Brittenum made his AFL debut with the Chargers on September 6, 1968, at the age of 24, in a 29–13 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.[8] In a game on December 8 that same year, he replaced John Hadl – who completed just 9 of 25 passes and had six interceptions made off him – in the fourth quarter, but was promptly tackled in his own end zone by Buck Buchanan for a safety.[9][10] The Chargers ultimately lost that game 40–3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, eliminating them from AFL Western Division contention.[9][10] In his 14 games in the AFL, Brittenum scored one touchdown, completed 9 of 17 passes, and registered 125 passing yards and −4 rushing yards.[2]
Later life
After retiring from professional football, Brittenum managed Brittenum & Associates, an investment banking firm based in Little Rock, Arkansas.[11] Both the company and Brittenum filed for bankruptcy in 1986.[11] He was subsequently charged with misappropriating his investors' money, with 15 savings and loan associations claiming $30.6 million against his company.[12] Brittenum faced a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, but was handed a five-year suspended sentence, 100 hours of community service, and restitution to four of his clients for $4 million.[11][13]
Brittenum was selected for his alma mater's Sports Hall of Honor in 2020 and inducted the following year.[4][14] He was also named to the school's All-Decade team for the 1960s. He died on October 13, 2022, in South Texas. He was 78, and suffered from ill health in the years prior to his death.[4]
