History of the Los Angeles Chargers facts for kids

The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers started in 1960 in Los Angeles. After playing one season there, they moved to San Diego in 1961. The team returned to Los Angeles in 2017.

How the Chargers Started: The 1960 AFL Season

The Los Angeles Chargers were one of eight teams that formed the American Football League (AFL) in 1959. In 1960, the Chargers began playing in Los Angeles. The team's first owner was Barron Hilton, whose family owned Hilton Hotels.

The team held a contest to choose its name, and "Chargers" was the winning choice. The team's general manager, Frank Leahy, picked the name. Owner Barron Hilton liked it because it reminded him of the "charge" bugle call often heard at other sports games. The Chargers first thought about playing at the Rose Bowl, but they decided to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum instead.

Los Angeles Chargers 1960 wordmark

Barron Hilton showed off the Chargers' first uniforms. They were blue and gold and had lightning bolts on the helmets and pants. Players Jack Kemp and Ron Mix helped model the new uniforms.

On January 8, 1960, Sid Gillman became the Chargers' first head coach. Later that year, Gillman also became the general manager. He held both jobs for many years.

The Chargers played their first game on September 10, 1960. They came back from being behind to beat the Dallas Texans 21–20. They finished their first season with a great record of 10 wins and 4 losses. This earned them a spot in the first AFL championship game. On January 1, 1961, the Houston Oilers beat the Chargers 24–16 in the championship game.

Moving to San Diego

The Chargers only stayed in Los Angeles for one season. In 1961, owner Barron Hilton moved the team to San Diego. They played at Balboa Stadium until 1966. In 1967, they moved to a new stadium called San Diego Stadium, which was later known as Qualcomm Stadium. They played there until 2016.

The Chargers won their only AFL Championship in 1963, beating the Boston Patriots. After the AFL joined with the NFL in 1970, the team made it to the Super Bowl once in 1994. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Returning to Los Angeles

By the late 2000s, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego was getting old. There were ideas for new stadiums in Los Angeles that wanted to attract an NFL team. The Chargers were a good choice because they had played in Southern California before.

In 2014, the Chargers, along with the St. Louis Rams, and the Oakland Raiders, thought about moving to Los Angeles. The Chargers decided not to move for the 2015 season. The NFL also said no team would move to Los Angeles until 2016 at the earliest.

In 2015, the Chargers announced a plan to build a stadium in Carson, California, with the Oakland Raiders. However, in January 2016, NFL owners voted to let the Rams move back to Los Angeles and build a stadium in Inglewood, California. The Chargers were given a chance to move to Los Angeles if they could agree to share the new stadium with the Rams.

The Chargers and Rams agreed to share the planned SoFi Stadium on January 29, 2016. Both teams would help pay for the stadium and pay a small amount of rent each year. The NFL also offered the Chargers $100 million if they could work out a stadium deal to stay in San Diego.

On January 29, 2016, Chargers chairman Dean Spanos announced that the team would stay in San Diego for the 2016 season. They continued to work on a plan for a new stadium in San Diego. However, in November 2016, the plan to build a new stadium in San Diego was voted down by the public.

2017–2020: New Coaches and a New Home

On January 13, 2017, the Chargers announced they were moving back to Los Angeles. They then hired Anthony Lynn as their new head coach.

In 2017, the Chargers almost made the playoffs. In 2018, they had a great season with 12 wins and 4 losses. They made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, but they lost to the New England Patriots.

After a tough 2019 season, the Chargers' longtime quarterback, Philip Rivers, left the team. In 2020, Justin Herbert became the starting quarterback. He had an amazing rookie season, winning the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and breaking several records for rookie quarterbacks. Even with Herbert's great play, the Chargers finished with 7 wins and 9 losses and missed the playoffs. Coach Anthony Lynn was then fired.

The 2020 season was also important because the Chargers moved into the new SoFi Stadium with the Los Angeles Rams. However, fans could not attend games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021–Present: The Justin Herbert and Brandon Staley Era

With Justin Herbert as their star quarterback, the Chargers hired Brandon Staley as their new head coach on January 17, 2021. The Chargers started the 2021 season well, winning 5 of their first 6 games. But they struggled later in the season and missed the playoffs after losing their final game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Team Records

Hall of Fame Players and Coaches

Some Chargers players and coaches have been so good that they are honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.