Wikipedia

Los Angeles Chargers

"Chargers" redirects here. For other uses, see Charger (disambiguation).

The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team plays its home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which it shares with the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles Chargers
Current season
Established August 14, 1959; 64 years ago (1959-08-14)[1]
First season: 1960
Play in SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, California
Headquartered at Hoag Performance Center
Costa Mesa, California[2]
Los Angeles Chargers logo
Los Angeles Chargers logo
Los Angeles Chargers wordmark
Los Angeles Chargers wordmark
LogoWordmark
League/conference affiliations

American Football League (1960–1969)

  • Western Division (1960–1969)

National Football League (1970–present)

Current uniform
Team colorsPowder blue, sunshine gold, white[3][4][5]
     
Websitechargers.com
Personnel
Owner(s)Dean Spanos[6]
PresidentA. G. Spanos
General managerJoe Hortiz
Head coachJim Harbaugh
Team history
Team nicknames
  • The Bolts
Championships
League championships (1)
Conference championships (1)
Division championships (15)
Playoff appearances (20)
Home fields
Team owner(s)

The Chargers were founded in Los Angeles in 1959, and began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). They spent their first season in Los Angeles before relocating to San Diego in 1961 to become the San Diego Chargers.[1][7] The team joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. In 2017, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego, a year after the Rams had moved back to the city after spending 21 seasons (1995–2015) in St. Louis.[8][9][10] The team previously played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during their first stint in Los Angeles, Balboa Stadium and San Diego Stadium (also known as Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium) while in San Diego, and Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly named StubHub Center) from 2017 to 2019, while SoFi Stadium was under construction.

The Chargers won the AFL championship in 1963, and reached the AFL playoffs five times and the AFL Championship game four times before joining the NFL.[7][11] Since then, the Chargers have made 15 trips to the playoffs and made four appearances in the AFC Championship game.[7] In 1994, the Chargers won their first and only AFC championship, and faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, losing 49–26.[7] The Chargers have eight players and one coach enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: wide receiver Lance Alworth (1962–1970), defensive end Fred Dean (1975–1981), quarterback Dan Fouts (1973–1987), head coach and general manager Sid Gillman (1960–1969, 1971), wide receiver Charlie Joiner (1976–1986), offensive lineman Ron Mix (1960–1969), tight end Kellen Winslow (1979–1987), linebacker Junior Seau (1990–2002), and running back LaDainian Tomlinson (2001–2009).[12]

According to an article listed by Forbes, the Los Angeles Chargers are worth 3.875 billion dollars in August 2022 putting them at number 20 on the list of richest NFL teams.[13]

Franchise history

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Chargers

First season in Los Angeles (1960)

The Chargers were established with seven other American Football League teams in 1959. They began AFL play in Los Angeles the following year in 1960.[7] The Chargers' original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton.[7] According to the official website 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: "I liked it because they were yelling ‘charge’ and sounding the bugle at Dodger Stadium and at USC games."[14]

San Diego

Main article: San Diego Chargers

In December 1960, the Chargers considered moving to San Diego, Atlanta, or Seattle, ultimately relocating to San Diego’s Balboa Stadium in January 1961, due to financial losses in Los Angeles. The city upgraded the stadium, increasing its seating capacity to 34,000. The Chargers’ defense was strong, recording forty-nine interceptions in their first season in San Diego. They won the AFL title in 1963, but lost in the 1964 and 1965 championships to the Buffalo Bills.

In the late 1960s, the Chargers faced ownership changes and financial difficulties. In 1966, Hilton sold the team to a group of executives, including Eugene V. Klein and Sam Schulman. The team moved to San Diego Stadium in 1967 and continued to perform well, though not winning any championships. By 1970, they had joined the NFL following the AFL-NFL merger. The team struggled in the early 1970s, with coaching changes and a decline in performance, finishing with a 2-11-1 record in 1973.

The Chargers hired Don Coryell as head coach in 1978, introducing the "Air Coryell" offense, a pass-heavy strategy that revitalized the team’s performance. With quarterback Dan Fouts, the Chargers led the league in passing yards from 1978 to 1983 and again in 1985. The team made four consecutive playoff appearances from 1979 to 1982, winning three AFC West division titles. Despite regular-season success, the Chargers faced challenges in the playoffs, including the famous "Epic in Miami" game in 1981.

The 1990s brought further changes, including the hiring of Bobby Ross as head coach in 1992. The Chargers won the AFC West title in 1992 and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 1994, losing to the San Francisco 49ers. The team continued to have ups and downs, with notable players like Junior Seau and LaDainian Tomlinson making significant contributions. In 2017, the Chargers relocated back to Los Angeles.

Return to Los Angeles

 
Dignity Health Sports Park, a soccer-specific stadium that seats 30,000, served as the Chargers' temporary home from 2017 until 2019.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos announced the move in a letter to the city of San Diego posted to the team's official site on January 12, 2017.[8] The team, which would pay the NFL a $645 million relocation fee[15] announced it would be returning to their birthplace in Los Angeles starting with the 2017 season at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson,[8][9][10] despite the stadium's 30,000 seating capacity being well below the 50,000 minimum that the NFL set for temporary homes. The home of Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy served as the Chargers' temporary home field until they joined the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood starting with the 2020 NFL season. The Chargers became the second former San Diego professional sports franchise to move to Los Angeles, after the Clippers in 1984.

The move drew some controversy. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke welcomed the team to town by writing "We. Don't. Want. You.", noting that "The Chargers aren't even the second team in town behind the Rams. The Chargers aren't even the third team of interest here behind the Rams and Raiders. The Chargers might not even be in the top-five favorite NFL teams in Los Angeles."[16] At a game at the Staples Center between the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, the Chargers' logo was shown on a scoreboard and was "booed heartily".[17] Chargers tight end Jeff Cumberland was also "jeered" by the crowd when featured on the big screen.[18]

One week after the move from San Diego to Los Angeles was announced, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the other NFL owners were "angered" by the decision, and that "the NFL wants the Chargers to move back, though nobody believes that possibility is realistic."[19]

Anthony Lynn years (2017–2020)

On January 13, the Chargers fired defensive coordinator John Pagano.[20] It took the team one week to find a replacement for Pagano, as they hired Gus Bradley on January 20. Bradley was formerly the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and before landing that head coaching job was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. The Chargers also announced they had hired Anthony Lynn to be their next head coach.[21][22]

In their first game back in Los Angeles at StubHub Center included an announced attendance was just over 25,000, divided "around 50/50" between fans of the Chargers and the visiting Miami Dolphins.[23] After the poor response, the NFL was reportedly considering ways to move the Chargers back to San Diego, although that possibility was considered unlikely.[24] The league officially denied that such discussions were happening, as San Diego was stated not to have a usable stadium and that the Spanos family refuses to consider going back to the city; the league did acknowledge that a vote of the owners could change the situation.[25] The team had a 9–7 record, but missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive time.

After a 12–4 regular season record, the Chargers qualified for the 2018 playoffs. The team defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the Divisional round. However, Chargers' attendance problems continued into their second season. For instance, there were so many fans of the visiting Kansas City Chiefs at the Chargers' 2018 home opener that USA Today remarked it "was essentially a Chiefs home game".[26] In December 2018, a Los Angeles Times columnist asked if the Chargers would receive a parade in the city if they were to win the Super Bowl.[27]

The team's struggles to draw fans reportedly led them to lower their initial revenue goal when they moved into the new stadium from $400 million to $150 million, and caused some owners to doubt the Chargers' viability in Los Angeles.[28] Beyond low attendance, the Chargers receive only 18.75% of season ticket revenues through 2040, contributing to the reduced goal.[29]

In the 2019 season, the Chargers had a poor 5–11 record, and were swept by their division.

On September 13, 2020, Tyrod Taylor became the starting quarterback for the Chargers and the first new quarterback to start since Philip Rivers' starting debut on December 31, 2005.[30] He led them to win 16-13 due to a missed field goal by the Bengals. On September 20, 2020, Taylor suffered a punctured lung while receiving a pain-killing injection, forcing rookie quarterback Justin Herbert to start.[31] Herbert led the team to a narrow loss against the Chiefs, 23–20, in his first start. In week 13, the Chargers lost to the Patriots, 45–0, in the worst blowout loss in team history.[32] The season concluded in a 38–21 win over the Chiefs. Justin Herbert broke multiple rookie records throughout the season, but despite his record-breaking season, the Chargers finished the season with a 7–9 record. At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the organization announced that Lynn was fired as head coach.[33]

Brandon Staley years (2021–2023)

 
SoFi Stadium in 2021

The Chargers signed Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to become their new head coach on January 17, 2021.[34] Brandon Staley brought in Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, grandson of Vince Lombardi, as the new offensive coordinator, and Renaldo Hill, Broncos defensive backs coach, as their new defensive coordinator.[35][36]

In the 2021 season, the Chargers' record improved to 9–8 (with an extra 17th game added to the NFL regular season). Herbert broke numerous sophomore year records, but despite his and the rest of the team's efforts, the Chargers missed the playoffs in a week 18 win-or-tie-or-go-home overtime loss to the Raiders.[37]

On February 3, 2022, the Chargers hired Vikings special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken.[38] In 2022, the Chargers announced the location of a new headquarters in El Segundo, California.[39] The Chargers finished the 2022 NFL season with a 10–7 record and the 5th seed in the AFC. They lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Jacksonville Jaguars after blowing a 27–0 lead in the game.[40] Despite the playoff loss, the Chargers were alleviating their attendance issues, with their average attendance during the 2022 season being in the top third of the league for a second consecutive year.[41][42]

On January 17, 2023, the Chargers fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day.[43] The Chargers hired former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be their new offensive coordinator on January 31.[44] Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill unexpectedly left the team on February 20 to join the Miami Dolphins as their secondary coach and passing game coordinator, with the vacancy being filled by the Chargers defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley on the same day.[45]

On December 15, 2023, head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired, one day after a 63–21 primetime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.[46]

Jim Harbaugh (2024–present)

The Chargers signed former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh on January 24, 2024.[47] Harbaugh served as the coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014. He went to Super Bowl XLVII with the 49ers where he lost to the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Michigan football coach from 2015 to 2024. There, he had a total record of 86-25 while reaching the college football playoffs three times, as well as winning the 2024 National Championship. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback for the Chargers from 1999 to 2000.

Logos and uniforms

 
The Chargers' first logo, 1960; Alternate logo, 2018–present
 
The Chargers' wordmark logo, 1960

Except for color changes along the way, the Chargers have essentially 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". The team brought the logo back for on-field design in the 2018 season.

From 1960 to 1973, the colors consisted of various shades of electric blue ("powder" blue, but technically called collegiate blue)[48] 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 or navy depending on the year, and the player's number. At first, the team wore white pants before switching to gold in 1966. In 1973, the numerals on the blue jerseys changed from white to gold.[48]

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. Additionally, the face masks became yellow, thus making them one of the first teams in the NFL (with the Kansas City Chiefs) to use a facemask color other than the then-predominant grey. 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 became a Redskins staple through 2007 – 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.[48]

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; the facemasks became navy blue. 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 1997 and 2001, 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 was the only game in which the Chargers had worn the all-dark combination until the uniform change in 2020.[49]

From the late 1980s to 2000, the Chargers wore white at home during some 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.

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 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.[50]

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.

Since 2007, the Chargers have worn the alternate powder blue jerseys twice per season. The alternate powder blue jerseys have also been worn in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts in 2008.

In 2009, in honor of their 50th anniversary as one of the eight original AFL teams, the Chargers wore their 1963 throwback uniforms for three games.

For the 2013 season, the Chargers made minor tweaks to their current uniforms. These include a two-tone nameplate (gold with powder blue trim on home jersey, navy with gold trim on away jersey, and white with navy trim on alternate jersey), collars matching the color of the jersey, and the addition of a gold stripe on the socks.[51]

 
First Chargers wordmark of the second Los Angeles era 2017–2019

On January 12, 2017, with the announcement that the Chargers were moving to Los Angeles, the team unveiled a new alternate logo incorporating the letters "LA" with a lightning bolt.[52] The logo was immediately and widely ridiculed by fans, the media, and even other professional sports franchises, in part for its resemblance to the Los Angeles Dodgers logo.[53][54][55][56][57][18] The team tried to defuse the controversy by changing the color scheme of the new logo before scrapping it altogether after two days.[58]

The team officially announced on April 16, 2019, that it would wear its powder blue jerseys, the same uniforms they wore during their inaugural season in 1960 while in Los Angeles, as its primary home uniform beginning with the 2019 NFL season. The club also announced that the facemask color would change from navy blue to gold, which was previously worn when the team wore its royal blue NFL Color Rush uniforms.[59][60]

On March 24, 2020, the team announced new logos and upcoming new uniforms for the team. The new logos removed the navy blue completely, altered the double bolt lessening the curve, and debuted a new script logo featuring powder blue and gold and lightning bolt shooting from the A in Chargers.[3][4] On April 21, 2020, the team unveiled their new uniforms. This uniform set has numbers on the helmet and includes two color-rush uniforms, a royal blue set similar to the one used in their previous look, and an all-navy set, which has color of the logo on the helmet changed to navy as well. Gold pants were also included in the rebrand. Powder blue also returned as the primary color.[61][62]

Rivalries

Las Vegas Raiders

Main article: Chargers–Raiders rivalry

The Chargers–Raiders rivalry dates to the 1963 season, when the Raiders defeated the heavily favored Chargers twice, both come-from-behind fourth quarter victories. One of the most memorable games between these teams was the "Holy Roller" game in 1978, in which the Raiders intentionally fumbled in order to score a touchdown. This somewhat controversial play resulted in a rule change the following season. On November 22, 1982, the Raiders hosted their first Monday Night football game in Los Angeles against the Chargers. The Chargers led the game in the 1st half 24–0 until the Raiders scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to win 28–24. On January 10, 2022, the Raiders defeated the Chargers in overtime, 35–32. The winning field goal was unnecessary for the Raiders' playoff chances, and if the game had ended in a tie, both teams would have made the playoffs. With the field goal, the Chargers were eliminated. The Raiders lead the series 67–57–2 as of the end of the 2022 season, including having won the only playoff game between the two teams, the 1980 AFC Championship game.[63]

Los Angeles Rams

Main article: Battle of Los Angeles (NFL)

Initially, the Los Angeles Raiders and Rams were considered to be competing in the "Battle of Los Angeles" during the Raiders' tenure in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994.[64] However, the rivalry ended as the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders returned to Oakland in the mid-1990s. The Raiders unsuccessfully attempted to move back to Los Angeles in 2015 following a failed joint stadium project with the then-San Diego Chargers. The intercity rivalry was revived only with the Chargers' move from San Diego in 2017, following the Rams' return to Los Angeles in 2016. Hostility erupted between the two clubs during a 2017 joint scrimmage at the Rams' training camp in Irvine, California. Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman and Chargers receiver Keenan Allen initiated an altercation and multiple players rushed into the skirmish, creating an uproar from the crowd.[65] Following the hiring of coach Sean McVay in 2017, the Rams managed to win back-to-back division titles, including an appearance in Super Bowl LIII during McVay's second season as head coach. The Chargers experienced their own playoff success by boasting a 12–4 record in 2018 and making an appearance in the 2018 AFC divisional round but lost to the New England Patriots. The Rams won the first regular season matchup in Los Angeles between the two teams in Week 3 of the 2018 season. The Chargers would win the next meeting in Week 17 of the 2022 season, the first matchup between the two teams at their new stadium.[66][67]

Kansas City Chiefs

Main article: Chargers–Chiefs rivalry

Chiefs lead 66–58–1 as of the end of the 2022 season,[68] but the Chargers won the only playoff meeting between the two teams, a 1992 AFC wild card game.[69]

Denver Broncos

Main article: Broncos–Chargers rivalry

Broncos lead 70–54–1 as of the end of the 2022 season, including having won the only playoff meeting between the two teams, a 2013 AFC Divisional game.[70]

Season-by-season record

Main article: List of Los Angeles Chargers seasons

The table below shows the five most recent NFL regular season records along with their respective finish in the NFL playoffs. The Los Angeles Chargers appeared in the postseason twice in the five last seasons, which happened in 2018 that resulted in a Divisional loss to the Patriots.[71] Recent notable honors with current members of the Los Angeles Chargers include NFL Rookie of the Year in 2016 for Joey Bosa (Defensive) and in 2020 for Justin Herbert (Offensive) along with NFL Comeback Player of the Year for Keenan Allen in 2017.[72][73][74]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Season GP W L W–L% Finish Playoffs
2019 16 5 11 .313 4th, AFC West did not qualify
2020 16 7 9 .438 3rd, AFC West did not qualify
2021 17 9 8 .529 3rd, AFC West did not qualify
2022 17 10 7 .588 2nd, AFC West Lost in Wild Card, 31–30 (Jaguars)
2023 17 5 12 .294 4th, AFC West did not qualify

Players of note

Main page: Category:Los Angeles Chargers players

Current roster

Los Angeles Chargers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Roster updated June 17, 2024

90 active (+1 exempt)

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

Retired numbers

 
Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts
 
Hall of Fame WR Lance Alworth
 
Hall of Fame OT Ron Mix
 
Hall of Fame WR Charlie Joiner
 
Hall of Fame LB Junior Seau
 
Hall of Fame TE Kellen Winslow
Main article: Los Angeles Chargers retired numbers

The Chargers currently have six retired numbers: #14 of Dan Fouts, #18 of Charlie Joiner, #19 of Lance Alworth, #21 of LaDainian Tomlinson, #55 of Junior Seau and #80 of Kellen Winslow. As of 2010, the Chargers' policy was to have the Chargers Hall of Fame committee evaluate candidates for a player's number to retire after the player has retired from the league after five years, Seau was the only exception to this policy. The committee consists of Chargers Executive Vice President Alex Spanos, Chargers public relations director Bill Johnston, San Diego Hall of Champions founder Bob Breitbard, and the presidents of the San Diego Sports Commission and the Chargers Backers Fan Club. There are few recognized guidelines in sports regarding retiring numbers, and the NFL has no specific league policy. "You have to have enough numbers for players to wear", said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.[75] The Chargers have rarely retired numbers.[76] The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote, "The [Chargers] tend to honor their heritage haphazardly."[77] Though not officially retired, the Chargers have not issued #17 or #85 since the retirements of Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, respectively.

Los Angeles Chargers retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Retired
14 Dan Fouts QB 1973–1987 March 24, 1988
18 Charlie Joiner WR 1976–1986 September 10, 2023[78]
19 Lance Alworth WR 1962–1970 November 20, 2005
21 LaDainian Tomlinson RB 2001–2009 November 21, 2015
55 Junior Seau LB 1990–2002 May 11, 2012
80 Kellen Winslow TE 1979–1987 September 10, 2023[78]

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Table key
* Member of the Chargers Hall of Fame
† Member of the Chargers Hall of Fame and number retired by Chargers
San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Famers
Players
Name No. Position Tenure Inducted
Lance Alworth † 19 WR 1962–1970 1978
Ron Mix * 74 OT 1960–1969 1979
Johnny Unitas 19 QB 1973 1979
Deacon Jones 75 DE 1972–1973 1980
John Mackey 89 TE 1972 1992
Dan Fouts † 14 QB 1973–1987 1993
Larry Little 72 G 1967–1968 1993
Kellen Winslow † 80 TE 1979–1987 1995
Charlie Joiner † 18 WR 1976–1986 1996
Fred Dean * 71 DE 1975–1981 2008
Junior Seau † 55 LB 1990–2002 2015
LaDainian Tomlinson † 21 RB 2001–2009 2017
Coaches & front office staff
Name Position Tenure Inducted
Sid Gillman * Head coach 1960–1971 1983
Bobby Beathard * General manager 1990-2000 2018
Don Coryell * Head Coach 1978-1986 2023

Chargers Hall of Fame

Main article: Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame

The Chargers created their Hall of Fame in 1976.[79] The members of the Hall of Fame are honored at the Chargers Ring of Honor, founded in 2000 and viewable above the visiting team's sideline of Qualcomm Stadium on the press level.[80][81] Eligible candidates must have been retired for at least four seasons.[82] Selections are made by a five-member committee chaired by Dean Spanos, Chargers vice-chairman. As of 1992, other committee members included Bob Breitbard, founder of the San Diego Hall of Champions; Ron Fowler, president of the Greater San Diego Sports Association; Jane Rappoport, president of the Charger Backers; and Bill Johnston, the team's director of public relations.[82] The Chargers in 2012 allowed fans to vote for the newest member.[83]

50th Anniversary Team

Main article: San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team
See also: San Diego Chargers 40th Anniversary Team

The Chargers announced their 50th Anniversary Team in 2009 to honor the top players and coaches in the team's history. The Chargers were founded in 1959.[84] The team included 53 players and coaches selected from 103 nominees.[85][86][87] The Chargers originally stated that only 50 members would be selected.[87] Online voting by fans accounted for 50% of the voting results; votes from Chargers Hall of Famers and five members of the local media made up for the other 50%. Over 400,000 votes were cast online. Dan Fouts and LaDainian Tomlinson received the first and second most votes, respectively.[86][88] The team features 7 Pro Football Hall of Fame members and 11 players that were active on the 2009 Chargers team.[89][90]

San Diego Hall of Champions

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.

Staff

Head coaches

Main article: List of Los Angeles Chargers head coaches

Current staff

Los Angeles Chargers staff
Front office
  • Chairman/owner/president – Dean Spanos
  • Vice chairman – Michael Spanos
  • Executive vice president/COO/CFO – Jeanne Bonk
  • CEO/president of business operations – A. G. Spanos
  • General manager – Joe Hortiz
  • Assistant general manager – Chad Alexander
  • President of football operations – John Spanos
  • Executive vice president of football administration/player finance – Ed McGuire
  • Director of player personnel – Vacant
  • Director of player personnel strategy – Corey Krawiec
  • Director of pro scouting – Dennis Abraham
  • Senior director of pro personnel – Louis Clark
  • Director of college scouting – Kevin Kelly
Head coaches
Offensive coaches


  
Defensive coaches
Special teams
Strength and conditioning
  • Executive director of player performance – Ben Herbert
  • Head of strength and conditioning – Jonathan Brooks
  • Head of strength and conditioning – Devin Woodhouse
  • Director of performance analytics – Ben Rabe
  • Performance analyst – Lincoln Dewolf

→ Coaching staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

Radio and television

See also: List of Los Angeles Chargers broadcasters

The Chargers' flagship radio station is KYSR-FM Alt 98.7 in Los Angeles, with daily coverage and special programming on KLAC-AM 570 LA Sports[91] Play-by-play voice Matt "Money" Smith & NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah comprise the broadcast team. KYSR-FM's iHeartMedia Los Angeles sister-station KFI AM 640 served as the previous flagship station for the team since the Chargers’ return to Los Angeles from 2017 to 2019. Past Chargers radio broadcasters have included Josh Lewin, Ralph Lawler, Stu Nahan, Tom Kelly, Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton, Dan Rowe, Ted Leitner, and Hank Bauer. Bauer served seventeen seasons (1998–2014) as the radio color analyst; however, the Chargers and then-flagship KIOZ decided not to renew his contract,[92] and was replaced by Conway starting with the 2015 season. As of 2014, the Chargers also stream their radio broadcasts on their official mobile application (through iOS and Android devices) as well as on their website.[93]

As of the 2020 season, Chargers preseason games will be broadcast by KCBS-TV; likewise, in the former San Diego market, KFMB is the local affiliate. As per the NFL's television deals, KCBS also broadcasts CBS coverage of most Chargers regular season games against AFC teams.[94]

Dennis Packer, the public address announcer of all USC football games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, serves as the public address announcer of all Chargers home games at SoFi Stadium. Packer replaced legendary P.A. announcer Bruce Binkowski, who went on to become the executive director of the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowl games, which were played at their former home, now-defunct SDCCU Stadium. The Holiday Bowl's being played in 2020 & 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park and will return to Snapdragon Stadium in 2022. Poinsettia Bowl went defunct in 2016.

With the Chargers' return to Los Angeles in 2017, the team became a beneficiary of league scheduling policies. Both the Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams share the Los Angeles market, which is on the West Coast of the United States. This means that the Chargers cannot play home games, road division games against the Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders, or interconference road games against the NFC West (in seasons that the AFC West and NFC West meet in interconference play) in the early 10:00 a.m. Pacific time slot. In addition, they cannot play interconference home games at the same time or network as the Rams. As a result, both teams generally will have more limited scheduling options, and will also benefit by receiving more prime-time games than usual (click here for further information). Thus, regardless of the previous season's record, the Chargers will receive a disproportionate number of Sunday Night, Monday Night and/or Thursday Night games, compared to the rest of the league. Additionally, if the Chargers and Rams are both playing at the same time on Sunday afternoons on a certain network (for instance, a Rams road game against an AFC opponent at the same time as a Charger home game with an NFC opponent with both on Fox, or the reverse where the Rams are on the road against an AFC opponent and the Chargers are at home against an AFC opponent on CBS), in the Los Angeles market, Fox and CBS have authorization to carry the extra game on their secondary sister stations; Fox games air on KCOP-TV, while CBS games are aired on KCAL-TV. In 2020, the Chargers signed a multi-year preseason TV deal with KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV and will have a weekly show with the latest team news, replacing KABC-TV after three seasons (2017, 2018 and 2019) of televising Chargers preseason football.

Radio affiliates

 
Map of radio affiliates

English stations

California

City Call Sign Frequency
Los Angeles KYSR/KSRY 98.7/103.1 FM (Pre-Game [first two-hours], Full Game Coverage and 'Chargers Talk' Post-Game)
KYSR 98.7 HD2 (HD radio simulcast of KLAC, will carry select games)
KLAC 570 AM (Secondary affiliate to KYSR, will carry select games)
San Diego KGB-FM 101.5 FM
KGB 760 AM
Temecula/Inland Empire KATY-FM 101.3 FM
Yucca Valley KNWH 1250 AM/103.7 FM
Palm Springs KNWQ 1140 AM/94.3 FM
Coachella KNWZ 970 AM/104.7 FM
Palmdale/Lancaster KAVL 610 AM
Victorville/Hesperia KMPS 910 AM
Imperial Valley KXO-FM 107.5 FM

Spanish stations

California

City Call Sign Frequency
Los Angeles/Orange County KBUE/KBUA 105.5 FM/94.3 FM
San Diego/Tijuana, Mexico XEMO-AM 860 AM

Mexico

City Call Sign Frequency
Mexicali XEHG 1370 AM
Ensenada XHEPF-FM 89.1 FM

Theme song

Main article: San Diego Super Chargers

The Chargers' fight song, "San Diego Super Chargers", 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 played this song at home games after Chargers scores and victories until they departed San Diego.

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