Mel Branch
 Branch c. 1960 | |||||||||||
| No. 87, 86 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 15, 1937 Leesville, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died: | April 21, 1992 (aged 55) DeRidder, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | DeRidder | ||||||||||
| College: | LSU | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1960 / round: 10 / pick: 118 | ||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1960 / round: Second selections | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Melvin Leroy Branch (February 15, 1937 – April 21, 1992) was an American football defensive end who played for the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins in the American Football League (AFL).
While playing college football for the LSU Tigers, he was a member of the "Chinese Bandits" defense for the 1958 national champion team, and a starter for the Texans in their victory over the Houston Oilers in the longest professional football game played up to that time, the 1962 AFL Championship Game.