San Diego Chargers - Pro Football Betting, Online Sportsbook Casino
San
Diego Chargers History
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San Diego Chargers,
professional football team and one of five teams in the Western
Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National
Football League (NFL). The Chargers play at Qualcomm Stadium
in San Diego, California, and wear uniforms of navy blue, gold,
and white.
From 1960 to 1965 the Chargers won five division championships
and one league crown in the now-defunct American Football League
(AFL). Wide receiver Lance Alworth set a professional football
record by catching at least one pass in 96 consecutive games
from 1962 to 1970. During the late 1970s and early 1980s head
coach Don Coryell oversaw one of the most explosive offensive
units in NFL history. The team was led by quarterback Dan Fouts
and wide receiver Charlie Joiner, who both set career team records—Fouts
with 43,040 passing yards and 254 passing touchdowns and Joiner
with 586 receptions.
Founded by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, the Los Angeles Chargers
were one of six charter members of the AFL in 1960. Although
the Chargers won the AFL’s Western Division championship
that year under head coach Sid Gillman, the franchise posted
heavy financial losses and moved to San Diego the following
year. A future Hall of Fame member, Gillman steered the club
to four more Western Division crowns during the next five years.
San Diego lost four of five AFL Championship Games, however,
recording its only victory in 1963 over the Boston Patriots.
Gillman had three outstanding quarterbacks in his charge: John
Hadl, Jack Kemp, and Tobin Rote. He also coached one of the
era’s finest wide receivers, Lance Alworth, who became
the first AFL player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall
of Fame. Alworth posted six 1000-yard seasons in seven years,
leading the league in yardage three times. Linebacker Emil Karas
and end Earl Faison anchored the league’s top-rated defense
in 1961 and 1963.
San Diego finished in third place in the Western Division each
year from 1966 to 1969. The team joined the NFL in 1970 when
the NFL and AFL completed their merger. As an NFL team, the
Chargers continued to struggle, placing third or fourth in the
AFC’s Western Division each year from 1970 to 1978.
In 1978 Don Coryell was named head coach and Dan Fouts took
over as starting quarterback. A year later Fouts captured the
first of three consecutive passing titles to lead the Chargers
to the first of three straight division crowns. Fouts strung
together four consecutive 300-yard games in 1979, establishing
a record en route to the first 4000-yard season in NFL history.
The records were two of many new NFL standards he set during
his 15-year career. Fouts’s favorite targets were wide
receiver Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. All three
were eventually elected to the Hall of Fame.
Although he was better known for his offensive strategy, Coryell
assembled the league’s toughest defense in 1979, as the
Chargers held 8 of 16 opponents to ten or fewer points. Linemen
Fred Dean and Gary Johnson led the unit. Coryell and the Chargers
failed to advance in the playoffs, however, losing in the first
round in 1979 and in the second round the following three seasons.
In 1987 Fouts retired, ranking behind only Fran Tarkenton in
career yards (43,040), completions (3297), and attempts (5604).
(Dan Marino currently leads all three categories). A nine-season
playoff drought followed, during which the club finished as
high as third only once. Replacing Fouts became a struggle in
itself, as San Diego cycled through four starting quarterbacks
from 1988 to 1991. Stan Humphries settled into the job in 1992,
leading the Chargers to three playoff appearances in four years
under head coach Bobby Ross. Following the 1994 season, San
Diego made its first Super Bowl appearance, losing to the San
Francisco 49ers, 49-26.
1995 Super Bowl XXIX Lost to San Francisco 49ers, 49-26. |
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