The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL) based in the Los Angeles Area. The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961.[1] They returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The Chargers created their Hall of Fame in 1976.[2] Eligible candidates for the Hall of Fame must have been retired for at least four seasons.[3] Selections are made by a five-member committee chaired by Dean Spanos, Chargers vice-chairman. As of 1992, other committee members included Bob Breitbard, founder of the San Diego Hall of Champions; Ron Fowler, president of the Greater San Diego Sports Association; Jane Rappoport, president of the Charger Backers; and Bill Johnston, the team's director of public relations.[4]
The initial four members—former players Emil Karas, Frank Buncom, Bob Laraba, and Jacque MacKinnon—were inducted posthumously in 1976.[5] From 1986 through 1992, there were no new inductions.[6] The Los Angeles Times wrote in 1992, "The Chargers have not done a good job in recent years of recognizing their former players."[7] Dan Fouts and Charlie Joiner were inducted in 1993. "It embarrasses me to go into the Hall of Fame before Don Coryell, because if it wasn't for Don Coryell, I wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame for the Chargers," said Fouts of his former head coach.[8][9] Coryell was inducted the following year.[10] The Chargers allowed the 2012 inductee to be determined by fans, who selected punter Darren Bennett.[4][11]
The members of the Hall of Fame were honored in San Diego at the Chargers Ring of Honor, viewable above the visiting team's sideline of Qualcomm Stadium on the press level.[12][13] It was founded in 2000 as part of the team's season-long celebration of its 40th anniversary.[12] Before its introduction that season, the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders were the only NFL teams without a Ring of Honor.[14] In 2013, the Chargers also inducted their 1963 AFL Championship team into their Ring of Honor; 15 members of that team were already in the team's Hall of Fame.[15]
- ^ "San Diego Chargers History". Chargers.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012.
- ^ Hood, Lindsay (October 21, 2010). "Chargers Fun Fact: Team Hall of Fame". NBCSanDiego.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- ^ "Transcripts from the Chargers Hall of Fame Press Conference". chargers.com (Press release). San Diego Chargers. July 16, 2012. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Judge, Clark (November 29, 1992). "With week to go, Raiders blackout likely". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Sports section. Retrieved March 5, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Archer, Todd (October 12, 2003). "What NFL Teams Do To Honor Their Past". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 5, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Distel, Dave (September 4, 1992). "CHARGERS '92 : Why Wait to Do the Honors?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
- ^ Simers, T. J. (August 1, 1992). "If Phillips Is the Bait, Receiver May Be a Need". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015.
- ^ McKibben, Dave (November 30, 1992). "Fouts, Joiner in Charger Hall of Fame : Honors". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
- ^ Judge, Clark (December 5, 1992). "Without Don Coryell, it's a Hall of Shame". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Sports section. Retrieved March 5, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Judge, Clark (December 13, 1993). "Book him, Don-o". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Sports section. Retrieved March 5, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Gehlken, Michael (July 16, 2012). "Fans to decide next Chargers Hall of Famer". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013.
- ^ a b Paris, Jay (February 3, 2000). "No midlife crisis for Chargers". The North County Times. pp. C-1, C-7. Retrieved February 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "San Diego Chargers A–Z Fan Guide" (PDF). San Diego Chargers. 2011. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2013.
- ^ Trotter, Jim (February 3, 2000). "Chargers' future will honor players, uniforms of the past". The San Diego Union Tribune. Sports section. Retrieved March 5, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Gehlken, Michael (October 28, 2013). "Chargers to honor their title team". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.