The Chargers of both Los Angeles and San Diego have quite a storied history. What four players stand out the most in franchise annals?
The Los Angeles Chargers may have been the most disappointing team when it came to the 2019 NFL season. One year earlier, they finished 12-4, tied for the best record in the AFC, won a playoff game and looked like they would carry that momentum into the next campaign. Instead, the offseason was a trying one due to a one big holdout (Melvin Gordon) and one major injury (Derwin James). The end result was a 5-11 showing, including a dismal 0-6 record within the AFC West.
But this exercise is about team history. This is a franchise that began play in the original AFL in 1960 and made Los Angeles its initial home. One year later, the Bolts moved on to San Diego and remained there until 2016. In 2017, the franchise returned to the City of Angels.
It’s a club that appeared in five of the first six AFL title games and won a league championship in 1963. But it’s also a franchise that has made one Super Bowl appearance back in 1994. Still, there have been some outstanding players to suit up for this organization, and the list includes a few that are enshrined in Canton, Ohio, such as Hall of Fame tackle Ron Mix. Of course, there’s also fellow offensive linemen Russ Washington and Jim Sweeney. The running backs include Keith Lincoln, Paul Lowe, James Brooks, Pete Johnson and Chuck Muncie.
There have been great defenders such as Hall of Fame defensive end Fred Dean, as well as cornerback Gill Byrd and safety Eric Weddle, as well as star defensive linemen Gary “Big Hands” Johnson, Ernie Ladd and Leslie O’Neal.
As for the four selections below (in alphabetical order), all can be found in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here is the Charger’s all-time Mount Rushmore.