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.