Texans Get Smoked By Patriots, 42-14

The Texans-Chiefs franchise is celebrating its 50th season of play in 2009. This is another look at the founding team of the American Football League and its first season of play.

In their first season of play, the Dallas Texans darkest hours came in a Thursday night game in Boston. On November 18, 1960, Hank Stram’s team got smoked by the Boston Patriots 42-14 in front of a crowd announced as 14,721 at Boston University Field.

Those 42 points were the most the Texans allowed in their first season. The 14 points they scored was their second lowest total of the season and the 28-point differential was their worst loss of the season.

“This was not a good effort for our team,” Hank Stram said afterwards to the media. “On offense, defense, we did not get the job done.”

It was a big victory for the Patriots on the one-year anniversary of their entry into the AFL

Boston native, Boston College product and Patriots QB Butch Songin (right) led the Boston offense, throwing for three touchdown passes, as he hit 25 of 35 passes for 220 yards.

Songin was one of the typical veteran players who revived their football careers in the first season of the AFL. He played football and hockey at Boston College, and was part of BC’s NCAA hockey champions in 1949. He was captain of the hockey team in 1950 his last year at Chestnut Hill.

He would return to the football field at the age of 36 and spend two years with the Patriots, before finishing his football career with one season with the New York Titans.

He got some help from the Patriots defense which was able to shut down Texans RB Abner Haynes, who had just 10 rushing yards on nine carries and four catches for 36 yards. Dallas QB Cotton Davidson had a tough day, and Stram sent in backup QB Hunter Enis in relief. Eventually Davidson returned to the game. The Texans quarterbacks combined for a 20 of 43 passing day for 206 yards and two INTs. Dallas turned the ball over four times.

The Texans touchdowns came on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Enis and a two-yard TD run by RB Jack Spikes.

The loss moved the Texans record to 5-5 and kept them in second place in the AFL Western Division.

GAME #10 RECAP/1960

• Opponent: Boston Patriots.
• Site: Boston University Field, crowd estimated at 14,721.
• Score: 42-14 Patriots.
• Texans Leading Rusher: Jack Spikes, six carries for 23 yards.
• Texans Leading Receiver: Johnny Robinson, seven catches for 58 yards.
• Texans Leading Passer: Cotton Davidson, nine of 23 for 100 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; Hunter Enis, 11 of 20 for 106 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT.
• Texans Punter: Davidson six punts, 188 yards, 31.3-yard average.

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1Q – Boston – T. Stephens 10-yard TD pass from D. Christy. G. Cappelletti PAT kick.
• 1Q – Boston – Christy six-yard TD run. Run for two points failed.
• 2Q – Boston – J. Colclough nine-yard TD pass from B. Songin. Cappelletti PAT kick.
• 2Q – Dallas – H. Enis one-yard run. Spikes PAT kick.
• 3Q – Boston – J. Johnson six-yard TD pass from Songin. Cappelletti two-point run.
• 3Q – Boston – Johnson 18-yard TD pass from Songin. Cappelletti PAT kick.
• 3Q – Boston – J. Crawford 39-yard run. Cappelletti PAT kick.
• 4Q – Dallas – Spikes two-yard run. Spikes PAT kick.

 

	Patriots	Texans
First Downs	21	18
Total Yards	339	223
Rushing Yards	100	17
Net Passing Yards	239	206
Att-Comp-Int	30/27/0	43/20/1
Punts/Avg Yds.	6/27.5	6/31.3
Penalties/Yards	9/94	2/25
Fumbles/Lost	2/1	4/3