Keith Lincoln's Outstanding 1963 Season

 by Jeffrey J. Miller

Nineteen sixty-three was a pivotal year for the upstart American Football League. In its fourth year of existence, it was finally coming close to being on a competitive level with the senior NFL.  Don’t misunderstand me … I am not saying the leagues were on equal footing just yet, but I believe the best AFL teams could finally have competed well against the average NFL squads and maybe even eke out a victory or two if inter-league play existed at the time.  It was probably the first year in which the AFL champions—the San Diego Chargers—would not have embarrassed themselves in a matchup against the winners of the NFL crown—the Chicago Bears.

 

One of the reasons for the AFL’s ascension was the fact that so many very good players were developing within that league, many of whom would never have been given an opportunity in the limited roster allowances of the NFL.  A case in point is San Diego fullback Keith Lincoln. 

 

Lincoln played his college ball at Washington State University.  Though he started out as a quarterback, he eventually moved to halfback and also handled the Cougars’ punting.  He earned second-team All-America honors in 1959 along with being chosen first-team All-PCC that year and second-team All-PCC in 1960, his senior year.  He was selected by the NFL Chicago Bears in the fifth round (61st overall) of the 1961 NFL draft, but opted to sign with the AFL Chargers, who tapped him with their second-round pick (16th overall).

 

He enjoyed a decent rookie season, which included a 91-yard touchdown reception, the longest in the AFL that year.  An All-Star-Game berth followed in 1962, though the Chargers missed the post-season for the first time in the league's existence.  

But Lincoln really hit his stride in ‘63.  Though he was not a 1,000-yard rusher (only two AFL runners reached that level that year--Oakland’s Clem Daniels and Lincoln's San Diego runningmate Paul Lowe), when viewed in its totality this might be the finest individual single-season performance ever posted in the American Football League.  As part of a dynamic backfield tandem with Lowe, the Chargers led the league in total offense (eclipsing the next closest competitor by 350 yards!) and points scored, and were third in total rushing yardage.  Lincoln’s 76-yard touchdown run against the Chiefs on October 20 was the league’s longest that year.  He led the league in yards-per-carry with an eye-popping 6.5 (128 attempts for 826 yards) while also leading the league in yards-per-touch (rushing and reception yardage) with 7.6!

 

That high-powered offense earned the Chargers to the Western Division pennant and their third post-season berth in four years.  In the championship game, Lincoln ran wild as the Chargers routed the Western Division champion Boston Patriots, 51–10.  In the game, Lincoln lugged the leather 13 times for 206 yards (15.8 yards-per-lug!) and one touchdown and had seven receptions for 123 yards (17.6 yards-per-catch) and a score, amassing a total 329  yards from scrimmage that stood as the record for both the AFL and NFL until Kansas City running back Ed Podolak gained 350 yards in a double-overtime playoff game against the Miami Dolphins in 1971.  Lincoln’s 206 on the ground stood as the standard until 1985, when Los Angeles runner Eric Dickerson rushed for 248 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.  (By the way, Lincoln also passed for 20 yards in the championship game … just thought I’d mention that).   For his outstanding performance in leading the Chargers’ blowout victory, Lincoln was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Lincoln scampering 67 yards for a touchdown 
against Boston in the 1963 AFL Title Game
at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, January 5, 1964. 

Lincoln’s regular-season performance also earned him a trip to that year’s AFL All-Star Game, played January 19, 1964, at the Chargers’ homefield of Balboa Stadium.  Once again, Lincoln was brilliant, rushing for 121 yards and tearing off a 64-yard touchdown run to spark a come-from-behind win for the Western squad.  For the second straight week, Lincoln was on the receiving end of a Most Valuable Player award, marking the first time a player from either league won the MVP of the championship game and Pro Bowl in the same year. 

Keith Lincoln being introduced before the
1963 AFL All-Star Game at Balboa Stadium,
 San Diego, January 19, 1964.

Highlights of Lincoln’s 1963 Season:

Led AFL in yards-per carry – 6.5

Led AFL in yards-per-touch – 7.6

Longest touchdown run in regular season – 76 yards

Professional record for most rushing yards in post-season game – 206

Professional record for most yards from scrimmage in post-season game – 329

First-Team All-AFL

AFL Champion

Most Valuable Player – AFL Title Game

Most Valuable Player – AFL All-Star Game

Though 1963 was his greatest season, Lincoln enjoyed a fine eight-year career primarily with the Chargers and later with the Buffalo Bills.  His versatility drew comparisons to Green Bay Packer Hall-of-Famer Paul Hornung.  In addition to his offensive exploits, Lincoln filled in as the Bolts’ place kicker in 1964 and led the team in kick scoring, making good on 5 of 12 field goal attempts and 16 of 17 extra-point tries for 31 points.  He was adept at passing as well, throwing for 5 touchdowns during his tenure in San Diego.  Chargers’ coach Sid Gillman also used his star fullback to return kickoffs and punts, with Lincoln registering at least one of each for touchdowns.  

 

For his career, Lincoln was named first-team All-AFL twice (1963 and 1964) and appeared in five All-Star Games (1962, ’63, ’64, ’65 and ’67).  As an aside, I was shocked to see he has not been enshrined in the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Hall-of-Very-Good … what the heck?  He was inducted into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979, and the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.