The 1963 New York Jets season was the fourth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL) and the first under the moniker Jets,[1] which followed a change in ownership.[2][3][4] The season began with the team trying to improve on their 5–9 record from 1962 under new head coach Weeb Ewbank. Playing their final season at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, the Jets finished at 5–8–1 in 1963; they relocated to Shea Stadium in the borough of Queens the following season.
In rebranding itself as the Jets, the club abandoned its navy-blue and gold uniforms in favor of kelly green and white. The jerseys had opposite-colored sleeves with thick stripes on the shoulders and cuffs, above and below the TV numerals. The pants were white with two parallel green stripes on each side. The new helmets were white with a single green stripe down the center; the logo on each side was a silhouette of a jet airplane in green, with the word “JETS” in thick white sans-serif italics along the fuselage.
Ewbank had led the NFL‘s Baltimore Colts for nine seasons (1954–62), including consecutive league titles in 1958 and 1959. Fired in January 1963,[5][6][7] he was hired by the Jets in mid-April.[1]
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
Special teams (ST)
|
Reserve
Rookies in italics |
Schedule
| background-color: #017440 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; box-shadow: inset 2px 2px 0 #017440, inset -2px -2px 0 #017440;</span>”}]]}’>Date | background-color: #017440 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; box-shadow: inset 2px 2px 0 #017440, inset -2px -2px 0 #017440;</span>”}]]}’>Result | background-color: #017440 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; box-shadow: inset 2px 2px 0 #017440, inset -2px -2px 0 #017440;</span>”}]]}’>Venue | background-color: #017440 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; box-shadow: inset 2px 2px 0 #017440, inset -2px -2px 0 #017440;</span>”}]]}’>Recap | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | September 22 | Houston Oilers | W 24–17 | 1–1 | Polo Grounds | 9,336 | Recap |
| 5 | October 5 | Boston Patriots | W 31–24 | 3–1 | Polo Grounds | 16,769 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | at Oakland Raiders | L 26–49 | 3–3 | Frank Youell Field | 15,557 | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | San Diego Chargers | L 7–53 | 3–4–1 | Polo Grounds | 20,798 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | at Denver Broncos | W 14–9 | 4–5–1 | Bears Stadium | 14,247 | Recap |
| November 24 | Games postponed to December 22 | ||||||
| 13 | December 8 | at Buffalo Bills | L 14–45 | 5–6–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 20,222 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Losses</span>”}]]}’>L | Winning percentage</span>”}]]}’>PCT | Points For (Total points scored)</span>”}]]}’>PF | Current Winning or Losing Streak</span>”}]]}’>STK | ||||||
| Boston Patriots | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 4–2 | 327 | 257 | L1 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3–3 | 304 | 291 | W2 | |
| Houston Oilers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–3 | 302 | 372 | L4 | |
| New York Jets | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 2–4 | 249 | 399 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
| AFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Losses</span>”}]]}’>L | Winning percentage</span>”}]]}’>PCT | Points For (Total points scored)</span>”}]]}’>PF | Current Winning or Losing Streak</span>”}]]}’>STK | ||||||
| San Diego Chargers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 3–3 | 399 | 255 | W2 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–0 | 363 | 282 | W8 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 7 | 2 | .417 | 2–4 | 347 | 263 | W3 | |
| Denver Broncos | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 1–5 | 301 | 473 | L7 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
References
- 1 2 “Jets name Ewbank as new coach”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. April 16, 1963. p. 18.
- ↑ “Harry Wismer is out of new football loop”. Lawrence Journal-World. Kansas. Associated Press. March 16, 1963. p. 8.
- ↑ “Wismer bows out of Titan picture; won’t get money”. Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. March 17, 1963. p. 59.
- ↑ “Sonny Werblin sells share of New York Jets”. Toledo Blace. Ohio. Associated Press. May 22, 1968. p. 69.
- ↑ “Ewbank to resign as Baltimore coach”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 8, 1963. p. 15.
- ↑ “Colts fire Ewbank, pick Shula”. Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 8, 1963. p. 29.
- ↑ “Colts’ grid shift boss’ own idea”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 9, 1963. p. 16.