1968 New York Jets season

The 1968 New York Jets season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). The team had the most successful season in franchise history. Trying to improve upon their 8–5–1 record of 1967, they won the AFL Eastern Division with an 11–3 record. They defeated the defending champion Oakland Raiders, 27–23 in the AFL championship game and earned the right to play in Super Bowl III against the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. In a stunning upset, marked by fourth-year quarterback Joe Namath's famous "guarantee" of victory, the Jets defeated the heavily favored Colts 16–7. The Jets have yet to return to the Super Bowl, making them and the New Orleans Saints the only teams to have won their only championship game, also holding the longest appearance drought in NFL history, having not appeared in the 56 complete seasons since this game; they did not appear in a semi-final playoff round again until 1983.

1968 New York Jets season
Owner	Leon Hess
General manager	Weeb Ewbank
Head coach	Weeb Ewbank
Home stadium	Shea Stadium
Results
Record	11–3
Division place	1st AFL East
Playoffs	Won AFL Championship (vs. Raiders) 27–23 Won Super Bowl III (vs. Colts) 16–7
Pro Bowlers	MLB Al Atkinson RDE Verlon Biggs HB Emerson Boozer RDT John Elliott RG Dave Herman LT Winston Hill FL Don Maynard QB Joe Namath LDE Gerry Philbin SE George Sauer K Jim Turner
← 1967 Jets seasons 1969 →

In 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1968 New York Jets, with team commentary from Joe Namath, Gerry Philbin and Don Maynard, and was narrated by Alec Baldwin. The Jets ranked No. 24 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. Of those 24, only three came before the AFL-NFL Merger. The Jets were the highest ranked team that played in the AFL, and also the highest pre-merger team not coached by Vince Lombardi.^[1][2]

The last remaining active member of the 1968 New York Jets was guard Randy Rasmussen, who retired after the 1981 NFL season.

Offseason

On May 21, Sonny Werblin sold his shares in the Jets to his partners Donald C. Lillis, Leon Hess, Townsend Martin, and Philip H. Iselin. Lillis became the president on May 21, but died on July 23, and Isselin was appointed president on August 6. Leon Hess the founder of Hess gas station made the famous Hess truck after the New York Jets color scheme^[3]

Draft

Main article: 1968 NFL/AFL draft

1968 New York Jets draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	17	Lee White	RB	Weber St
2	44	Steve Thompson	DE	Washington
3	72	Sam Walton	OT	East Texas St
4	101	Gary Magner	DT	USC
5	128	Lee Jacobsen	LB	Kearney St
7	182	Oscar Lubke	OT	Ball St
8	200	Bob Taylor	RB	Maryland Eastern Shore	Pick from MIA
8	210	Jim Richards	DB	Virginia Tech
8	214	Karl Henke	DT	Tulsa	Pick from HOU
9	236	Gary Houser	TE	Oregon St
10	264	Mike D'Amato	DB	Hofstra
11	290	Henry Owens	WR	Weber St
12	318	Ray Hayes	OT	Toledo
13	344	Tom Myslinski	OG	Maryland
14	372	Harvey Naim	RB	Southern
15	398	Ronnie Ehrig	DB	Texas
16	426	Tom Bilotta	OG	Adams St (CO)
17	452	Myles Strasser	RB	Wisconsin−Oshkosh
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1968 New York Jets staff

Front office Majority Owner/Team President/CEO & Chairman – Leon Hess Vice President/board member/Minority Owner – Donald C. Lillis General manager – Weeb Ewbank Head coaches Head Coach – Weeb Ewbank Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Clive Rush Offensive line coach – Joe Spencer

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Walt Michaels Defensive line coach – Buddy Ryan

Roster

1968 New York Jets roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Joe Namath 15 Babe Parilli Running backs (RB) 32 Emerson Boozer 31 Bill Mathis 30 Mark Smolinski 41 Matt Snell Wide receivers (WR) 13 Don Maynard 23 Bill Rademacher 83 George Sauer 29 Bake Turner Tight ends (TE) 87 Pete Lammons

Offensive linemen (OL) 67 Dave Herman G 75 Winston Hill T 66 Randy Rasmussen G 74 Jeff Richardson C/T 52 John Schmitt C 61 Bob Talamini G 71 Sam Walton T Defensive linemen (DL) 86 Verlon Biggs DE 80 John Elliott DT 50 Carl McAdams DE/DT 81 Gerry Philbin DE 72 Paul Rochester DT 85 Steve Thompson DE

Linebackers (LB) 62 Al Atkinson MLB 51 Ralph Baker OLB 56 Paul Crane OLB 60 Larry Grantham OLB 63 John Neidert MLB Defensive backs (DB) 46 Bill Baird FS 42 Randy Beverly CB 45 Earl Christy CB 47 Mike D'Amato SS 43 John Dockery CB 48 Cornell Gordon FS/CB 22 Jim Hudson SS 26 Jim Richards CB/S 24 Johnny Sample CB Special teams (ST) 33 Curley Johnson P/TE 11 Jim Turner K

Practice squad -- Tony DiMidio T 73 Ray Hayes DT 70 Karl Henke DE Reserve 35 Billy Joe RB (IR) 82 Gary Magner DE (IR) -- Paul Seiler (Military) 68 Michael Stromberg LB (IR) 34 Lee White RB (IR) Rookies in italics

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	August 12	at Houston Oilers	L 14–28	0–1	Astrodome	40,354	Recap
2	August 17	Boston Patriots	W 25–6	1–1	City Stadium	14,000	Recap
3	August 23	Atlanta Falcons	W 27–12	2–1	Legion Field	27,406	Recap
4	August 30	Cincinnati Bengals	L 9–13	2–2	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	24,358	Recap
5	September 7	Detroit Lions	W 9–6	3–2	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	84,918	Recap

Regular season

Regular season schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	Bye
2	September 15	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–19	1–0	Municipal Stadium	48,871	Recap
3	September 22	Boston Patriots	W 47–31	2–0	Legion Field, Birmingham, AL[4]	29,192	Recap
4	September 29	at Buffalo Bills	L 35–37	2–1	War Memorial Stadium	38,044	Recap
5	October 5	San Diego Chargers	W 23–20	3–1	Shea Stadium	63,786	Recap
6	October 13	Denver Broncos	L 13–21	3–2	Shea Stadium	63,052	Recap
7	October 20	at Houston Oilers	W 20–14	4–2	Astrodome	51,710	Recap
8	October 27	Boston Patriots	W 48–14	5–2	Shea Stadium	62,351	Recap
9	November 3	Buffalo Bills	W 25–21	6–2	Shea Stadium	61,452	Recap
10	November 10	Houston Oilers	W 26–7	7–2	Shea Stadium	60,242	Recap
11	November 17	at Oakland Raiders	L 32–43	7–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,318	Recap
12	November 24	at San Diego Chargers	W 37–15	8–3	San Diego Stadium	51,175	Recap
13	December 1	Miami Dolphins	W 35–17	9–3	Shea Stadium	61,766	Recap
14	December 8	Cincinnati Bengals	W 27–14	10–3	Shea Stadium	61,111	Recap
15	December 15	at Miami Dolphins	W 31–7	11–3	Orange Bowl	32,843	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Results

Home/Road		Eastern Division					Western Division
		BOS	BUF	HOU	MIA	NY	CIN	DEN	KC	OAK	SD
Eastern	Boston Patriots		23–6	0–16	10–34	31–47*	33–14	14–35			17–27
	Buffalo Bills	7–16		7–30	17–21	37–35			7–18	6–48	6–21
	Houston Oilers	45–17	35–6		7–24	14–20		38–17	21–26	15–24
	Miami Dolphins	38–7	14–14	10–24		7–31	21–38		3–48	21–47
	New York Jets	48–14	25–21	26–7	35–17		27–14	13–21			23–20
Western	Cincinnati Bengals		34–23	17–27	22–24			24–10	9–16	0–34	10–31
	Denver Broncos	17–20	34–32		21–14		10–7		7–30	7–43	23–47
	Kansas City Chiefs	31–17		24–10		19–20	13–3	34–2		24–10	27–20
	Oakland Raiders	41–10	13–10			43–32	31–10	33–27	38–21		14–23
	San Diego Chargers			30–14	34–28	15–37	29–13	55–24	3–40	27–34

(*) Played at Legion Field, Birmingham since Boston Red Sox refused to rent Fenway Park to Patriots.

Standings

AFL Eastern Division
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
New York Jets	11	3	0	.786	7–1	419	280	W4
Houston Oilers	7	7	0	.500	5–3	303	248	W2
Miami Dolphins	5	8	1	.385	4–3–1	276	355	L1
Boston Patriots	4	10	0	.286	2–6	229	406	L2
Buffalo Bills	1	12	1	.077	1–6–1	199	367	L8

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

Game summaries

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 2: New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	7	10	0	3	20
Chiefs	3	7	3	6	19

at Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Date: September 15, 1968
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), relative humidity 57%, wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
• Game attendance: 48,871
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter NYJ – Don Maynard 57-yard pass from Joe Namath (Jim Turner kick). Jets 7–0. KC – Jan Stenerud 33-yard field goal. Jets 7–3. Second quarter NYJ – Jim Turner 22-yard field goal. Jets 10–3. NYJ – Don Maynard 30-yard pass from Joe Namath (Jim Turner kick). Jets 17–3. Third quarter KC – Noland Smith 80-yard punt return (Jan Stenerud kick). Jets 17–10. KC – Jan Stenerud 18-yard field goal. Jets 17–13. Fourth quarter KC – Jan Stenerud 22-yard field goal. Jets 17–16. NYJ – Jim Turner 42-yard field goal. Jets 20–16. KC – Jan Stenerud 28-yard field goal. Jets 20–19. Top passers NYJ – Joe Namath – 17/29, 302 yards, 2 TD, INT KC – Len Dawson – 12/20, 98 yards Top rushers NYJ – Emerson Boozer – 18 rushes, 75 yards KC – Bert Coan – 11 rushes, 45 yards Top receivers NYJ – Don Maynard – 8 receptions, 203 yards, 2 TD KC – Otis Taylor – 5 receptions, 42 yards

Week 3: at Boston Patriots

Week 3: New York Jets at Boston Patriots

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	14	6	17	10	47
Patriots	3	7	7	14	31

at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama

• Date: September 22, 1968
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), relative humidity 69%, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
• Game attendance: 29,192
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter NYJ – Randy Beverly 68-yard interception return (Jim Turner kick). Jets 7–0. BOS – Gino Cappelletti 31-yard field goal. Jets 7–3. NYJ – Don Maynard 39-yard pass from Joe Namath (Jim Turner kick). Jets 14–3. Second quarter NYJ – Jim Turner 30-yard field goal. Jets 17–3. NYJ – Jim Turner 27-yard field goal. Jets 20–3. BOS – Aaron Marsh 70-yard pass from Mike Taliaferro (Gino Cappelletti kick). Jets 20–10. Third quarter BOS – Mel Witt 4-yard interception return (Gino Cappelletti kick). Jets 20–17. NYJ – Mark Smolinski 3-yard blocked punt return (Jim Turner kick). Jets 27–17. NYJ – Pete Lammons 29-yard pass from Joe Namath (Jim Turner kick). Jets 34–17. NYJ – Jim Turner 27-yard field goal. Jets 37–17. Fourth quarter NYJ – Emerson Boozer 1-yard run (Jim Turner kick). Jets 44–17. BOS – Ed Philpott 10-yard fumble return (Gino Cappelletti kick). Jets 44–24. NYJ – Jim Turner 48-yard field goal. Jets 47–24. BOS – Gene Thomas 1-yard run (Gino Cappelletti kick). Jets 47–31. Top passers NYJ – Joe Namath – 13/25, 196 yards, 2 TD, INT BOS – Mike Taliaferro – 17/30, 276 yards, TD, 4 INT Top rushers NYJ – Emerson Boozer – 8 rushes, 52 yards, TD BOS – Jim Nance – 14 rushes, 25 yards Top receivers NYJ – George Sauer – 5 receptions, 76 yards BOS – Aaron Marsh – 4 receptions, 140 yards, TD

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

See also: 1968 Buffalo Bills season

This game, won by the Buffalo Bills at the old War Memorial Stadium (known as the rock pile) in Buffalo was the only win for the Bills all season. A win over the eventual Super Bowl champions.

Week 4: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (2–1)	7	14	0	14	35
Bills (1–3)	10	10	3	14	37

at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York

• Date: September 29, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 38,044
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Jets Bills 1 Jets Sauer 4-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 7 0 1 Bills 35-yard field goal by Alford 7 3 1 Bills Gregory 2-yard touchdown run, Alford kick good 7 10 2 — — — Bills Interception returned 100 yards for touchdown by Janik, Alford kick good 7 17 2 Jets Boozer 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 14 17 2 Bills 41-yard field goal by Alford 14 20 2 Jets Maynard 55-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 21 20 3 Bills 37-yard field goal by Alford 21 23 4 — — — Bills Interception returned 53 yards for touchdown by Byrd, Alford kick good 21 30 4 — — — Bills Interception returned 45 yards for touchdown by Edgderson, Alford kick good 21 37 4 Jets Snell 3-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 28 37 4 Jets Sauer 10-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 35 37 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 35 37

Week 5: vs. San Diego Chargers

See also: 1968 San Diego Chargers season

Week 5: San Diego Chargers at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers (3–1)	0	7	6	7	20
Jets (3–1)	3	6	7	7	23

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: October 5, 1968
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), relative humidity 48%, wind 15 mph (24 km/h)
• Game attendance: 63,786
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Chargers Jets 1 Jets 26-yard field goal by Turner 0 3 2 Chargers Alworth 7-yard touchdown reception from Hadl, Partee kick good 7 3 2 Jets 45-yard field goal by Turner 7 6 2 Jets 11-yard field goal by Turner 7 9 3 Jets Snell 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 7 16 3 Chargers Garrison 84-yard touchdown run, Partee kick no good 13 16 4 Chargers Garrison 5-yard touchdown reception from Hadl, Partee kick good 20 16 4 Jets Boozer 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 20 23 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 23

Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos

See also: 1968 Denver Broncos season

Week 6: Denver Broncos at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos (2–3)	7	7	7	0	21
Jets (3–2)	7	3	0	3	13

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: October 13, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
• Game attendance: 63,052
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Broncos Jets 1 6:27 Jets Boozer 5-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 7 1 1:04 Broncos Lynch 4-yard touchdown run, Howfield kick good 7 7 2 8:56 Broncos Lynch 6-yard touchdown run, Howfield kick good 14 7 2 4:37 Jets 29-yard field goal by Turner 14 10 3 0:36 Broncos Crabtree 72-yard touchdown reception from Tensi, Howfield kick good 21 10 4 13:05 Jets 24-yard field goal by Turner 21 13 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 13

Week 7: at Houston Oilers

See also: 1968 Houston Oilers season

Week 7: New York Jets at Houston Oilers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (4–2)	2	8	0	10	20
Oilers (2–5)	0	0	0	14	14

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

• Date: October 20, 1968
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 51,710
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Jets Oilers 1 — — — Jets Norton punt blocked through the end zone by Crane for a safety 2 0 2 Jets Namath 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good, Namath to Mathis 10 0 4 Jets 12-yard field goal by Turner 13 0 4 Oilers Reed 9-yard touchdown reception from Trull, Walker kick good 13 7 4 Oilers Beirne 19-yard touchdown reception from Trull, Walker kick good 13 14 4 Jets Snell 2-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 20 14 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 14

Week 8: vs. Boston Patriots

See also: 1968 Boston Patriots season

Week 8: Boston Patriots at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots (3–4)	0	0	0	14	14
Jets (5–2)	7	3	10	28	48

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: October 27, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), relative humidity 48%, wind 16 mph (26 km/h)
• Game attendance: 62,351
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Patriots Jets 1 Jets Snell 2-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 7 2 Jets 12-yard field goal by Turner 0 10 3 Jets 23-yard field goal by Turner 0 13 3 Jets Snell 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 20 4 Jets Parilli 2-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 27 4 Jets Joe 7-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 34 4 Jets Joe 15-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 41 2 Patriots Whalen 87-yard touchdown reception from Sherman, Cappelletti kick good 7 41 4 Jets Joe 32-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 7 48 4 Patriots Scarpitto 33-yard touchdown reception from Sherman, Cappelletti kick good 14 48 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 48

Week 9: vs. Buffalo Bills

See also: 1968 Buffalo Bills season

Week 9: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills (1–7–1)	7	0	0	14	21
Jets (6–2)	3	13	3	6	25

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: November 3, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), relative humidity 48%, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
• Game attendance: 61,452
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Bills Jets 1 Bills Moses 55-yard touchdown reception from Stephenson, Alford kick good 7 0 1 Jets 32-yard field goal by Turner 7 3 2 — — — Jets Interception returned 36 yards for touchdown by Sample, Turner kick good 7 10 2 Jets 9-yard field goal by Turner 7 13 2 Jets 32-yard field goal by Turner 7 16 3 Jets 27-yard field goal by Turner 7 19 4 Bills Costa 10-yard touchdown reception from Stephenson, Alford kick good 14 19 4 — — — Bills Punt returned 82 yards for touchdown by Clarke, Alford kick good 21 19 4 Jets 35-yard field goal by Turner 21 22 4 Jets 21-yard field goal by Turner 21 25 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 25

Week 10: vs. Houston Oilers

See also: 1968 Houston Oilers season

Week 10: Houston Oilers at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers (4–6)	7	0	0	0	7
Jets (7–2)	13	3	7	3	26

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: November 10, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
• Game attendance: 60,242
• TV announcers (NBC): Bill Enis (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Oilers Jets 1 Jets Mathis 2-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 0 7 1 Jets 14-yard field goal by Turner 0 10 1 Jets 32-yard field goal by Turner 0 13 1 Oilers Granger 47-yard touchdown run, Walker kick good 7 13 2 Jets 28-yard field goal by Turner 7 16 3 Jets Mathis 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 7 23 4 Jets 21-yard field goal by Turner 7 26 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 26

Week 11 at Oakland Raiders

Main article: Heidi Game

See also: 1968 Oakland Raiders season

The 1968 season also saw the Jets involved in one of the most notorious incidents in television history, an incident that would change the way television networks carried sporting events for decades to come. On November 17, 1968, just before 7:00 pm Eastern time, the Jets scored late to take a 32–29 lead over the Oakland Raiders with 1:05 left. NBC cut to a commercial, and then everywhere but the West Coast showed the movie Heidi, a show which NBC had promoted extensively for the sweeps period. Outraged fans bombarded NBC headquarters in New York with phone calls demanding the game be restored; so many phone calls were made that they eventually knocked out the NBC switchboard. Even though a decision was made to carry the game to conclusion, this decision could not be communicated, thus resulting in the movie starting on schedule.

Fans' ire was further fueled when they discovered that NBC's cutting away from the game denied them from seeing live a dramatic finish. On the Raiders' second play from scrimmage on the next drive, Daryle Lamonica threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Smith, giving the Raiders a 36–32 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Earl Christy of the Jets fumbled at the 10-yard line, which the Raiders' Preston Ridlehuber converted into another touchdown, ultimately giving the Raiders a 43–32 victory. Much of the country learned of this final outcome only via a bottom-of-screen crawl line shown during the movie. This incident, dubbed the Heidi Game, resulted in most television networks and sports leagues amending their television policies to ensure that games in progress would be broadcast to their conclusion, no matter what, even if it meant delaying or canceling the rest of the network's lineup, and even if the game's outcome seemed assured.^[5]

Week 11: New York Jets at Oakland Raiders

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (7–3)	6	6	7	13	32
Raiders (8–2)	7	7	8	21	43

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: November 17, 1968
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 0%, wind 0 mph (0 km/h), wind chill 0 °F (−18 °C)
• Game attendance: 53,318
• Referee: Bob Finley
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYJ OAK 1 7:42 Jets 44-yard field goal by Turner 3 0 1 5:23 Jets 18-yard field goal by Turner 6 0 1 2:32 Raiders Wells 9-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good 6 7 2 13:34 Raiders Cannon 48-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good 6 14 2 0:05 Jets Namath 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 12 14 3 9:59 Jets Mathis 4-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 19 14 3 1:46 Raiders Smith 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good 19 22 4 14:15 Jets Maynard 50-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 26 22 4 8:49 Jets 12-yard field goal by Turner 29 22 4 3:10 Raiders Biletnikoff 22-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good 29 29 4 1:05 Jets 26-yard field goal by Turner 32 29 4 0:42 Raiders Smith 43-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good 32 36 4 0:33 Raiders Fumble recovery returned 2 yards for touchdown by Ridlehuber, Blanda kick good 32 43 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 32 43

Week 12: at San Diego Chargers

See also: 1968 San Diego Chargers season

Week 12: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (8–3)	10	17	3	7	37
Chargers (8–3)	0	7	0	8	15

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: November 24, 1968
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 87%, wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
• Game attendance: 51,175
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Jets Chargers 1 Jets 13-yard field goal by Turner 3 0 1 Jets Maynard 87-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 10 0 2 Jets Snell 3-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 17 0 2 Jets 20-yard field goal by Turner 20 0 2 — — — Chargers Duncan 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, Partee kick good 20 7 2 Jets Mathis 19-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 27 7 3 Jets 30-yard field goal by Turner 30 7 4 Jets Mathis 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 37 7 4 Chargers MacKinnon 3-yard touchdown reception from Hadl, 2-point pass good, Hadl to MacKinnon 37 15 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 37 15

Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins

See also: 1968 Miami Dolphins season

Week 13: Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins (4–7–1)	0	10	0	7	17
Jets (9–3)	0	14	0	21	35

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: December 1, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), relative humidity 57%, wind 8 mph (13 km/h), wind chill 30 °F (−1 °C)
• Game attendance: 61,766
• Referee: Bob Finley
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Dolphins Jets 2 13:24 12 72 Dolphins 15-yard field goal by Keyes 3 0 2 5:26 5 77 Jets Maynard 54-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 3 7 2 3:08 2 9 Jets Lammons 5-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 3 14 2 0:26 10 80 Dolphins Milton 38-yard touchdown reception from Griese, Keyes kick good 10 14 4 11:04 17 86 Dolphins Kiick 1-yard touchdown run, Keyes kick good 17 14 4 8:44 7 74 Jets Maynard 47-yard touchdown reception from Parilli, Turner kick good 17 21 4 8:02 3 75 Jets Maynard 25-yard touchdown reception from Parilli, Turner kick good 17 28 4 2:54 6 59 Jets Turner 40-yard touchdown reception from Parilli, Turner kick good 17 35 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 35

Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

See also: 1968 Cincinnati Bengals season

Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals (3–11)	0	7	0	7	14
Jets (10–3)	14	3	3	7	27

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: December 8, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), relative humidity 50%, wind 17 mph (27 km/h), wind chill 22 °F (−6 °C)
• Game attendance: 61,111
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Bengals Jets 1 Jets Sauer 10-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 0 7 1 Jets Maynard 12-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 0 14 2 Bengals Robinson 14-yard touchdown run, Sherman kick good 7 14 2 Jets 35-yard field goal by Turner 7 17 3 Jets 22-yard field goal by Turner 7 20 4 — — — Bengals Fumble returned 0 yards for a touchdown by Griffin, Sherman kick good 14 20 4 Jets Turner 34-yard touchdown reception from Parilli, Turner kick good 14 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 27

Week 15: at Miami Dolphins

See also: 1968 Miami Dolphins season

Week 15: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (11–3)	10	7	7	7	31
Dolphins (5–8–1)	0	7	0	0	7

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

• Date: December 15, 1968
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), relative humidity 56%, wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
• Game attendance: 32,843
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Jets Dolphins 1 6:37 3 80 Jets Snell 6-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 7 0 1 0:48 6 33 Jets 49-yard field goal by Turner 10 0 2 8:57 5 14 Jets Boozer 1-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 17 0 2 1:20 5 9 Dolphins Csonka 1-yard touchdown run, Moreau kick good 17 7 3 9:07 9 82 Jets Lammons 3-yard touchdown reception from Parilli, Turner kick good 24 7 4 2:47 10 58 Jets Mathis 2-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 31 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 31 7

Postseason

• On December 29, Weeb Ewbank became the first coach to win titles in the National Football League and in the American Football League. His former team, the Baltimore Colts won the 1968 NFL Championship on December 29 as well. The Colts defeated the Cleveland Browns by a score of 34–0.^[6]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
AFL Championship	December 29, 1968	Oakland Raiders	W 27–23	1–0	Shea Stadium	62,627	Recap
Super Bowl III	January 12, 1969	Baltimore Colts	W 16–7	2–0	Orange Bowl	75,402	Recap

AFL Championship

Main article: 1968 American Football League Championship Game

See also: 1968 Oakland Raiders season

1968 AFL Championship Game: Oakland Raiders at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders (13–3)	0	10	3	10	23
Jets (12–3)	10	3	7	7	27

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

• Date: December 29, 1968
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), relative humidity 51%, wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
• Game attendance: 62,627
• Referee: Walt Fitzgerald
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Kyle Rote (color commentator)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Raiders Jets 1 Jets Maynard 14-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 0 7 1 Jets 33-yard field goal by Turner 0 10 2 Raiders Biletnikoff 29-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good 7 10 2 Jets 36-yard field goal by Turner 7 13 2 Raiders 26-yard field goal by Blanda 10 13 3 Raiders 9-yard field goal by Blanda 13 13 3 Jets Lammons 20-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 13 20 4 Raiders 20-yard field goal by Blanda 16 20 4 Raiders Banaszak 4-yard touchdown run, Blanda kick good 23 20 4 Jets Maynard 6-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good 23 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 23 27

Super Bowl III

Main article: Super Bowl III

See also: 1968 Baltimore Colts season

The Guarantee

Namath (middle) running a play against the Colts in Super Bowl III.

In January 1969, the Jets would reach the pinnacle of their existence and provide the moment that would indicate the AFL's coming of age. Under Namath's guidance, the Jets rose to the top of the AFL, defeating the Oakland Raiders in a thrilling AFL championship game, 27–23. The win qualified them to represent their league in a game that was being referred to for the first time as the Super Bowl (and referred to retroactively as Super Bowl III). They were pitted against the champions of the NFL, the Baltimore Colts. At the time, the AFL was considered to be inferior to the NFL, and most considered the Jets to be considerable underdogs and treated them as such. That would change three nights before the game while Namath was being honored by the Miami Touchdown Club as its Player of the Year. Namath took exception to a heckling Colts fan and used that moment to lament the lack of respect his team had gotten to that point. He then said "The Jets will win Sunday. I guarantee it." His audacious remark proved correct, as the Jets created one of the greatest upsets in football history by defeating the Colts 16–7. This victory showed that the AFL was capable of competing with the NFL.^[7]

Scoring summary

Super Bowl III: New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets (13–3)	0	7	6	3	16
Colts (15–2)	0	0	0	7	7

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

• Date: January 12, 1969
• Game time: 3:05 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), overcast, windy, 20% chance of rain, wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
• Game attendance: 75,389
• Referee: Tom Bell
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy (play-by-play), Al DeRogatis and Kyle Rote (color commentators), Jim Simpson (sideline reporter)
• Box Score

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Jets Colts 2 9:03 12 80 5:06 Jets Snell 4-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good 7 0 3 10:08 8 8 4:17 Jets 32-yard field goal by Turner 10 0 3 3:58 10 45 4:06 Jets 30-yard field goal by Turner 13 0 4 13:26 7 61 3:58 Jets 9-yard field goal by Turner 16 0 4 3:19 14 80 3:15 Colts Hill 1-yard touchdown run, Michaels kick good 16 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 7

Game officials

Preseason

Game officials
Week	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head linesman	Line judge	Back judge	Field judge
1	at Houston Oilers
2	vs. Boston Patriots
3	vs. Atlanta Falcons
4	vs. Cincinnati Bengals
5	vs. Detroit Lions

Regular season game officials

Game officials
Week	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head linesman	Line judge	Back judge	Field judge
1	Bye
2	at Kansas City Chiefs
3	vs. Boston Patriots
4	at Buffalo Bills
5	San Diego Chargers
6	Denver Broncos	(12) Ben Dreith	(22) Paul Trepinski	(33) Elvin Hutchinson	(65) Aaron Wade	(40) Bob Whetstone	(51) Frank Rustich
7	at Houston Oilers
8	Boston Patriots
9	Buffalo Bills
10	Houston Oilers
11	at Oakland Raiders
12	at San Diego Chargers
13	Miami Dolphins	Bob Finley
14	Cincinnati Bengals
15	at Miami Dolphins

Postseason

Game officials
Round	Opponent	Referee	Umpire	Head linesman	Line judge	Back judge	Field judge	Alternate
AFL Championship	Oakland Raiders	Walt Fitzgerald	George Young	Tony Veteri	Al Sabato	Hugh Gamber	Bob Baur
Super Bowl III	Baltimore Colts	(7) Tom Bell (NFL)	(25) Walt Parker (AFL)	(30) George Murphy (NFL)	(72) Cal Lepore (AFL)	(42) Jack Reader (AFL)	(54) Joe Gonzales (NFL)

Media

Radio
Flagship Station	Play-by-play	Color Commentator	Studio Host
WABC–AM 770	Merle Harmon	Sam DeLuca

Pre season Local TV
Flagship Station	Play-by-play	Color Commentator
WOR-TV 9

Stats

Passing

Passing
Player	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate
Joe Namath	14	14	11–3–0	187	380	49.2	3147	15	3.9	17	4.5	87	8.3	7.1	16.8	224.8	72.1
Babe Parilli	14	0		29	55	52.7	401	5	9.1	2	3.6	40	7.3	7.5	13.8	28.6	91.6
Matt Snell	14	14		1	1	100.0	26	0	0.0	0	0.0	26	26.0	26.0	26.0	1.9	118.7
NYJ Totals	14		11–3–0	217	436	49.8	3574	20	4.6	19	4.4	87	8.2	7.2	16.5	255.3	74.8
Opp Totals	14			187	403	46.4	2567	17	4.2	28	6.9		6.4	4.09	13.7	183.4	77.9

Rushing

Rushing
Player	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G
Matt Snell	14	14	179	743	6	60	4.2	53.4	12.8
Emerson Boozer	12	12	143	441	5	33	3.1	36.8	11.9
Bill Mathis	14	2	74	208	5	16	2.8	14.9	5.3
Billy Joe	10	0	42	186	3	32	4.4	18.6	4.2
George Sauer	14	14	2	21	0	15	10.5	1.5	0.1
Mark Smolinski	14	0	12	15	0	5	1.3	1.1	0.9
Joe Namath	14	14	5	11	2	4	2.2	0.8	0.4
Babe Parilli	14	0	7	−2	1	10	−0.3	−0.1	0.5
Curley Johnson	14	1	2	−6	0	0	−3.0	−0.4	0.1
Bill Rademacher	14	0	1	−13	0	−13	−13.0	−0.9	0.1
NYJ Totals	14		467	1608	22	60	3.4	114.9	33.4
Opp Totals	14		368	1195	9		3.2	85.4	26.3

Receiving

Receiving
Player	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G
George Sauer	14	14	66	1141	17.3	3	43	4.7	81.5
Don Maynard	13	13	57	1297	22.8	10	87	4.4	99.8
Pete Lammons	13	13	32	400	12.5	3	27	2.5	30.8
Matt Snell	14	14	16	105	6.6	1	39	1.1	7.5
Emerson Boozer	12	12	12	101	8.4	0	23	1.0	8.4
Bake Turner	13	1	10	241	24.1	2	71	0.8	18.5
Bill Mathis	14	2	9	149	16.6	1	31	0.6	10.6
Mark Smolinski	14	0	6	40	6.7	0	19	0.4	2.9
Curley Johnson	14	1	5	78	15.6	0	18	0.4	5.6
Billy Joe	10	0	2	11	5.5	0	11	0.2	1.1
Bill Rademacher	14	0	2	11	5.5	0	6	0.1	0.8
NYJ Totals	14		217	3574	16.5	20	87	15.5	255.3
Opp Totals	14		187	2168	11.6	17		13.4	154.9

Kicking

Kicking
Player	G	GS	0–19	20–29	30–39	40–49	50+	FGM	FGA	FG%	XPM	XPA	XP%
Jim Turner	14	0	8–8	15–18	6–10	5–9	0–1	34	46	73.9%	43	43	100.0%
NYJ Totals	14		8–8	15–18	6–10	5–9	0–1	34	46	73.9%	43	43	100.0%
Opp Totals	14							9	17	73.9%	33	34	97.1%

Punting

Punting
Player	G	GS	Pnt	Yds	Lng	Blck	Y/P
Curley Johnson	14	1	68	2977	65	1	43.8
NYJ Totals	14		68	2977	65	1	43.8
Opp Totals	14		98	3763			38.4

Kick Return

Kick Return
Player	G	GS	Rt	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/RT
Earl Christy	14	0	25	599	0	87	24.0
Bake Turner	13	1	14	319	0	36	22.8
Matt Snell	14	14	3	28	0	15	9.3
Mike D'Amato	13	0	1	32	0	32	32.0
Mark Smolinski	14	0	1	17	0	17	17.0
John Neidert	5	0	1	0	0	0	0.0
Bill Rademacher	14	0	1	0	0	0	0.0
NYJ Totals	14		46	995	0	87	21.6
Opp Totals	14		82	1664	0		20.3

Punt Return

Punt Return
Player	G	GS	Ret	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/R
Earl Christy	14	0	13	116	0	39	8.9
Bill Baird	14	14	18	111	0	20	6.2
Jim Richards	12	0	4	57	0	37	14.3
Gerry Philbin	14	14	1	2	0	2	2.0
NYJ Totals	14		36	286	0	39	7.9
Opp Totals	14		39	531	3		13.6

Defense & Fumbles

Defensive Interceptions Player G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD Johnny Sample 14 14 7 88 1 39 0 Jim Hudson 14 14 5 96 0 45 0 Randy Beverly 13 13 4 127 1 68 0 Bill Baird 14 14 4 74 0 36 0 Ralph Baker 14 14 3 31 0 20 0 Al Atkinson 14 14 2 24 0 22 0 Cornell Gordon 14 4 2 0 0 0 0 Earl Christy 14 0 1 16 0 16 0 NYJ Totals 14 28 456 2 68 0 Opp Totals 14

Fumbles Player G GS FF Fmb FR Yds TD Emerson Boozer 12 12 0 5 4 0 0 Johnny Sample 14 14 0 0 1 5 0 Ralph Baker 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 Babe Parilli 14 0 0 3 1 0 0 Earl Christy 14 0 0 2 0 0 0 Cornell Gordon 14 4 0 0 1 0 0 Matt Snell 14 14 0 2 1 0 0 Curley Johnson 14 1 0 1 1 0 0 Carl McAdams 14 0 0 0 2 6 0 Gerry Philbin 14 14 0 0 2 0 0 Bill Rademacher 14 0 0 0 2 0 0 Paul Rochester 14 14 0 0 2 0 0 Bob Talamini 14 14 0 0 2 0 0 Paul Crane 13 0 0 1 0 −38 0 Mike D'Amato 13 0 0 0 1 0 0 Winston Hill 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 Billy Joe 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 Bill Mathis 14 2 0 1 0 0 0 Joe Namath 14 14 0 1 0 0 0 Jim Richards 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 George Sauer 14 14 0 1 0 0 0 John Schmitt 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 Mark Smolinski 14 0 0 0 1 0 0 Bake Turner 13 1 0 0 1 0 0 NYJ Totals 14 0 19 25 −27 0 Opp Totals 14 29 14

Sacks & Tackles Player G GS Sk Tkl Ast Sfty Paul Crane 13 0 1 NYJ Totals 14 1 Opp Totals 14 18

Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Player	G	GS	RshTD	RecTD	PR TD	KR TD	FblTD	IntTD	OthTD	AllTD	2PM	2PA	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts
Jim Turner	14	0											43	43	34	46		145
Don Maynard	13	13		10						10								60
Matt Snell	14	14	6	1						7								42
Bill Mathis	14	2	5	1						6	1							38
Emerson Boozer	12	12	5							5								30
Billy Joe	10	0	3							3								18
Pete Lammons	13	13		3						3								18
George Sauer	14	14		3						3								18
Joe Namath	14	14	2							2								12
Bake Turner	13	1		2						2								12
Randy Beverly	13	13						1		1								6
Babe Parilli	14	0	1							1								6
Johnny Sample	14	14						1		1								6
Mark Smolinski	14	0							1	1								6
Paul Crane	13	0															1	2
NYJ Totals	14		22	20				2	1	45	1		43	43	34	46	1	421
Opp Totals	14		9	17	3		3	4					33	34	9	17		280

Team

Team Stats
Player	PF	Yds	Ply	Y/P	TO	FL	1stD	Pass Cmp	Pass Att	Pass Yds	Pass TD	Int	NY/A	Pass 1stD	Rush Att	Rush Yds	Rush TD	Y/A	Rush 1stD	Pen	Yds	1stPy
NYJ Stats	419	5047	921	5.5	28	9	249	217	436	3439	20	19	7.6	144	467	1608	22	3.4	80	76	742	25
Opp Stats	280	3363	814	4.1	43	15	178	187	403	2168	17	28	4.9	104	368	1195	9	3.2	59	65	695	15
Lg Rank Offense	2	3			3	2	3		3	3	4	4	2		3	8	1	9
Lg Rank Defense	4	1			2	3	1		4	2	4	2	3		2	1	2	1

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
	1	2	3	4	T
Jets	103	113	64	139	419
Opponents	44	69	41	126	280

• PI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
• Joe Namath, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player