Jets History: AFL Sings Deal with NBC-TV 1964

The same spring that the Texans moved to Kansas City to become the Chiefs, the bankrupt New York Titans were purchased by a five-man ownership group headed by Music Corporation of America mogul David A. “Sonny” Werblin, who renamed the team the Jets.

With two of its key franchises in better circumstances and shaky situations in Oakland and Denver also stabilized-the AFL went on to (set attendance records in 1963. Less than a month after the ’63 season and only days after the NFL signed a record contract with CBS-TV, the AFL responded with its new agreement, a five-year $36 million dollar deal with NBC-which Werblin helped broker-that put the AFL franchises on a more equal footing with the teams in the older league.

With that, the AFL owners moved more aggressively in the war for rookie players. “Well,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney when he received news of the NBC deal, “they don’t have to call us Mister anymore.”

courtesy of KC Chiefs website

*Pete Liske, Jets QB in 1964, wore #18. He then left for the CFL before returning to the state five years later.