San Diego Chargers

 

The San Diego Chargers were established, like many other professional football franchises, in 1960. They played their first ten years with the American Football League (AFL), and then joined the NFL in 1970 during the merger between these two leagues. Once they joined the NFL, they started playing the AFC West and have remained there since. The team is headquartered in the San Diego Chargers Training Facility located in San Diego, California. The Qualcomm Stadium is also located in San Diego and is where they play all of the home games. The team colors for the Chargers are Navy, Gold, Powder Blue, and White; white combines great with their name and logo of a lightning bolt. They do not have an official mascot, and seeing as how good their fans are, there is no need for one.

 

Chargers Brief Team History

The first year the Chargers played in the AFL they were actually located in Los Angeles; it wasn’t until 1961 that they moved the team, becoming the San Diego Chargers. During their time with the AFL, the Chargers really only had one head coach, Sid Gillman, along with several players that would make the Chargers into a great team; quarterback Lance Alworth was one of them. After the NFL – AFL merger, the Chargers struggled during those initial years, with their players retiring or being traded. It was in 1979 that the Chargers started to progress and get better.

With Don Coryell as the head coach from 1978 until 1986, the Chargers would reach their first playoff in over 14 years. During the 80’s the Chargers went on to 4 NFL playoffs, where they got 3 Division championship victories. Starting the 90’s, the team was starting to become even better, and by 1994 they got to their first, and only so far, Super Bowl; they lost against the San Francisco 49ers. After their Super Bowl appearance, the Chargers fell into a spiral of losing seasons and poor performance. By 2004, the Chargers had changed up most of their team and had drafted Drew Brees; who replaced Philip Rivers. By 2009, the same year Brees left the team to play for the New Orelans Saints, the Chargers had gone to five playoffs; only missing out on the 2005 playoffs. The Chargers are once again in a period of re-building with new players and coaches.

 

Notable Chargers Figures

 

Past Chargers Figures

 

Sid Gillman was the first head coach the Chargers had, and he stayed with the team since their inception until they joined the NFL in 1970. During his time with the Chargers, he was able to win the 1963 AFL Championship. He ended his coaching career with a record of 123 – 104 – 7.

 

Lance Alworth was a wide receiver for the Chargers from 1962 until 1969. During his time with the Chargers he won the AFL Championship in 1963m as well as getting 543 receptions for a total of 10,266 yards. He even got a record for most consecutive games with a reception; 96 total.

 

“Air Coryell” was the nickname fans gave the Chargers offense during the time that Don Coryell was coaching. Along with quarterback Dan Fouts, the Chargers offense became one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. They led the league in passing yards for 6 consecutive years from 1979 – 1983, and then again in 1985. This offense showed what the Chargers were capable of and hopefully it repeats itself.

 

Present Chargers Figures

 

Wide receiver Malcom Floyd and running back Ryan Mathews are the primary leaders of the Chargers offense, along with quarterback Philip Rivers at the head of the pack. With the Chargers being a much more defensive team, these players have to shoulder the responsibility of getting the touchdowns; so far, they are doing a good job.

 

It is the San Diego Chargers defense that is outstanding. They have strong safety Atari Bigby taking care of the runners and tacking anyone that gets in his path. There is also Eric Weddle, a free safety that has done an amazing job. He is well-rounded, being able to force fumbles, get sacks, and even get interceptions. They also have outside linebacker Shaun Phillips helping at the front of the defensive line, getting sacks and forcing fumbles. It is thanks to these leaders and the rest of the Chargers defense that they have been able to keep up with their opponents.

 

Present Team Personnel

The current owner of the San Diego Chargers is Alex Spanos, but George Pernicano also owns a small share of 3% of the team. Spanos is a big businessman, owning a lot of real estate and founding the A. G. Spanos Companies. It would seem that he thoroughly enjoys football and can be seen at most of the Chargers games. Norv Turner is the present head coach of the Chargers, starting his career with the team back in 2007. So far, he has been able to get a 52 – 34 record with the Chargers, and as he focuses more on offensive training, it will be a good mix to have with an already strong defensive team.