The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team that currently plays and competes in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers were established in 1960 and played one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. The team returned to Los Angeles in 2017.
The new franchise ran a contest to decide their name, with "Chargers" the winning entry.[3]General managerFrank Leahy picked the name, and Hilton agreed: "I liked it because they were yelling 'charge' and sounding the bugle at Dodgers Stadium and at USC games."[4] The Chargers initially considered playing at the Rose Bowl, but instead signed a lease to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum.[5] Barron Conrad Hilton unveiled the Chargers' uniforms which featured blue and gold with lightning bolts on the sides of the helmets and trousers,[6] at a cocktail party at Hilton's Santa Monica residence. Players Jack Kemp and Ron Mix modeled the new uniforms.[7]
Los Angeles Chargers 1960 wordmark
Hilton named Sid Gillman the first head coach of the Chargers on January 8, 1960.[8] Later that year, Leahy resigned due to ill health, and Gillman became the general manager as well.[9] He served in that dual role until late in the 1969 season and kept at least one of the two jobs until 1971.[10]
The Chargers began their inaugural season on September 10, 1960, overcoming a 20–7 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Dallas Texans 21–20 before crowd of 17,724 at the L.A. Coliseum in the opening league game.[11] They went on to compile a 10–4 record and clinch a place in the first AFL title game;[12] a crowd of 9,928 in the L.A. Coliseum watched the Chargers top the Denver Broncos 41–33 to clinch the AFL Western Division title with a game to spare.[13] On January 1, a crowd of 32,183 in Jeppesen Stadium and a national television audience saw host the Houston Oilers defeat the Chargers 24–16 in the AFL championship game.[14][15]
The Chargers only spent one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961 due to the popularity of the Rams.[16] Initially denied in December, 1960,[17] but announced in late January, 1961, owner Barron Hilton relocated the Chargers down the coast to a soon-to-be expanded Balboa Stadium at Balboa Park in San Diego for the 1961 season,[18][19][20] their home field until 1966. In August 1967, they moved to the newly constructed San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium, then Qualcomm Stadium), where they played their home games until 2016.
By the late 2000s, Qualcomm Stadium, one of the last remaining venues in the league to have been built as a multi-purpose stadium, was becoming obsolete. Potential independent stadium projects intended to lure a team to Los Angeles targeted the Chargers as one of several teams that could potentially relocate to Los Angeles.[21][22] The Chargers were seen as a potentially favorable candidate, given their history in Southern California, the ease in which they could opt out of their current stadium deal, and owner Alex Spanos's advanced age and senility (raising the possibility that son and heir apparentDean Spanos could be willing to sell a portion of the team in the event of his father's death). The Chargers, during this time frame, publicly committed to stay in San Diego each year and rejected the offers of other stadium developers.
In 2014, the Chargers, the St. Louis Rams, and the Oakland Raiders all intimated they might apply for relocation to Los Angeles at the end of the season. The Chargers announced in December 2014 that they would not be seeking to relocate for the 2015 season, followed by an announcement from the NFL that no team would relocate to L.A. until the 2016 season at the earliest.[23]
In 2015, team spokesperson Mark Fabiani continued to bash the local San Diego city government's efforts to negotiate a replacement for Qualcomm Stadium. When the St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced in January 2015 his intention to build a new stadium in Inglewood, California, the Chargers felt pressured to announce their own Los Angeles plan to preserve what they claimed was "25 percent of their fan base" in the affluent Los Angeles and Orange County areas. In February 2015, the team announced a stadium proposal in Carson, California, in partnership with the Oakland Raiders, their AFC West divisional rivals.[24]
The day following the conclusion of the 2015 regular season, the Chargers, Rams, and Raiders all filed to relocate to Los Angeles.[25] On January 12, 2016, the NFL owners voted 30–2 to allow the Rams to return to Los Angeles and approved the Inglewood stadium project over the Carson project. The Chargers were given a one-year approval to relocate, conditioned on negotiating a lease agreement with the Rams or an agreement to partner with the Rams on the new stadium construction.[26]
On January 14, 2016, the team filed paperwork for official trademark protection of the term "Los Angeles Chargers" for the purposes of running and marketing a professional football franchise.[27] Later in January, the Chargers submitted to the City of Santa Ana grading and landscape plans for a five-acre parcel of land in the city that could be used as the location of interim headquarters and training facilities "in the event the team exercises its option to relocate to the Los Angeles area."[28] After two weeks of negotiation, the Chargers and Rams came to an agreement in principle on sharing the planned SoFi Stadium on January 29, 2016. Both teams would contribute a $200 million stadium loan from the NFL and personal seat license fees to the construction costs and would pay $1 per year in rent to the facility's controlling entity, StadCo LA, LLC.[29][30][31]
As an incentive to work out a stadium deal in their current market, the NFL pledged $100 million to the Chargers if they come to an agreement with the city of San Diego.[26] While the team had until March 2016 to decide if they would relocate to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, Chargers chairman/CEO Dean Spanos announced on January 29, 2016, that the team would remain in San Diego for the season. The announcement stated that the team would also be working over the year with government and business leaders on a new stadium proposal that could keep the team in San Diego long-term.[32]
The Chargers had continued preliminary work on a ballot initiative for public approval on a new facility.[29] On February 23, 2016, the Chargers announced that their stadium efforts would be focused on a stadium in East Village, Downtown San Diego. On March 30, 2016, it was reported in the media that the details of the downtown stadium proposal were unveiled the stadium would be financed from $650 million from the team and the NFL, with a tax hike of $1.15 billion in bonds including $350 million city contribution, $600 million for the convention center, and $200 million to acquire land. On April 21, 2016, rendering of the proposed downtown stadium were unveiled by the Chargers and on April 23, 2016, the downtown stadium initiative signature collecting was launched with Roger Goodell, Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Mike McCoy, and Dean Spanos. On June 10, 2016, the Chargers announced that they had collected 110,786 signatures for the downtown stadium initiative 1 month later on July 9, 2016, San Diego City Clerk Liz Malland announced that the downtown Chargers stadium initiative had secured enough valid signatures to be put on the November 2016 ballot. On July 18, 2016, the San Diego City Council voted 8–0 to put the Chargers stadium plan and the Citizens Plan on the November ballot. On July 28, 2016, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce announced its support of the Chargers downtown stadium proposal. On October 3, 2016, Mayor Kevin Faulconer officially announced his support of the Chargers stadium plan. On November 8, 2016, Measure C was voted down (57% opposed over 43% in support). On December 14, 2016, at an owners' meeting, the terms of the Chargers and Rams lease agreement, as well as the team's debt ceiling were approved thus taking the first steps for a possible relocation to Los Angeles in 2017. On December 23, 2016, the Chargers agreed to lease part of a Costa Mesa office campus for offices, practice fields, and training facility on nearly 3.2 acres.
On January 12, 2017, Chargers chairman Dean Spanos announced in a letter that the team would be moving back to Los Angeles in time for the 2017 NFL Season.[33] The Chargers also announced the team would play their games at the StubHub Center (now Dignity Health Sports Park) in Carson until the completion of Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park (now known as SoFi Stadium) in 2020.[34] There had been speculation that the team may rebrand itself similar to how the Houston Oilers ultimately became the Tennessee Titans in 1999. Unlike the situation between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, the Oilers' rebranding was done by the team's choice and not by court order. Plus, the Titans retained the franchise records of the Oilers, unlike the Ravens who technically became a new franchise when they arrived from Cleveland in 1996. Arguments in favor of keeping the team's current name include the fact that team already had a history in Los Angeles (however distant and brief) and the presence of the team's existing fan base in the area on account of being the only Southern California-based franchise for more than two decades. The Chargers have announced they had no immediate plans to rebrand after the relocation, although a new alternate logo incorporating the letters "LA" with a lightning bolt was unveiled with the relocation announcement and quickly scrapped after it was "widely ridiculed".[35][36][37][38]
Local Reception
Rams' mascot 'Rampage' posing with a fan with a sign taunting the Chargers during a joint practice between both teams in August of 2019
Reaction to the relocation was not without controversy. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke welcomed the team to town by writing "We. Don't. Want. You."[39] At a game at the Staples Center between the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, the Chargers' regular logo was shown on a scoreboard and was "booed heartily"[40] Chargers tight end Jeff Cumberland was also "jeered" by the crowd when featured on the big screen.
Anthony Lynn was the first head coach of the Chargers after they moved back to Los Angeles.The Chargers moved to SoFi Stadium in 2020
2017–2020: Anthony Lynn and moving in with the Rams
On January 13, 2017, the day after announcing their move to Los Angeles, the Chargers announced they had hired Anthony Lynn to be their next head coach.[41] They also unceremoniously fired defensive coordinator and longtime coaching assistant John Pagano, who learned of his dismissal through the media,[42] replacing him with former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley.[43]
The Chargers narrowly missed the playoffs in 2017, losing out on a four-way tiebreaker with the Titans, Bills, and Ravens. In 2018, the Chargers finished the season 12–4 and went to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, making it to the divisional round before being eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl LIII champions New England Patriots. Following a 5–11 finish in 2019, the Chargers allowed longtime quarterback Philip Rivers, who had started every game for the franchise since 2006, to walk in free agency,[44] leaving backup Tyrod Taylor and 2020 first-round pick Justin Herbert to compete for the starting quarterback position. Taylor won the starting job out of training camp, but was sidelined for Herbert after one game due to a punctured lung resulting from a botched painkiller shot.[45]
Despite prolific play from Herbert, who won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and broke several rookie passing records,[46] including the rookie record for passing touchdowns,[47] the Chargers finished 7–9 and missed the playoffs once again, leading to the firing of Lynn following the season.[48] The 2020 season was also notable for the Chargers as they moved into the newly completed SoFi Stadium with the Los Angeles Rams, though fans did not attend any home games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [49]
2021–present: The Justin Herbert/Brandon Staley era
With Herbert firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback, the Chargers hired former Rams' defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their new head coach on January 17, 2021.[50] The Chargers started the 2021 season strong at 4-1 going into Week 6, but they would struggle and lose 7 of their next 12 games, including a tie breaker to enter the postseason in their season finale on the road against the rival Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chargers performed better in 2022. Despite initially starting with a 1-2 record, Herbert would lead the Chargers to a 10-7 record by the end of the season, earning a Wild Card appearance, although they lost the season finale against the Denver Broncos 28-31.[51] Heading into the Wild Card matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chargers were expected to be the favorites. In comparison to the Chargers' fairly average season, the Jaguars had only managed an appearance after a sudden comeback which was guaranteed by a victory against the Tennessee Titans.[52]However, despite initially leading by a large amount (27-0), and causing 4 turnovers on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Lawrence was able to rally the Jaguars to a second-half comeback. The Chargers only scored a single field goal in the second half, and the Jaguars ultimately beat them 31-30, causing the Chargers to blow one of the biggest leads in postseason history.[53]
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. It was more successful than earlier rivals to the NFL with the same name, the 1926, 1936 and 1940 leagues, and the later All-America Football Conference.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The club plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada.
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.
Sidney Gillman was an American football player, coach and executive. 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 making football into the modern game that it is today. He was inducted as a coach into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Ernest Henry Wright was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons, from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League (AFL), and from 1970 to 1972 in the National Football League (NFL).
Jack Faulkner was an American football coach and administrator who most prominently served as head coach of the American Football League (AFL)'s Denver Broncos from 1962 to 1964. He also has been an integral part of the Los Angeles Rams organization, dating back to the team's first tenure in LA
The National Football League (NFL) has had a long and complicated history in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States. Los Angeles was the first city on the West Coast to host an NFL team, when the Cleveland Rams relocated to Los Angeles in 1946 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1946 until 1979. In 1960, a charter American Football League franchise, the Los Angeles Chargers began playing in the Coliseum. The Chargers moved to San Diego after their inaugural season, where they eventually joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger. The Rams moved to suburban Anaheim, California in 1980. A surprising move in 1982 brought the Oakland Raiders to the Coliseum to become Los Angeles Raiders.
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating back to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now known as the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raiders. Between 1982 and 1994, the team played in Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Raiders.
The 1960 American Football League Championship Game was the first AFL title game, played on New Year's Day 1961 at Jeppesen Stadium in Houston, Texas. With New Year's on Sunday, the major college bowl games were played on Monday, January 2. This was the first time that a major professional football league's playoff game was played in January rather than December.
The 1961 San Diego Chargers season was the team's second in the American Football League. Following a move from Los Angeles, it was the Chargers' first season in San Diego, where the team remained until returning to Los Angeles in 2017.
The 1960 Los Angeles Chargers season was the team's inaugural season and also the inaugural season of the American Football League (AFL). Head coach Sid Gillman led the Chargers to the AFL Western Division title with a 10–4 record, winning eight games out of nine after a 2–3 start, and qualifying to play the Houston Oilers in the AFL championship game.
This timeline of the National Football League (NFL) tracks the history of each of the league's 32 current franchises from the early days of the league, through its merger with the American Football League (AFL). The history of franchises that began as independent teams, or as members of the Ohio League, New York Pro Football League, and other defunct leagues are shown as well.
Dean Alexander Spanos is the chairman and owner of the National Football League (NFL)'s San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers franchise. He is the son of Alex Spanos, who purchased majority interest in the team in 1984. Dean Spanos took over daily operations from his father in 1994, becoming president and CEO, until he passed operations to his own sons in 2015. Dean took over full ownership after his father's death in 2018.
The Chargers–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders that has transcended two leagues and a combined five relocations. Since debuting in the inaugural AFL season, in 1960, as the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFL Western Conference, both teams joined the AFC West in 1970 under the AFL–NFL merger.
The 2016 season was the San Diego Chargers' 47th in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th overall, their 56th and final season in San Diego, California and their fourth and final season under head coach Mike McCoy.
The 2017 season was the Los Angeles Chargers' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their 58th overall, their second in the Greater Los Angeles Area and their first under head coach Anthony Lynn. It was the Chargers' first season in Los Angeles since their inaugural 1960 season, when they were in the AFL, as the team exercised its option to move back to the city and join the Los Angeles Rams on January 12, 2017. The 2017 season was the first of three seasons played at StubHub Center prior to the new stadium in Inglewood being completed in 2020.
↑ Braven, Dyer (September 11, 1960). "Chargers rally, win, 21–20". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. pp.H1, H-3. Retrieved January 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Dyer, Braven (December 11, 1960). "Chargers Tame Broncs, Cinch Title". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. pp.H-1, H-2. Retrieved January 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Spanos, Dean (January 12, 2017). "Letter From Dean Spanos". Los Angeles Chargers. National Football League. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
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