Our Electric Football Game Top 20 Countdown continues…at No. 12 it’s the 1970 Tudor AFC No. 610. 

The Browns and Jets as they appeared on the 1970 Tudor AFC No. 610.

Part of the No. 610’s appeal comes from it being the first large AFC game. But what really makes this game special is that it recreates the first ABC Monday Night Football Game ever played…even down to the correct uniforms. 

Tudor was fortunate enough to obtain the NFL Electric Football license just as the NFL-AFL merger agreement was being signed in the mid-1960’s. Due to contractual obligations (mostly television), the two leagues couldn’t merge until 1970. And even with that date confirmed and on the calendar, a lot of merger details were still left to the last minute.

Despite a number of unsettled merger issues, Tudor was at ready in 1970 with their brand new all-NFL line. They had divided Electric Football by Conference, producing both an NFC and an AFC line of games. Each Conference would have a large (620-size) and a small (500-size) Tudor game. 

Tudor’s large AFC game was the American Conference No. 610. Without a doubt the most striking feature of the game was the bright yellow end zones. And each end zone contained a glowing white “N-F-L” that was outlined in red. Beyond the end zones, the field alternated a dark green/light green pattern every five yards. In addition, Tudor included a modern white “safety zone” border around the field, and orange yard line numbers, also outlined in red. 

Just hours away from the birth of ABC Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson, and Don Meredith.

This same red color was used on the frame. On the interior walls it offered a warm highlight to the green of field. On the exterior of the frame, the red outer edge included the names of all the AFC teams. A brand new Tudor scoreboard — which the No. 610 would share with its twin the NFC No. 620 — came with the name plates for every team in the NFL.

The AFC No. 610 is a beautiful game that was released at a very important time in NFL history. But the event that etched this game into Electric Football lore took place on Monday, September 21, 1970. On that night the Cleveland Browns hosted the New York Jets in Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Besides the 85,000 fans in attendance, there were ABC cameras, and an announcing crew of Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell. This trio would introduce Prime Time football to millions of television viewers around the country. 

Namath was picked off 3 times in the Browns’ 31-21 victory.

The Browns picked off Jets star QB Joe Namath three times, winning the game 31-21. In other stats, the game drew 35% of a national Prime Time television audience. Monday Night Football was a hit that quickly changed American culture. And the NFL began an upward trajectory that continues four decades on.

In coming up with teams for No. 610 — the Browns in white and the Jets in green — Tudor was simply lucky. The team pairing was decided in late 1969, and unveiled for toy buyers at Toy Fair in February of 1970. Retailers were already ordering No. 610’s with Browns and Jets long before the NFL schedule was unveiled in May of 1970. But it’s the kind of luck that seemed to be always on Tudor’s side. Whether it was landing the NFL license on the cusp of the NFL-AFL merger, having the first Tudor Super Bowl model be the Jets historic victory in SB III, or creating the first Monday Night Football game, Tudor ended up being in the right place at the right time. 

One of the true treasures of Electric Football – the 1970 American Conference No. 610. And you can find it in our new Electric Football Wishbook!

Earl, Roddy, & Michael