The 1965 Season AFL All-Star Game saw the introduction of a new format. Instead of the old East-West All-Stars match-up, the champions of the League, the Buffalo Bills, met a team of all-stars selected from the other AFL teams. The game was a story with two chapters: the first half and the second half. It was a game that would foreshadow the future of the AFL in the form of one person, Joe Namath. The game was witnessed by 35,572 fans at Houston’s Rice Stadium. The coaches were Sid Gillman for the West and Joe Collier of Buffalo.
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In the first half, the Bills stormed to a 13-0 lead behind the leadership of quarterback Jack Kemp. In the first quarter, Pete Gogolak kicked a field goal of 11 yards. Later in the quarter, George Saimes returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown. The All-Stars finally got on the board in the second quarter when Gino Cappelletti of Boston kicked a 46 yard field goal. Gogolak added his second field goal from 20 yards out and Cappelletti answered with his second from 14. The score was 13-6 at the half.
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At the half, Joe Namath of the New York Jets, AFL rookie of the year, replaced San Diego’s John Hadl as All-Star quarterback. He promptly led the Stars on four straight scoring drives. On the first drive, Cappelletti kicked his third field goal of the afternoon from 32

yards to pull the Stars to within four at 13-9. Namath then led the Stars on a drive that culminated in a one yard touchdown run by Paul Lowe of the Chargers. Later in the third quarter, Namath hit San Diego’s Lance Alworth with a 46 yard touchdown pass. Namath had led the Stars back and it was 23-13 after three quarters. In the final period, Namath hit Alworth again for a touchdown, this time from 10 yards out. Alworth, who wasn’t supposed to play in the game because of a rib injury, was knocked unconscious on the play. He was carried from the field to a standing ovation. Coach Collier replaced Jack Kemp in the fourth quarter and Daryle Lamonica guided the Bills 75 yards in 11 plays as Wray Carlton caught a 34 yard touchdown pass. The final score was Stars 30, Bills19.