We’re headed into week 11 of the NFL season, and one of the matchups on this week’s slate of games finds the Kansas City Chiefs facing their AFC West division rivals, the Denver Broncos. Our Throwback Thursday time machine will land on October 11, 1964 for an AFL contest between the 2 teams. These clubs were like night and day as far as success on the field goes during the 10 years of the AFL’s existence. The Dallas/Kansas City franchise won 3 league titles, including the final one in 1969, while Denver failed to compile a winning record in any of the 10 years of the league’s stand-alone existence.
So it was not surprising that when they took the field for this matchup, in the league’s fifth year, that the Broncos had not beaten the Chiefs in 8 attempts to that point. There was no reason to expect that this streak would end on this day, as Denver entered the contest winless at 0-4. There was determination, and perhaps a bit of embarrassment, on the Bronco sideline, and they managed the only score of the opening quarter on a 4 yard touchdown run by running back Charlie Mitchell. As is common with losing teams, Denver missed the extra point, which allowed the Chiefs to take the lead at 7-6 when Len Dawson found end Chris Burford for 17 yards and a TD. The rest of the half was a field goal kicking contest between Denver’s Gene Mingo, who booted 17 and 47 yarders, and K.C.’s Tommy Brooker, who connected from 37 and 48 yards. This left the Chiefs with a slim 13-12 lead.
There’s no telling whether keeping the score close motivated the Broncos or if coach Mac Speedie fired them up with a speech, but the lowly Denver squad came out fired up in the second half. They dominated the third quarter, as quarterback Jacky Lee hit star receiver Lionel Taylor with a 13 yard scoring toss, then heaved a 58 yard touchdown bomb to Mitchell. Lee, who had come to Denver on a strange “lend-lease” trade with Houston that saw the Oilers loaning the QB to the Mile High club for 2 years, found Taylor again for a 34 yard score to open the final quarter, and Denver found themselves in the unusual position of holding a commanding 33-13 lead.
Vagabond AFL quarterback Jacky Lee
Kansas City was too proud of a team to not fight back, and indeed they did. Dawson connected with his tight end, Fred Arbanas, for a 33 yard score, then hit Burford from 21 yards out to cut the final deficit to 33-27, as Denver held on to win. It was a satisfying result for the long-suffering Broncos, although it didn’t last long as the Chiefs would win the next 11 matchups between the Western Division foes. Still, it was a fine effort from Lee, who bounced around the AFL with 3 different teams but won 3 championships as a backup, and Mitchell, who garnered 127 yards from scrimmage and who earned a doctorate in education after his playing days ended.
Dr. Charles Mitchell, later in life