Mel Branch

Melvin Leroy Branch (February 15, 1937 – April 21, 1992) was an American football defensive end who played in the American Football League. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he was a member of the "Chinese Bandits" defense on the 1958 national champion team.

In the AFL, Branch played for the Dallas Texans, who later became the Kansas City Chiefs, and for the Miami Dolphins. He was a starter for the Texans in their victory over the Houston Oilers in the 1962 AFL Championship Game, the longest professional football game played up to that time.