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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.
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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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