Editing American Football League (section)

===Legitimacy and the end of an era (1968–1970)===
While many AFL players and observers believed their league was the equal of the NFL, their first two Super Bowl performances did nothing to prove it. However, on November 17, 1968, when NBC [[Heidi Game|cut away from a game]] between the Jets and Raiders to air the children's movie ''[[Heidi (1968 film)|Heidi]]'', the ensuing uproar helped disprove the notion that fans still considered the AFL an inferior product. The perception of AFL inferiority forever changed on January 12, 1969, when the AFL Champion New York Jets shocked the heavily favored NFL Champion [[Baltimore Colts]] in [[Super Bowl III]]. The Colts, who entered the contest favored by as many as 18 points, had completed the [[1968 NFL season]] with a 13–1 record, and won the NFL title with a convincing 34–0 win over the Cleveland Browns. Led by their stalwart defense—which allowed a record-low 144 points—the 1968 Colts were considered one of the best-ever NFL teams.<ref name="hof">{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=822 |title=He guaranteed it |access-date=2007-02-09 |work=Pro Football Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name="baltse">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/balticolts/baltcolts.html |title=Baltimore Colts history |access-date=2007-02-09 |encyclopedia=Sports Encyclopedia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210173055/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/balticolts/baltcolts.html |archive-date=10 February 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By contrast, the Jets had allowed 280 points, the highest total for any division winner in the two leagues. They had also only narrowly beaten the favored Oakland Raiders 27–23 in the AFL championship game. Jets quarterback [[Joe Namath]] recalled that in the days leading up to the game, he grew increasingly angry when told New York had no chance to beat Baltimore. Three days before the game, a frustrated Namath responded to a [[heckler]] at the Touchdown Club in Miami by declaring, "We're going to win Sunday, I guarantee it!"<ref name="silverman" /><ref name="cross" /><ref name="jackman">{{cite news|first=Phil |last=Jackman |title=Lifetime guarantee; Jets-Colts |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-mackey011299,0,4077047.story?coll=bal-sports-football |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=1999-01-12 |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014536/http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-mackey011299%2C0%2C4077047.story?coll=bal-sports-football |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Namath and the Jets made good on his guarantee as they held the Colts scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. The Jets won, 16–7, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in American sports history.<ref name="pagetwo">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/010523upset.html |title=Page 2's List for top upset in sports history |access-date=2007-02-09 |work=[[Page2]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221035618/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/010523upset.html |archive-date=21 February 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="wankel">{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Wankel |title=Eagles can win with right strategy |url=http://www.courierpostonline.com/columnists/cxww020105a.htm |work=[[The Courier-Post]] |date=2005-02-01 |access-date=2007-02-09 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="hornet">{{cite news|first=Kenneth |last=Gooden |title=Can Hornets match greatest all-time upsets? |url=http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2003/11/19/Sports/Can-Hornets.Match.Greatest.AllTime.Upsets-2422553.shtml?sourcedomain=www.statehornet.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com |work=The State Hornet |date=2003-11-19 |access-date=2007-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927074841/http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2003/11/19/Sports/Can-Hornets.Match.Greatest.AllTime.Upsets-2422553.shtml?sourcedomain=www.statehornet.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref><ref>Shamsky, ''The Magnificent Seasons'', p. 5.</ref> With the win, the AFL finally achieved parity with the NFL and legitimized the merger of the two leagues.<ref name="hof" /> That notion was reinforced one year later in [[Super Bowl IV]], when the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs upset the NFL champion [[Minnesota Vikings]], 23–7, in the last championship game to be played between the two leagues. The Vikings, favored by 12½ points, were held to just 67 rushing yards.<ref name="boxiv">{{cite web |url=http://www.superbowl.com/history/boxscores/game/sbiv |title=Super Bowl IV box score |access-date=2007-02-09 |work=SuperBowl.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101112306/http://www.superbowl.com/history/boxscores/game/sbiv |archive-date=2007-01-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The last game in AFL history was the [[AFL All-Star Game]], held in Houston's [[Astrodome]] on January 17, 1970. The Western All-Stars, led by Chargers quarterback [[John Hadl]], defeated the Eastern All-Stars, 26–3. Buffalo rookie running back [[O. J. Simpson]] carried the ball for the last play in AFL history. Hadl was named the game's [[Most Valuable Player]].<ref name="allstarhadl">{{cite web |url=http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_1970_AFL_All-Star_Game.htm |title=1970 AFL All-Star Game recap |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714033244/http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_1970_AFL_All-Star_Game.htm |archive-date=2007-07-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The AFL ceased to exist as an unincorporated organization on February 1, 1970, when the NFL granted 10 new franchises and issued a new constitution.<ref name="FZmerger">{{cite tweet |author=Football Zebras |user=footballzebras |number=1223828075495993344 |date=February 1, 2020 |title="On this date, 50 years ago and with little fanfare, the American Football League ceased to exist as an unincorporated association. The National Football League formally granted 10 new franchises, revised the league constitution. The merger was legally completed."}}</ref>

Prior to the start of the [[1970 NFL season]], the merged league was organized into two conferences of three divisions each. All ten AFL teams made up the bulk of the new [[American Football Conference]]. To avoid having an inequitable number of teams in each conference, the leagues voted to move three NFL teams to the AFC. Motivated by the prospect of an [[Battle of Ohio (NFL)|intrastate rivalry]] with the Bengals as well as by personal animosity toward [[Paul Brown]], Cleveland Browns owner [[Art Modell]] quickly offered to include his team in the AFC. He helped persuade the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ([[Browns–Steelers rivalry|the Browns' archrivals]]) and Baltimore Colts (who shared the [[Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area|Baltimore-Washington]] market with the [[Washington Redskins]]) to follow suit, and each team received US$3&nbsp;million to make the switch.<ref name="switch">{{cite news |first=Gordon |last=Forbes |title=This time, realignment will be cool breeze |url=http://lists.rollanet.org/pipermail/rampage/Week-of-Mon-20010319/001092.html |work=[[USA Today]] |date=2001-03-22 |access-date=2007-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040829161949/http://lists.rollanet.org/pipermail/rampage/Week-of-Mon-20010319/001092.html |archive-date=2004-08-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="modell">{{cite web |url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=6085 |title=Moment 26: Enter Art |access-date=2007-02-09 |work=ClevelandBrowns.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010070953/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=6085 |archive-date=2007-10-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The remaining 13 NFL teams became part of the [[National Football Conference]].

[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] receiver [[Charlie Joiner]], who started his career with the [[Houston Oilers]] ([[1969 AFL season|1969]]), was the last AFL player active in professional football, retiring after the 1986 season, when he played for the [[San Diego Chargers]].