Gary Kirner

Gary Kirner

No. 72
Position:	Guard
Personal information
Born:	(1942-06-22) June 22, 1942 (age 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	264 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:	Alexander Hamilton (Los Angeles, California)
College:	Santa Monica USC
AFL draft:	1964: 5th round, 40th pick
Career history
San Diego Chargers (1964–1969)
Career highlights and awards National champion (1962) First-team All-PCC (1962, 1963) First-team all-Metropolitan Conference (1961) Stats at Pro Football Reference Gary Burgess Kirner (born June 22, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. Early life Kirner was born on June 22, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. [1] He attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, where he began playing football as a junior, lining up as a 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 175 lb (79 kg) tackle. [2] Kirner also participated in track and field as a shot putter. [3] College career Kirner enrolled at Santa Monica City College (SMCC) in 1960. As a freshman, he joined the Corsairs football team and earned a letter as a starting right tackle. [4] [5] As a sophomore in 1961, Kirner earned first-team all-Metropolitan Conference honors and junior college All-America honorable mention. [6] [7] He also lettered in track and field at SMCC. [8] Kirner transferred to the University of Southern California in the spring semester of 1961 to play for the Trojans, [7] and won a national championship with the team in 1962. [9] He was a first-team all-Pacific Coast Conference selection in 1962 and 1963 and played in both the East–West Shrine Bowl and the Hula Bowl. [10] Professional career Kirner was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 1964 American Football League draft. [11] He signed with the team in June 1964. [10] Kirner was a "jack-of-all-trades lineman" until he settled at guard in 1968. [12] He suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November 1969. [13] Kirner spent a total of six seasons in San Diego, making 29 starts in 77 games played. [1] On May 19, 1970, he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Andy Rice. [14] Kirner was subsequently cut by the Bengals on September 7. [15] Personal life His son, John, was born one day before Kirner's USC Trojans were selected to play in the 1963 Rose Bowl. [16] He also had two daughters. [12] References "Gary Kirner". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved May 10, 2025. "Know your gridders". Evening Vanguard . October 23, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Waldner, Mike (March 30, 1960). "Yankee, Gondo Spike Clash Set for Tomorrow". Evening Vanguard . p. 9. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Guthrie, Jim (September 23, 1960). "Ventura College Opens Season with Santa Monica". Ventura County Star-Free Press . p. B2. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Allen, Gerry (December 2, 1960). "Hughley Named SM's Most Valuable Player". Evening Vanguard . p. 7. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "Andrews, Allison Snare Honors". Daily Breeze . November 28, 1961. p. 14. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Mandel, Stan (February 11, 1962). "Corsair Grid Stars Join USC". Los Angeles Times . p. W10. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "SMCC Presents Sports Awards". Evening Vanguard . June 2, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "West Area produces many top grid stars". Evening Vanguard . September 18, 1968. p. 17. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "Chargers Ink USC Tackle Gary Kirner". Daily Times-Advocate . June 16, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "AFL Draft by Rounds". Oakland Tribune . November 30, 1963. p. 12B. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "The Enquirer's Bengals' Scrapbook; Gary Kirner". The Cincinnati Enquirer . September 4, 1970. p. 27. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "Chargers lose Gary Kirner for season". Redlands Daily Facts . United Press International. November 18, 1969. p. 13. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. "Chargers Nab Andy Rice". Desert Dispatch . United Press International. May 20, 1970. p. 6. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Forbes, Dick (September 8, 1970). "Bengals Trim To 44-Man Limit". The Cincinnati Enquirer . p. 24. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Johnson, Don (December 28, 1962). "Trojan Tackle Kirner Doesn't Like Bowl Odds". Pasadena Independent . p. 17. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com. This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.