The
American Football League-founded in 1959, merged with the larger, rival
National Football League/
NFL, in 1970.
The AFL, like the old ABA, was an attempt to break the monopoly of a single league for one professional sport in the United States.
The original teams:
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers-later moved to San Diego
Oakland Raiders
Dallas Texans-moved in 1960 to become the Kansas City Chiefs
Buffalo Bills
Boston Patriots-later renamed the New England Patriots
New York Jets
Houston Oilers
The league expanded in 1964 to add teams in Cincinati and Miami.
When the Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Superbowl it was clear the "upstart league" had talent.
The merger was arranged that same year and the last seperate NFL-AFL season was 1969-1970.
The last interleague SuperBowl was in January of 1970 when Kansas City defeated Minnesota.
The next season three NFL teams-Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh were moved to the American Football conference to make two, thirteen team conferences.
The irony?
The "weakest" of the teams sent to the AFC-Pittsburgh, won the SuperBowl three times in the 1970s.