San Diego Chargers
Encyclopedia
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football
team based in San Diego, California
. they were members of the Western Division
of the American Football Conference
(AFC) in the National Football League
(NFL). The club began play in 1960
as a charter member of the American Football League
, and spent its first season in Los Angeles, California
before moving to San Diego in 1961. The Chargers play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium
. The Chargers continue to be the only NFL team based in Southern California
, with no teams in Los Angeles
since 1994.
The Chargers are the only team to start a season 0–4 and make the playoffs (1992
), and the only team to start a season 4–8 and make the playoffs (2008
). In addition, they are one of only five NFL teams since 1970 to rank first in overall offense and defense in the same season (2010
), but the only team to achieve that feat without making the playoffs. Since the 2004 NFL season
, they are also one of only three teams in the NFL to not have a losing record (New England
and Pittsburgh
are the other two), but the only one of the three that has failed to win the Super Bowl
; the other two have won at least one Super Bowl title.
The Chargers won one AFL title in 1963
and reached the AFL playoffs five times and the AFL Championship four times before joining the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger
. In the 34 years since then, the Chargers have made ten trips to the playoffs and four appearances in the AFC Championship game. At the end of the 1994 season
, the Chargers
faced the San Francisco 49ers
in Super Bowl XXIX
and fell 49–26. The Chargers have six players and one coach enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio
: wide receiver
Lance Alworth
(1962
–1970), defensive end
Fred Dean
(–), quarterback
Dan Fouts
(–), head coach/general manager
Sid Gillman
(1960–1969
), wide receiver Charlie Joiner
(–), offensive lineman Ron Mix
(1960–1969) and tight end
Kellen Winslow
(-1987).
The San Diego Chargers were established with seven other American Football League teams in 1959. In 1960, the Chargers began AFL play in Los Angeles. The Chargers' original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton
, son of Hilton Hotels
founder Conrad Hilton
.
According to the official site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Barron Hilton agreed after his general manager, Frank Leahy picked the Chargers name when he purchased an AFL franchise for Los Angeles. The Chargers played in Los Angeles in 1960 and moved to San Diego in 1961. “I liked it because they were yelling ‘charge’ and sounding the bugle at Dodgers Stadium and at USC games.”
The Chargers only spent one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. The early AFL years of the San Diego Chargers were highlighted by the outstanding play of wide receiver Lance Alworth with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards in his 11-AFL/NFL-season career. In addition he set the pro football record of consecutive games with a reception (96) during his career.
Their only coach for the ten year life of the AFL was Sid Gillman, a Hall of Famer. who was considered the foremost authority on the forward passing offense of his era. With players such as Alworth, Paul Lowe
, Keith Lincoln
and John Hadl
, the high-scoring Chargers won divisional crowns five of the league’s first six seasons and the AFL title in 1963 with a 51–10 victory over the Boston Patriots
.
They also played defense, as indicated by their professional football record 49 pass interceptions in 1961, and featured AFL Rookie of the Year defensive end Earl Faison
. The Chargers were the originators of the term "Fearsome Foursome
" to describe their all-star defensive line, anchored by Faison and Ernie Ladd
(the latter also excelled in professional wrestling
). The phrase was later appropriated by the Los Angeles Rams
. Hilton sold the Chargers to a group headed by Eugene Klein
and Sam Schulman
in August 1966. The following year the Chargers began "head to head" competition with the older NFL with a preseason loss to the Detroit Lions. The Chargers defeated the defending Super Bowl III champion New York Jets
34–27 before a record San Diego Stadium crowd of 54,042 on September 29, 1969. Alworth once again led the team in receptions with 64 and 1,003 yards with four touchdowns. The team also saw Gillman step down due to health and offensive backfield coach Charlie Waller
promoted to head coach after the completion of the regular season. Gillman did remain with the club as the general manager.
, the San Diego Chargers were placed into the AFC West division after the NFL merger with the AFL. But by then, the Chargers fell on hard times; Gillman, who had returned as general manager, stepped down in 1971, and many of the Charger players from the 1960s had already either retired or had been traded. The Chargers acquired veteran players like Deacon Jones
and Johnny Unitas
, however it was at the later stages of their careers and the team struggled, placing third or fourth in the AFC West each year from 1970 to .
" game, or as Chargers fans call it the "Immaculate Deception". It was a game-winning play executed by the Oakland Raiders
against the Chargers on September 10, in San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. With 10 seconds left in the game, the Raiders had possession of the ball at the Chargers' 14-yard line, trailing 20–14. Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler
took the snap and found himself about to be sacked by Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe
on the 24-yard line. Stabler fumbled the ball forward, and it rolled forward towards the San Diego goal line. Running back Pete Banaszak
tried to recover the ball on the 12-yard line, but could not keep his footing, and the ball was pushed even closer to the end zone. Raiders tight end Dave Casper
was the next player to reach the ball but he also could not get a hand on it. He batted and kicked the ball into the end zone, where he fell on it for the game-tying touchdown as time ran out. With the ensuing extra point by placekicker Errol Mann
, the Raiders won, 21–20. What many Charger fans believed should have been called an incomplete pass (and possibly intentional grounding) was seen as a fumble and the rest of the play involved batting of the ball forward towards the end zone where the Raiders ultimately recovered it for a touchdown. As a result of this play, NFL rules were changed so that, in the last two minutes of a half or game, the only offensive player allowed to advance a fumbled ball is the player who originally fumbled. If any other offensive player recovers the fumble and advances the ball, after the play the line of scrimmage is the spot of the original fumble.
marked a turning point for the Chargers franchise as The Sporting News named team general manager John Sanders NFL Executive of the Year after balloting of other NFL executives. Fouts set an NFL record with his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game, in a game in which he threw for 303 yards against the Raiders. Coached by Don Coryell
(with an offense nicknamed "Air Coryell"), featuring Fouts throwing to tight end Kellen Winslow and wide receivers John Jefferson
and Charlie Joiner
, they clinched their first playoff berth in 14 years with a 35–0 victory against the New Orleans Saints
. On December 17, the Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos
17–7 for their first AFC West division title since the AFL-NFL merger before a national Monday Night Football
television audience and their home crowd. Their time in the playoffs
was short as they would lose to the Houston Oilers
17–14 loss in the divisional round. Ron Mix became the second AFL player and second Charger to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, during halftime of the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl.
, and Fouts set a club record with 444 yards passing in the Chargers' 44–7 victory over the New York Giants
. Kellen Winslow caught 10 passes for 171 yards and Chargers clinched their second straight AFC West title by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers
26–17 and finished the regular season with an 11–5 record. Jefferson (1,340), Winslow (1,290), and Joiner (1,132) became the first trio on the same team to have 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The Chargers' defense led the NFL in sacks (60) spearheaded by the frontline of 1975 Chargers' draftees Dean, Gary "Big Hands" Johnson and Louie Kelcher
. The trio, along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive frontline that was locally nicknamed The Bruise Brothers, coined from a popular act at the time, The Blues Brothers. In the playoffs
, they won the divisional round 20–14 over the Buffalo Bills
. However, they fell one game shy of Super Bowl XV
in a 34–27 loss to the eventual-champion Raiders
.
after he held out for an increase in salary but replaced him with Wes Chandler. Defensive end Dean also became involved in a hold out and was traded to the 49ers. Dean contends he was making the same amount of money as his brother-in-law who was a truck driver. Dean would win UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year
(while playing in only 11 games) that same year en route to a Super Bowl victory and help the 49ers to another Super Bowl title two years later. Dean's loss was particularly damaging to the Chargers' Super Bowl chances as the defense weakened afterwards, surrendering the most passing yards in the NFL in both 1981 and 1982.
In the 1981 playoffs
, the Chargers managed to outlast the Miami Dolphins
in the divisional round, 41–38, in a game that became known as The Epic in Miami
. The game was voted as the best game in NFL history by a panel of ESPN journalists. The temperature was 85°F with high humidity (29.4°C) at the Miami Orange Bowl
, but it did not stop either team's offense. The Chargers were led by quarterback Dan Fouts who made the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row, setting an NFL single season record at that point and time of 4,802 yards and 33 touchdowns. The Dolphins were led by head coach Don Shula
and featured a defense that gave up the fifth-fewest points in the NFL in the regular season.
This game set playoff records for the most points scored in a playoff game (79), the most total yards by both teams (1,036), and most passing yards by both teams (809). Chargers placekicker Rolf Benirschke
eventually kicked the winning 29-yard field goal after 13:52 of overtime to help San Diego beat Miami, 41–38. The image of an exhausted tight end Kellen Winslow, who finished the game with 13 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown and one blocked field goal, being helped off the field by two of his Chargers teammates has been replayed countless times. Kellen Winslow was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
However, the eventual-AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals
, playing in their first AFC Championship Game
, defeated the Chargers 27–7 in what became known as the Freezer Bowl
. The temperature of nine degrees below zero with a wind-chill factor of minus 59 made this the coldest weather conditions for a title game in the history of the NFL. Chargers owner Eugene Klein
tried to get the NFL and Bengals to postpone the game but he was turned down.
"I can't say how much it affected us, because we did make it to the AFC championship game," said Johnson on the loss of fellow lineman Dean. "But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner, it might've been different. "
, Fouts averaged what is still a record of 320 yards passing per game. Highlights that season included back-to-back victories against the 1981 Super Bowl teams San Francisco (41–37) and Cincinnati (50–34) in which Fouts threw for over 400 yards in each game to lead the Chargers to shootout victories. The December 20th, 1982 Cincinnati
game was a rematch of the 1981 AFC Championship Game]]. The Chargers would generate a total offensive yardage record of 661 (501 yards passing, 175 yards rushing) that still stands as the most in team history in defeating Cincinnati. Also during the year, Chandler, set the record of 129 yards receiving per game that is still an NFL record. The Chargers made it back to the playoffs
, but after beating the Steelers in the first round, they lost to the Dolphins
34–13 in a rematch of their playoff game from the previous season. That loss began a slide for the Chargers, who from to failed to make the playoffs every season.
In Klein cut salary in preparation of selling the team, sending defensive linemen Johnson and Kelcher to San Francisco, where they would join Dean and offensive tackle Billy Shields
for another 49ers championship in Super Bowl XXIV
. Alex Spanos
purchased a majority interest in San Diego from Klein on August 1. Alex G. Spanos still owns 97% of the team and George Pernicano owns the other 3%. Benirschke was named "Miller Man of the Year" and Joiner set an NFL record with his 650th pass reception in the fourth quarter of the game at Pittsburgh. In guard Ed White set an NFL record by playing in 241 NFL games, most all-time among offensive linemen. Lionel "Little Train" James
, a mere 5'6" and 171 pound running back, set NFL record of 2,535 all-purpose yards while also setting a record of 1,027 receiving yards by a running back.
Al Saunders
was named the seventh head coach in Chargers history in 1986
following the resignation of Coryell. In 1987 Joiner retired to become receivers coach of the Chargers. The Chargers finished with an 8—7 record, their first winning record since 1982, despite winding up with six straight losses. In Fouts retired after a 15-year career in which he set seven NFL records and 42 club records, and became the NFL's second most prolific passer of all-time with 43,040 yards. Fouts's jersey number (14) was retired at halftime of "Dan Fouts Day" game in San Diego.
, a former Chargers quarterback, Washington Redskins
assistant, and Atlanta Falcons
head coach, was named the eighth head coach in Chargers history. Marion Butts
set a club record with 39 carries and a team rookie record with 176 yards in Chargers' 20–13 win in Kansas City. After a three-year stint as Director of Football Operations, Steve Ortmayer
was released after the season and replaced by Bobby Beathard
.
Henning's tenure with the Chargers lasted three seasons as Bobby Ross
was hired as head coach in and the Chargers acquired quarterback Stan Humphries in a trade with Redskins. The Chargers would lose their first four games of the season and come back to become the first 0–4 team to make the playoffs
as they won 11 of the last 12 games and clinched the AFC West title. Ross was named NFL Coach of the Year
for the Chargers' dramatic turnaround by Pro Football Weekly
. In the first round of the playoffs, the Chargers shut out the Kansas City Chiefs
17–0, but the Dolphins
shut out the Chargers in the divisional playoffs to eliminate the Chargers. In , the Chargers finished 8–8 (fourth in their division).
appearance, against the 49ers
in Super Bowl XXIX
. They got to the Super Bowl by winning their first six regular season games, the only NFL team to do so in 1994, and finished the season 11–5. Quarterback Stan Humphries
and wide receiver Tony Martin combined on a 99-yard touchdown completion to tie an NFL record during a defeat of the Seattle Seahawks
, 27–10. They would become the 1994 AFC West Division champions behind a defense led by linebacker Junior Seau
, defensive tackles Reuben Davis
and Shawn Lee, defensive end Leslie O'Neal
and an offense keyed by running back Natrone Means, Humphries and Martin. The Chargers had upset victories over the Dolphins and Steelers in the AFC playoffs
. Despite those two close triumphs (22–21 against the Dolphins in the Divisional Round, and 17–13 against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game), the Chargers lost Super Bowl XXIX to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 49–26, who were led by quarterback Steve Young (Super Bowl MVP
) and wide receiver Jerry Rice
.
Despite the lopsided loss in the Super Bowl, Beathard, who traded for or drafted the bulk of the Chargers roster, and who hired coach Ross, was named the NFL's smartest man by Sports Illustrated
, and became the only general manager to lead three different teams to the Super Bowl (Chargers, Dolphins, Redskins).
with a five-game winning streak to end the season at 9–7. However, in the first round, the Chargers were eliminated by the Indianapolis Colts
in a 35–20 defeat.
, running back Rodney Culver and his wife, Karen, were killed in the crash of ValuJet Airlines
Flight 592 in the Florida
Everglades
. Culver was the second player in team history to die while on the active roster after David Griggs
was killed in a one-car accident in Davie, Florida
11 months earlier. 1997
would find Ross and Beathard at odds with one another and would result in Ross and his staff being released. The Chargers selected Kevin Gilbride
to become their new head coach. Gilbride, whose coaching background with the Jacksonville Jaguars
and Oilers featured a more open passing attack would mark a major change in offensive style from the ball control ground game of Ross. Beathard drafted quarterback Ryan Leaf
after the Indianapolis Colts
selected Peyton Manning
with the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft
. The Chargers ended up trading several players and draft choices to the Arizona Cardinals
in order to move up to the second pick and select Ryan Leaf. The Chargers would see the team struggle in pass protection resulting in Leaf suffering several concussions and his retirement from the game. Gilbride was replaced by interim head coach June Jones
, who was on the Chargers' staff before the hire. Jones would leave the team at the end of the season to coach at the University of Hawaii and the Chargers would name former Oregon State University
head coach Mike Riley
as their new head coach. Leaf wound up having a disappointing career with the Chargers after a great deal of controversy with both the Charger management as well as the press and his teammates. His failure to be the player the team envisioned was seen as a black mark on the franchise and will be remembered by some as one of the worst draft/trades in the history of pro football. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh
, who was acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens
for a conditional draft choice in 2000, became the Chargers starting quarterback. Beathard retired in April 2000 and was replaced January 2001 by John Butler, former general manager of the Bills. From to , the Chargers had eight-straight seasons where they were .500 or worse.
2001
saw Norv Turner
, the former head coach of the Redskins, named offensive coordinator by Riley. Turner would go on to install the offense that he coached with the Dallas Cowboys
under Jimmy Johnson
. Turner learned the offense from Ernie Zampese
, former offense coordinator during the Coryell era, while the two were on the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff. The Chargers signed Heisman Trophy
winner free agent quarterback Doug Flutie
, formerly with the Bills and
traded the team's first overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft
to the Atlanta Falcons
for the first round selection (fifth overall) and third-round selection in the same draft. In addition the Chargers obtained wide receiver/kick returner Tim Dwight
and the Falcons' second-round draft selection in the 2002 NFL Draft
. The Chargers used those selections in the 2001 draft to select Texas Christian University
running back LaDainian Tomlinson
and Purdue University
quarterback Drew Brees
.
Hired as a replacement to Riley, Marty Schottenheimer
's Chargers squad opened the 2002 season with four straight victories making him the only coach in team history to win his first four games.
Butler would succumb to cancer after a nine-month struggle in April 2003. Replacing Butler was A. J. Smith
, who was named Executive Vice President-General Manager, replacing his close friend. Smith and Butler had worked together with the Bills playing key roles with Buffalo's Super Bowl teams. In 2003, the Chargers traded Seau to the Dolphins for a draft pick in 2004 NFL Draft
. Seau was selected to 2003 Pro Bowl
, his 12th Pro Bowl selection of his career, and in his final season with the Chargers, he was chosen by teammates as the recipient of the Emil Karas
Award as the team’s Most Inspirational Player. Also in 2003, Tomlinson accumalated 195 total yards from scrimmage in a late season game against the Packers to raise his season total to 2,011 and became the first player in team history and the eighth player in NFL history to record consecutive 2,000-yard seasons. Tomlinson also became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season .
from the University of Mississippi
despite Manning's stated desire to play elsewhere. New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi
, who had been in trade negotiations for several weeks before the draft with the Chargers, selected quarterback Philip Rivers
fourth and traded him along with additional draft picks to the Chargers. Rivers was expected to compete for the starting quarterback job, but he held out of training camp in a contract dispute. Drew Brees
, who received the majority of snaps at quarterback during Rivers' hold out, would retain the starting quarterback position. The team earned a trip back to the postseason in by capturing the AFC West division title with a 12–4 regular season record. The Chargers entered the first round of the playoffs
but were eliminated by the New York Jets
, who won in overtime 20–17. Rookie kicker Nate Kaeding
missed a 40-yard field goal that would have advanced San Diego into the next round, thus opening the door for a Jets victory. Despite an abrupt ending to their season, Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer
was named NFL Coach of the Year for the season, and Brees was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year
.
During the 2005 NFL Draft
, the Chargers drafted linebacker Shawne Merriman with a draft pick acquired from the Giants in the Eli Manning trade, who would go on to become a selection to the 2006 Pro Bowl
and the 2005 Defensive NFL Rookie of the Year Award
recipient. The team then used their second first round selection on defensive tackle Luis Castillo.The Chargers started the season without tight end Antonio Gates
as he was suspended two games by Smith for holding out in training camp. The 2005 season
saw LaDainian Tomlinson
's 18-game touchdown scoring streak end as Kaeding had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown in a 20–17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
on the road. Facing the 13–0 Colts
on the road, the Chargers took a 16–0 lead into the third quarter of the game, but the Colts responded with 17 points of their own to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Chargers would retake the lead on a field goal by Kaeding then scored again on an 83-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner. However a week later, the Chargers lost on the road to the Chiefs as an injured Tomlinson rushed for only 47 yards. The Chargers would go on to lose their season finale to the Broncos, with Brees suffering a dislocated shoulder to end the Chargers' 9–7 season. Brees, whose contract expired at the end of that season, left the team and would sign with the New Orleans Saints
.
The 2006
campaign would see the Chargers set the team's single-season record for wins with 14, while Tomlinson would enjoy the finest statistical season of his career, leading the league with 1,815 rushing yards and setting an NFL single-season record by scoring 31 touchdowns. However, the team would come up short in the playoffs again, blowing a fourth quarter lead at home in a 24–21 loss to the New England Patriots
. In the ensuing offseason, massive changes occurred to the coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Cam Cameron
left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins
, while defensive coordinator Wade Phillips would fill the head coaching vacancy with the Dallas Cowboys
. After a brief struggle for control over filling these vacancies, General Manager AJ Smith fired Schottenheimer, replacing him with Norv Turner
, who had been a head coach with two other NFL teams and had previously served the Chargers as offensive coordinator.
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season
began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success (14–2) and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner (1–3), they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall record of 11–5, and the AFC West title. More importantly, they went further in the playoffs than the previous year, but fell again to the New England Patriots
, this time in the AFC Championship game.
After winning their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on Sunday December 21, 2008, the Chargers stood at 7–8, one game behind the Denver Broncos. Denver's loss to the Buffalo Bills later that same day created a primetime showdown between Denver and San Diego in San Diego for the AFC West Championship, as well as the fourth seed in the playoffs. The Chargers won the 2008 AFC West championship in convincing fashion by beating Denver in a 52–21 blowout. On January 3, 2009, the San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23–17 in overtime to advance to the AFC Divisional Playoff round. On January 11, 2009 the Chargers were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 35–24 in the AFC Divisional Game ending the 2008 San Diego Chargers season
.
were 6–0, and had a 3 game lead over the Chargers. Most pundits said the AFC West was already decided and the Chargers would have to play for the wildcard. Most fans wanted the coach to be fired, especially after a lackluster performance at Oakland & Pittsburgh. But then, like all of their seasons under Turner, they played their best football at the end of the regular season. This was a season of the continual improvement of Philip Rivers & the passing game, and LaDainian Tomlinson no longer being the focus of the offense. Rivers threw for 4,254 yards (8th), 28 TD's (tied-6th), 8.8 yards per passing attempt (1st), 64 completions of 20+ yards (1st), only 9 INT's (4th with a minimum 400 pass attempts), and a 104.4 passer rating (3rd – only beaten by Drew Brees & Brett Favre). They would go on to win the AFC West, (their 4th straight division title, only Oakland with five straight 1972–1976 is better), along the way blowing out Denver with a convincing 32–3 victory at Denver and defeating every NFC East team. They finished the regular season with 11 straight wins (tying the 1961 team record & is also tied for the 5th longest win streak entering the playoffs), finished with an impressive 13–3 record, (including 4–0 in December, extending their NFL record with 18 straight wins in December, & also tying the Dolphins
1970–1974 in November for the longest winning streak in any month). They locked up the second seed as well as a first round bye but this served them no advantage in the playoffs as they lost at home to the Jets
17–14 (the only home team with a bye to lose in the divisional round). This was due to an overly conservative offense settling for FG's & the kicker, Nate Kaeding, missing all 3 attempts.
in rushing with 914 yards & tied for 3rd in receptions with 52). The 2010 campaign started off slowly again, this time 2–5 (including losses to some of the worst teams in football at the time – KC, OAK, SEA & STL). The losses were due to turnovers & mental mistakes by young players on special teams allowing blocked punts & kick/punt return TD's. The loss to Oakland
ended their 13 game winning streak against the Raiders
since their last loss on September 28, 2003. The Chargers then went on another second half run with four straight wins but this time instead of keeping the streak going the entire second half they had a big let down losing at home to the Raiders again, this time 28–13 (ending their shared NFL record, with the Dolphins, of 18 straight wins in December). Despite the loss, they still had a chance to win their 5th straight AFC West title, tying the Raiders, but they had another bad loss at the Bengals
34–20 ending their chances. The Chargers beat Denver
to end the season with a 9–7 record & out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They finished the season as the 8th team in NFL history to rank #1 in overall offense (395.6 yards/game), and overall defense (271.6 yards/game), and became only the 2nd of those teams to not make the playoffs (1953 Eagles
7–4–1). They were second to the Colts
in passing yards per game (282.4), second to the Patriots
in points scored per game (27.6), 1st in passing yards allowed per game (177.8), 4th in rushing yards allowed per game (93.8), and tied for 2nd in sacks (47). On the negative stat sheet, they gave up the most punt return yards per game (18.9) & had 29 turnovers. Philip Rivers had another great season with a career-high 4,710 yards (#1 in the NFL), 294 yards passing per game (tied for 1st with Manning), 66% completion pct. (third to Brees & Manning), 30 TD's, only 13 INT's & a 101.8 passer rating (second to Brady). Mike Tolbert 11 rushing TD's & Antonio Gates 10 receiving TD's were among the league leaders in TD's scored. On defense, Shaun Phillips' 11 sacks were in the top 10.
With the special teams failure of the 2010 season campaign, the Chargers hoped to rebound with a strong performance to start the season, and a way to overcome slow starts.
with a 4-1 campaign, with the only loss to a very good New England Patriots team. From that point on, however, the Chargers began a six game losing skid with losses to the Jets, Chiefs, Packers, Raiders, Bears and Broncos with the first four by only a score and against Denver in overtime. Injuries to both the offensive and the defensive line have hit the Chargers hard.
Except for color changes, the Chargers have basically used the logo of an arc-shaped lightning bolt since the team debuted in 1960. During its period in the AFL, the club also used a shield logo that featured a horsehead, a lightning bolt, and the word "Chargers".
From 1960 to 1973, the colors consisted of either Electric blue ("sky" or "powder" blue, but technically called Collegiate blue) or white jerseys, both with gold lightning bolts on the shoulders. The helmets were white and had both the arc-shaped lightning bolt logo, in gold, and the player's number. At first, the team wore white pants before switching to gold in 1966.
In 1974, the sky blue was changed to dark royal blue. The helmet was also changed to dark blue and the players' numbers were removed. From 1978 through 1983, the Chargers wore their white jerseys at home, coinciding with the hiring of coach Don Coryell – when Joe Gibbs
, a Coryell assistant in 1979–80, became head coach of the Washington Redskins
in 1981, he did the same, and white at home has become a Redskins staple ever since – but Coryell switched the Chargers to their blue jerseys at home starting in 1984. With the exception of the 1991 season and other sporadic home games since, San Diego wears its blue jerseys at home.
In 1985, the Chargers started using navy blue jerseys and returned to wearing white pants. The team's uniform design was next revamped in 1988. It featured an even darker shade of navy blue. The lightning bolts on the jerseys and helmets were white, with navy interior trim and gold outlining. In 1990, the team started to wear navy pants with their white jerseys. From 1988 to 1991, the team displayed stripes down the pants rather than lightning bolts. The Chargers went with all-white combinations in and , only to have the blue pants make a comeback. On October 27, 2003, the Chargers wore their navy pants with their navy jersey for a Monday Night Football game versus the Miami Dolphins that was played at Sun Devil Stadium
, then the home of the Arizona Cardinals
, due to wildfires in southern California. This remains the only game in which the Chargers have worn the all-dark combination.
.
From the late 1980s to 2000, the Chargers wore white at home during preseason games and dark for regular season games. In 2001, the Chargers started wearing their dark uniforms for preseason games and white uniforms in September home games due to the heat before switching back to dark in October. From 2002 to 2006, the Chargers used the early-1960s powder blue uniforms as alternate jerseys, which many football fans (both of the Chargers and of other teams) clamored for the team to bring back full-time.
In March 2007, the Chargers unveiled their first uniform redesign since 1988, on the team's official website. The team formally unveiled this new uniform set, which mixes old and new styles, in a private team-only event. Navy blue remains the primary color on the home jersey, but the familiar lightning bolt was reverted to gold, and now has navy outlining and Collegiate (powder) blue interior trim. The latter color is a nod to the 1960s uniforms. The redesigned lightning bolt was moved to the sides of the shoulders from the top, and includes a new numbering font and word mark in white, with gold outlining and powder blue interior trim. The pants also have a redesigned lightning bolt in gold, with powder blue trim on a navy stripe. Additionally, the team pays tribute to other uniform features from their history by wearing a metallic white helmet, with a navy face mask, the newly revamped bolt in gold with navy and powder blue trim, and white pants. The road white jerseys with navy pants, as well as the alternate powder blue jerseys with white pants, were also redesigned with the new scheme. The Chargers wear their white jerseys for the first few home games in the first half of the season.
Since 2007
, the Chargers have worn the alternate powder blue jerseys a total of ten times, most recently in a November 27, 2011 game vs. the Denver Broncos
, and the team will wear them for one additional game in the 2011 season—December 18 vs. the Baltimore Ravens
. The alternate powder blue jerseys were worn for a game against the Indianapolis Colts
in the 2008 playoffs.
In 2009
, in honor of their 50th anniversary as one of the eight original AFL
teams, the Chargers wore their 1960 throwback uniforms for three games.
Alworth, Mix, Hadl, Joiner, Coryell, Gillman, Garrison, Fouts, White, Winslow, Faison, Benirschke, Lincoln, Washington, Humphries, Ladd and Wilkerson are also members of the San Diego Hall of Champions
, which is open to athletes from the San Diego area as well as those who played for San Diego-based professional and collegiate
teams.
and LaDainian Tomlinson
received the first and second most votes, respectively.
QB — Dan Fouts
, John Hadl
, Stan Humphries
, Philip Rivers
.
RB — Keith Lincoln
, Paul Lowe
, Natrone Means, Chuck Muncie
, LaDainian Tomlinson
.
WR —Lance Alworth
, Wes Chandler
, Gary Garrison
, John Jefferson
, Charlie Joiner
.
TE — Antonio Gates
, Kellen Winslow
.
T — Ron Mix
, Russ Washington
, Ernie Wright
.
G — Kris Dielman
, Walt Sweeney
, Ed White, Doug Wilkerson
.
C — Nick Hardwick, Don Macek
.
DE — Fred Dean
, Earl Faison
, Leslie O'Neal
.
DT — Gary Johnson, Louie Kelcher
, Ernie Ladd
, Jamal Williams
.
LB — Chuck Allen
, Woodrow Lowe
, Shawne Merriman
, Junior Seau
, Billy Ray Smith.
DB — Willie Buchanon
, Gill Byrd
, Rodney Harrison
, Quentin Jammer
, Charlie McNeil
.
K — Rolf Benirschke
, John Carney.
KR — Speedy Duncan
, Darren Sproles
.
P — Darren Bennett, Mike Scifres
.
ST — Hank Bauer
, Kassim Osgood
.
COACHES — Don Coryell
, Sid Gillman
, Bobby Ross
.
105.3FM, commonly known as "Rock 1053." Josh Lewin
and Hank Bauer
comprise the broadcast team. Past Chargers radio broadcasters have included Ralph Lawler
, Stu Nahan
, Tom Kelly, Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton
, Dan Rowe and Ted Leitner
. Most preseason games are televised on KFMB
in San Diego and KCBS
in Los Angeles. The announcers were Ron Pitts
and Billy Ray Smith.
Since the Los Angeles market is within the Chargers' 75-mile radius (which prohibits broadcasts of Charger games on national radio during the regular season), the Chargers Radio Network has a secondary flagship station for Los Angeles: KLAC AM-570, in Los Angeles and Orange County. The previous Los Angeles flagship was KSPN
AM-710 and before that, KMPC
AM-1540 for several years.
Dennis Packer, the public address announcer of all USC football games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
, serves as the P.A. announcer of all Charger home games at Qualcomm Stadium
. Packer replaced legendary PA announcer Bruce Binkowski, who went on to become the executive director of the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowl games.
, "San Diego Super Chargers
". The song was recorded in 1979 at the height of the team's success with Air Coryell, and has a distinctly disco
sound. The team under then-new owner Alex Spanos
replaced the song in 1989 with a non-disco cover version
, but the original version was revived in 2002. The team plays this song at home games after Chargers scores and victories. From time to time during highlights of NFL PrimeTime
, ESPN's Chris Berman and Tom Jackson
would briefly sing the first line of the song's chorus.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. they were members of the Western Division
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
of the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). The club began play in 1960
1960 American Football League season
The 1960 American Football League season was the inaugural regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the inaugural AFL Championship game.-Division races:...
as a charter member of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
, and spent its first season in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
before moving to San Diego in 1961. The Chargers play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
. The Chargers continue to be the only NFL team based in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, with no teams in Los Angeles
History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
Professional American football, especially its established top level, the National Football League, has had a long history in Los Angeles, the center of the second-largest media market in the United States. Since 1995, Los Angeles has been by far the largest U.S. market without an NFL team...
since 1994.
The Chargers are the only team to start a season 0–4 and make the playoffs (1992
1992 San Diego Chargers season
The 1992 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 1991. It was Bobby Ross' first season as the teams head coach. They made the playoffs for the first time in ten years...
), and the only team to start a season 4–8 and make the playoffs (2008
2008 San Diego Chargers season
The 2008 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 49th overall season and their 39th in the NFL. While they completed the regular season with only an 8–8 record, they nonetheless captured their third consecutive AFC West championship...
). In addition, they are one of only five NFL teams since 1970 to rank first in overall offense and defense in the same season (2010
2010 San Diego Chargers season
The 2010 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, and their 51st overall. After a 13–3 record dissolved into a disappointing loss to the New York Jets in the divisional round of the 2009-10 NFL Playoffs, the Chargers had high hopes of winning their...
), but the only team to achieve that feat without making the playoffs. Since the 2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, they are also one of only three teams in the NFL to not have a losing record (New England
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
are the other two), but the only one of the three that has failed to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
; the other two have won at least one Super Bowl title.
The Chargers won one AFL title in 1963
AFL playoffs, 1963
*Eastern Division playoff*:Boston Patriots 26, Buffalo Bills 8, December 28, 1963, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York*AFL Championship Game*:San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10, January 5, 1964, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California-1963 Championship:...
and reached the AFL playoffs five times and the AFL Championship four times before joining the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
. In the 34 years since then, the Chargers have made ten trips to the playoffs and four appearances in the AFC Championship game. At the end of the 1994 season
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, the Chargers
1994 San Diego Chargers season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-References:...
faced the San Francisco 49ers
1994 San Francisco 49ers season
The San Francisco 49ers 1994 season was the team's 49th season in the National Football League, and was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference...
in Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
and fell 49–26. The Chargers have six players and one coach enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
: wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Lance Alworth
Lance Alworth
Lance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
(1962
1962 American Football League season
The 1962 American Football League season was the third regular season of the American Football League. The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City, Missouri following the season and changed their name to the Kansas City Chiefs....
–1970), defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Fred Dean
Fred Dean
Frederick Rudolph "Fred" Dean is a former American football player in the National Football League, and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season. Dean was born in Arcadia, the seat of...
(–), quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
(–), head coach/general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
(1960–1969
1969 American Football League season
The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
), wide receiver Charlie Joiner
Charlie Joiner
Charles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
(–), offensive lineman Ron Mix
Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
(1960–1969) and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
(-1987).
Franchise history
1959–1969: AFL beginnings
The San Diego Chargers were established with seven other American Football League teams in 1959. In 1960, the Chargers began AFL play in Los Angeles. The Chargers' original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton
Barron Hilton
William Barron Hilton I is an American business magnate, socialite, and hotel heir. He is the former co-chairman of the Hilton Hotels chain, and the original owner of the Los Angeles Chargers...
, son of Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
founder Conrad Hilton
Conrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American businessman and investor. He is well known for being the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.-Early life:Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico...
.
According to the official site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Barron Hilton agreed after his general manager, Frank Leahy picked the Chargers name when he purchased an AFL franchise for Los Angeles. The Chargers played in Los Angeles in 1960 and moved to San Diego in 1961. “I liked it because they were yelling ‘charge’ and sounding the bugle at Dodgers Stadium and at USC games.”
The Chargers only spent one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. The early AFL years of the San Diego Chargers were highlighted by the outstanding play of wide receiver Lance Alworth with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards in his 11-AFL/NFL-season career. In addition he set the pro football record of consecutive games with a reception (96) during his career.
Their only coach for the ten year life of the AFL was Sid Gillman, a Hall of Famer. who was considered the foremost authority on the forward passing offense of his era. With players such as Alworth, Paul Lowe
Paul Lowe
Paul Edward Lowe is a retired American football running back who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League from 1960 to 1969.-College career:...
, Keith Lincoln
Keith Lincoln
Keith Payson Lincoln is a former American football running back who started his career playing college football at Washington State University. He maintained his versatility after being drafted by the American Football League's San Diego Chargers in 1961. In 1963 he led the team in rushing, punt...
and John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, the high-scoring Chargers won divisional crowns five of the league’s first six seasons and the AFL title in 1963 with a 51–10 victory over the Boston Patriots
1963 Boston Patriots season
The 1963 Boston Patriots season was the third season for the team in the American Football League. During their first season at Fenway Park, , the Patriots stood around the .500 mark all season, as they were able to clinch a spot in the playoffs, with a victory on their final game...
.
They also played defense, as indicated by their professional football record 49 pass interceptions in 1961, and featured AFL Rookie of the Year defensive end Earl Faison
Earl Faison
Earl Faison was an American college and Professional Football player who played in the American Football League between 1960 and 1966...
. The Chargers were the originators of the term "Fearsome Foursome
Fearsome Foursome (football)
The "Fearsome Foursome" was a title first used in reporting American Professional Football, when referring to the dominating defensive lines of the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League in the early 1960s, the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and most widely, the Los Angeles Rams of the...
" to describe their all-star defensive line, anchored by Faison and Ernie Ladd
Ernie Ladd
Ernest "Ernie" Ladd , nicknamed "The Big Cat" was an American collegiate and professional football player and a professional wrestler.-Pro Football career:...
(the latter also excelled in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
). The phrase was later appropriated by the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. Hilton sold the Chargers to a group headed by Eugene Klein
Eugene V. Klein
Eugene Victor Klein was an American businessman who was Chairman of the Board of Directors and chief stockholder of National General Corp., an insurance and entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California...
and Sam Schulman
Sam Schulman
Samuel "Sam" Schulman was an American businessman from New York who was a founding owner and President of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association and an owner of the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.Born April 10, 1910, in New York City, Schulman graduated...
in August 1966. The following year the Chargers began "head to head" competition with the older NFL with a preseason loss to the Detroit Lions. The Chargers defeated the defending Super Bowl III champion New York Jets
1969 New York Jets season
The 1969 New York Jets season was the tenth season for the team in the final season of the American Football League . Trying to defend their AFL championship and Super Bowl III title, they won the AFL Eastern Division again with a 10–4 record...
34–27 before a record San Diego Stadium crowd of 54,042 on September 29, 1969. Alworth once again led the team in receptions with 64 and 1,003 yards with four touchdowns. The team also saw Gillman step down due to health and offensive backfield coach Charlie Waller
Charlie Waller (coach)
Charlie Waller was an American Professional Football head coach for the San Diego Chargers from 1969, the last season of the American Football League, to 1970, the first season of the merged National Football League. His total coaching record at the end of his career was 9 wins, 7 losses and 3 ties...
promoted to head coach after the completion of the regular season. Gillman did remain with the club as the general manager.
1970–78: Post-merger
In 19701970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, the San Diego Chargers were placed into the AFC West division after the NFL merger with the AFL. But by then, the Chargers fell on hard times; Gillman, who had returned as general manager, stepped down in 1971, and many of the Charger players from the 1960s had already either retired or had been traded. The Chargers acquired veteran players like Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones
David D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him...
and Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
, however it was at the later stages of their careers and the team struggled, placing third or fourth in the AFC West each year from 1970 to .
1978
1978 was marked by the "Holy RollerHoly Roller (American football)
In American football, "the Holy Roller" is the nickname given to a controversial game-winning play by the Oakland Raiders against the San Diego Chargers on September 10, 1978. The game was played at the Chargers' home field, Jack Murphy or San Diego Stadium...
" game, or as Chargers fans call it the "Immaculate Deception". It was a game-winning play executed by the Oakland Raiders
1978 Oakland Raiders season
The 1978 Oakland Raiders season was the team’s 19th season. Jack Tatum made a hit against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a pre-season game. The hit paralyzed Stingley from the chest down.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:...
against the Chargers on September 10, in San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. With 10 seconds left in the game, the Raiders had possession of the ball at the Chargers' 14-yard line, trailing 20–14. Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
took the snap and found himself about to be sacked by Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe
Woodrow Lowe
Woodrow Lowe , is a former professional American football linebacker who played from 1976-1986 for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League...
on the 24-yard line. Stabler fumbled the ball forward, and it rolled forward towards the San Diego goal line. Running back Pete Banaszak
Pete Banaszak
Pete Banaszak is a former player of college and professional American football. A running back, he played college football at the University of Miami, and played professionally in the American Football League for the Oakland Raiders from 1966 through 1969, and for the NFL Raiders through...
tried to recover the ball on the 12-yard line, but could not keep his footing, and the ball was pushed even closer to the end zone. Raiders tight end Dave Casper
Dave Casper
David John Casper , nicknamed "The Ghost." is a former American football player. He was an offensive lineman and tight end.-High school:...
was the next player to reach the ball but he also could not get a hand on it. He batted and kicked the ball into the end zone, where he fell on it for the game-tying touchdown as time ran out. With the ensuing extra point by placekicker Errol Mann
Errol Mann
Errol Denis Mann is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League from 1968-1978. He was a member of the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl XI winning team...
, the Raiders won, 21–20. What many Charger fans believed should have been called an incomplete pass (and possibly intentional grounding) was seen as a fumble and the rest of the play involved batting of the ball forward towards the end zone where the Raiders ultimately recovered it for a touchdown. As a result of this play, NFL rules were changed so that, in the last two minutes of a half or game, the only offensive player allowed to advance a fumbled ball is the player who originally fumbled. If any other offensive player recovers the fumble and advances the ball, after the play the line of scrimmage is the spot of the original fumble.
1979
19791979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
marked a turning point for the Chargers franchise as The Sporting News named team general manager John Sanders NFL Executive of the Year after balloting of other NFL executives. Fouts set an NFL record with his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game, in a game in which he threw for 303 yards against the Raiders. Coached by Don Coryell
Don Coryell
Donald David Coryell was an American football coach, who coached in the NFL first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973–1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1986. He was well known for his innovations to football's passing offense. Coryell's offense was commonly known as "Air Coryell"...
(with an offense nicknamed "Air Coryell"), featuring Fouts throwing to tight end Kellen Winslow and wide receivers John Jefferson
John Jefferson
John Jefferson is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League . He was selected out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played three seasons in San Diego, where he became the first NFL player to gain...
and Charlie Joiner
Charlie Joiner
Charles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
, they clinched their first playoff berth in 14 years with a 35–0 victory against the New Orleans Saints
1979 New Orleans Saints season
The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints 13th season. The Saints finished the season at 8-8, the franchise's first non-losing season. New Orleans was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football...
. On December 17, the Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos
1979 Denver Broncos season
The 1979 Denver Broncos season was the team's 20th year in professional football and its 10th with the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-References:* *...
17–7 for their first AFC West division title since the AFL-NFL merger before a national Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
television audience and their home crowd. Their time in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1979-80
The NFL playoffs following the 1979 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIV.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the Dallas Cowboys did not play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: Houston Oilers 13,...
was short as they would lose to the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
17–14 loss in the divisional round. Ron Mix became the second AFL player and second Charger to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, during halftime of the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl.
1980
The team saw the team trade for running back Chuck MuncieChuck Muncie
Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...
, and Fouts set a club record with 444 yards passing in the Chargers' 44–7 victory over the New York Giants
1980 New York Giants season
The 1980 New York Giants season was the 56th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 4–12 record.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
. Kellen Winslow caught 10 passes for 171 yards and Chargers clinched their second straight AFC West title by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers season
- Regular season :In 1980, the Steelers had their struggles. The aging defense wasn't as effective in 1978–79, falling from 2nd to 15th in yards allowed and 313 points, 15th in the league, up from 262 5th in the league, while only recording 18 QB sacks. The offense was still plagued with too many...
26–17 and finished the regular season with an 11–5 record. Jefferson (1,340), Winslow (1,290), and Joiner (1,132) became the first trio on the same team to have 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The Chargers' defense led the NFL in sacks (60) spearheaded by the frontline of 1975 Chargers' draftees Dean, Gary "Big Hands" Johnson and Louie Kelcher
Louie Kelcher
Louis James Kelcher was an American football player who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. His primary position was defensive tackle. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975-83...
. The trio, along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive frontline that was locally nicknamed The Bruise Brothers, coined from a popular act at the time, The Blues Brothers. In the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1980-81
The NFL playoffs following the 1980 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XV.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the San Diego Chargers did not play the Oakland Raiders in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: Oakland Raiders 27,...
, they won the divisional round 20–14 over the Buffalo Bills
1980 Buffalo Bills season
The 1980 Buffalo Bills season was the 21st season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:- Standings :-Starters:-AFC Playoff:...
. However, they fell one game shy of Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
in a 34–27 loss to the eventual-champion Raiders
1980 Oakland Raiders season
-Staff:HC: Tom FloresAst: Ray Willsey , Lew Erber , Sam Boghosian , Earl Leggett , Charlie Sumner , Chet Franklin , Steve Ortmayer , Bob Mischak , Joe Madro , Willie Brown -Regular season:...
.
1981
In , the Chargers won their third straight AFC West title with a 10–6 season. After the division titles of the 1979 and 1980 seasons, contract disputes arose and owner Klein would refuse to renegotiate players' contracts. They traded wide receiver John Jefferson to the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
after he held out for an increase in salary but replaced him with Wes Chandler. Defensive end Dean also became involved in a hold out and was traded to the 49ers. Dean contends he was making the same amount of money as his brother-in-law who was a truck driver. Dean would win UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year
UPI NFC Player of the Year
From 1970 to 1996, the United Press International awarded the NFC Player of the Year to players from the NFL's National Football Conference .-NFC Offensive Player of the Year:-See also:*UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year...
(while playing in only 11 games) that same year en route to a Super Bowl victory and help the 49ers to another Super Bowl title two years later. Dean's loss was particularly damaging to the Chargers' Super Bowl chances as the defense weakened afterwards, surrendering the most passing yards in the NFL in both 1981 and 1982.
In the 1981 playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1981-82
The NFL playoffs following the 1981 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVI. Both conference champions had losing records the previous season, the only time this has happened. All four of the AFC playoff games were between teams who had never faced each other in the postseason before...
, the Chargers managed to outlast the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the divisional round, 41–38, in a game that became known as The Epic in Miami
The Epic in Miami
The Epic in Miami is the name given to a National Football League AFC divisional playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins that took place on January 2, 1982 in the Miami Orange Bowl...
. The game was voted as the best game in NFL history by a panel of ESPN journalists. The temperature was 85°F with high humidity (29.4°C) at the Miami Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
, but it did not stop either team's offense. The Chargers were led by quarterback Dan Fouts who made the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row, setting an NFL single season record at that point and time of 4,802 yards and 33 touchdowns. The Dolphins were led by head coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
and featured a defense that gave up the fifth-fewest points in the NFL in the regular season.
This game set playoff records for the most points scored in a playoff game (79), the most total yards by both teams (1,036), and most passing yards by both teams (809). Chargers placekicker Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Joachim Benirschke is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC daytime Wheel Of Fortune in 1989.-Early career:...
eventually kicked the winning 29-yard field goal after 13:52 of overtime to help San Diego beat Miami, 41–38. The image of an exhausted tight end Kellen Winslow, who finished the game with 13 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown and one blocked field goal, being helped off the field by two of his Chargers teammates has been replayed countless times. Kellen Winslow was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
However, the eventual-AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, playing in their first AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
, defeated the Chargers 27–7 in what became known as the Freezer Bowl
Freezer Bowl
In NFL lore, the Freezer Bowl was the 1981 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was played in the coldest temperature in NFL history in terms of wind chill...
. The temperature of nine degrees below zero with a wind-chill factor of minus 59 made this the coldest weather conditions for a title game in the history of the NFL. Chargers owner Eugene Klein
Eugene V. Klein
Eugene Victor Klein was an American businessman who was Chairman of the Board of Directors and chief stockholder of National General Corp., an insurance and entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California...
tried to get the NFL and Bengals to postpone the game but he was turned down.
"I can't say how much it affected us, because we did make it to the AFC championship game," said Johnson on the loss of fellow lineman Dean. "But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner, it might've been different. "
1982-88
During the strike shortened 1982 season1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, Fouts averaged what is still a record of 320 yards passing per game. Highlights that season included back-to-back victories against the 1981 Super Bowl teams San Francisco (41–37) and Cincinnati (50–34) in which Fouts threw for over 400 yards in each game to lead the Chargers to shootout victories. The December 20th, 1982 Cincinnati
1982 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 1982 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 15th year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League.The Bengals posted a 7–2 record in a strike-shortened season to earn a postseason berth, but lost to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, 44–17...
game was a rematch of the 1981 AFC Championship Game]]. The Chargers would generate a total offensive yardage record of 661 (501 yards passing, 175 yards rushing) that still stands as the most in team history in defeating Cincinnati. Also during the year, Chandler, set the record of 129 yards receiving per game that is still an NFL record. The Chargers made it back to the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1982-83
The NFL playoffs following the 1982 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVII.A players' strike reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff format , just for this year. Division standings were ignored...
, but after beating the Steelers in the first round, they lost to the Dolphins
1982 Miami Dolphins season
-NFL Draft:-Regular season:The Dolphins finished the strike-shortened regular season with a 7–2 record, ranking them second in the AFC.The Dolphins' main strength was their defense, nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B"...
34–13 in a rematch of their playoff game from the previous season. That loss began a slide for the Chargers, who from to failed to make the playoffs every season.
In Klein cut salary in preparation of selling the team, sending defensive linemen Johnson and Kelcher to San Francisco, where they would join Dean and offensive tackle Billy Shields
Billy Shields
William Dean "Billy" Shields is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He who played eleven seasons for the San Diego Chargers , the San Francisco 49ers , the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets . Shields attended Georgia Institute of Technology...
for another 49ers championship in Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
. Alex Spanos
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire of Greek origin who founded the A. G. Spanos Companies and owns the San Diego Chargers.-Early life:...
purchased a majority interest in San Diego from Klein on August 1. Alex G. Spanos still owns 97% of the team and George Pernicano owns the other 3%. Benirschke was named "Miller Man of the Year" and Joiner set an NFL record with his 650th pass reception in the fourth quarter of the game at Pittsburgh. In guard Ed White set an NFL record by playing in 241 NFL games, most all-time among offensive linemen. Lionel "Little Train" James
Lionel James
Lionel 'Little Train' James , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 5th round of the 1984 NFL Draft. Undersized at 5'6" and 171 lbs., James played running back at Auburn University where he shared the backfield with Bo Jackson...
, a mere 5'6" and 171 pound running back, set NFL record of 2,535 all-purpose yards while also setting a record of 1,027 receiving yards by a running back.
Al Saunders
Al Saunders
Al Saunders is the current offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders.-Early life and playing career:Born in London, England, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1960, and is one of four foreign-born coaches in the NFL...
was named the seventh head coach in Chargers history in 1986
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
following the resignation of Coryell. In 1987 Joiner retired to become receivers coach of the Chargers. The Chargers finished with an 8—7 record, their first winning record since 1982, despite winding up with six straight losses. In Fouts retired after a 15-year career in which he set seven NFL records and 42 club records, and became the NFL's second most prolific passer of all-time with 43,040 yards. Fouts's jersey number (14) was retired at halftime of "Dan Fouts Day" game in San Diego.
1989–1995: Super Bowl bound
In Dan HenningDan Henning
-External links:...
, a former Chargers quarterback, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
assistant, and Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach, was named the eighth head coach in Chargers history. Marion Butts
Marion Butts
Marion Stevenson Butts, Jr. is a retired professional American football running back who played 7 seasons in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers, the New England Patriots and the Houston Oilers from 1989 to 1995....
set a club record with 39 carries and a team rookie record with 176 yards in Chargers' 20–13 win in Kansas City. After a three-year stint as Director of Football Operations, Steve Ortmayer
Steve Ortmayer
Steve Ortmayer was an assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and tight ends coach at the University of Kentucky. Ortmayer grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and Dallas, Texas...
was released after the season and replaced by Bobby Beathard
Bobby Beathard
Bobby Beathard is a former general manager in the National Football League. Over the course of his 38 years in the NFL, his teams competed in seven Super Bowls , beginning with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966, Miami Dolphins in 1972 and 1973, Washington Redskins in 1982, 1983, and 1987, and the San...
.
Henning's tenure with the Chargers lasted three seasons as Bobby Ross
Bobby Ross
Robert Joseph Ross is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel , the University of Maryland, College Park , the Georgia Institute of Technology , and the United States Military Academy , compiling a career college football record of 103–101–2...
was hired as head coach in and the Chargers acquired quarterback Stan Humphries in a trade with Redskins. The Chargers would lose their first four games of the season and come back to become the first 0–4 team to make the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1992-93
The NFL playoffs following the 1992 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVII.-Bracket:-NFC: Washington Redskins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7:Running back Brian Mitchell led the Redskins to the 24-7 victory with 109 rushing yards and 100 total yards on receptions and punt returns...
as they won 11 of the last 12 games and clinched the AFC West title. Ross was named NFL Coach of the Year
NFL Coach of the Year Award
The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
for the Chargers' dramatic turnaround by Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
. In the first round of the playoffs, the Chargers shut out the Kansas City Chiefs
1992 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1992 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 10–6 record and Wild Card spot in the 1993 playoffs. The Chiefs were shut out by the San Diego Chargers 0–17 in the Wild Card round....
17–0, but the Dolphins
1992 Miami Dolphins season
-Schedule:-AFC Divisional Playoff:As the Dolphins defense shut out the Chargers, holding San Diego quarterback Stan Humphries to just 18 of 44 completions for 140 yards and intercepting him four times. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino threw 3 touchdown passes in the second quarter...
shut out the Chargers in the divisional playoffs to eliminate the Chargers. In , the Chargers finished 8–8 (fourth in their division).
1994
In the 1994 season, the Chargers made their first and, so far, only Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
appearance, against the 49ers
1994 San Francisco 49ers season
The San Francisco 49ers 1994 season was the team's 49th season in the National Football League, and was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference...
in Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
. They got to the Super Bowl by winning their first six regular season games, the only NFL team to do so in 1994, and finished the season 11–5. Quarterback Stan Humphries
Stan Humphries
William Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
and wide receiver Tony Martin combined on a 99-yard touchdown completion to tie an NFL record during a defeat of the Seattle Seahawks
1994 Seattle Seahawks season
-Schedule:-External links:* *...
, 27–10. They would become the 1994 AFC West Division champions behind a defense led by linebacker Junior Seau
Junior Seau
Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...
, defensive tackles Reuben Davis
Reuben Davis (American football)
Reuben Cordell Davis is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.-External links:*...
and Shawn Lee, defensive end Leslie O'Neal
Leslie O'Neal
Leslie O'Neal is a former football defensive end who played 13 years in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1986 to 1999....
and an offense keyed by running back Natrone Means, Humphries and Martin. The Chargers had upset victories over the Dolphins and Steelers in the AFC playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1994-95
The NFL playoffs following the 1994 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIX.-Bracket:-NFC: Green Bay Packers 16, Detroit Lions 12:The Packers defense held Lions running back Barry Sanders to -1 rushing yards, while holding Detroit to 12 points and -4 yards on the ground. Green Bay scored first when...
. Despite those two close triumphs (22–21 against the Dolphins in the Divisional Round, and 17–13 against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game), the Chargers lost Super Bowl XXIX to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 49–26, who were led by quarterback Steve Young (Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
) and wide receiver Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
.
Despite the lopsided loss in the Super Bowl, Beathard, who traded for or drafted the bulk of the Chargers roster, and who hired coach Ross, was named the NFL's smartest man by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, and became the only general manager to lead three different teams to the Super Bowl (Chargers, Dolphins, Redskins).
1995
The Chargers follow-up year in did not bring the same success of the previous season, but the team still managed to get into the playoffsNFL playoffs, 1995-96
The NFL playoffs following the 1995 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXX.-Bracket:-AFC: Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22:Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards, the Bills jumped to a 27-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL...
with a five-game winning streak to end the season at 9–7. However, in the first round, the Chargers were eliminated by the Indianapolis Colts
1995 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1995 Indianapolis Colts season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League and 12th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with...
in a 35–20 defeat.
1996–2003: Losing seasons and mediocrity
In 19961996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, running back Rodney Culver and his wife, Karen, were killed in the crash of ValuJet Airlines
ValuJet Airlines
ValuJet Airlines was an American low-cost carrier, headquartered in unincorporated Clayton County, Georgia, that operated regularly scheduled domestic and international flights in the Eastern United States and Canada during the 1990s...
Flight 592 in the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. Culver was the second player in team history to die while on the active roster after David Griggs
David Griggs (American football)
David Griggs David Griggs David Griggs (February 5, 1967 in Camden, New Jersey – June 19, 1995 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was a linebacker in the National Football League for six seasons. He started in Super Bowl XXIX for the San Diego Chargers. Griggs attended the University of Virginia. He...
was killed in a one-car accident in Davie, Florida
Davie, Florida
Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. The town's population was 91,992 at the 2010 census.- History :Davie was founded by Jake Tannebaum and Tamara Toussaint. The original name of the town was Zona. In 1909 R.P. Davie assisted then Governor Broward by draining the swamplands...
11 months earlier. 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
would find Ross and Beathard at odds with one another and would result in Ross and his staff being released. The Chargers selected Kevin Gilbride
Kevin Gilbride
Kevin Gilbride is an American football coach. Gilbride served as the San Diego Chargers head coach from 1997-1998. He went to Southern Connecticut State University, where he played both quarterback and tight end. He would later coach at his alma mater for five seasons starting in 1980 and compiled...
to become their new head coach. Gilbride, whose coaching background with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Oilers featured a more open passing attack would mark a major change in offensive style from the ball control ground game of Ross. Beathard drafted quarterback Ryan Leaf
Ryan Leaf
Ryan David Leaf is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons...
after the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
selected Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
with the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. The Chargers ended up trading several players and draft choices to the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in order to move up to the second pick and select Ryan Leaf. The Chargers would see the team struggle in pass protection resulting in Leaf suffering several concussions and his retirement from the game. Gilbride was replaced by interim head coach June Jones
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones, III is the American football head coach for Southern Methodist University.-Playing career:Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon , Hawaii , and Portland State . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot...
, who was on the Chargers' staff before the hire. Jones would leave the team at the end of the season to coach at the University of Hawaii and the Chargers would name former Oregon State University
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
head coach Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
as their new head coach. Leaf wound up having a disappointing career with the Chargers after a great deal of controversy with both the Charger management as well as the press and his teammates. His failure to be the player the team envisioned was seen as a black mark on the franchise and will be remembered by some as one of the worst draft/trades in the history of pro football. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
, who was acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
for a conditional draft choice in 2000, became the Chargers starting quarterback. Beathard retired in April 2000 and was replaced January 2001 by John Butler, former general manager of the Bills. From to , the Chargers had eight-straight seasons where they were .500 or worse.
2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
saw Norv Turner
Norv Turner
Norval Eugene Turner is the head coach for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers. He also has served as head coach of the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders, and as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers...
, the former head coach of the Redskins, named offensive coordinator by Riley. Turner would go on to install the offense that he coached with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
under Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
. Turner learned the offense from Ernie Zampese
Ernie Zampese
Ernie Zampese is a former American football player and coach. Playing for Santa Barbara High School, he was selected as the CIS Player of the Year in 1953 and went on to play at the halfback position for the USC Trojans in 1955 and 1956...
, former offense coordinator during the Coryell era, while the two were on the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff. The Chargers signed Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner free agent quarterback Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, formerly with the Bills and
traded the team's first overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
to the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for the first round selection (fifth overall) and third-round selection in the same draft. In addition the Chargers obtained wide receiver/kick returner Tim Dwight
Tim Dwight
Timothy Deutch Dwight, Jr. is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
and the Falcons' second-round draft selection in the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. The Chargers used those selections in the 2001 draft to select Texas Christian University
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
running back LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
and Purdue University
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
.
Hired as a replacement to Riley, Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
's Chargers squad opened the 2002 season with four straight victories making him the only coach in team history to win his first four games.
Butler would succumb to cancer after a nine-month struggle in April 2003. Replacing Butler was A. J. Smith
A. J. Smith
A.J. Smith is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the San Diego Chargers....
, who was named Executive Vice President-General Manager, replacing his close friend. Smith and Butler had worked together with the Bills playing key roles with Buffalo's Super Bowl teams. In 2003, the Chargers traded Seau to the Dolphins for a draft pick in 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. Seau was selected to 2003 Pro Bowl
2003 Pro Bowl
The 2003 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 2, 2003 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 45, NFC 20. Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins was the game's MVP.-Offense:-Defense:-Special teams:-Offense:-Defense:...
, his 12th Pro Bowl selection of his career, and in his final season with the Chargers, he was chosen by teammates as the recipient of the Emil Karas
Emil Karas
Emil Karas was an American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and in the American Football League with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers. He was on the Chargers' 1963 AFL Championship team, and an AFL All-Star in 1961, 1962, and 1963...
Award as the team’s Most Inspirational Player. Also in 2003, Tomlinson accumalated 195 total yards from scrimmage in a late season game against the Packers to raise his season total to 2,011 and became the first player in team history and the eighth player in NFL history to record consecutive 2,000-yard seasons. Tomlinson also became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season .
2004–09: Contender and the Philip Rivers era
Although the Chargers were tied with three other teams for the worst record of the 2003 NFL season, the league’s tie-breaking system gave San Diego the number one pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. With this pick, the Chargers selected quarterback Eli ManningEli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
from the University of Mississippi
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
despite Manning's stated desire to play elsewhere. New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi
Ernie Accorsi
Ernie Accorsi is the former General Manager of the NFL's New York Giants football team. Accorsi had held the position from January 8, 1998, when he took over for the legendary George Young until his retirement on January 16, 2007...
, who had been in trade negotiations for several weeks before the draft with the Chargers, selected quarterback Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
fourth and traded him along with additional draft picks to the Chargers. Rivers was expected to compete for the starting quarterback job, but he held out of training camp in a contract dispute. Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
, who received the majority of snaps at quarterback during Rivers' hold out, would retain the starting quarterback position. The team earned a trip back to the postseason in by capturing the AFC West division title with a 12–4 regular season record. The Chargers entered the first round of the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2004-05
The NFL playoffs following the 2004 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXIX.-NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20:Although the Rams barely made the playoffs with an 8–8 record, two of their regular season wins were against Seattle...
but were eliminated by the New York Jets
2004 New York Jets season
The 2004 New York Jets season saw the team try to improve on its 6–10 2003 record. The Jets started the season by winning their first five games, which was a franchise record. They ultimately finished 10–6, and clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs, reaching the postseason for the third time in...
, who won in overtime 20–17. Rookie kicker Nate Kaeding
Nate Kaeding
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football placekicker who plays for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa...
missed a 40-yard field goal that would have advanced San Diego into the next round, thus opening the door for a Jets victory. Despite an abrupt ending to their season, Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
was named NFL Coach of the Year for the season, and Brees was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award
The NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award has been given out after every season since 1972 by Pro Football Weekly. The player named Comeback Player of the Year shows perseverance in overcoming adversity, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor...
.
During the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
, the Chargers drafted linebacker Shawne Merriman with a draft pick acquired from the Giants in the Eli Manning trade, who would go on to become a selection to the 2006 Pro Bowl
2006 Pro Bowl
The 2006 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 12, 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu...
and the 2005 Defensive NFL Rookie of the Year Award
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
recipient. The team then used their second first round selection on defensive tackle Luis Castillo.The Chargers started the season without tight end Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
as he was suspended two games by Smith for holding out in training camp. The 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
saw LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
's 18-game touchdown scoring streak end as Kaeding had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown in a 20–17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
2005 Philadelphia Eagles season
-Schedule:-Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons:at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Eagles' 2005 season-opener on Monday Night Football was more famous for what happened before the game, when Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was ejected for a scuffle near mid-field during pre-game warmups...
on the road. Facing the 13–0 Colts
2005 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2005 Indianapolis Colts season was the 53rd season for the team in the National Football League and 22nd in Indianapolis. The 2005 Colts season began with the team trying to improve on their 12–4 record from 2004 and to advance further into the playoffs...
on the road, the Chargers took a 16–0 lead into the third quarter of the game, but the Colts responded with 17 points of their own to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Chargers would retake the lead on a field goal by Kaeding then scored again on an 83-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner. However a week later, the Chargers lost on the road to the Chiefs as an injured Tomlinson rushed for only 47 yards. The Chargers would go on to lose their season finale to the Broncos, with Brees suffering a dislocated shoulder to end the Chargers' 9–7 season. Brees, whose contract expired at the end of that season, left the team and would sign with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
.
The 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
campaign would see the Chargers set the team's single-season record for wins with 14, while Tomlinson would enjoy the finest statistical season of his career, leading the league with 1,815 rushing yards and setting an NFL single-season record by scoring 31 touchdowns. However, the team would come up short in the playoffs again, blowing a fourth quarter lead at home in a 24–21 loss to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. In the ensuing offseason, massive changes occurred to the coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Cam Cameron
Cam Cameron
-External links:...
left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, while defensive coordinator Wade Phillips would fill the head coaching vacancy with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. After a brief struggle for control over filling these vacancies, General Manager AJ Smith fired Schottenheimer, replacing him with Norv Turner
Norv Turner
Norval Eugene Turner is the head coach for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers. He also has served as head coach of the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders, and as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers...
, who had been a head coach with two other NFL teams and had previously served the Chargers as offensive coordinator.
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season
2007 San Diego Chargers season
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner , they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall...
began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success (14–2) and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner (1–3), they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall record of 11–5, and the AFC West title. More importantly, they went further in the playoffs than the previous year, but fell again to the New England Patriots
2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
, this time in the AFC Championship game.
After winning their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the 33rd season for the club in the National Football League. Though the team finished with a winning record , they failed to defend their 2007 NFC South championship and did not qualify for the playoffs after finishing the year on a four game losing streak...
on Sunday December 21, 2008, the Chargers stood at 7–8, one game behind the Denver Broncos. Denver's loss to the Buffalo Bills later that same day created a primetime showdown between Denver and San Diego in San Diego for the AFC West Championship, as well as the fourth seed in the playoffs. The Chargers won the 2008 AFC West championship in convincing fashion by beating Denver in a 52–21 blowout. On January 3, 2009, the San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23–17 in overtime to advance to the AFC Divisional Playoff round. On January 11, 2009 the Chargers were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 35–24 in the AFC Divisional Game ending the 2008 San Diego Chargers season
2008 San Diego Chargers season
The 2008 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 49th overall season and their 39th in the NFL. While they completed the regular season with only an 8–8 record, they nonetheless captured their third consecutive AFC West championship...
.
2009
The Chargers started the 2009 campaign slowly, with a 2–3 record, a trend under current coach Norv Turner (1–3 in 2007 & 2–3 in 2008). By that time, the Broncos2009 Denver Broncos season
The 2009 Denver Broncos season was their 40th season in the NFL and 50th season overall. The Broncos matched their 8–8 regular season record from 2008 but did not make the playoffs. The Broncos welcomed many new defensive players signed during free agency, including veteran Eagles safety Brian...
were 6–0, and had a 3 game lead over the Chargers. Most pundits said the AFC West was already decided and the Chargers would have to play for the wildcard. Most fans wanted the coach to be fired, especially after a lackluster performance at Oakland & Pittsburgh. But then, like all of their seasons under Turner, they played their best football at the end of the regular season. This was a season of the continual improvement of Philip Rivers & the passing game, and LaDainian Tomlinson no longer being the focus of the offense. Rivers threw for 4,254 yards (8th), 28 TD's (tied-6th), 8.8 yards per passing attempt (1st), 64 completions of 20+ yards (1st), only 9 INT's (4th with a minimum 400 pass attempts), and a 104.4 passer rating (3rd – only beaten by Drew Brees & Brett Favre). They would go on to win the AFC West, (their 4th straight division title, only Oakland with five straight 1972–1976 is better), along the way blowing out Denver with a convincing 32–3 victory at Denver and defeating every NFC East team. They finished the regular season with 11 straight wins (tying the 1961 team record & is also tied for the 5th longest win streak entering the playoffs), finished with an impressive 13–3 record, (including 4–0 in December, extending their NFL record with 18 straight wins in December, & also tying the Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
1970–1974 in November for the longest winning streak in any month). They locked up the second seed as well as a first round bye but this served them no advantage in the playoffs as they lost at home to the Jets
2009 New York Jets season
The 2009 New York Jets season was the 50th season for the club and the 40th season in the National Football League and the last season at Giants Stadium. While they did not improve their 9–7 record from 2008, this time the team headed to the playoffs. The Jets fired head coach Eric Mangini on...
17–14 (the only home team with a bye to lose in the divisional round). This was due to an overly conservative offense settling for FG's & the kicker, Nate Kaeding, missing all 3 attempts.
2010
2010 was the 1st season without LaDainian Tomlinson since 2000 (let go by management due to an over-sized contract relative to production and other issues, he went on to lead the JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in rushing with 914 yards & tied for 3rd in receptions with 52). The 2010 campaign started off slowly again, this time 2–5 (including losses to some of the worst teams in football at the time – KC, OAK, SEA & STL). The losses were due to turnovers & mental mistakes by young players on special teams allowing blocked punts & kick/punt return TD's. The loss to Oakland
2010 Oakland Raiders season
The 2010 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League and their 51st overall. It also marked the last full season under the ownership of Al Davis, who died in October 2011. The Raiders had improved from a five-win season, their first since 2002, and achieved...
ended their 13 game winning streak against the Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
since their last loss on September 28, 2003. The Chargers then went on another second half run with four straight wins but this time instead of keeping the streak going the entire second half they had a big let down losing at home to the Raiders again, this time 28–13 (ending their shared NFL record, with the Dolphins, of 18 straight wins in December). Despite the loss, they still had a chance to win their 5th straight AFC West title, tying the Raiders, but they had another bad loss at the Bengals
2010 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2010 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League , and their 43rd overall. The Bengals looked to improve on their 10–6 record in 2009, during which they swept the AFC North for the first time in team history and made the playoffs as division...
34–20 ending their chances. The Chargers beat Denver
2010 Denver Broncos season
The Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, the 51st overall and the 10th playing their home games at INVESCO Field at Mile High...
to end the season with a 9–7 record & out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They finished the season as the 8th team in NFL history to rank #1 in overall offense (395.6 yards/game), and overall defense (271.6 yards/game), and became only the 2nd of those teams to not make the playoffs (1953 Eagles
1953 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1953 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 21st in the league. The team improved on their previous output of 7–5, going 7–4–1. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.-Off Season:...
7–4–1). They were second to the Colts
2010 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the 58th season for the team in the National Football League, the 27th in Indianapolis, and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell...
in passing yards per game (282.4), second to the Patriots
2010 New England Patriots season
The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets...
in points scored per game (27.6), 1st in passing yards allowed per game (177.8), 4th in rushing yards allowed per game (93.8), and tied for 2nd in sacks (47). On the negative stat sheet, they gave up the most punt return yards per game (18.9) & had 29 turnovers. Philip Rivers had another great season with a career-high 4,710 yards (#1 in the NFL), 294 yards passing per game (tied for 1st with Manning), 66% completion pct. (third to Brees & Manning), 30 TD's, only 13 INT's & a 101.8 passer rating (second to Brady). Mike Tolbert 11 rushing TD's & Antonio Gates 10 receiving TD's were among the league leaders in TD's scored. On defense, Shaun Phillips' 11 sacks were in the top 10.
With the special teams failure of the 2010 season campaign, the Chargers hoped to rebound with a strong performance to start the season, and a way to overcome slow starts.
2011
The Chargers started off the 2011 season2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
with a 4-1 campaign, with the only loss to a very good New England Patriots team. From that point on, however, the Chargers began a six game losing skid with losses to the Jets, Chiefs, Packers, Raiders, Bears and Broncos with the first four by only a score and against Denver in overtime. Injuries to both the offensive and the defensive line have hit the Chargers hard.
Logo and uniforms
From 1960 to 1973, the colors consisted of either Electric blue ("sky" or "powder" blue, but technically called Collegiate blue) or white jerseys, both with gold lightning bolts on the shoulders. The helmets were white and had both the arc-shaped lightning bolt logo, in gold, and the player's number. At first, the team wore white pants before switching to gold in 1966.
In 1974, the sky blue was changed to dark royal blue. The helmet was also changed to dark blue and the players' numbers were removed. From 1978 through 1983, the Chargers wore their white jerseys at home, coinciding with the hiring of coach Don Coryell – when Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
, a Coryell assistant in 1979–80, became head coach of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in 1981, he did the same, and white at home has become a Redskins staple ever since – but Coryell switched the Chargers to their blue jerseys at home starting in 1984. With the exception of the 1991 season and other sporadic home games since, San Diego wears its blue jerseys at home.
In 1985, the Chargers started using navy blue jerseys and returned to wearing white pants. The team's uniform design was next revamped in 1988. It featured an even darker shade of navy blue. The lightning bolts on the jerseys and helmets were white, with navy interior trim and gold outlining. In 1990, the team started to wear navy pants with their white jerseys. From 1988 to 1991, the team displayed stripes down the pants rather than lightning bolts. The Chargers went with all-white combinations in and , only to have the blue pants make a comeback. On October 27, 2003, the Chargers wore their navy pants with their navy jersey for a Monday Night Football game versus the Miami Dolphins that was played at Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
, then the home of the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, due to wildfires in southern California. This remains the only game in which the Chargers have worn the all-dark combination.
From the late 1980s to 2000, the Chargers wore white at home during preseason games and dark for regular season games. In 2001, the Chargers started wearing their dark uniforms for preseason games and white uniforms in September home games due to the heat before switching back to dark in October. From 2002 to 2006, the Chargers used the early-1960s powder blue uniforms as alternate jerseys, which many football fans (both of the Chargers and of other teams) clamored for the team to bring back full-time.
In March 2007, the Chargers unveiled their first uniform redesign since 1988, on the team's official website. The team formally unveiled this new uniform set, which mixes old and new styles, in a private team-only event. Navy blue remains the primary color on the home jersey, but the familiar lightning bolt was reverted to gold, and now has navy outlining and Collegiate (powder) blue interior trim. The latter color is a nod to the 1960s uniforms. The redesigned lightning bolt was moved to the sides of the shoulders from the top, and includes a new numbering font and word mark in white, with gold outlining and powder blue interior trim. The pants also have a redesigned lightning bolt in gold, with powder blue trim on a navy stripe. Additionally, the team pays tribute to other uniform features from their history by wearing a metallic white helmet, with a navy face mask, the newly revamped bolt in gold with navy and powder blue trim, and white pants. The road white jerseys with navy pants, as well as the alternate powder blue jerseys with white pants, were also redesigned with the new scheme. The Chargers wear their white jerseys for the first few home games in the first half of the season.
Since 2007
2007 San Diego Chargers season
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner , they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall...
, the Chargers have worn the alternate powder blue jerseys a total of ten times, most recently in a November 27, 2011 game vs. the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the team will wear them for one additional game in the 2011 season—December 18 vs. the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. The alternate powder blue jerseys were worn for a game against the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in the 2008 playoffs.
In 2009
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
, in honor of their 50th anniversary as one of the eight original AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
teams, the Chargers wore their 1960 throwback uniforms for three games.
Pro Football Hall of Famers
- Lance AlworthLance AlworthLance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
- Fred DeanFred DeanFrederick Rudolph "Fred" Dean is a former American football player in the National Football League, and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season. Dean was born in Arcadia, the seat of...
- Dan FoutsDan FoutsDaniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
- Sid GillmanSid GillmanSidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
- Charlie JoinerCharlie JoinerCharles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
- Deacon JonesDeacon JonesDavid D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him...
- John MackeyJohn Mackey (American football)John Mackey was an American Football tight end who grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island and played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers . He played college football at Syracuse University...
- Ron MixRon MixRonald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
- Johnny UnitasJohnny UnitasJohn Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
- Kellen WinslowKellen WinslowKellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
Retired numbers
- 14 Dan FoutsDan FoutsDaniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
, Quarterback, 1973–87 - 19 Lance AlworthLance AlworthLance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, Wide receiver, 1962–1970
Chargers Hall of Fame
The Chargers have a team Hall of Fame with the following members:- 56 Emil KarasEmil KarasEmil Karas was an American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and in the American Football League with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers. He was on the Chargers' 1963 AFL Championship team, and an AFL All-Star in 1961, 1962, and 1963...
, Linebacker, 1960–66, inducted 1976 - 55 Frank BuncomFrank BuncomFrank James Buncom, Jr. was an American football linebacker in the American Football League .-High school career:Buncom prepped at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles.-Professional career:...
, Linebacker, 1962–68, inducted 1976 - 53 Bob LarabaBob LarabaRobert Edward "Bob" Laraba was an American collegiate and Professional Football linebacker and quarterback who played college football at Texas-El Paso and professionally in the American Football League. He played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers...
, Linebacker, 1960–61, inducted 1976 - 38 Jacque MacKinnonJacque MacKinnonJacque Harold MacKinnon was an American college and professional Football receiver. A tight end, he played collegiately for Colgate University, and professionally for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers from 1961 through 1969. He also played one year for the National Football...
, Tight end, 1961–69, inducted 1976 - 19 Lance AlworthLance AlworthLance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, Wide receiver, 1962–70, inducted 1977 - 74 Ron MixRon MixRonald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
, Offensive tackle, 1960–69, inducted 1978 - 23 Paul LowePaul LowePaul Edward Lowe is a retired American football running back who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League from 1960 to 1969.-College career:...
, Running back, 1960–68, inducted 1979 - Barron HiltonBarron HiltonWilliam Barron Hilton I is an American business magnate, socialite, and hotel heir. He is the former co-chairman of the Hilton Hotels chain, and the original owner of the Los Angeles Chargers...
, team founder-owner, 1960–66, inducted 1980 - 22 Keith LincolnKeith LincolnKeith Payson Lincoln is a former American football running back who started his career playing college football at Washington State University. He maintained his versatility after being drafted by the American Football League's San Diego Chargers in 1961. In 1963 he led the team in rushing, punt...
, Running back, 1961–68, inducted 1980 - 77 Ernie LaddErnie LaddErnest "Ernie" Ladd , nicknamed "The Big Cat" was an American collegiate and professional football player and a professional wrestler.-Pro Football career:...
, Defensive tackle, 1961–65, inducted 1981 - 78 Walt SweeneyWalt SweeneyWalter Francis Sweeney is a former American football offensive lineman, who played college football at Syracuse University, where he made the school's all-century team. He also played in the North-South Game and the College All-Star Game...
, Guard, 1966–99, inducted 1981 - 21 John HadlJohn HadlJohn Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, Quarterback, 1962–72, inducted 1983 - 50 Chuck AllenChuck AllenCharles Richard Allen is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He was a linebacker who played for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers, and the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles...
, Linebacker, 1961–69, inducted 1984 - 27 Gary GarrisonGary GarrisonGary Lynn Garrison is a former American football wide receiver who played professional football in the American Football League and the National Football League . He attended San Diego State University from 1964-1965...
, Wide receiver, 1966–76, inducted 1985 - Sid GillmanSid GillmanSidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
, head coach, 1961–69 & 1971, inducted 1985 - 86 Earl FaisonEarl FaisonEarl Faison was an American college and Professional Football player who played in the American Football League between 1960 and 1966...
, Defensive end, 1961–66, inducted 1986 - 14 Dan FoutsDan FoutsDaniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
, Quarterback, 1973–87, inducted 1993 - 18 Charlie JoinerCharlie JoinerCharles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
, Wide receiver, 1976–86, inducted 1993 - Don CoryellDon CoryellDonald David Coryell was an American football coach, who coached in the NFL first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973–1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1986. He was well known for his innovations to football's passing offense. Coryell's offense was commonly known as "Air Coryell"...
, head coach, 1978–86, inducted 1994 - 45 Speedy DuncanSpeedy DuncanLeslie Herbert "Speedy" Duncan is a former American football cornerback who played college football at Jackson State University, and then played professional football....
, Cornerback, 1964–70, inducted 1995 - 70 Russ WashingtonRuss WashingtonRuss Washington was an offensive and defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League and National Football League from 1968-1982...
, Offensive tackle, 1968–82, inducted 1995 - 80 Kellen WinslowKellen WinslowKellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
, Tight end, 1979–87, inducted 1995 - George PernicanoGeorge PernicanoGeorge Pernicano Pernicano, along with Barron Hilton and other prominent San Diegans, brought the San Diego Chargers to San Diego from Los Angeles in 1961. He originally owned 7% of the team, but currently retains 3%. On Sept 8, 1996, he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame...
, team executive, since 1961, inducted 1996 - 6 Rolf BenirschkeRolf BenirschkeRolf Joachim Benirschke is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC daytime Wheel Of Fortune in 1989.-Early career:...
, Kicker, 1978–87, inducted 1997 - 22 Gill ByrdGill ByrdGill Arnette Byrd,http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/ByrdGi00.htm is a former professional American football player. He was a two time Pro Bowl cornerback in 1991 and 1992 for the San Diego Chargers after graduating from San Jose State University. He was inducted into the Chargers...
, Cornerback 1983–92, inducted 1998 - 79 Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, Defensive tackle, 1975–84, inducted 1999
- 63 Doug WilkersonDoug WilkersonDouglas Wilkerson is a former American football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers. Wilkerson played college football at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina....
, Guard, 1971–84, inducted 2000 - 89 Wes ChandlerWes ChandlerWesley Sandy "Wes" Chandler is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eleven seasons in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Wide receiver, 1981–87, inducted 2001 - 12 Stan HumphriesStan HumphriesWilliam Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
, Quarterback, 1992–97, inducted 2002 - Bobby RossBobby RossRobert Joseph Ross is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel , the University of Maryland, College Park , the Georgia Institute of Technology , and the United States Military Academy , compiling a career college football record of 103–101–2...
, head coach, 1992–96, inducted 2002 - 74 Louie KelcherLouie KelcherLouis James Kelcher was an American football player who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. His primary position was defensive tackle. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975-83...
, Defensive tackle, 1975–83, inducted 2003 - 62 Don MacekDon MacekDonald Matthew Macek is a former center in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers. Macek played center on the football team of Boston College, from which he graduated in 1976...
, Center, 1976–89, inducted 2004 - 67 Ed WhiteEd White (football)Edward Alvin White is a former American football player. After retiring from football, White has worked as a coach and artist.-Biography:He graduated from Indio High School in Indio, California...
, Guard, 1978–85, inducted 2004 - 71 Fred DeanFred DeanFrederick Rudolph "Fred" Dean is a former American football player in the National Football League, and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season. Dean was born in Arcadia, the seat of...
, Defensive end, 1975–81, inducted 2008 - 55 Junior SeauJunior SeauTiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...
, Linebacker, 1990-2002, inducted 2011
Alworth, Mix, Hadl, Joiner, Coryell, Gillman, Garrison, Fouts, White, Winslow, Faison, Benirschke, Lincoln, Washington, Humphries, Ladd and Wilkerson are also members of the San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
, which is open to athletes from the San Diego area as well as those who played for San Diego-based professional and collegiate
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
teams.
50 Greatest Chargers
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the AFL, the Chargers honored their top players and coaches franchise history. The 53 players and coaches selected as the Greatest Chargers of all time during the team's 50th Anniversary Season, was announced in 2009. The selections were made from 103 nominees. Online voting by fan accounted for 50 percent of the voting results; votes from Chargers Hall of Famers and five members of the local media made up for the other 50 percent. Over 400,000 votes were cast online. Dan FoutsDan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
and LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
received the first and second most votes, respectively.
QB — Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
, John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, Stan Humphries
Stan Humphries
William Stanley "Stan" Humphries is a former professional American football quarterback. He played for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Northeast Louisiana...
, Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
.
RB — Keith Lincoln
Keith Lincoln
Keith Payson Lincoln is a former American football running back who started his career playing college football at Washington State University. He maintained his versatility after being drafted by the American Football League's San Diego Chargers in 1961. In 1963 he led the team in rushing, punt...
, Paul Lowe
Paul Lowe
Paul Edward Lowe is a retired American football running back who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League from 1960 to 1969.-College career:...
, Natrone Means, Chuck Muncie
Chuck Muncie
Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...
, LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
.
WR —Lance Alworth
Lance Alworth
Lance Dwight Alworth is a former American collegiate and Professional Football wide receiver. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, Wes Chandler
Wes Chandler
Wesley Sandy "Wes" Chandler is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eleven seasons in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Gary Garrison
Gary Garrison
Gary Lynn Garrison is a former American football wide receiver who played professional football in the American Football League and the National Football League . He attended San Diego State University from 1964-1965...
, John Jefferson
John Jefferson
John Jefferson is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League . He was selected out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played three seasons in San Diego, where he became the first NFL player to gain...
, Charlie Joiner
Charlie Joiner
Charles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
.
TE — Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
, Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
.
T — Ron Mix
Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix , in Los Angeles, California was an American football player.Mix attended USC, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the American Football League's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and the NFL Oakland Raiders .- College career :A graduate of the University of Southern...
, Russ Washington
Russ Washington
Russ Washington was an offensive and defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League and National Football League from 1968-1982...
, Ernie Wright
Ernie Wright
Ernest Henry Wright was an American professional football offensive tackle who played for 13 seasons, from 1960 AFL season to 1969 in the American Football League, and 1970-1972 in the NFL...
.
G — Kris Dielman
Kris Dielman
Kristopher M. Dielman is an American football guard who currently plays for the San Diego Chargers.-High school and college career:...
, Walt Sweeney
Walt Sweeney
Walter Francis Sweeney is a former American football offensive lineman, who played college football at Syracuse University, where he made the school's all-century team. He also played in the North-South Game and the College All-Star Game...
, Ed White, Doug Wilkerson
Doug Wilkerson
Douglas Wilkerson is a former American football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers. Wilkerson played college football at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina....
.
C — Nick Hardwick, Don Macek
Don Macek
Donald Matthew Macek is a former center in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers. Macek played center on the football team of Boston College, from which he graduated in 1976...
.
DE — Fred Dean
Fred Dean
Frederick Rudolph "Fred" Dean is a former American football player in the National Football League, and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season. Dean was born in Arcadia, the seat of...
, Earl Faison
Earl Faison
Earl Faison was an American college and Professional Football player who played in the American Football League between 1960 and 1966...
, Leslie O'Neal
Leslie O'Neal
Leslie O'Neal is a former football defensive end who played 13 years in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams, and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1986 to 1999....
.
DT — Gary Johnson, Louie Kelcher
Louie Kelcher
Louis James Kelcher was an American football player who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. His primary position was defensive tackle. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975-83...
, Ernie Ladd
Ernie Ladd
Ernest "Ernie" Ladd , nicknamed "The Big Cat" was an American collegiate and professional football player and a professional wrestler.-Pro Football career:...
, Jamal Williams
Jamal Williams
Jamal Williams is an American football nose tackle who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1998 Supplemental Draft...
.
LB — Chuck Allen
Chuck Allen
Charles Richard Allen is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He was a linebacker who played for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers, and the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles...
, Woodrow Lowe
Woodrow Lowe
Woodrow Lowe , is a former professional American football linebacker who played from 1976-1986 for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League...
, Shawne Merriman
Shawne Merriman
Shawne DeAndre Merriman is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. On November 2, 2010, the Chargers waived Merriman...
, Junior Seau
Junior Seau
Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...
, Billy Ray Smith.
DB — Willie Buchanon
Willie Buchanon
Willie James Buchanon is a former cornerback for the National Football League's Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers; he was defensive rookie of the year in 1972 and a three-time Pro Bowl player...
, Gill Byrd
Gill Byrd
Gill Arnette Byrd,http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/ByrdGi00.htm is a former professional American football player. He was a two time Pro Bowl cornerback in 1991 and 1992 for the San Diego Chargers after graduating from San Jose State University. He was inducted into the Chargers...
, Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison is a retired professional football player of the National Football League. Harrison played safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots...
, Quentin Jammer
Quentin Jammer
Quentin Tremaine Jammer is an American football player who currently plays cornerback for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.- Early years :...
, Charlie McNeil
Charlie McNeil
Charles Edis McNeil was a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He was a defensive back who played for the American Football League's Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers...
.
K — Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Joachim Benirschke is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC daytime Wheel Of Fortune in 1989.-Early career:...
, John Carney.
KR — Speedy Duncan
Speedy Duncan
Leslie Herbert "Speedy" Duncan is a former American football cornerback who played college football at Jackson State University, and then played professional football....
, Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles
Darren Lee Sproles is an American football running back of the NFL who plays for the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
.
P — Darren Bennett, Mike Scifres
Mike Scifres
Michael T. Scifres is a punter for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.-High school:Scifres attended Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana and lettered in football, soccer, and baseball. In football, he was an All-District selection...
.
ST — Hank Bauer
Hank Bauer (football player)
Henry John Bauer is a former American football running back and professional television and radio broadcaster....
, Kassim Osgood
Kassim Osgood
Kassim A. Osgood is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
.
COACHES — Don Coryell
Don Coryell
Donald David Coryell was an American football coach, who coached in the NFL first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973–1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978-1986. He was well known for his innovations to football's passing offense. Coryell's offense was commonly known as "Air Coryell"...
, Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
, Bobby Ross
Bobby Ross
Robert Joseph Ross is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel , the University of Maryland, College Park , the Georgia Institute of Technology , and the United States Military Academy , compiling a career college football record of 103–101–2...
.
Radio and television
The Chargers' flagship station is KIOZKIOZ
KIOZ, also known as Rock 105.3, is a Rock station in San Diego, California. It is licensed in San Diego, California, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- History :...
105.3FM, commonly known as "Rock 1053." Josh Lewin
Josh Lewin
Josh Lewin is an American sports play-by-play announcer who most recently called television games for the Texas Rangers baseball club. He serves as radio voice of the San Diego Chargers football team...
and Hank Bauer
Hank Bauer (football player)
Henry John Bauer is a former American football running back and professional television and radio broadcaster....
comprise the broadcast team. Past Chargers radio broadcasters have included Ralph Lawler
Ralph Lawler
Ralph Lawler is the television and radio voice of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers. Going back to the franchise's six-year stint in San Diego , Lawler has broadcast virtually every Clippers game, whether it be radio and/or television...
, Stu Nahan
Stu Nahan
Stu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd...
, Tom Kelly, Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton
Lee Hamilton (sports)
Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton is an American sportscaster and radio talk show host based in San Diego, California. His current show "Sports Watch" is on from 10am-2pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday on XEPRS-AM, known on-air as "XX 1090 Sports Radio" and he works alongside producers Bobby Wooldridge...
, Dan Rowe and Ted Leitner
Ted Leitner
Ted Leitner is a former KFMB News 8 sportscaster and current radio play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres and San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball. He is also a former host on KFMB radio in San Diego. Due to a hectic schedule, he left KFMB just three days shy of his 25th anniversary at...
. Most preseason games are televised on KFMB
KFMB-TV
KFMB-TV is the local CBS television affiliate in San Diego, California. Its studios are located on Engineer Road in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego along with its sister radio stations, AM 760 and FM 100.7...
in San Diego and KCBS
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
in Los Angeles. The announcers were Ron Pitts
Ron Pitts
Ronald Dwayne Pitts is a former professional American football player. He played defensive back for the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins.Pitts was drafted by the Bills in the...
and Billy Ray Smith.
Since the Los Angeles market is within the Chargers' 75-mile radius (which prohibits broadcasts of Charger games on national radio during the regular season), the Chargers Radio Network has a secondary flagship station for Los Angeles: KLAC AM-570, in Los Angeles and Orange County. The previous Los Angeles flagship was KSPN
KSPN (AM)
KSPN is an all-sports radio station based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Disney. It is an ESPN Radio owned-and-operated station.-Play-by-play:...
AM-710 and before that, KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
AM-1540 for several years.
Dennis Packer, the public address announcer of all USC football games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
, serves as the P.A. announcer of all Charger home games at Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
. Packer replaced legendary PA announcer Bruce Binkowski, who went on to become the executive director of the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowl games.
Radio Affiliates
Chargers Radio NetworkEnglish
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... |
KIOZ KIOZ KIOZ, also known as Rock 105.3, is a Rock station in San Diego, California. It is licensed in San Diego, California, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- History :... -FM |
105.3 FM |
| San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... |
KLSD KLSD KLSD is a sports station based in San Diego, California. The sports programming began on November 12, 2007. Previously, KLSD's format was progressive talk radio.... -AM |
1360 AM |
| Temecula, California Temecula, California Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States with a population of 100,097 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it the lowest populated American city over 100,000 population. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989... |
KATY-FM KATY-FM KATY-FM is a commercial adult contemporary music radio station in Temecula, California, USA, broadcasting to the south-western portion of the Riverside-San Bernardino, California area on 101.3 FM.... |
101.3 FM |
| Riverside, California Riverside, California Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California... |
KCAL-FM KCAL-FM KCAL-FM is a commercial rock radio station. Licensed to Redlands, California, USA, it serves the Riverside-San Bernardino radio market.... |
96.7 FM |
| Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... |
KLAC-AM | 570 AM |
| Bakersfield, California Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively.... |
KGEO KGEO KGEO is a radio station broadcasting a News/talk format. Licensed to Bakersfield, California, USA, it serves inland central California. The station was assigned the KGEO call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on May 18, 1981.- History :In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s the station's... -AM |
1230 AM |
| Reno, Nevada Reno, Nevada Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area... |
KHIT KHIT KHIT is radio station that broadcasts a Sports Radio format. It is licensed to Reno, Nevada, USA and serves the Reno area. The station is currently owned by Lotus Communications Corporation.KHIT is the Reno affiliate of ESPN Radio.... -AM |
1450 AM |
| Yucca Valley, California Yucca Valley, California Yucca Valley is an incorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 at the 2010 census, up from 16,865 at the 2000 census... |
KNWH-AM | 1250 AM |
| Palm Springs, California Palm Springs, California Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego... |
KNWQ-AM | 1140 AM |
| Coachella, California Coachella, California Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley... |
KNWZ KNWZ KNWZ-970 and KNWQ-1140 is a simulcast news/talk station owned by Morris Multimedia under the name Morris Desert Media. It has an affiliation with Fox News Radio... -AM |
970 AM |
| Coachella, California Coachella, California Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley... |
KNWZ KNWZ KNWZ-970 and KNWQ-1140 is a simulcast news/talk station owned by Morris Multimedia under the name Morris Desert Media. It has an affiliation with Fox News Radio... -FM |
94.3 FM |
| Lancaster, California Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley... |
KOSS Koss Koss can refer to:* Koss Corporation, United States-based company that designs and manufactures headphones.* Johann Olav Koss, a Norwegian Olympic speed-skater and official.* Koss, an album by Paul Kossoff.... -AM |
1380 AM |
| Ontario, California Ontario, California Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area... |
KSPA KSPA KSPA is a commercial radio station located in Ontario, California, broadcasting to the Inland Empire area on 1510 AM. KSPA airs an adult standards format.... -AM |
1510 AM |
| Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and... |
KUPA KUPA KUPA is a radio station located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The station is owned by Broadcasting Corp. of America and offers the Fox Sports Radio sports talk format, broadcasting at 1370 kHz with ERP of 10 Kw-U.-History:... -AM |
1370 AM |
| Victorville, California Victorville, California Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:... |
KVFG KVFG KVFG is a commercial radio station in Victorville, California, broadcasting to the Victor Valley, California, area. KVFG is owned by CBS Radio.-History:... -FM |
103.1 FM |
| Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest, formerly known as Crumville, was incorporated as a city in 1913. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake . Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County... |
KWDJ KWDJ KWDJ is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Ridgecrest, California, USA, it serves the immediate Ridgecrest area. The station is currently operated by Eric and Kim Kauffman and features programing from Fox Radio.... -AM |
1360 AM |
| Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... |
KWWN KWWN KWWN is a radio station licensed to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The station is owned by Lotus Broadcasting Corp. Programming includes the UNLV Rebels football and men's basketball teams, ESPN Radio talk shows and play-by-play, and various local talk shows.... -AM |
1100 AM |
| El Centro, California El Centro, California El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also... |
KXO-FM KXO-FM KXO-FM is an FM radio station. KXO FM broadcasts at 107.5 MHz on the FM radio dial and brands itself as FM107. The station is owned and operated by KXO Inc., a broadcasting company in El Centro. It is the sister radio station of KXO AM 1230 in El Centro, California.It broadcasts an adult... |
107.5 FM |
Spanish
| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics... |
XHFG-FM | 107.3 FM |
| Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... |
KWKW KWKW KWKW is an American radio station licensed to serve Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by Lotus Communications Corporation.KWKW is one of the oldest Spanish-language radio stations in the Greater Los Angeles area... -AM |
1330 AM |
| Mexicali, Mexico Mexicali Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city... |
XHSOL-FM | 89.9 FM |
| Ensenada, Mexico Ensenada, Baja California Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific... |
XEHC-AM XEHC-AM XEHC-AM is a Mexican radio station that serves the area around Ensenada, Baja California.- External links :**... |
1590 AM |
Theme song
The Chargers are also well-known for their famous fight songFight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
, "San Diego Super Chargers
San Diego Super Chargers
"San Diego Super Chargers" is the fight song of the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . The disco song was written in 1979 during the Air Coryell era of the Chargers, and it was recorded by a band named Captain Q.B. and the Big Boys. New Chargers owners replaced the song in 1989...
". The song was recorded in 1979 at the height of the team's success with Air Coryell, and has a distinctly disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
sound. The team under then-new owner Alex Spanos
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire of Greek origin who founded the A. G. Spanos Companies and owns the San Diego Chargers.-Early life:...
replaced the song in 1989 with a non-disco cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, but the original version was revived in 2002. The team plays this song at home games after Chargers scores and victories. From time to time during highlights of NFL PrimeTime
NFL Primetime
NFL Primetime is a sports television program that has aired on ESPN since 1987. The show is presented similarly to ESPN's own SportsCenter, featuring scores, highlights, and analysis of every game of the week in the NFL.-Format :...
, ESPN's Chris Berman and Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...
would briefly sing the first line of the song's chorus.