September 9, 1960 – It was the dawn of a whole new era of professional football. When the Denver Broncos met and defeated the Boston Patriots, 13-10 in the American Football League’s first game, it put the NFL on notice that some things were going to change.
The contest was held in front of 21,597 fans at Nickerson Field in Boston as the AFL pushed pro football to new heights in the coming decade including National TV contracts, paying players better, and an eventual merger of the two leagues creating the sports world’s greatest championship game, the Super Bowl.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

Cheltenham Comebacks and Shock Wins: The Moments Nobody Expected
Cheltenham has a way of pulling stories out of horses that you don’t see

How Prepaid Access Shaped Casual Sports Gaming
Before apps auto saved cards and one tap wallets became standard, casual fans who

How the World of Sports Learned to Completely Accept the Betting Industry
Professional sports leagues once treated gambling like a contagious disease. Team owners banned players

Horse Racing, High School Rivalries & Lesser-Known Missouri Sports Stories
Missouri’s sports timeline is a layered scrapbook: dusty 19th-century racetracks, high school rivalries that

Muhammad Ali’s Chin: Knocked Down Only 4 Times
Muhammad Ali’s boxing career is well documented, so instead of going over his entire

Remembering the 1973 Denver Broncos
The 1973 Denver Broncos were indeed a special team. They were the first Denver

Remarkable Resilience: The Epic Reversals of Fate in Sports
Championships have never been sports’ main motivation. The most unforgettable instances occur when a

Larry Brown – Is He Hall of Fame Worthy?
A committee member recently asked me my opinion on inducting former Washington Redskins running