The Los Angeles Chargers were founded in Los Angeles as part of the AFL. They would only play one year there before moving to San Diego. The Chargers did well in the AFL, making the playoffs five times and winning the division in each. They took the league Championship in 1963. After the AFL/NFL merger, with an aging core of players, things started falling apart somewhat for the team. But in 1978 Don Coryell became head coach and implemented the offensive strategy of Air Coryell.
With Quarterback Dan Fouts, the high-flying Chargers started setting passing records and went to the playoffs four years in a row including three division titles in that span. But after their fourth playoff appearance, the team would not return for the rest of the decade. In the middle of the 1986 season, Coryell resigned and he was replaced by successive head coaches who could not get the team back on the winning track.
Bobby Ross was hired in 1992 and took the team straight back to the playoffs with quarterback Stan Humphries. In ’94 they would go to the Super Bowl, losing to the 49ers, and would return to the playoffs in 1995. Starting in 1996, things would take another downturn for the Chargers, as they went eight straight seasons without a winning record. But in 2004 with coach Marty Schottenheimer, offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and quarterback Phillip Rivers, the Chargers would find themselves standing as division champions. They went back to the playoffs again in 2006. Norv Turner was promoted to the head coaching position following that season.
Turner would have the team in the playoffs the next three straight seasons but would miss the following three, causing his dismissal. New coach Mike McCoy would take them back to the playoffs in 2013, but failed to make it the following year despite finishing with the same record. At this time rumors of relocation started to swirl causing a lot of controversy to surround the team which may likely have contributed to their dismal 2015 season.
In 2016 the NFL voted to allow the Chargers to relocate. In 2017, they went back home, but it was not the warm welcome they had hoped for. By 2018, the Chargers were back in the playoffs but were still struggling to win fans over. After poor seasons in ’19 and ’20, they decided a new coach was needed. Brandon Staley was hired.
With Staley at the helm, the Chargers had a winning record, and in his second season he had the franchise back to playoff form, and more importantly, was winning over the fans. The attendance rose to the top third of the NFL. With major coaching moves on both sides of the ball, the Chargers appear to be looking to not only continue their winning ways but massively improve on them.
It’s a fresh start for the team since they have come back to their birthplace, and so far it seems to suit them well.
The Bolts are setting themselves up for a serious post-season run, and you don’t want to miss it. With NFL Webcast, you can be sure you won’t! Where else will you receive multiple, high-quality, HD streams for free every game of the season?
Whether you’re a Bolts fan from way back, or a new fan supporting your hometown team, watching on NFL Webcast as they take on their city rival Rams or long-time rival Raiders is the way to go. Let’s hear from the City of Angels this 2023 season on NFL Webcast!