned in the late going and the Dallas running backs, Jack Spikes, Johnny Robinson, Abner Haynes and Jim Swink were cutting the Oakland line as easily as through butter.”

The interceptions came from David Webster with two and one each for Clem Daniels, Sherrill Headrick and John Bookman. Dallas head coach Hank Stram was especially pleased with the performance of Webster, a converted quarterback from Prairie View A&M.

“This was Webster’s first game as a defensive back and I think he was the best one on the field,” Stram said after the game.

The Texans led 10-0 after the first quarter, 17-10 at half-time and then 20-10 at start of fourth quarter. From there they scored on a four-play, 42-yard drive and then again on a five-play, 60-yard march.

Jack Spikes and Johnny Robinson were the offensive stars for the Texans. Spikes ran for 88 yards on 13 carries, and scored 16 points (one TD run, four PAT kicks and two FGS.) Robinson had 10 carries for 68 yards and three catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned two punts for 32 yards.

Dallas QB Cotton Davidson completed 14 of 25 passes for 196 yards and two TDs. Oakland quarterbacks Babe Parilli and Tom Flores threw 43 passes, but had five interceptions.

Speaking at the game, Lamar Hunt expressed disappointment over the small turnout of fans for the game, but said there were no immediate plans to transfer the Raiders to another city.

“I anticipate no franchise switch,” Hunt told the Chronicle. “The Oakland situation is not as critical as some other areas.

“Oakland made the mistake of belittling its own team so much that people are not coming out. They were the last team in and got the leftovers, as we realized they would. But the other teams helped provide them with players. I knew it would take time to create fan interest but I never expected the first season to be this poor.”

GAME #2 RECAP/1960

• Opponent: Oakland Raiders
• Site: Kezar Stadium
• Score: 34-16 Texans
• Texans Leading Rusher: Jack Spikes, 13 carries for 88 yards.
• Texans Leading Receiver: Max Boydston, 3 catches for 57 yards.
• Texans Leading Passer: Cotton Davidson, 14 of 25 for 196 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT.
• Texans Punter: Davidson, 5 for 196 yards, 39.2-yard average.

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1Q – Dallas – J. Spikes 28-yard FG.
• 1Q – Dallas – M. Boydston 17-yard TD pass from C. Davidson. Spikes PAT kick.
• 2Q – Oakland – T. Teresa 36-yard TD pass from B. Parilli. L. Barnes PAT kick.
• 2Q – Dallas – Spikes 15-yard TD run. Spikes PAT kick.
• 2Q – Oakland – Barnes 33-yard FG.
• 3Q – Dallas – Spikes 17-yard FG.
• 4Q – Dallas – J. Robinson 25-yard TD pass from Davidson. Spikes PAT kick.
• 4Q – Dallas – Robinson 5-yard TD run. Spikes PAT kick.
• 4Q – Oakland – J.D. Smith 11-yard TD pass from Parilli. PAT pass failed.

	Raiders	Texans
First Downs	22	19
Total Yards	306	388
Rushing Yards	63	192
Net Passing Yards	243	196
Att-Comp-Int	43-23-5	25-14-0
Punts/Avg Yds.	6/41.7	5/39.2
Penalties/Yards	2/17	3/34
Fumbles/Lost	3/0	2/1