1969 Cincinnati Bengals season

The 1969 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's second year as a franchise, and their final season in professional football's American Football League (AFL).

Head coach Paul Brown drafted quarterback Greg Cook of the University of Cincinnati in the first round. The same draft also produced linebacker Bill Bergey. Cook's season started spectacularly, as he led the Bengals to a 3–0 record. However, due to a pop in his right (throwing) shoulder while being tackled by linebacker Jim Lynch against Kansas City, he missed the next three games. With limited medical technology at the time, his injury went undiagnosed; it was later confirmed as a torn rotator cuff. Despite this, the Bengals defeated the Chiefs 24-19.

The Bengals jumped out to a 3–0 record, but finished 4–9–1 in their final season at Nippert Stadium, before moving to the brand new Riverfront Stadium the following season. Brown would be named AFL Coach of the Year.

The November 9, 1969 Bengals vs. Oilers game at the Astrodome in Houston is unique in Bengals history, as it is the only non-overtime tie game. Cincinnati played its first regular-season tie that afternoon, catching the Oilers at 31–31 on kicker Horst Muhlmann's 18-yard field goal with 0:22 left in the fourth quarter. Regular-season overtime was not in the rule book at that time.

The oldest season record in Bengals history, and the only one still standing from the Nippert Stadium years, is QB Greg Cook's average of 9.41 yards gained per passing attempt in 1969. The only other average of more than nine yards was 9.21 by QB Boomer Esiason in 1988. Cook went on to pass for 1,854 yards and led the Bengals to wins over the Oakland Raiders as well as the eventual Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.