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.
David Michael Stratton was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He won two AFL championships with the Buffalo Bills, where he was a six-time AFL All-Star. He was named to the AFL All-Time Second Team.
John Willard Hadl(Pronounced: HAY-dull) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 16 years in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. Hadl was named an AFL All-Star four times and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Keith Payson Lincoln was an American professional football player who was a halfback for eight seasons in the American Football League (AFL), primarily with the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars. Lincoln was a two-time All-AFL selection and a five-time AFL All-Star. A member of the Chargers Hall of Fame, he won an AFL championship with the Chargers in 1963, when he was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the championship game. He had a stint with the Buffalo Bills before returning to San Diego and finishing his career.
Walter Francis Sweeney was an American professional football plaer who was a guard in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was named to the school's all-century team. He also played in the North–South Bowl and the College All-Star Game. A first-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1963, Sweeney helped them win the AFL championship.
Lance Dwight Alworth, nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Often considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, he played for 11 seasons, from 1962 through 1972, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the first player inducted whose playing career was principally in the AFL. Alworth is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His teammates called him Bambi because he had a baby face and could run like a deer.
Darren Bennett is a former Australian rules football player and American football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL).
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).
Willie James Buchanon is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was selected in the first round of the 1972 NFL draft with the seventh overall pick. He was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1972 and a two-time Pro Bowl player. He finished his career with his hometown Chargers, retiring with 28 career interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries.
Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Rice Owls.
Leslie Herbert "Speedy" Duncan was an American professional football cornerback and return specialist who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Jackson State University. Duncan played seven seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he was a three-time AFL All-Star. He was also named to the Pro Bowl with the Washington Redskins. Duncan was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and was named to their 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
Steven Cyril DeLong was an American professional football defensive lineman who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was a first round draft selection in both the AFL and NFL drafts in 1965. He played collegiately for the University of Tennessee, and professionally for the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. In 1969 with San Diego, he set a team record with 17 sacks, a mark which stood until Gary Johnson had 17+1⁄2 in 1980. He was traded from the Chargers to the Bears on July 26, 1972, for a fourth-round selection in the 1973 NFL draft.
David Allen Kocourek was an American professional football player in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. A four-time AFL All-Star with the San Diego Chargers, he was named to the second team of the AFL All-Time Team.
Gary Lynn Garrison is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He attended San Diego State University from 1964 to 1965. His 26 touchdown receptions are still a career school record.
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating back to Los Angeles, where the franchise played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now known as the Los Angeles Chargers.
Donald Farris Norton was an American professional football end in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football at the University of Iowa and was drafted by the newly formed AFL in 1960, playing seven seasons for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1960–1966), making the AFL All-Star team in 1961 and 1962. After retiring, Norton began to experience health problems from steroid use, which was widespread in the teams he played on. He suffered a heart attack at the age of 59 and died in 1997 after undergoing open heart surgery.
The 1965 AFL Championship Game was the American Football League's sixth championship game, played on December 26 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California.
Jacque Harold MacKinnon was an American professional football player who was a tight end, playing most of his career in the American Football League (AFL) with the San Diego Chargers. He also was a member of the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League (NFL) and the Southern California Sun in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football at Colgate University.
Jeffrey Hugh Staggs was an American college and professional football player who played for the San Diego State Aztecs and San Diego Chargers.
James Ray Fuller is an American football coach and former defensive back who is currently the offensive coordinator for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Walla Walla CC and Portland State before being selected in the 8th round of the 1992 NFL draft; he went on to play three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles while also spending time in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the Scottish Claymores and Arena Football League (AFL) for the Portland Forest Dragons. He later served as a coach for the Forest Dragons, Bakersfield Blitz, Philadelphia Soul, Dallas Desperados, Dallas Vigilantes, Richmond Raiders, Maine Mammoths, and Jacksonville Sharks.
