1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Flight
The GOC-in-C Western Command and the AOC-in-C Western Air Command AVM Erlic Pinto were to inspect the new headwater. They arrived at Poonch from New Delhi in a Dakota aircraft at 1025 hours, where they were met by the Commander 93 brigade. The GOC XV Corps Lt Gen Bikram Singh and AOC J&K Air Commodore had already arrived at Poonch from Udhampur at 0940 hours. Around the same time, the GOC 25 Division arrived in the Alouette III piloted by Flt Lt S. S. Sodhi. Another Alouette also reached around 1055 hours.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Flight
An inspection of two outposts around Poonch was also planned, which had been recced already by Sodhi. The first outpost was small and dusty, as reported by Sodhi and two helicopters would not be able to land. Thus, Pinto decided that the second helicopter would proceed to the second outpost and await the arrival of the officers. The others trooped into the first helicopter and proceeded towards the first outpost. The helicopter landed and the inspection got underway.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Flight
After the completion of the inspection, the party took off for the second outpost which was 15 miles away. Sodhi took the route along the Poonch River. Three minutes after getting airborne, the Alouette collided with two parallel line of telegraph cables. The cables ran between two poles - one on a cliff at a height of 300 feet and the other on the opposite bank of the river at a height of 100 feet. The helicopter stuck the cables at a height of around 200 feet. Sodhi lost control and the helicopter crashed into the river bed, about 400 yards away. The crash spot was 2.5 miles from the Cease fire line.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Aftermath
The news of the air crash came as a shock to the nation. A black-bordered extraordinary Gazette of India was issued on 23 November. The issue was raised in both houses of Parliament of India and addressed by the Minister of Defence Yashwantrao Chavan. The Rajya Sabha observed one minute's silence as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased and adjourned for the day. The Ministry of Defence, the three service headquarters and all defence establishments in New Delhi were closed on 23 November as a mark of respect. All public events of the Defence Minister and Service Chiefs were also cancelled. The officers were laid to rest with full military honours.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Aftermath
The Chief of the Air Staff Aspy Engineer constituted a committee of inquiry headed by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Ramaswamy Rajaram with officers from the Army, Air Force and Intelligence Bureau as members. Daulet Singh, Bikram Singh and Pinto were awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal posthumously on 26 January 1964.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Memorials
In 1980, a memorial was constructed in Poonch called the Generals' memorial which paid tribute to the victims. The memorial was constructed by 10th Brigade and all the units of 25th Infantry Division, the formation commanded by Major General N. K. D. Nanavati at the time of the crash. A wreath-laying ceremony takes place every year at the memorial by units of the Indian Army on the anniversary of the crash. A monument has been built at the site of the air crash, commemorating the names of the victims. An Akhand Path is also organised by the people of Poonch and surrounding villages, as a mark of their love and affection towards the departed souls, every year to commemorate the tragic accident.


1963 Poonch Indian Air Force helicopter crash, Memorials
Apart from these, the Daulat Singh Park in Shimla, named for Lieutenant General Daulet Singh, has a bust of the general. A statue of Lieutenant General Bikram Singh is installed in Jammu and a memorial in his ancestral village of Siana in Nawanshahr. A library and a museum dedicated to the general is also being constructed. The Bikram Chowk in Jammu is also named for the general. Two committees – the Lieutenant General Bikram Singh Society at Kahma village and the Lieutenant General Bikram Singh Yadgaar Committee in Jammu organise ceremonies, akhand paths, blood donation camps among other events to remember him.


1963 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team
The 1963 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Prairie View A&M University in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In their 15th season under head coach Billy Nicks, the Panthers compiled a 10–1 record (7–0 against SWAC opponents), won the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 364 to 144.


1963 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team
The Panthers were recognized by the Pittsburgh Courier as the 1963 black college football national champion with a rating of 26.00, well ahead of second-place North Carolina College at 23.00 and third-place Morgan State at 21.97. At the end of the season, the team was invited to participate in the small college playoffs sponsored by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), marking the first time a black college was invited to participate in the playoffs. Prairie View defeated Nebraska State Teachers in the NAIA semifinal game before losing to  John Gagliardi's Saint John's Johnnies in the NAIA Championship Game at the Camellia Bowl.


1963 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team
Key players for Prairie View included quarterback Jimmy Kearney and halfbacks Otis Taylor and Ezell Seals. Taylor later played 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs.


1963 Preakness Stakes
The 1963 Preakness Stakes was the 88th running of the $200,000 Preakness Stakes thoroughbred horse race. The race took place on May 18, 1963, and was televised in the United States on the CBS television network. Candy Spots, who was jockeyed by Bill Shoemaker, won the race by three and one half lengths over runner-up Chateaugay. Approximate post time was 5:48 p.m. Eastern Time. The race was run over a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth on a fast track in a final time of 1:56-1/5. The Maryland Jockey Club reported total attendance of 35,263, this is recorded as second highest on the list of American thoroughbred racing top attended events for North America in 1963.


1963 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
The 1963 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were officially announced in the London Gazette of 22 October 1963 and marked the resignation of the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.


1963 Primera División de Chile
The 1963 Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, was the 31st season of top-flight football in Chile. Colo-Colo won their ninth title following a 2–1 win against Universidad Católica in the championship last match day on 4 January 1964, also qualifying to the 1964 Copa de Campeones de America.


1963 Princeton Tigers football team
The 1963 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Princeton was co-champion of the Ivy League.


1963 Princeton Tigers football team
In their seventh year under head coach Dick Colman, the Tigers compiled a 7–2 record and outscored opponents 247 to 83. William E. Guedel was the team captain.


1963 Princeton Tigers football team
Princeton's 5–2 conference record tied for best in the Ivy League standings and earned a share of the league championship, even though Princeton had lost to the other co-champion, Dartmouth. The Tigers outscored Ivy opponents 181 to 83.


1963 Princeton Tigers football team
Princeton played its home games at Palmer Stadium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey.


1963 Pro Bowl
The 1963 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's thirteenth annual all-star game which featured the outstanding performers from the 1962 season. The game was played on January 13, 1963, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California in front of 61,374 fans. The Eastern Conference was coached by Allie Sherman of the New York Giants and the West by Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers.


1963 Pro Bowl
Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown set a Pro Bowl record, carrying for 141 yards, breaking his own record of 120 set the previous year; he was named the "Back of the Game." "Big Daddy" Gene Lipscomb of the Pittsburgh Steelers was awarded "Lineman of the Game" honors; he had perhaps the finest day of any defender in the history of the Pro Bowl, blocking two field goals and being responsible for hits that led to six West fumbles.


1963 Provincial Speedway League
The 1963 Provincial Speedway League was the fourth season of the Provincial League in the United Kingdom. Thirteen speedway teams took part.


1963 Provincial Speedway League, Season summary
Wolverhampton won the league but there was controversy at the end of the year when Wolverhampton refused to move up to the National League  which was dwindling in numbers. This would lead to the Provincial League running outside of the jurisdiction of the Speedway Control Board in 1964. At the start of the year Neath had folded, and their place was taken by the new track at St Austell. After finishing at the bottom of the table the previous year, Bradford and Leicester were no longer running due to financial difficulties and Plymouth had also withdrawn. Long Eaton returned to competitive racing after ten years, a new track opened at Hackney, and Rayleigh returned under new ownership after a missing the 1962 season. New Cross Rangers also returned but closed in August, never to re-open.


1963 Provincial Speedway League, Final table
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points


1963 Provincial Speedway League, Provincial League Knockout Cup
The 1963 Provincial League Knockout Cup was the fourth edition of the Knockout Cup for the Provincial League teams. Cradley Heathens were the winners.


1963 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1963 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1963 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth season under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, the Boilermakers compiled a 5–4 record, finished in fourth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 4–3 record against conference opponents, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 149 to 119.


1963 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Notable players from the 1963 Purdue football team included quarterback Ron DiGravio and end Bob Hadrick.


1963 Queensland state election
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 1 June 1963 to elect the 78 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.


1963 Queensland state election
The major parties contesting the election were the Country Party led by Premier Frank Nicklin, the Liberal Party led by Alan Munro, the Labor Party led by Jack Duggan and the Queensland Labor Party led by Paul Hilton. The Country and Liberal parties governed in coalition.


1963 Queensland state election
This election marked the return of preferential voting after first past the post voting had been used for elections from 1944 to 1960.


1963 Queensland state election
The Country-Liberal coalition won a third term in office at the election.


1963 Queensland state election, Results
Queensland state election, 1 June 1963Legislative Assembly << 1960–1966 >>


1963 Queensland state election, Seats changing party representation
This table lists changes in party representation at the 1963 election.


1963 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
The 1963 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 37th staging of the Railway Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1927. The cup began on 24 February 1963 and ended on 14 April 1963.


1963 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
On 14 April 1963, Munster won the championship following a 2-08 to 2-07 defeat of Leinster in the final. This was their 27th Railway Cup title and their first since 1961.


1963 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
Munster's Jimmy Doyle was the Railway Cup top scorer with 4-09.


1963 Rand Grand Prix
The 6th Rand Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 14 December 1963 at Kyalami, South Africa. The race was run over two heats, each of 25 laps of the circuit, and was won overall by British driver John Surtees in a Ferrari 156.


1963 Rand Grand Prix
Surtees secured pole position for the first heat, and won with team-mate Lorenzo Bandini in second. This result was repeated in the second heat for the Ferraris to take the 1-2 positions very comfortably. Local drivers took the minor placings after Team Lotus suffered from fuel vaporisation problems.


1963 Republic of the Congo constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of the Congo on 8 December 1963. The new constitution created a one-party state and set the presidential term limit at two terms. It was approved by 86% of voters, with a 91.7% turnout.


1963 Republic of the Congo parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 11 December 1963. They followed a constitutional referendum on 8 December, which approved a constitution that made the country a one-party state. Although it did not come into force until July 1964, the National Movement of the Revolution was the sole party to contest the election, and won all seats. Voter turnout was 91.7%.


1963 Republic of the Congo presidential election
Indirect presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 19 December 1963 after President Fulbert Youlou had been overthrown in the Trois Glorieuses uprising on 15 August. Alphonse Massamba-Débat was the only candidate, and was elected unopposed.


1963 Rhineland-Palatinate state election
The Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 1963 was conducted on 31 March 1963 to elect members to the Landtag, the state legislature of Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany.


1963 Rhineland-Palatinate state election
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1963 Rhode Island Rams football team
The 1963 Rhode Island Rams football team was an American football team that represented the University of Rhode Island as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In its first season under head coach Jack Zilly, the team compiled a 4–5 record (2–3 against conference opponents), finished in third place out of six teams in the Yankee Conference, and was outscored by a total of 219 to 116. The team played its home games at Meade Stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island.


1963 Rice Owls football team
The 1963 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In its 24th season under head coach Jess Neely, the team compiled a 6–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 145 to 114. The team played its home games at Rice Stadium in Houston.


1963 Rice Owls football team
The team's statistical leaders included Walter McReynolds with 728 passing yards, Paul Piper with 475 rushing yards, and John Sylvester with 251 receiving yards. Two Rice players were selected by the Associated Press (AP) and/or United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1963 All-Southwest Conference football team: center Malcolm Walker (AP-1, UPI-1); and guard Johnny Nichols (AP-1).


1963 Rome Grand Prix
The 15th Rome Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 19 May 1963 at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit, near Rome in Italy. The race was run over two heats of 40 laps of the circuit, both of which were won by British driver Bob Anderson in a Lola Mk4.


1963 Rome Grand Prix
Both heats finished with the same three cars coming home in the first three places, and each time they were the only three cars to complete the distance. The grid included some Italian drivers who were relatively unknown outside their home country, and who never took part in any World Championship Grands Prix. The only one of these to threaten the leaders in this race was Franco Bernabei in his De Tomaso, but his engine blew up while he was leading the first heat and he was unable to take part in the second.


1963 Rome Grand Prix
Swiss driver Jo Siffert was to have taken part in this race, having decided against competing in a sports car race in Germany on the same day. The team he was to have driven for, Ecurie Filipinetti, lobbied the Swiss Automobile Club and they refused Siffert a visa to race in Rome.


1963 Rose Bowl
The 1963 Rose Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Tuesday, January 1, at the end of the 1962 season. The top-ranked USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–37. This was the first #1 versus #2 match-up in a bowl game, although #1 versus #2 match-ups had occurred previously as regular season games (typically referred to as "Games of the Century"). The quarterbacks, Ron Vander Kelen of Wisconsin and Pete Beathard of USC, were named co-Players of the Game.


1963 Rose Bowl
Down 42–14 in the fourth quarter, Vander Kelen put together a number of drives to score 23 unanswered points and put the Badgers in position to win the game. Due to the historic #1 versus #2 bowl match-up, the number of Rose Bowl records set, and the furious fourth quarter rally by Wisconsin, this game frequently appears on lists of "greatest bowl games of all time."


1963 Rose Bowl, Teams
This was the first bowl game to pair the #1 and #2 teams in the AP Poll, although there had previously been six regular season #1 versus #2 games since the inception of the poll in 1936. This was the second Rose Bowl meeting between USC and Wisconsin (the first being the 1953 Rose Bowl) and the fourth meeting, overall.


1963 Rose Bowl, Teams, Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin finished the regular season 8–1, becoming the sole champion of the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers were undefeated except for a loss to conference rival Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, ranked #5 in the AP poll at the time. Notable victories were over then-#1 Northwestern during homecoming (37–6) and a comeback victory over archrival Minnesota, then ranked #5 (14–9). The Badgers earned their third trip to the Rose Bowl.


1963 Rose Bowl, Teams, USC Trojans
After consecutive losing seasons in 1960 and 1961, John McKay turned the Trojans around in his third season as head coach. The team opened with a defeat of #8 Duke. Consecutive wins against SMU, at Iowa, California, and at Illinois got the Trojans ranked higher in the top 10. USC's biggest game of the season was against ninth-ranked Washington; in the homecoming game on November 3, the Trojans blanked the Huskies 14–0. With that win, the Trojans were ranked number two behind Northwestern. On November 17, by beating Navy and with Alabama losing to Georgia Tech 7–6, USC ascended to the number one spot in the AP poll.


1963 Rose Bowl, Teams, USC Trojans
In the rivalry game against UCLA, the Bruins led 3–0 until the fourth quarter, when the Trojans scored two touchdowns. In the final game for Notre Dame head coach Joe Kuharich, USC shut out the 5–4 Fighting Irish at the Coliseum, breaking a five-game losing streak in the annual intersectional rivalry. The Trojans finished ranked number 1 for the first time in the history of the AP poll, and were undefeated for the first time since the twice-tied 1939 team won the Rose Bowl.


1963 Rose Bowl, Game summary
USC tackle Marv Marinovich was ejected when he got caught elbowing Steve Underwood, the Wisconsin captain. Wisconsin, under the direction of quarterback Ron Vander Kelen put together an incredible comeback attempt in the fourth quarter. Pete Beathard had completed his fourth touchdown pass with 14:54 left in the game to put USC up 42–14.


1963 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Then the Badgers, led by Vander Kelen, put together one of the greatest comebacks in the history of college football, scoring 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter before time ran out. The final score of the game was USC-42, Wisconsin-37. For their efforts, quarterbacks Beathard and Vander Kelen were both named the Rose Bowl MVPs.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Eleven Rose Bowl records were set and five still stand as of 2008: most intercepted passes (3 by Ron Vander Kelen), most touchdown passes (4 by USC, and six overall), most first downs by one team (32 by Wisconsin), and most penalties (USC 12 for 93 yards). The Rose Bowl record 79 total points scored in this game stood for nearly thirty years (subsequently broken in 1991, when Washington led by 25 and put in reserves early). The omitted records stood for more than thirty years, until broken by Oregon quarterback Danny O'Neil in 1995.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
The 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic was the next #1 versus #2 bowl game, while the second #1 versus #2 Rose Bowl came in 1969.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Both of the consensus All-America ends played in this game. Pat Richter (Wisconsin) and Hal Bedsole (USC) were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, in 1996 and 2012, respectively. This was Richter's last college game, while Bedsole was an underclassman.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Three players from this game (Beathard, Vander Kelen, and Richter) have been inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. John McKay has also been inducted as a coach.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
The game is considered by many to be among the greatest games in college football history, along with the 2006 Rose Bowl, among others.


1963 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
USC's next Rose Bowl was four years later, the first of four consecutive; Wisconsin did not return for 31 years.


1963 Rotherham by-election
The Rotherham by-election was held on 28 March 1963 after the death of the Labour MP John Henry Jones in a road accident. It was won by the Labour candidate Brian O'Malley.


1963 Rotherham by-election
493 people serving in the Armed Forces applied for nomination papers, as it was usual practice at the time that any serving personnel doing so would be given an honourable discharge. However, unlike by-elections late the previous year, none of the candidates paid a deposit and so they secured their release without appearing on the ballot paper.


1963 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 1963 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team was an American football team that represented Rutgers University in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Despite an overall losing record, Rutgers won the Middle Three Conference championship.


1963 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
In their fourth season under head coach John F. Bateman, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 3–6 record and were outscored by their opponents 148 to 145. The team's statistical leaders included Dave Stout with 634 passing yards, Don Viggiano with 404 rushing yards, and Paul Strelick with 242 receiving yards.


1963 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The Scarlet Knights played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, near the university's main New Brunswick campus.


1963 Ryder Cup
The 15th Ryder Cup Matches were held October 11–13, 1963 at the Atlanta Athletic Club, at the site now known as East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States team won the competition by a score of 23 to 9 points. The U.S. did not lose a single match in the afternoon sessions.


1963 Ryder Cup, Format
The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format changed in 1963, with the addition of four-ball (better ball) matches on a third day of play. The schedule of play was as follows:


1963 Ryder Cup, Format
With a total of 32 points, 161⁄2 points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.


1963 Ryder Cup, Teams
In his second Ryder Cup, Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain in the competition. He was 3–1 in pairs and 1–1 in singles.


1963 Ryder Cup, Teams
Despite having won his third major title as a professional at the PGA Championship in July, 23-year-old Jack Nicklaus was not a member of the U.S. team. Eligibility rules set by the PGA prevented him from participating in the Ryder Cup until 1969. He competed as a player through 1981, missing only the 1979 edition, and was the non-playing captain of the U.S. team in 1983 and 1987.


1963 Ryder Cup, Teams
The British team was determined using a points system, points being earned in 9 stroke-play events during the 1963 season. Winners of the 1963 Open Championship and News of the World Match Play received automatic places. The first qualifying event was the Schweppes PGA Close Championship in early April with the Senior Service Tournament in September being the final one. Dave Thomas won the News of the World Match Play but, since he finished 9th in the points list, the team was filled with the leading 10 players in the points list: Coles, Bernard Hunt, Huggett, Alliss, Haliburton, O'Connor, Weetman, Will, Thomas and Geoff Hunt.


1963 Ryder Cup, Individual player records
Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.


1963 SANFL Grand Final
The 1963 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football competition. Port Adelaide beat North Adelaide 80 to 47.


1963 SANFL season
The 1963 South Australian National Football League season was the 84th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


1963 SCCA National Sports Car Championship
The 1963 SCCA National Sports Car Championship season was the thirteenth season of the Sports Car Club of America's National Sports Car Championship. It began April 7, 1963, and ended September 2, 1963, after ten races.


1963 SK Brann season
The 1963 season was Brann's 1st season after the league changed to 10 teams and was named 1. Divisjon.


1963 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1963 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University during the 1963 college football season.


1963 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 1963 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State College during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season.


1963 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Hornets were led by third-year head coach Ray Clemons. They played home games at Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. The team finished the season with a record of six wins, two losses and one tie (6–2–1, 2–2–1 FWC). For the season the team outscored its opponents 120–83.


1963 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 1964 NFL Draft.


1963 Saga gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 17 April 1963 to elect the Governor of Saga Prefecture. Incumbent Sunao Ikeda won the election uncontested.


1963 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team
The 1963 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team represented Saint Louis University during the 1963 NCAA soccer season. The Billikens won their fourth NCAA title this season. It was the sixth ever season the Billikens fielded a men's varsity soccer team.


1963 San Diego Chargers season
The 1963 San Diego Chargers season was the team's fourth in the American Football League. The team had gone 4–10 in 1962, but rebounded with an 11–3 record, winning the AFL West by one game over the Oakland Raiders, who were coached by former Chargers assistant Al Davis. San Diego scored the most points in the league and conceded the fewest. Their offense, led by veteran quarterback Tobin Rote, and featuring future Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth, gained more yards than any other team; Rote and Alworth were each named the league MVP, by the Associated Press and UPI respectively.


1963 San Diego Chargers season
On January 5, 1964, the team won their only AFL Championship with a 51–10 win over the Boston Patriots in Balboa Stadium. To date, this is the Chargers' only league championship season in the AFL or NFL. This is also the only world championship won by a major league sports team in the city and county of San Diego to date. In 2003, the team was inducted into the Chargers Ring of Honor. The emphatic title game victory led to some speculation on whether San Diego might be able to beat the NFL champion Chicago Bears.


1963 San Diego Chargers season
The Chargers earned a degree of lasting notoriety due to their program of anabolic steroid usage, the first such in professional football. Head coach Sid Gillman and strength coach Alvin Roy made daily doses of Dianabol compulsory for a five-week period during training camp, before players became aware of potential side effects, and the program was relaxed to a voluntary one.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, AFL draft
The 1963 AFL Draft took place on December 1, 1962, late in the previous season. The Chargers had 30 picks across 29 rounds.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, AFL draft
With the second overall pick in the draft, San Diego selected Syracuse end Walt Sweeney. The Cleveland Browns also selected Sweeney in the rival NFL draft. Representatives of both teams approached the player with contracts in the moments after his final college game on December 8, looking to claim his signature. Sweeney chose the Chargers; he had actually met with Sid Gillman and Al Davis the previous day, and signed a contract while still a college player.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, AFL draft
The team converted him to a guard, about which Sweeney was not initially enthusiastic, but he went on to excel at that position through an 11-year stay in San Diego, appearing in six AFL All-Star games and three NFL Pro Bowls, as well as being named to the AFL All-League Team twice.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, AFL draft
The Chargers also signed their 2nd-round pick, seeing off competition from the Los Angeles Rams for All-American guard Rufus Guthrie. However, Guthrie was injured in the opening exhibition game of the season with torn knee ligaments. The injury persisted, and Guthrie never played a regular season game for the Chargers or any other pro team. 3rd-round selection Keith Kinderman, a defensive back who Gillman converted to running back, was also troubled by injuries. He played in 11 games over two seasons in San Diego, carrying the ball only 24 times. There was one future Hall of Fame player in the Chargers' draft class (linebacker Dave Robinson), but he signed for the Green Bay Packers, where he won two Super Bowls.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, AFL draft
In the later rounds, San Diego picked up Bob Petrich, a defensive end who played in every game for the next four seasons, and Ernie Park, an occasional starter at guard. Only five of the draft class ever played a game for the Chargers (including) Guthrie's exhibition appearance), while eleven went to NFL teams.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
San Diego lost a key staff member on January 19 when Al Davis signed with the Raiders in the dual role of head coach and general manager. Davis had served as the Chargers' offensive ends coach, but had also earned a reputation as an good recruiter of new talent, an important role in the ongoing bidding war with the NFL. Oakland had finished the previous season at a league-worst 1–13, but emerged as serious rivals to the Chargers in the AFL West during Davis's first season there.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
Davis soon brought defensive back Claude "Hoot" Gibson to join him in Oakland, as part of an equalization draft aimed at helping the league's weakest teams. Gibson had intercepted 13 passes during two seasons in San Diego. Other players to exit included tackle Sherman Plunkett and defensive tackle Bill Hudson. The pair, who had featured in every game the previous year, were traded away for future draft picks. Ron Nery, who had accumulated 15+1⁄2 sacks during three seasons with the Chargers, was cut shortly before the regular season began.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Arrivals
After losing Jack Kemp to the Bills the previous year, San Diego were looking for a veteran quarterback who could both lead the team and mentor second-year passer John Hadl. Running back Gerry McDougall, who joined the team from the CFL's Toronto Argonauts late in the 1962 season, informed Gillman that Tobin Rote, a former NFL Champion (with the '57 Lions) was contemplating retirement after three seasons with the Argonauts. The Bills had the territorial rights to sign Rote, but had no need for another quarterback.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Arrivals
Both the Chargers and the Denver Broncos expressed an interest in signing Rote; AFL Commissioner Joe Foss conducted a coin flip to decide which team would have the right to claim the player. San Diego won, and gave Buffalo tackle Dick Hudson and two future draft picks in exchange for Rote's signing rights. The 35-year-old was soon signed, with Gillman describing him as "one of the finest quarterbacks in football." He started every game throughout the season.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Arrivals
San Diego also gained George Gross, a 16th-round pick in the 1962 draft who had stayed on at Auburn as a redshirt that year. In 1963, he started every game for the Chargers at defensive tackle. Another guard, Sam DeLuca, re-signed with the team after a one-year retirement; he played in every game, while starting half of them. Dick Westmoreland, an undrafted defensive back from North Carolina A&T, was signed by Chargers' scout Al LoCasale and made the team. He ended the 1963 season as only rookie selected for the NEA All-AFL 1st team, and was a 2nd-team choice for the Associated Press, UPI and the New York Daily News.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Training camp, Rough Acres Ranch
For the previous two seasons, the Chargers had trained at the University of San Diego. Gillman, seeking both to instil both toughness and a sense of unity in his team, opted to switch to Rough Acres Ranch, located in Boulevard, an isolated town 66 miles from San Diego. The ranch had only basic amenities, and was overrun with insects and other wildlife, including bats, spiders and poisonous rattlesnakes. The players had to conduct two-a-days in temperatures close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, on sawdust that had been laid on the barren earth to approximate the consistency of grass. There was little to distract the players from their practice, and little to do in the evenings but spend time together, either at the ranch itself or a small gas station three miles down the road.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Training camp, Rough Acres Ranch
Opinion among the players was divided as to the efficacy of using the ranch. Team captain Ron Mix believed that the 1963 Chargers were successful in spite of, and not because of the experience. Others were more positive. Ernie Ladd described Rough Acres as a great training facility, noting the isolated location as a positive, while Lance Alworth stated the team had "One of the greatest years as a result of it. I still don't understand why more teams don't do that and why we didn't do it more often after that." The Chargers did not have the option to return to Rough Acres, as the owners brought a lawsuit worth over a million dollars against them, alleging both property damage and non-payment of rental fees.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Training camp, Steroid usage
Gillman hired a strength coach, Alvin Roy, to work with the team during training camp. Roy was a proponent of weightlifting, at a time when that form of exercise was not regarded as beneficial to a pro footballer. Roy also instructed the players to take pink pills each day at dinnertime, which would help their bodies assimilate protein. These pills were Dianabol, the commercial name of Metandienone, an anabolic steroid. The Chargers were the first professional football team to proscribe steroids to their players. The use of steroids was permitted in professional football at the time; they would eventually be banned in 1983 by then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Training camp, Steroid usage
At first, taking the pills was compulsory. When Dick Harris openly refused to do so, he was fined his $60 pay for the Chargers' opening exhibition game by Gillman. Others who were suspicious of the pills disposed of them subtly, hiding them under the table at meal times, or keeping them in their mouths until they had exited the dining room. Many players did accept the Dianabol without question, however. Rookie defensive back Dick Westmoreland took the pills, and soon noticed that he, in his words, "got bigger and stronger but didn't lose speed."


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Training camp, Steroid usage
After five weeks of the compulsory program, tight end Dave Kocourek began to feel ill, and went to his personal physician. When the physician learned that his patient was taking Dianabol, he showed him a list of side effects, including "liver damage, muscle damage, bone damage and testicle shrinkage". Kocourek took the list the team captain Ron Mix, raised the issue with Gillman. The pills became voluntary after that, and the majority of the team completely stopped taking them, while others reduced their intake.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
San Diego entered their 1963 preseason schedule with a perfect 12–0 record in exhibition games. They suffered a setback in the opening minutes of their first game, when their newly-acquired starting quarterback Tobin Rote was knocked out of the game with a chest injury. Backup John Hadl played well in relief, throwing touchdowns to Jacque MacKinnon and Lance Alworth. Earlier, Paul Lowe had scored the Chargers' first two touchdowns with runs of 3 and 65 yards - the running back was playing for the first time since the broken arm he had sustain during the 1962 preseason.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
The Chargers followed this with their 14th consecutive preseason win, beating the Patriots for the first of four times that season. Hadl started the game, completing 14 of 26 passes for 269 yards, with touchdowns to Alworth and Don Norton, while running for a score himself. Lowe again ran for two touchdowns, Charlie McNeil scored on a 44-yard interception return, and San Diego found the end zone seven times in total in a 50–17 win.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
The Chargers' string of preseason victories came to an end a week later when they lost in Denver. The Broncos jumped out to a 28–3 lead in the 3rd quarter, before the Chargers closed the gap with three touchdown passes: Hadl threw two, either side of one from halfback Keith Lincoln. Hadl also threw a two point conversion pass to Dave Kocourek - that pulled the Chargers back within six points in the final quarter, but they got no closer.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
Two strong defensive performances followed. Against the Oilers, they had five interceptions, recovered a fumble and made a successful goal line stand as Houston mustered only three points despite gaining 27 first downs to the Chargers' 9. Hadl threw two touchdowns, and Lowe scored for the fifth time in the preseason. Rote returned for the finale, but struggled and threw four interceptions. Raider quarterbacks were also intercepted four times, and Bob Jackson scored the game's only touchdown as the Chargers beat Oakland for the tenth time in ten meetings (exhibition and regular season combined).


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Summary
Rote excelled at quarterback, winning the Associated Press AFL MVP award. His completion percentage of 59.4 was comfortably better than his nearest rival (Len Dawson with 54.0), while his passer rating of 86.7 was also an AFL best. He was also one of only three starting quarterbacks in the league to throw more touchdowns than interceptions (20 against 17). Gillman praised Rote's ability to call his own plays in the huddle, and Lance Alworth later stated, "Tobin Rote's the reason why we won." John Hadl also saw frequent action, as Head Coach Sid Gillman would frequently insert him into the game if Rote was struggling; Hadl threw at least one pass in 12 regular season games, complementing Rote's 2,510 yards with 502 of his own.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Summary
Alworth was the primary target for the two quarterbacks. The second-year flanker set new club receiving records for catches (61), yards (1,205) and touchdowns (11), ranking second in the league for the latter two categories; he also posted a pair of 200-yard games, the first in Charger history. Alworth was voted the league MVP by UPI. Of the other receivers, tight end Dave Kocourek added 359 yards and five touchdowns; Don Norton, the club's leading receiver in 1962, was injured while lifting weights and missed the first seven games; he finished with 281 yards from limited action.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Summary
Paul Lowe returned to the backfield after missing the entire 1962 season through injury. He formed a successful partnership with Keith Lincoln, running behind a line anchored by unanimous 1st team All-AFL tackle Ron Mix. Lowe rushed for 1,010 yards (2nd in the league) while Lincoln, who missed most of one game and all of another, finished with 826 yards (4th in the league). The pair combined for 18 touchdowns, contributing to San Diego's league-high tally of 399 points scored. The Chargers comfortably led the league in yards per pass and yards per rush (6.7 and 5.6 respectively - the Raiders were second in both categories with 5.3 and 4.5 respectively).


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Summary
On defense, cornerback Dick Harris led the team with eight interceptions (third most in the league), while linebacker Chuck Allen added five more. With All-Pro defensive end Earl Faison credited with a team-leading five sacks, the Charger defense was a balanced unit - they were the best in the league for touchdowns conceded against the pass (17), and joint-best against the run (10), while conceding the fewest points overall (255). George Blair didn't repeat his excellent kicking performance from the previous season, but his stat line of 17 successes from 28 attempts still gave him the best percentage in the league. Paul Maguire averaged 38.6 yards per punt, the lowest of the league's eight punters.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
San Diego opened the 1963 season with a victory, intercepting their former quarterback Jack Kemp three times. After an early Buffalo punt, Keith Lincoln took a swing pass from Tobin Rote 32 yards down the right sideline, but George Blair missed a short field goal soon afterwards. Bud Whitehead and Bob Mitinger intercepted Kemp on the next two Bills drives. After the second of these, Rote hit Dave Kocourek for 31 yards over the middle, moving the ball to the Buffalo 1. Bobby Jackson scored the first Charger touchdown of the season on the next play, fighting through traffic and narrowly crossing the goal line.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Charger indiscipline aided Buffalo on their response, with three flags resulting from a single play: Ernie Ladd made a late hit on Kemp, Henry Schmidt was ejected for fighting, and Sid Gillman was penalized for his protestations. These infractions moved the ball from San Diego's 44 to their 12, but the defense stiffened and restricted Buffalo to a field goal. Lance Alworth's 27-yard reception opened the next drive, but Blair missed another field goal; after the Bills also missed a kick, it was 7–3 at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Chargers were forced to punt at the start of the 3rd quarter, and Buffalo progressed to a 4th and 1 at the San Diego 40. The Bills went for the first down, but Ladd forced a fumble that Charlie McNeil recovered. Jerry Robinson wrestled a 41-yard pass from the grasp of a defender on the next play, but Jackson was eventually stuffed for no gain on 4th and 1 from the 2. Earl Faison sacked Kemp to force a punt; six plays later, Paul Lowe cut upfield and wove through tacklers on his way to a 48-yard touchdown run.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Paul Maguire's interception and 38-yard return gave the Chargers a chance to put the game away, starting only eight yards from the Buffalo end zone, but Rote was sacked and intercepted on consecutive plays. Buffalo then drove 90 yards in 11 plays, scoring with 6:33 left on the clock. The Bills declined a two point conversion attempt, instead kicking an extra point to trail by four. Buffalo had two more possessions: the first ended in a punt after Bob Petrich sacked Kemp; the second saw them reach their own 47 yard line before time expired.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills
Rote had a solid debut, going 18 of 29 for 260 yards, with one interception. Lowe, on his first game back after missing the entire 1962 season through injury, rushed 10 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Boston Patriots
This was the first night game played in San Diego. After a Patriots field goal opened the scoring, San Diego struck twice in the 2nd quarter. Keith Lincoln's 47-yard punt return was immediately followed by Alworth's a 43-yard touchdown reception; the Chargers then blocked a field goal, and fooled the Patriots defense when Lowe threw a 71-yard touchdown to Jerry Robinson. Boston pulled back seven points after a 13-play, 75-yard drive, and it was 14–10 at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Boston Patriots
Interceptions by McNeil and Maguire ended Patriot drives in the second half, and Alworth's 61-yard punt return gave the Chargers a chance to extend their lead, only for Blair to miss from 30 yards out early in the final quarter. Both kickers then had successful kicks, leaving the Chargers still up by four points entering the final minutes. Boston reached a 4th and 1 on the San Diego 40, but turned the ball over on downs after a botched handoff. Following a Charger punt, the Patriots had one final chance, but an incompletion on 4th and 4 from their own 48 let San Diego run the clock out.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Boston Patriots
The Chargers gained what would prove a season-low 240 yards on offense, nearly half the total coming on the two touchdown plays.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Three early touchdown passes by Rote set the Chargers on their way to a comfortable win over the team who, while known as the Dallas Texans, had won the previous season's AFL Championship game. Earl Faison's fumble recovery on the Kansas City 25 set up the first Rote touchdown, a 20-yard connection with Dave Kocourek. In the 2nd quarter, McNeil intercepted Len Dawson, and the Chargers again capitalised, Kocourek jumping to gather in a Rote pass at the 10, and completing a 35-yard touchdown without breaking stride. The third touchdown drive was longer, covering 91 yards in 11 plays.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Lowe broke off a 25-yard run, and Lincoln took a pass in the left flat before cutting inside to elude a tackler and complete a 15-yard touchdown. The Chiefs pulled three points back before the break, but Blair made one of two field goal attempts in the second half, and Kansas City didn't reach the end zone until the final two minutes of the match.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Rote finished 10 of 16 for 127 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Lowe and Lincoln split the carries in the backfield, with Lowe rushing 17 times for 91 yards and Lincoln 14 times for 59 yards.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Denver Broncos
San Diego conceded 50 points in a game for the first time, as Denver scored three times in barely a minute in the final quarter. Keith Lincoln's fumble set up Denver for the game's first points, a 37-yard field goal from Gene Mingo. Lincoln made amends only three plays later, taking a screen pass in for a 39-yard touchdown. McNeil's interception soon gave San Diego the ball back, and it was Lowe's turn to score, taking a Rote pass 31 yards on the next play.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Denver Broncos
The Broncos responded with a 79-yard drive to a John McCormick touchdown pass, before Mingo missed kicks from 37 and 44 yards. Two plays after the second of these, Rote dropped back from his own 15 at found Alworth at midfield; the receiver completing an 85-yard touchdown. McCormick came back with another scoring throw, and Rote was intercepted shortly before halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Denver Broncos
Denver's momentum continued into the 3rd quarter. After tying the scores at 20–20 with a Mingo field goal, they executed a surprise onside kick, and their kicker struck again to put them in front. Rote was intercepted and lost a fumble, with the latter turnover leading to a further field goal. John Hadl came on for Rote in the 4th quarter, and threw a touchdown on his very first pass attempt, a 19-yarder to Lincoln. That put San Diego back on top, 27–26, but McCormick soon responded with his third touchdown pass of the game.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Denver Broncos
Lincoln's eventful day was complete when he fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Denver scored again. When Hadl threw an interception a few plays later, Goose Gonsoulin ran the ball back for another touchdown, and Denver had scored 21 points in the space of 63 seconds. Hadl threw a deflected 54-yard touchdown pass to Jacque MacKinnon, but Denver recovered Blair's onside kick attempt, and Mingo added his fifth field goal with 20 seconds to play.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: at Denver Broncos
Rote and Hadl threw for 317 yards and a club-record five touchdowns between them. Alworth caught 4 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Lincoln had 62 yards on the ground and 73 through the air, including two scores.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Jets
San Diego bounced back with a hard-fought win over the Jets. After Lowe lost a fumble, former Chargers QB Dick Wood produced a touchdown pass on the Jet's first play from scrimmage, covering 51 yards. Lowe was then intercepted on a halfback pass, but New York missed a field goal on the resulting drive. Lowe bounced back with a 40-yard gain on a sweep, and Blair was successful from 28 yards out. Rote was later picked off, leading to a Jets field goal and a 10–3 scoreline at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Jets
John Hadl entered the game in the third quarter for his most substantial playing time of the season. He made an immediate impact with run of 9 and 33 yards, before rounding out an 87-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown to Kocourek, who leaped to make the catch with defenders on either side of him. The Chargers were in trouble at the start of their next drive, facing 3rd and 13 at their own 18 yard line, but Lincoln took a short pass and broke two tackles en route to a 37-yard gain. Five plays later, it was 2nd and 7 at the Jet 11, and San Diego again called a pass from an unexpected source. This time the trick play worked, fullback Gerry MacDougall lofting the ball to the back of the end zone where Alworth jumped to pull it in.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Jets
Dick Christy returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards to the Charger 18, before Dick Westmoreland made a touchdown-saving tackle. That ultimately caused the Jets to settle for a field goal, as Hank Schmidt sacked Wood on third down. San Diego converted a 4th and 1 on the next drive, MacDougall's 26-yard catch moving the ball into field goal range, but the drive ended with a miss by Blair. New York then used a 54-yard pass interference penalty as the springboard for an 80-yard touchdown drive, and a 20–17 lead as the 3rd quarter ended.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Jets
Maguire pinned the Jets at their own 1 with a punt, and the defense forced a three-and-out, though an excellent punt in return set San Diego back on their own 39. Lowe accounted for most of the yardage on the next drive, with runs of 6 and 30 yards to start it off and a 7-yard touchdown up the middle to finish it with 9:06 to play. Wood led the Jets to the Charger 13, but his pass was deflected and incomplete on 4th and 8. New York's final chance ended on their own 40, when Frank Buncom knocked away another 4th down pass.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Jets
Rote was 10 of 13 for 78 yards and an interception, while Hadl was 8 of 12 for 134 yards and a touchdown. Lowe carried 16 times for 161 yards and one touchdown. San Diego's defence had zero takeaways. It was the first time in a regular season game that they failed to make at least one interception (they also drew a blank in the 1960 AFL title game), ending a 46-game streak that remains an AFL/NFL record.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Lance Alworth had the most receiving yardage of any game in his Hall of Fame career, and the Chargers won on their first ever trip to Kansas City. The first four San Diego possessions resulted in punts, before Chuck Allen intercepted Len Dawson, setting up Blair's field goal to open the scoring. However, Dawson found Abner Haynes with a deep pass over the middle only two plays after the kickoff; Haynes slipped McNeil's diving tackle and completed a 73-yard touchdown, and Kansas City led 7–3 at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Hadl had been in at quarterback on the final two Charger drives of the first half, but Rote returned after the break, and led his team to touchdowns on five of their first six second half possessions. Rote was 5 for 5 on the first drive, finishing with a 44-yard pass to Alworth, who had got open behind the safeties. Following a Chiefs field goal, Alworth's 28-yard catch was the biggest gain on an 11-play, 86-yard drive, which Lowe finished by cutting up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown on 3rd and 5. Blair then recovered a fumble, but missed a 40-yard field goal five plays later.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
After that, Dawson led his team from their own 20 to a 4th and 5 at the Charger 13. With only eight minutes remaining, Kansas City opted to go for it, but Dawson's pass was incomplete. Lincoln's 15-yard run on the next play was immediately followed by another Alworth touchdown. The flanker got a step behind cornerback Duane Wood, giving him position to outwrestle Wood for the ball at the Chief 35 and complete a 72-yard touchdown. Dawson threw a touchdown on 4th and goal from the 7 on the next drive, and Kansas City were back within 24–17 with 5:24 still on the clock.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Lincoln put the game away on the next play from scrimmage. Taking a pitchout to the left, he cut upfield and worked his way back towards the right sideline to avoid tacklers, ultimately outracing the defense and going in untouched for a 76-yard touchdown. Blair then made a juggling interception of Dawson, and Lowe shrugged off at tackler at the line of scrimmage before completing the scoring with a 21-yard run.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Rote was 16 of 22 for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Lincoln rushed 10 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. Alworth caught 9 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns - he had 183 receiving yards in the second half alone.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
Oakland pulled within one and a half games of San Diego, after an eventful game in which four quarterbacks combined for seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. Rote was intercepted on the game's first possession, and Tom Flores found Art Powell for the opening points. San Diego responded with a Blair field goal, before Alworth maintained his good form with a 32-yard touchdown catch.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
Rote threw interceptions to Fred Williamson on the next two Charger drives; after the first of these, Harris picked off Flores to win the ball straight back, but Flores took his second chance with a 30-yard drive and another touchdown pass. Hadl entered the game and hit Jacque MacKinnon for a 69-yard touchdown on only his second throw. Flores was then intercepted by McNeil, but Hadl was intercepted himself before the half ended with San Diego 14–7 up.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
Rote returned for the 3rd quarter, while the Raiders went with backup Cotton Davidson, Flores having sustained a head injury. The latter switch seemed to have backfired when Davidson's first pass was intercepted and run back for a touchdown by Dick Harris, but he came back with a touchdown pass two plays after Lincoln had fumbled while attempting a lateral. A 29-yard catch by MacKinnon got San Diego moving, and Blair put the Chargers ahead 26–21 after three quarters with a 36-yard kick.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
Davidson's second touchdown pass was also Powell's second touchdown catch - the 46-yard connection put Oakland ahead one play into the final quarter. San Diego responded through Lincoln, the running back going off tackle and breaking through for a 51-yard score. After a punt each, the Raiders went 63 yards for the winning score, another pass by Davidson. The Chargers managed to sack Davidson on the ensuing two point attempt, leaving them needing only a field goal to win with 1:52 still remaining. Their final drive started from their own 27, and quickly went wrong. Rote threw incomplete before being sacked for an 18-yard loss, then threw his fourth pick of the game and Oakland ran out the clock.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
Oakland's quarterbacks completed only eight passes between them, but five of those went for touchdowns. For the Chargers, Lincoln rushed 15 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, while MacKinnon caught 3 passes for 111 yards and a score.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at New York Jets
The Chargers kicked off a three-game trip to the east coast by thrashing the Jets. On their second play from scrimmage, Alworth hauled in a deep pass and gained 62 yards, though a Lincoln fumble prevented San Diego from capitalising with any points. They made no mistake on their next possession, Lowe easily scoring on an 11-yard screen pass. George Gross caused Dick Wood to fumble shortly afterwards, with Emil Karas recovering - five plays later, Kocourek scored from 14 yards out. Another turnover soon followed, Harris intercepting an underthrow by Wood. Alworth made a leaping grab on the next play, covering 49 yards; three plays later, Lowe swept right from the 11 behind strong blocking and went in untouched for a 21–0 lead.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at New York Jets
More points followed in the second half. Alworth again outjumped his marker on a 28-yard touchdown reception, Rote and MacDougall scored on short runs up the middle and, after the Jets averted a shutout, Hadl threw an 8-yard touchdown to Jerry Robinson with no time on the clock. The Chargers faked a conversion kick after this final score, and Hadl hit Kocourek for two more points.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at New York Jets
Rote completed 21 of 29 passes for a club-record 369 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating of 149.0 would be the best any Charger achieved in the AFL while making at least 20 attempts in a game. Alworth caught 5 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. Harris had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Karas had two fumble recoveries. San Diego set club records for most points (this would be broken six games later), and margin of victory (still to be surpassed). The game featured three ejections, including two for the Chargers; Ernie Ladd and Joe Schmidt were both thrown out for their role in a fist fight.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Boston Patriots
Lance Alworth and the defense lifted San Diego to a narrow victory in the rain and mud of Fenway Park. Alworth had catches of 6, 37 and 17 yards on three consecutive plays of the game's opening drive, but Blair missed a 12-yard chip shot field goal, and the Chargers came up empty-handed. Dick Westmoreland's fumble recovery then stopped a dangerous Patriot drive, and San Diego worked their way to the Boston 18, from where Alworth caught Rote's pass in the end zone and appeared to have opened the scoring.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Boston Patriots
A penalty wiped those points off the board, but Rote went straight back to Alworth with a screen, good for 23 yards and a touchdown. Boston looked the more threatening team throughout the 2nd quarter, but Gino Cappelletti missed a 38-yard kick and lost a fumble that Gary Glick recovered. Chuck Allen outwrestled the intended receiver for an interception of Babe Parilli, and it was still 7–0 at the break.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Boston Patriots
Cappelletti made a 36-yard field goal early in the second half. Rote converted a 4th and 1 with a quarterback sneak on the next possession, but the drive ended when Blair missed from 48 yards. Boston drove into field goal range once more, and when Cappelletti was good from 25 yards, the lead was cut to a single point. Following a Rote interception, Cappelletti had a chance to put his team ahead, but was short from 37 yards out. Allen continued to make significant plays as the final quarter wore on, stopping Patriot drives with an interception and a fumble recovery.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Boston Patriots
Boston's last chance came after Lowe lost a fumble at his own 42. The Charger defense knocked the Patriots back six yards on three running plays, and Cappelletti's final kick fell well short from 55 yards. Alworth's 50-yard reception helped San Diego run the clock out.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Boston Patriots
Alworth had 13 of his team's 18 pass receptions, and gained 210 of their 271 total yards on offense, while scoring the game's only touchdown. His 13 receptions were a new club record, and would remain his career high. San Diego's total of 7 points is still the fewest they have scored in a victory.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
San Diego completed a three-game east coast sweep with a hard-fought win in Buffalo. The Bills took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards for Cookie Gilchrist to score from a yard out. The Chargers responded quickly, Lowe's 23-yard gain on a draw being immediately followed by Lincoln's 54-yard scoring trap run through the middle. The next time San Diego had the ball, Lincoln opened the drive with a 24-yard reception, and Blair finished it with a 39-yard field goal. Jack Kemp led his offense inside the Charger 10 late in the first half, but Maguire's third down sack had the Bills settling for a field goal and a 10–10 tie at the intermission.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
In the 3rd quarter, Walt Sweeney blocked a punt by Daryle Lamonica, and San Diego took over at the Buffalo 20. Lincoln appeared to have scored on a 9-yard run a few plays later, but Ron Mix was penalised for a push. The Chargers promptly scored again, Alworth gathering Rote's pass under the posts. Buffalo almost tied the scores on their next drive, but last defender Dick Westmoreland pulled Elbert Dubenion down at the Charger 5 yard line after a gain of 34, and the defense held Buffalo to a field goal.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
Lowe's 27-yard run had the Chargers threatening on their next drive, but they were thwarted when Rote was intercepted. Dick Harris intercepted Kemp on the next two Buffalo drives; after the second of these, Rote's 54-yard completion to Alworth set up a short Blair field goal. After forcing a punt, the Chargers drove from their own 20 to Buffalo's 34, and Blair hit the clinching kick from 41 yards out with 1:37 to play.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
Harris added a third interception on the game's final play, his seventh in a four-game span. Lincoln rushed 10 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, while adding 31 yards on 3 receptions. With Oakland idle, the Chargers stretched their lead in the AFL West to two full games. The attendance figure set a new AFL record.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Houston Oilers
In a matchup of division leaders, San Diego shut out the Oilers. Houston had the game's first scoring chance, but Maguire blocked George Blanda's 48-yard field goal attempt. Keith Lincoln opened the scoring only five plays later, taking a draw up the middle from 15 yards out. Houston fumbled away a red zone chance on their next drive, and the Chargers soon pulled away. A Lincoln run set up Blair's 42-yard field goal, and Maguire recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Houston Oilers
After three straight incompletions, San Diego faked a field goal, Rote passing to Kocourek in the left flat, from where the tight end fought his way for 14 yards and a first down. Four plays later, Kocourek drew pass interference on a 3rd and 13 play, and Lowe went in from the 2. An Emil Karas interception and 30-yard return was then wasted as Rote, too, was intercepted. Late in the half, Houston failed on a fourth down conversion attempt, and San Diego had three big runs in a row (Lowe 14 yards, Lincoln 16 yards, Lincoln 13 yards), setting up Blair's second field goal.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Houston Oilers
Bob Mitinger's interception two plays into the second half maintained the Chargers' dominance. They later put together an 11-play, 80 yard drive that bridged the 3rd and 4th quarters, and ended with Alworth's 22-yard catch from Rote. Houston's threatened to avoid the shutout on their last two possessions, but backup quarterback Jacky Lee was sacked on 4th down, and later intercepted by Gary Glick.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Houston Oilers
Dick Westmoreland was credited with 15 solo tackles and 1 assist, plus 6 passes defenced. Lincoln (13 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, 1 reception for 5 yards) and Lowe (21 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown, 3 receptions for 25 yards) provided two strong performances in the backfield.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
A 4th quarter collapse cost San Diego the chance to clinch their division. Up by two games over the Raiders with only three to play, the Chargers would end the AFL West race with a win, and began the game with a successful opening drive. Lincoln had a 36-yard reception and, after the Chargers lost six yards on the next two plays, Rote threw a deep pass to Don Norton for a 32-yard touchdown. For Norton, who had missed seven games through a back injury, it was his only touchdown of the regular season.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
After a Raider field goal, San Diego suffered a setback when Lincoln was knocked out of the game through injury, with Bobby Jackson taking his place in the backfield. The switch appeared not to have disrupted the offense during a 6-play, 89-yard drive that opened with Alworth's 54-yard reception and ended with Jackson going 14 yards off-tackle to the end zone. Oakland responded with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Tom Flores to Art Powell on 4th and 2, but failed to convert on 4th and 10 from the Charger 39 on their next drive. Norton then had 22- and 36-yard receptions, and MacKinnon's short catch made it 20–10 at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
Cotton Davidson, who had played a major role in the Raiders' victory in San Diego earlier in the season, was brought on for the second half. The switch had no immediate impact, with the only score of the 3rd quarter going to the Chargers - Kocourek's 40-yard reception paving the way for Alworth's 15-yard touchdown. When the Raiders went three-and-out in response, San Diego took over on their own 20 early in the final quarter, 17 points ahead.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
Lowe appeared to have gained 22 yards on first down, but the run was nullified by penalty. Jackson took a screen pass to the Charger 39 on the next play, but fumbled and Oakland recovered. Davidson's touchdown to Powell began the comeback four plays later. Next, Lowe lost a fumble and Oakland capitalised with a field goal. Following a Charger punt, Davidson led his team 57 yards and scored the game-tying touchdown himself with 7:54 to play.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
San Diego were unable to respond, failing to pick up a first down and punting again. Three plays later, Powell was in the end zone once more, with a 41-yard touchdown. Lowe returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards, and Hadl came out to try and spark the offense. He found Norton for an 18-yard gain to the Oakland 38, but followed that with three incompletions and an interception. The Raiders added a further touchdown in the final minutes, and pulled to within a game at the top of the division.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
Rote was 17 of 25 for 284 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while Norton caught six passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Art Powell scored 5 touchdowns from only 9 catches over the two games with San Diego. It was only the second time in AFL/NFL history that a team were outscored by 30+ points in the 4th quarter; Oakland had managed the same feat three season earlier against Denver.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Houston Oilers
The stakes were high for both teams - San Diego were looking to maintain their one-game lead over Oakland, while Houston would be eliminated from the AFL East race with a loss. San Diego had the first drive that crossed into opposition territory, but Lowe lost a fumble - Houston then drive into field goal range, but George Blanda was wide right. In the 2nd quarter, three interceptions by Charger linebackers were led to points. Firstly, Karas intercepted a Jacky Lee pass, Lowe immediately broke off a 59-yard run, and Rote sneaked into the end zone two plays later.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Houston Oilers
Next, Allen picked off a Blanda pass at the Houston 30, and Jackson scored from close range six plays later. Blanda came straight back with a touchdown pass to Willard Dewveall, and Rote's deep pass was intercepted on the next play. Maguire then took back the momentum with an interception of his own, at the Houston 24 yard line. Blair capitalised with a 22-yard field goal, and it was 17–7 at halftime.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Houston Oilers
Blair missed wide left from 43 yards in the 3rd quarter, but Allen's fumble recovery at the Oiler 30 soon gave him another chance, and he converted a chip shot 10-yarder. The Oilers' next drive saw them reach 4th and goal at the 9. They elected to go for the touchdown, but Allen and Glick combined to stop Dewveall one yard short. San Diego gained one first down before being forced to punt, and Blanda converted a 3rd and 28 with a 68-yard completion.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Houston Oilers
The Oilers made no mistake this time, finding the end zone with 6:30 to play in the game. The next three drives were three-and-outs. Houston's final drive started on their own 21 yard line with under two minutes to play. Blanda managed to converted a 4th and 1, but found progress to be slow going. The game's final snap was from the Charger 44 - Houston gained only 9 yards, and time expired.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Houston Oilers
Houston had four turnovers on the day, each of which San Diego converted into points. With Lincoln missing due to injury, Gerry MacDougall rushed 15 times for 56 yards, a complement to Lowe's 19 carries for 96 yards. These gains, plus the four crucial turnovers, were enough to compensate for a weak pass attack that managed only 85 yards total. Oakland also won, leaving the Raiders still one game back, and able to force a playoff for the division crown if San Diego lost in Week 15.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
San Diego clinched their third AFL West title in four seasons while setting a club record for points that still stands. Gross gave his team an excellent start, recovering a Broncos fumble forced by Karas. Lowe ran in the opening touchdown two plays later. After Denver answered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, Alworth drew a 39-yard pass interference penalty and Blair kicked a field goal to put San Diego back in front. On the next drive, Bob Mitinger made a one-handed interception after twice bobbling the ball. Norton's 29-yard reception on the following play set up Jackson's 2-yard touchdown dive. Denver again responded to a Charger touchdown with one of their own, a Don Breaux pass reducing their deficit to 17–14.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
Keith Lincoln was back in the starting line-up for San Diego - his tackle-breaking 11-yard run got the Chargers moving on their next possession. Rote finished the drive by hitting Kocourek for a 26-yard touchdown; the tight end caught the ball in stride at the nine, and outran his marker to the corner of the end zone. A Rote interception let Denver pull three points back with 1:04 remaining in the 2nd quarter, but back-to-back runs of 22 yards by Lowe and 14 yards by Lincoln set up Blair to respond in kind before the half ended.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
After both sides punted to start the 3rd quarter, Lowe swept to the right and went 66 yards untouched to make it 33–17. Denver responded with a field goal. With Oakland having achieved victory in their final game at about this time, San Diego still had work to do to reach the AFL title game.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
They responded with 25 unanswered points. Dick Harris had an interception the next time Denver had the ball, and Blair knocked through his third field goal late in the 3rd quarter. On the first play of the final quarter, Ernie Ladd sacked Breaux, forcing a fumble that Earl Faison recovered. Lincoln swept to the right on the next play, and scored without difficulty from 29 yards out. The defense registered the next score themselves, a fumble bouncing up for Allen to field and return 42 yards for a touchdown. Hadl came into the game and eventually threw the final touchdown to MacKinnon in the back of the end zone. San Diego added a two point conversion on a trick play, with Faison's catch giving them their final points of the regular season.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos
Paul Lowe ran for 183 yards on 17 carries, with two touchdowns. As a team, San Diego had 270 rushing yards, and outgained Denver 451–231 in total offense.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFL Championship Game: vs. Boston Patriots
Favored by six points heading into the game, San Diego thrashed the Patriots 51–10 to gain their only league title to date. Keith Lincoln gained 329 yards from scrimmage, setting an AFL/NFL playoff record that still stands. In total, San Diego gained 610 yards and scored seven touchdown against a defense that had been highly respected coming into the game.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFL Championship Game: vs. Boston Patriots
Post-match, Gillman described his team as having the greatest balance of any team he had coached.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Potential match with NFL champions
On December 29 1963, Chicago were crowned NFL champions for the eighth time, their top-ranked defense pressuring Y. A. Tittle into five interceptions as they beat the New York Giants 14–10. San Diego's one-sided victory in the AFL title game a week later led to some speculation as to whether they might be a match for the Bears. Gillman declared that his team wouldn't disgrace themselves in such an encounter, though the Los Angeles Times noted that Chicago would represent a substantial step up in difficulty from the Patriots.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Potential match with NFL champions
AFL commissioner Joe Foss had proposed a title game between the two leagues in a letter to his opposite number Pete Rozelle, published by Sports Illustrated in December of 1963; while Gillman wrote to Bears' head coach George Halas with a similar offer after the two title games had been played. Both proposals were politely declined. The first game between the two leagues, Super Bowl I, occurred three years later.


1963 San Diego Chargers season, Team awards
On December 12, the Chargers held their annual awards banquet. The Most Inspirational Player award was conferred by teammates, while the others were decided by a fan vote.


1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season.


1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team
San Diego State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by head coach Don Coryell, in his third year, and played home games at Aztec Bowl. They finished the season with seven wins and two losses (7–2, 4–1 CCAA). At the end of the season, Los Angeles State was awarded the conference championship as a result of their victory over the Aztecs on October 19. For the year, the offense averaged over 35 points a game, totaling 317 points. The defense gave up an average of 13 points a game, totaling 118 in 9 games.


1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL/AFL
The following San Diego State players were selected in the 1964 NFL Draft.


1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL/AFL
The following San Diego State players were selected in the 1964 AFL Draft.


1963 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL/AFL
The following finished their San Diego State career in 1963, were not drafted, but played in the NFL/AFL.


1963 San Diego mayoral election
The 1963 San Diego mayoral election was held on November 5, 1963 to elect the mayor for San Diego. Incumbent mayor Charles Dail did not stand for reelection. In the primary election, Frank Curran and Murray Goodrich received the most votes and advanced to the runoff. Curran was then elected mayor with a majority of the votes.


1963 San Diego mayoral election, Campaign
Incumbent Mayor Charles Dail did not stand for reelection due to failing health and declining power related to a recall attempt. The election drew a crowded field, including three members of the San Diego City Council: Frank Curran, Helen Cobb, and Alan Hitch. Other major contenders included David Casey, an attorney, and Murray Goodrich, a surplus aircraft parts dealer and aluminum smelter.


1963 San Diego mayoral election, Campaign
On September 17, 1963, Frank Curran came in first in the primary election with 22.4 percent of the vote, followed by Murray D. Goodrich in second with 21.0 percent, David S. Casey in third with 20.4 percent and Allen Hitch in fourth with 17.7 percent. None of the other remaining eight candidates received more than 10 percent of the vote. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election was held between the top two finishers, Curran and Goodrich. On November 5, 1963 Curran received a majority of 63.6 percent of the vote in the runoff and was elected to the office of the mayor.


1963 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1963 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League and their 18th overall. The 49ers did not qualify for playoffs, having only two wins in the preseason and the actual season combined. Compared to seventeen losses total (both pre and actual season).


1963 San Francisco 49ers season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1963 San Francisco Giants season
The 1963 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 81st year in Major League Baseball, their sixth year in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their fourth at Candlestick Park. The team finished in third place in the National League with an 88-74 record, 11 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.


1963 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1963 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1963 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 San Francisco State Gators football team
The 1963 San Francisco State Gators football team represented San Francisco State College during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season.


1963 San Francisco State Gators football team
San Francisco State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Gators were led by third-year head coach Vic Rowen. They played home games at Cox Stadium in San Francisco, California. The team finished the season as co-champion of the FWC, with a record of six wins, two losses and one tie (6–2–1, 3–1–1 FWC). This was the third consecutive season the Gators won or shared the title for the conference. For the season the team outscored its opponents 157–128.


1963 San Francisco State Gators football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Francisco State players were selected in the 1964 NFL Draft.


1963 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 1963 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State College during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season.


1963 San Jose State Spartans football team
San Jose State played as an Independent in 1963. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Bob Titchenal, and played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished  with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5) and were outscored 187 to 194.


1963 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL/AFL
No San Jose State players were selected in the 1964 NFL Draft or 1964 AFL Draft.


1963 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL/AFL
The following finished their San Jose State career in 1963, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.


1963 Sandlapper 200
The 1963 Sandlapper 200 was the site of Richard Petty's 25th NASCAR Grand National win for Petty Enterprises (now Richard Petty Motorsports).


1963 Sandlapper 200
Taking place on August 8, 1963, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina. Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km). The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Background
Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971. For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National races ever held on a dirt track.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Background
The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Background
While Columbia Speedway was shut down to cars in 1979, noise complaints, it reopened as a velodrome in 2001.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Race report
This race was the last time that the letter "X" could be legally used as a race number. An amendment to one of NASCAR's rules made by Bill France, Sr. forced all drivers to use only single-digit and double-digit race car numbers started in the 1963 Western North Carolina 500 event. As a result, cars could no longer use letters and/or numbers higher than "99" at any NASCAR Cup Series racing event.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Race report
It took one hour, forty-seven minutes, and fifty-five seconds for Richard Petty to defeat David Pearson with a margin of nine seconds. Pearson and Petty would start a bitter rivalry during the course of the race that would ultimately influence all future rivalries in the NASCAR Cup Series. The notable speeds were: 55.598 miles per hour (89.476 km/h) as the average speed and 69.014 miles per hour (111.067 km/h) as the pole position speed. 8,500 people attended this untelevised race. Other notable participants included: J.D. McDuffie, Wendell Scott, Cale Yarborough and Buck Baker. Possum Jones scored last place in the race after only finishing five laps due to tire issues.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Race report
Frank Warren finished the race 13th in his unsponsored 1961 Pontiac Catalina vehicle (with the X designation for his driver number) after starting in 18th place. He received $100 ($835 when considering inflation) as a part of his winnings. Total winnings for this race were $4,825 ($40,294 when considering inflation) with Petty receiving most of it with $1,140 ($9,520 when considering inflation).


1963 Sandlapper 200, Race report
Billy Oswald would retire from professional stock car racing after the completion of this event. Ray Fox, Herman Beam and Crawford Clements were the most notable crew chiefs that participated in the race.


1963 Sandlapper 200, Race report
This was the first of more than 60 "first-place/second-place" finishes for NASCAR's two most prolific winners Richard Petty and David Pearson. Both Petty and Pearson were considered to be equals to each other in the 1960s because of their similar methodology of professional stock car racing.


1963 Sandown International Cup
The 1963 Sandown International Cup  was a motor race for Formula Libre cars, staged at Sandown Park, in Victoria, Australia on 11 March 1963. The race was contested over 60 laps  of the two miles (3.2 km) circuit, a total distance of 120 miles (190 km). It was the second annual Sandown International Cup, the two races serving as the forerunners of the Sandown round of the annual Tasman Series from 1964 to 1975.


1963 Sandown International Cup
The race was won by Bruce McLaren driving a Cooper T62 Coventry Climax.


1963 Sarawak district council elections
The second Sarawak district council elections was held in 1963. The results of the election was announced from 18 to 25 June 1963. A total of 185,000 voters (72.7% of the registered electorate) cast votes in this election. A total of 998 candidates were vying for 429 district council seats in Sarawak.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Background
On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of the Federation of Malaya, announced a plan to form a greater federation together with Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei, to be called Malaysia. On 17 January 1962, the Cobbold Commission was formed to gauge the support of Sarawak and Sabah for the plan; the Commission reported 80 percent support for federation. As the target date 31 August 1963 for the creation of Malaysia was fast approaching , the four parties (Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak, and Sabah) were going nowhere on their negotiations with Malaya.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Background
Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had refused previous financial terms nearing settlement after a rift with Malayan Chinese Association (now Malaysian Chinese Association). The Sultan of Brunei also halted financial negotiation with Malaya. Sultan of Brunei was reported to questioned his precedence in the Malaysian Conference of Rulers and was apparently unsatisfied at his fourth position in the hierarchy. However, he later denied the breakdown of Brunei-Malaya talk was due to the issue of precedence.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Background
The political system in Sarawak was so new that defections and realignment of political parties can almost certainly be expected. There were three major political parties in Sarawak at that time: Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), Parti Negara Sarawak (PANAS), and Sarawak Alliance (Alliance). SUPP was led by Ong Kee Hui, who was a banking executive and also a Kuching Municipal Council chairman. Another prominent leader of the party, Stephen Young, was an English and Chinese educated barrister working in Kuching. However, SUPP was also infiltrated with communist supporters.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Background
Although the party was non-racial, the majority of its members were Chinese. On the other hand, PANAS was a member of the Alliance. PANAS broke away from the Alliance in April 1963 because of its dissatisfaction of alleged interference of local affairs by the Malayan Alliance Party. Although PANAS leadership was multi-racial, it became predominantly a Malay party. Meanwhile, Alliance comprised four parties: Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Parti Pesaka Sarawak (PESAKA), Barisan Ra'ayat Jati Sarawak (BARJASA), and Sarawak Chinese Association (SCA).


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Background
SNAP was led by the party secretary, namely Stephen Kalong Ningkan, where he drawn his support from the Iban people of the second division of Sarawak (today Betong and Sri Aman Divisions). PESAKA was founded by Temenggung Jugah after his defection from PANAS in 1962. The PESAKA party drawn its support from the Ibans of the third division of Sarawak (today Sibu, Sarikei, Mukah and Kapit Divisions). BARJASA was representing Malays in the anti-cessionist faction. Lastly, SCA was founded by Ling Beng Siew. He was the former founder of PESAKA and was defeated in his own ward in 1959 elections.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Electoral system
Sarawak had an indirect three-tiered electoral system. The British colonial government installed such a system for the then politically immature Sarawak so that the legislators can have some governmental experience during their tenure in office. The state was divided into 24 local authority areas, each headed by a district council which composed of elected members from single-member constituencies. All the 24 districts then grouped together to form five divisions and each division was headed by a divisional advisory council elected by the respective district councils.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Electoral system
The divisional advisory councils then functioned to elect 36 members into Council Negri (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly). Meanwhile, the Council Negri would select 24 members of parliament to sit in the Parliament of Malaysia. Despite being elected as members of parliament, the representatives would still be answerable to Council Negri, divisional councils, and district councils below them.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Results, District councils
Of the total 429 district council seats, Sarawak Alliance won 138 seats, SUPP won 116, independents won 116 seats, and PANAS won 59 seats. On the percentage of total votes, Alliance won 30.6%, independents won 29.7%, SUPP won 24.5%, and PANAS won 15.2% of the votes. SUPP became the dominant party representing the Chinese after the election. The party was initially troubled with allegations of communist infiltration. Besides, three newspapers in support of the party were banned by the government under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Results, District councils
SUPP also faced stiff competition with SCA where the latter enjoyed support from the Peninsular based Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). Although SUPP lost a substantial number of Chinese votes in four out of five urban centres (Kuching Municipal, Kuching Rural, Sibu Urban, Sibu Rural, and Miri), it did not prevent SUPP from winning district council seats in these areas. The party also enjoyed considerable support in several non-Chinese seats. At the same time, Alliance victory was built on the overwhelming support of the Iban people to SNAP and PESAKA. Alliance captured six out of eight Iban majority districts.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Results, District councils
Although PANAS was attacked by the Alliance for deserting the latter just before the election; PANAS was able to capture 53 out of 118 seats at the first and second divisions of Sarawak. Besides, the party was able to make inroads northwards into Bintulu and Miri districts. Therefore, PANAS was seen as the voice for the Malays in the first and second divisions of Sarawak.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Results, Divisional councils
After the district council elections, each district council met from 1 July to 5 July 1963 in order to choose one to eight representatives into their respective divisional councils. Although PANAS had the most number of seats in the first division, it required support of the three independents to form a majority in this division. The Alliance formed a clear majority in the second division, but required the support of independents in the third division in order to form a majority. In the fourth and fifth divisions, independents clearly had an upper hand when compared to other political parties.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Results, Council Negri
With the announcement of SUPP-PANAS coalition on 1 July, both the parties were able to command a majority in the first division of Sarawak. However, by 15 July, Alliance had an upper hand in third, fourth, and fifth divisions of Sarawak. Therefore, the Alliance was able to command 19 out of 36 seats in the Council Negri. With additional support from the independents, Alliance was able to command 26 seats in the Council Negri. Meanwhile SUPP-PANAS coalition was only able to command ten of the Council Negri seats.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Aftermath
Sarawak Alliance won the mandate to form the first state government of Sarawak. Although it was obvious that a Dayak from the principal parties (which was either SNAP or PESAKA) should become the first chief minister of Sarawak, Malaysian federal government suggested that Abdul Rahman Ya'kub (a Melanau Muslim leader from BARJASA) should become the chief minister despite his defeat in his own local ward.


1963 Sarawak district council elections, Aftermath
However, the federal government eventually accepted a compromise that the chief minister post will be held by a Dayak from SNAP named Stephen Kalong Ningkan. The Malaysian federal government also demanded that the both the chief minister and the governor post should not be held by the Dayaks simultaneously. Therefore, Temenggung Jugah, a Dayak from PESAKA, instead of becoming the first governor of Sarawak, was transferred to become the "Federal Minister of Sarawak Affairs".


1963 Scotch Cup
The 1963 Scotch Cup was the fifth edition of the Scotch Cup and was held from March 13–15 in Perth, Scotland at the Perth Ice Rink. Canada won take out the title after winning five of their six matches with the only loss being against the United States in draw 1.


1963 Scotch Cup, Teams
Skip : John-Allan MånssonThird: Curt JonssonSecond: Gustav LarssonLead: Magnus BergeAlternate: Sven A. Eklund


1963 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1963 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 26 October 1963 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and it was the final of the 18th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Rangers and Morton F.C.. Rangers won with a score of 5–0.


1963 Segunda División de Chile
The 1963 Segunda División de Chile was the 12th season of the Segunda División de Chile.


1963 Senegalese general election
General elections were held in Senegal on 1 December 1963. It was the first time the President had been directly elected. However, incumbent Léopold Sédar Senghor of the Senegalese Progressive Union (UPS) was the only candidate, and was re-elected unopposed. The UPS also won all 80 seats in the National Assembly with 94.2% of the vote. Voter turnout was around 86% for the presidential election and 90% for the Assembly election.


1963 Senegalese general election, Further reading
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