SDCSan Diego Chargers

Franchise history

The Chargers were founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, who placed the team in Los Angeles for its inaugural 1960 season. Facing poor attendance in a city dominated by the NFL Rams, Hilton relocated the franchise to San Diego in 1961, where it remained for 56 seasons. The team's name came from a fan-submitted contest; Hilton favored "Chargers" in part because he liked the bugle-charge tradition already associated with cheering at Los Angeles sporting events. Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman, hired in 1960, built the offense-first identity and adopted the navy blue, powder blue, gold, and white color scheme that (with variations) has marked the franchise ever since.

San Diego's first golden era came quickly: behind Gillman's innovative passing attack, receiver Lance Alworth, and lineman Ron Mix, the Chargers reached four of the AFL's first five championship games, winning the title in 1963 with a lopsided win over Boston. The team played at Balboa Stadium through 1966 before moving into San Diego Stadium (later Qualcomm Stadium) in 1967, its home through the 2016 season.

A second signature era arrived under coach Don Coryell (1978-1986), whose pass-heavy "Air Coryell" system, led by quarterback Dan Fouts, tight end Kellen Winslow, and receiver Charlie Joiner, led the NFL in passing offense for six straight years and produced three consecutive division titles, though no Super Bowl trip. Owner Alex Spanos, who bought controlling interest in 1984, presided over an AFC title and Super Bowl XXIX appearance following the 1994 season under Bobby Ross, then a lean stretch through the late 1990s and early 2000s. A LaDainian Tomlinson- and Philip Rivers-led resurgence under Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner brought a franchise-best 14-2 record in 2006 and repeated division titles before the club's 2017 move to Los Angeles.

Sources

• Pro Football Reference
• Wikipedia - San Diego Chargers

Runner-up finishes (1)

• Super Bowl XXIX - 1994

See the full super bowl champions list for the winner each of these years.