Dec. 22, 1963 - The San Diego Chargers won the Western Division championship of the American Football League today by defeating the Denver Broncos, 58-20. The Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills will meet in a playoff game Saturday to determine the Eastern Division champion. The Chargers will meet the winner Jan. 5 in San Diego for the league championship. The Chargers finished the season with an 11-3 record, one game ahead of the Oakland Raiders, who had a 10-4 mark. Halfback Paul Lowe (pictured #23), who scored twice and gained 183 yards in 17 carries, paced the Chargers, who tallied the first four times they had possession and set a team record for points scored. Lowe sat out most of the last quarter. The game turned into a rout in the final quarter, which was highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run of a recovered fumble by Chuck Allen, a San Diego linebacker. Allen darted away from two would-be tacklers and dove over two more at the goal line. After the game, Jack Faulkner, the Bronco coach, criticized Coach Sid Gillman of San Diego for having allowed the Chargers to run up a record score in the game. “It was unnecessary for Sid to try for two points after the last score and to follow that with an onside kick. It probably will mean the end of our friendship,” said Faulkner, who was Gillman’s assistant for 14 years in college and pro ball.
