On August 14, 1959, in a Chicago meeting room far from the bright lights and big stadiums of the NFL, a small group of stubborn, ambitious men shook hands on something most thought was doomed. They called themselves “The Foolish Club,” not because they lacked resources or vision, but because they knew exactly what they were up against. The NFL had just twelve teams, no appetite for expansion, and every intention of keeping it that way. Lamar Hunt, a young Texas oilman, had tried to bring an NFL team to Dallas. The league turned him down. So he rounded up others who had also been left at the doorstep, men like Bud Adams in Houston, Bob Howsam in Denver, Harry Wismer in New York, and Barron Hilton in Los Angeles. They were not looking for a fight, but they were willing to have one if the NFL forced their hand. By the time that first meeting ended, a rival league had been born.
