Washington State University Athletics
A Game for All Time
By Jason Krump
Keith Lincoln sprinted 56 yards to the Boston Patriots' 5-yard line, setting up a San Diego Chargers' touchdown.
Just two plays in to the 1963 AFL Championship game and one of the great individual performances in professional football history had begun.
"It was a lot of fun," remembered Lincoln.
Lincoln's final stats, which earned him the game's MVP honors, read something out of a video game: 206 yards rushing, including a 67-yard touchdown, 123 yards receiving with a touchdown reception, and 20 yards passing.
A total of 349 yards. And Lincoln didn't even see action for much of the second half, so dominant were the Chargers in their 51-10 win against the Patriots.
If he had, it may have been ranked higher than the No. 20 postseason performance in pro football history, selected by ESPN in 2012.
The versatility Lincoln showcased in San Diego that January Saturday can be traced back to his playing days at Washington State from 1958-60.
Lincoln played quarterback in high school in Southern California, but when he came to WSU was well-established at quarterback with junior Bob Newman.
Washington State coach Jim Sutherland, who Lincoln said was key for him deciding to come to Pullman, gave him an option when Lincoln entered his sophomore season.
"He said you can redshirt and be my starting quarterback for three years or you can be my starting running back," he said.
"So I became a running back."
Among other positions.
"I was a running back, a defensive back, I punted, returned punts and kickoffs, and kicked field goals," he said.
By the time his career at Washington State ended, Lincoln set a school career rushing record with 1,501 yards. In addition he established a single-season punting averaging record (43.4 yards) and a career punting average record (40.3 yards).
"You get a ton of experience. My junior year I averaged 58 minutes a game."
Lincoln put that experience to good use against the Patriots.
During the 1963 regular season, the Chargers won two hard-fought games against the Patriots, 17-13 at San Diego and 7-6 at Boston.
"We were expecting a tough game," said Lincoln.
The Patriots league-leading defense utilized a blitzing scheme, particularly from the line backs to pressure opposing offenses. Chargers head coach Sid Gillman devised a plan to counter the Patriots' aggressiveness.
"I can never talk about the Chargers without mentioning Sid Gillman," said Lincoln, a member of the San Diego Chargers and Washington State University Athletic Halls of Fame. "I believe he's in the all-time top five to ever coach in pro football.
Gillman's game plan worked to perfection.
"We showed them some motion that we've not done before," said Lincoln, as he reflected back on the game from his home in Pullman. "By doing this it froze the defense, particularly the linebackers for a split second.
"That's all you need," said Lincoln. "Several of the plays I broke were plays we had not shown them before."
At the time, the blowout sent ripples throughout the pro football world and today is considered a landmark game in history. It is featured in Ron Jaworski's book "The Games That Changed the Game."
Four years before the AFL and NFL played in the first Super Bowl, Gillman challenged George Halas, coach of the 1963 NFL Champion Chicago Bears to play for the outright title.
To no one's surprise, Halas declined. So Gillman decided that, in addition to etching AFL Champions on the ring, World Champions would be added, as well.
After his playing days, Lincoln returned to WSU and coached for a time before becoming the an associate director of alumni relations. He was named executive director in 1978 and held that position until his retirement in 2003.
"I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I was done with my football playing career," Lincoln said. "With football you have to move several times and by this time I was thinking Pullman is not a bad place. It's a great place to raise a family. The next thing I knew I spent a lifetime here.
"I couldn't envision life without being a Cougar."
