Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team plays its home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which it shares with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Chargers were founded in Los Angeles in 1959, and began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). They spent their first season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961 to become the San Diego Chargers. The team joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. In 2017, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego, a year after the Rams had moved back to the city after spending 21 seasons (1995–2015) in St. Louis.

The Chargers won the AFL championship in 1963, and reached the AFL playoffs five times and the AFL Championship game four times before joining the NFL. Since then, the Chargers have made 15 trips to the playoffs and made four appearances in the AFC Championship game. In 1994, the Chargers won their first and only AFC championship, and faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, losing 49–26. The Chargers have nine players and two coaches enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

According to an article in Forbes, the Los Angeles Chargers were worth 5.1 billion dollars in August 2024, putting them at number 20 on the list of the most valuable NFL teams.

History

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Chargers

First season in Los Angeles (1960)

The Chargers started in 1960 as one of the first teams in the American Football League. They played their first games in Los Angeles. The team's first owner was Barron Hilton, son of the Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. Barron chose the name "Chargers" after his general manager, Frank Leahy, suggested it.

San Diego (1961–2016)

Main article: San Diego Chargers

In 1961, the Chargers moved to San Diego because of money problems in Los Angeles. They played in Balboa Stadium and later moved to a bigger stadium in San Diego. The team won a championship in 1963 but faced many changes over the years, including new coaches and players. In 1994, they reached the Super Bowl but did not win. In 2017, the team moved back to Los Angeles.

Return to Los Angeles (2017–present)

In 2017, the Chargers returned to Los Angeles after leaving San Diego. They played in a smaller stadium before moving to SoFi Stadium in 2020, sharing it with another team, the Los Angeles Rams. The team has had many changes in coaches and players since returning to Los Angeles.

Anthony Lynn years (2017–2020)

The Chargers had some good and bad seasons under coach Anthony Lynn. They made the playoffs in 2018 but struggled to attract fans to their games.

Brandon Staley years (2021–2023)

Coach Brandon Staley joined the team in 2021. The Chargers had mixed success during his time, making the playoffs in 2022 but missing them in other years. Staley and the general manager were let go after a poor performance in late 2023.

Jim Harbaugh (2024–present)

In 2024, the Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh as their new coach. He brought experience from coaching other teams and college football. The team improved under his leadership but still did not go far in the playoffs.

Logos and uniforms

The Los Angeles Chargers have used a lightning bolt design in their logo since the team began in 1960. In the early years, they also used a shield logo with a horsehead, a lightning bolt, and the word “Chargers.” This shield logo returned in 2018.

From 1960 to 1973, the team’s colors were shades of blue and white, with gold lightning bolts on the shoulders. The helmets were white with gold or navy lightning bolt logos and the player’s number. They wore white pants at first, then switched to gold in 1966. In 1973, the blue jerseys changed from white to gold numbers.

In 1974, the blue color changed to a darker royal blue, and the helmets became dark blue without numbers. The face masks turned yellow, making the Chargers one of the first teams to use a color other than grey for face masks. From 1978 to 1983, the Chargers wore white jerseys at home. They switched to blue jerseys at home starting in 1984, except for the 1991 season and some other games.

In 1985, the Chargers began using navy blue jerseys and white pants again. In 1988, the uniforms were updated with an even darker navy blue, white lightning bolts with navy and gold details, and navy face masks. In 1990, they started wearing navy pants with white jerseys. From 1988 to 1991, they had stripes on the pants instead of lightning bolts. In 1997 and 2001, they wore all-white uniforms before bringing back blue pants. In 2003, they wore an all-navy uniform for one game because of wildfires in California.

From the late 1980s to 2000, the Chargers sometimes wore white jerseys at home during preseason games and dark jerseys during regular season games. In 2001, they started wearing dark jerseys for preseason and white jerseys for September home games because of the heat, then switched back to dark jerseys in October.

In 1994, the Chargers wore uniforms from the 1960s for special games as part of the NFL’s 75th season celebration. In 2000, they brought back powder blue jerseys for some games, and fans loved them. In 2002, the team introduced a new bolt logo, sparking debate over whether it represented lightning or a charging horse.

In March 2007, the Chargers introduced a new uniform design that mixed old and new styles. Navy blue remained the main color for home jerseys, but the lightning bolt was changed to gold with navy and powder blue details. The helmets became metallic white with navy face masks and a new gold bolt logo. The away jerseys were white with navy pants, and they also had powder blue alternate jerseys with white pants.

From 2007 to 2018, the Chargers wore powder blue jerseys twice each season and in one playoff game. In 2009, they wore 1963 throwback uniforms to celebrate their 50th anniversary as one of the original AFL teams.

For the 2013 season, the Chargers made small changes to their uniforms, such as adding a gold stripe to the socks.

In 2017, when the Chargers moved to Los Angeles, they introduced a new logo with “LA” and a lightning bolt, but it was widely criticized and changed after just two days. In 2019, they announced that powder blue jerseys would be their primary home uniforms, like they were in their first season in Los Angeles. They also changed the facemask color from navy blue to gold.

In March 2020, the Chargers announced new logos and uniforms. Navy blue was no longer used, and powder blue became the main color. The lightning bolt logo was updated with a powder blue outline and white details. The new uniforms featured gold shoulder bolts, TV numbers moved to the helmets, and new pants options. The royal blue and navy alternate uniforms were updated to match the new design. In 2024, they stopped using the royal blue alternates and wore the navy set only once.

In July 2025, the Chargers introduced updated navy and all-gold alternate uniforms. The navy “Super Chargers” uniform featured white numbers and lightning bolts with navy and gold trim, and a new navy helmet like they wore from 1985 to 2006. The all-gold “Charger Power” uniform matched the style of their white and powder blue uniforms. They also added a powder blue pants option to wear with white or powder blue jerseys.

The standard uniform combinations are now powder blue-on-yellow at home and white-on-white for away games.

Rivalries

Division

Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders

Main article: Chargers–Raiders rivalry

The Chargers and Raiders have been rivals since 1963. One famous game happened in 1978, called the "Holy Roller," where the Raiders made a special play to score. In 2022, the Raiders won a close game that affected playoff chances. The Raiders lead their rivalry with the Chargers.

The Chargers beat the Raiders in a recent game even though their player, Justin Herbert, was hurt. A player named Kamani Vidal ran for a long touchdown, and the Chargers' defense played well.

Kansas City Chiefs

Main article: Chargers–Chiefs rivalry

The Kansas City Chiefs lead their rivalry with the Chargers, but the Chargers won their only playoff meeting in 1992.

Denver Broncos

Main article: Broncos–Chargers rivalry

The Denver Broncos lead their rivalry with the Chargers, including winning their only playoff meeting in 2013.

Conference

Los Angeles Rams

Main article: Rams–Chargers rivalry

The Chargers and Rams used to be rivals when both teams were in Los Angeles. The rivalry paused when the Rams moved to St. Louis, but it restarted when both teams returned to Los Angeles in 2016. The Rams currently lead their rivalry with the Chargers.

The two teams have played many preseason games since 1967, with a few years missed. They resumed meeting regularly in preseason games after both returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

Season-by-season record

Main article: List of Los Angeles Chargers seasons

The table below shows the five most recent NFL regular season records and how they did in the NFL playoffs. The Los Angeles Chargers made it to the playoffs two times in the last five seasons. Some special awards won by players on the team include NFL Rookie of the Year in 2016 for Joey Bosa on defense and in 2020 for Justin Herbert on offense. Keenan Allen also won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2017.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Players of note

Main page: Category:Los Angeles Chargers players

The Los Angeles Chargers have six retired numbers, honoring important players in the team's history. These numbers belong to famous players like Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Lance Alworth, LaDainian Tomlinson, Junior Seau, and Kellen Winslow. The team has a special Hall of Fame to recognize these great players and their achievements.

The Chargers started their Hall of Fame in 1976 to celebrate the best players and coaches in their history. Fans helped choose new members in 2012. The team also created a 50th Anniversary Team in 2009, choosing the top players and coaches from the team's first 50 years. Over 400,000 fans voted to help pick the team members.

Alworth, Mix, Hadl, Joiner, Coryell, Gillman, Garrison, Fouts, White, Winslow, Faison, Benirschke, Lincoln, Washington, Humphries, Ladd and Wilkerson are also members of the San Diego Hall of Champions, which honors athletes from the San Diego area and those who played for San Diego teams.

Staff

Head coaches

Main article: List of Los Angeles Chargers head coaches

Current staff

The Los Angeles Chargers have a team of coaches who help guide the players. These coaches work together to teach strategies and improve the team's performance during games.

Radio and television

See also: List of Los Angeles Chargers broadcasters

The Los Angeles Chargers have a main radio station called KYSR-FM Alt 98.7 in Los Angeles. Their broadcasts feature Matt "Money" Smith and NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Before 2020, the team used KFI AM 640 as their main station.

Starting in 2020, the Chargers’ preseason games are shown on KCBS-TV. Most of their regular season games are also shown on KCBS because of NFL TV deals. The team also has special shows with the latest news on KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV.

Radio affiliates

English stations

California

Spanish stations

California

Mexico

Theme song

Main article: San Diego Super Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers have a special song called "San Diego Super Chargers" that fans love. This song was first made in 1979 when the team was doing really well, thanks to a player named Air Coryell. The song has a fun, dancing style. Later, in 1989, the team tried a new version, but in 2002, they brought back the original song. Fans heard this song after every good play or win at home games when the team was still in San Diego.