| 1963 AFL Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 5, 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Balboa Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | San Diego, CA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Keith Lincoln, RB | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Chargers by 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Unknown, likely referee | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 30,127 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1963 American Football League Championship Game was the fourth American Football League (AFL) title game. The Western Division champion San Diego Chargers won 51–10 over the Eastern Division champion Boston Patriots. The Chargers' Keith Lincoln was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).
At the end of the regular season, the Chargers (11–3) won the Western Division for the third time in the four-year existence of the AFL. In the Eastern Division, the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills had identical 7–6–1 records, which required a tiebreaker playoff game on December 28 in Buffalo.
Idle during the week of Eastern Division playoff, well-rested San Diego was a touchdown favorite at home to win the AFL title. Fullback Keith Lincoln performed tremendously and led the Chargers to a 51–10 rout of Boston. Named the game's MVP, he rushed for 206 yards on 13 carries, led the team with 123 yards in receiving, and completed a pass for 20 yards.
The game was not a sellout; the attendance of 30,127 was several thousand under Balboa Stadium's capacity.
The Chargers' championship win 57 years ago is noted for being the only major sports title for the city of San Diego, the longest drought for a major American city. The Chargers played in San Diego through 2016, then returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The Patriots' first league championship came in the 2001 season in Super Bowl XXXVI.