National Football League and American Football League 1966-1969 (Irish Players)

NFL & AFL 1966

PWLTPFPAPct
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Conference
*Dallas Cowboys141031445239.769
Cleveland Browns14950403259.643
Philadelphia Eagles14950326340.643
St. Louis Cardinals14851264265.615
Washington Redskins14770351355.500
Pittsburgh Steelers14581316347.385
Atlanta Falcons143110204437.214
New York Giants141121263501.077
Western Conference
*Green Bay Packers141220335163.857
Baltimore Colts14950314226.643
Los Angeles Rams14860289212.571
San Francisco 49ers14662320325.500
Chicago Bears14572234272.417
Detroit Lions14491206317.308
Minnesota Vikings14491292304.308
AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
*Buffalo Bills14941358255.692
Boston Patriots14842315283.677
New York Jets14662322312.500
Houston Oilers143110335396.214
Miami Dolphins143110213362.214
Western Division
*Kansas City Chiefs141121448276.846
Oakland Raiders14851315288.615
San Diego Chargers14761335284.538
Denver Broncos144100196381.286
NFL & AFL Regular Season Standings 1966 [Ref: 1]
DateHome TeamAway Team
NFL Championship
1966Dallas Cowboys27Green Bay Packers34
AFL Championship
1966Buffalo Bills7Kansas City Chiefs31
Super Bowl IMemorial Colisuem, LA, Ca.
1966Green Bay Packers (NFL)35Kansas City Chiefs (AFL)10
NFL & AFL Playoffs 1966 [Ref: 1]

Tom Furlong, who was born in Co. Offaly, Ireland, played Kicker for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL preseason 1966 [Ref: 3-4]

NFL & AFL 1967

PWLTPFPAPct
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Conference
Capitol Division
*Dallas Cowboys14950342268.643
Philadelphia Eagles14671351409.462
Washington Redskins14563347353.455
New Orleans Saints143110233379.214
Century Division
*Cleveland Browns14950334297.643
New York Giants14770369379.500
St. Louis Cardinals14671333356.462
Pittsburgh Steelers14491281320.308
Western Conference
Coastal Division
*Los Angeles Rams141112398196.917
*Baltimore Colts141112394198.917
San Francisco 49ers14770273337.500
Atlanta Falcons141121175422.077
Central Division
*Green Bay Packers14941332209.692
Chicago Bears14761239218.538
Detroit Lions14572260259.417
Minnesota Vikings14383233294.273
AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
*Houston Oilers14941258199.692
New York Jets14851371329.615
Buffalo Bills144100237285.286
Miami Dolphins144100219407.286
Boston Patriots143101280389.231
Western Division
*Oakland Raiders141310468233.929
Kansas City Chiefs14950408254.643
San Diego Chargers14851360352.615
Denver Broncos143110256409.214
NFL & AFL Regular Season Standings 1967 [Ref: 1]
DateHome TeamAway Team
NFL Conference Championships
1967Dallas Cowboys52Cleveland Browns14
1967Green Bay Packers28Los Angeles Rams7
NFL Championship
1967Green Bay Packers21Dallas Cowboys17
AFL Championship
1967Oakland Raiders40Houston Oilers7
Super Bowl IIOrange Bowl, Miami, Fl.
1967Green Bay Packers (NFL)33Oakland Raiders (AFL)14
NFL & AFL Playoffs 1967 [Ref: 1]

NFL & AFL 1968

PWLTPFPAPct
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Conference Capitol Division
*Dallas Cowboys141220431186.857
New York Giants14770294325.500
Washington Redskins14590249358.357
Philadelphia Eagles142120202351.143
Eastern Conference Century Division
*Cleveland Browns141040394273.714
St. Louis Cardinals14941325289.692
New Orleans Saints14491246327.308
Pittsburgh Steelers142111244397.154
Western Conference Coastal Division
*Baltimore Colts141310402144.929
Los Angeles Rams141031312200.769
San Francisco 49ers14761303310.538
Atlanta Falcons142120170389.143
Western Conference Central Division
*Minnesota Vikings14860282242.571
Chicago Bears14770250233.500
Green Bay Packers14671281227.462
Detroit Lions14482207241.333
AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
*New York Jets141130419280.786
Houston Oilers14770303248.500
Miami Dolphins14581276355.385
Boston Patriots144100229406.286
Buffalo Bills141121199367.077
Western Division
*Oakland Raiders141220453233.857
*Kansas City Chiefs141220371170.857
San Diego Chargers14950382310.643
Denver Broncos14590255404.357
Cincinnati Bengals143110215329.214
National Football League and American Football League Standings 1968 [Ref: 1]
DateHome TeamAway Team
NFL Conference Championships
1968Cleveland Browns31Dallas Cowboys0
1968Baltimore Colts24Minnesota Vikings14
NFL Championship
1968Cleveland Browns0Baltimore Colts34
AFL Western Division Playoff
1968Oakland Raiders41Kansas City Chiefs6
AFL Championship
1968New York Jets27Oakland Raiders23
Super Bowl IIIOrange Bowl, Miami, Florida
1968New York Jets (AFL)16Baltimore Colts (NFL)7
National Football League and American Football League Playoffs 1968 [Ref: 1]

Adrian Young, LB, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, played Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1968. [2]

NFL & AFL 1969

PWLTPFPAPct
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Conference Capitol Division
*Dallas Cowboys141121369223.846
Washington Redskins14752307319.583
New Orleans Saints14590311393.357
Philadelphia Eagles14491279377.308
Eastern Conference Century Division
*Cleveland Browns141031351300.769
New York Giants14680264298.429
St. Louis Cardinals14491314389.308
Pittsburgh Steelers141130218404.071
Western Conference Coastal Division
*Los Angeles Rams141130320243.786
Baltimore Colts14851279268.615
Atlanta Falcons14680276268.429
San Francisco 49ers14482277319.333
Western Conference Central Division
*Minnesota Vikings141220379133.857
Detroit Lions14941259188.692
Green Bay Packers14860269221.571
Chicago Bears141130210339.071
AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
*New York Jets141040353269.714
Houston Oilers14662278279.500
Boston Patriots144100266316.286
Buffalo Bills144100230359.286
Miami Dolphins143101233332.231
Western Division
*Oakland Raiders141211371242.923
Kansas City Chiefs141130359177.786
San Diego Chargers14860268276.571
Denver Broncos14581297344.385
Cincinnati Bengals14491280367.308
National Football League and American Football League Standings 1969 [Ref: 1]
DateHome TeamAway Team
NFL Conference Championships
1969Dallas Cowboys14Cleveland Browns38
1969Minnesota Vikings23Los Angeles Rams20
NFL Championship
1969Minnesota Vikings27Cleveland Browns7
AFL Divisional Playoffs
1969New York Jets6Kansas City Chiefs13
1969Oakland Raiders56Houston Oilers7
AFL Championship
1969Oakland Raiders7Kansas City Chiefs17
Super Bowl IVTulane Stadium, New Orleans, La.
1969Kansas City Chiefs (AFL)23Minnesota Vikings (NFL)7
National Football League and American Football League Playoffs 1969 [Ref: 1]

Adrian Young, LB, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, played Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969. [8]

Report

Tom Furlong, who was born in Co. Offaly, Ireland, and had played Inter-County Gaelic Football for his native county, before being banned by the GAA for playing soccer, emigrated to the United States of America, where he overheard coaches for the New York Giants in a bar lamenting about the quality of their kickers. Deciding there was nothing to American Football kicking that a Gaelic Footballer couldn’t do he offered to try out for them, gaining a spot on their practice squad in 1965. He was cut from the squad at the end of the year, but with the help of Irish Community leaders, managed to get a place on expansion team, the Atlanta Falcons, playing for them in preseason before tearing cruciate ligaments, and finishing out the season with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the rival AAA (2nd Level) League the Continental Football League.

In 1968, a new Irish-born star player emerged on the scene, Adrian Young, who was born in Dublin and had emigrated to America with his family while still in school. He took up American Football in Los Angeles, while in High school, and earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California Trojans, where he excelled, playing on the same team as O.J. Simpson. In 1968 he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent four and a half seasons, before finishing out his career at the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and then in his last two seasons, in the World Football League a AAA Rival to the NFL, where he played two seasons for The Hawaiians.

The National Football League of the 1960s was slow to take advantage of America’s expansion westwards, the very Conservative owners evening shunning colour TV in the awarding of their TV contracts. The American Football League set up as a rival league in 1960 with eight teams, six of them west of the Mississippi, whereas the NFL only had two teams west of the Mississippi – Los Angeles and San Francisco. The AFL was so successful, at both pulling in fans, and financially, stealing players from under the noses of the NFL, that the two leagues decided to end the war ad merge, with the Super Bowl first played between the two league Champions in 1966. Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls, before the New York Jets won the third in 1968, legitimizing the league in the eyes of doubters, and in 1969, the last year before the full merger, Kansas City Chiefs, became the second AFL team to win the Super Bowl.

Tom Furlong in action [Ref: 7]

Adrian Young Career Statistics

YearTeamLeagueNoPositionGPGS
1968Philadelphia EaglesNFL35LLB10
1969PhiladelphiaEaglesNFL35LLB131970
1970Philadelphia EaglesNFL35LLB14
1971Philadelphia EaglesNFL35RLB22
1972Philadelphia EaglesNFL35LB10
1972Detroit LionsNFL51LB100
1972YearNFL110
1973Chicago BearsNFL54LB2
1974The HawaiiansWFL61RLB
1975The HawaiiansWFL65WLB
Adrian Young Career Record [Ref: 8]

Interceptions

YearTeamLeagueNo.YDSAVGLGTD
1969Philadelphia EaglesNFL100.000
1970Philadelphia EaglesNFL2199.5130
1974The HawaiiansWFL11111.0110
1975The HawaiiansWFL23819.0190
Adrian Young Interceptions [Ref: 8]

Fumbles

YearTeamLeagueNoLostOwnOppRecYdsTD
1968PhiladelphiaEaglesNFL00011110
1969Philadelphia EaglesNFL00123240
Adrian Young Fumbles [Ref: 8]

References

Bibliography

[1] National Football League (2014) “Past Standings 1966-1969” 2014 NFL Record & Fact Book. pp. 393-395.

Sources:

[3] Hannigan, Dara (1987) “Greening of the Gridiron” The Sunday Tribune , 27 July 1987. Sportweek, pg. 10 [Available online at the British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ ]

[4] Irish Independent (2014) Tom Furlong and the NFL career that slipped away [Internet] Available from: https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/offalys-tom-furlong-and-the-nfl-career-that-slipped-away-30549405.html [Accessed 2 April 2020]

[5] Anon. (1966) NFL Exhibition Final Standings El Paso Herald Post. September 5 1966. pg. 19 [Internet] Available from: https://newspaperarchive.com/el-paso-herald-post-sep-05-1966-p-19/ [Accessed 2 April 2020]

[6] Pro Football Archives (2020)1966 Brooklyn Dodgers Continental Football League [Internet] Available from: https://www.profootballarchives.com/1966coflbkn.html [Accessed 2 April 2020]

Images:

[7] Irish Independent (2014) Tom Furlong and the NFL career that slipped away [Internet] Available from: https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/25ee2/30549403.ece/AUTOCROP/w1240h700/2014-08-31_spo_3142175_I1.JPG [Accessed 2 April 2020]

Websites

[8] Pro Football Archives (2019) Adrian Young [Internet] Available from: https://www.profootballarchives.com/playery/youn00400.html [Accessed 12 October 2019]

[9] O’Callaghan, Eoin (2020) “Hollywood, the NFL and OJ – the remarkable tale of the Dublin kid who lived the American dream” The 42 Sunday, February 2, 2020. [Internet] Available from: https://www.the42.ie/adrian-young-nfl-4987121-Feb2020/ [Accessed 5 February 2020]

[10] Pro Football Archives (2020)ADRIAN YOUNG [Internet] Available from:http://www.profootballarchives.com/playery/youn00400.html [Accessed 12 October 2019]

Images

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Bart Barden.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 31 December 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and World Gridiron Archive 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.

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