1996 San Diego Chargers Season
The 1996 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 37th, its 27th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 34th in San Diego. The season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 1995. The Chargers fell back by one game and missed the playoffs by that margin. It was Bobby Ross's final season as the team's head coach, as he left due to "philosophical differences" with general manager Bobby Beathard. He had posted a 47–33 record over five seasons, going 3–3 in the playoffs. Natrone Means had been let go following his injury the previous season. In his place, San Diego tried a running-back-by-committee approach featuring Leonard Russell, Aaron Hayden and Terrell Fletcher. This yielded 186 rushing yards in week one, but only four further 100-yard games throughout the season. Hayden was seldom used as the year went on - Russell managed 713 yards and 7 touchdowns, but the Chargers' average of 3.2 yards per rush was the league's worst. Changes on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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AFC West
The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers. The division has sent teams to the Super Bowl eighteen times beginning with Super Bowl I when the Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers. As of the 2021 season, the Broncos and Raiders were tied with the most Super Bowl wins within the division with 3 each; The Broncos have appeared in the most Super Bowls in the division with 8 and the Raiders have appeared in 5. The Chiefs are 2–2 in the Super Bowl, while the Chargers lost their lone Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. The Chiefs won the most recent AFC West title in 2022. It was their seventh consecutive AFC West title, moving them into a four-way tie with the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers for the most AFC West titles. History The di ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Courtney Hall
Courtney Caeser Hall (August 26, 1968 – April 29, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers and spent the 1998 preseason with the Denver Broncos although he never officially suited up for the Broncos and thus couldn't be considered a part of their Super Bowl championship roster. He was a four-time Pro Bowl first alternate and captained the only Chargers football team to play in a Super Bowl. Hall's death was announced on April 30, 2021. Hall played football at Banning High School in Wilmington, California, and was the starting offensive tackle his junior and senior years. His teammates included Jamelle Holieway, Leroy Holt, and Mark Tucker. He retired from the NFL in 1997. In 1985, aged 16, Courtney, a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, graduated from high school and enrolled at Rice University. He graduated in 1990 with a dual degree in Economics and Manager ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Clemson Tigers Football
The Clemson Tigers are the American football team at Clemson University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In recent years, the Tigers have been ranked among the most elite college football programs in the United States. Formed in 1896, the program has over 750 wins and three consensus national championships in the modern era. Clemson was a College Football Playoff finalist in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, winning the championship game over Alabama in 2016 and 2018. Clemson has had six undefeated seasons, six consecutive playoff appearances, 26 conference championships, and eight divisional titles. Its alumni includes over 100 All-Americans, 17 Academic All-Americans and over 250 players in the National Football League. Clemson has had eight members inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: players Banks McFadden, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequently ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Patrick Sapp
Patrick Sapp (born May 11, 1973) is a former linebacker in the National Football League and the XFL. Biography Sapp was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Sapp played for the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals. He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1996–97, and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals along with Eric Metcalf, the Chargers 1st (#3 overall) and 2nd round picks in 1998 and the Chargers 1st round pick in 1999 for the Cardinals 1st round pick in 1998 (#2 overall). The Chargers drafted with that pick Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also p .... Sapp was the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers football team, before moving to linebacker. References 1973 births Living people American football quarterbacks American ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Virginia Tech Hokies Football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They previously competed in the Big East. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium, located in Blacksburg, Virginia with a seating capacity of over 65,000 fans. Lane Stadium is considered to be one of the loudest stadiums in the country, being voted number two in ESPN's 2007 "Top 20 Scariest Places to Play". It was also recognized in 2005 by Rivals.com as having the best home-field advantage in the country. Since beginning football in 1892, the Hokies have won over 700 games and appeared in 33 bowl games, including the 2000 BCS National Championship game. The Hokies rank 23rd among all Division I college football teams for most wins. The program had a streak of 27 conse ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bryan Still
Bryan Andrei Still (born June 3, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was the MVP of the 1995 Sugar Bowl. College career Still played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He finished his career at Virginia Tech with 74 catches for 1,458 yards and 11 touchdowns, and was named MVP of the 1995 Sugar Bowl, in which Virginia Tech defeated Texas 28–10 on December 31, 1995. In this game, Still had 6 catches for 119 yards and 1 touchdown, and also returned a punt 60 yards for another touchdown. Professional career He was a second round selection (41st overall pick) by the San Diego Chargers in the 1996 NFL Draft. He played for the San Diego Chargers (1996–1999), the Atlanta Falcons (1999), and the Dallas Cowboys (1999). Post-NFL Still teaches health education and physical education. He also coached track and field for 15 years (2006-2020) at Cosby High School in Midlothian, Virginia Midlothian ( ) is an unincorpor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. On May 11, 1996, the ValuJet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the route crashed into the Everglades about 10 minutes after taking off from Miami as a result of a fire in the cargo compartment caused by mislabeled and improperly stored hazardous cargo. All 110 people on board died. The airline already had a poor safety record before the crash, and the accident brought widespread attention to the airline's problems. The airline was grounded for several months after the accident. When operations resumed, ValuJet was unable to attract the same amount of customers that it had before the accident. It acquired AirTran in 1997, but the lingering damage to the ValuJet name led ValuJet executives to assume the AirTran name. Background ValuJet Airlines was founded in 1992 and was known for its sometimes aggressive cost-cutting measure ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rodney Culver
Rodney Dwayne Culver (December 23, 1969May 11, 1996) was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. During this time, he played for the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers. Over the course of his career, he played in 43 games, rushed for 689 yards on 241 carries, and ran for 12 touchdowns. High school and college Culver attended St. Martin de Porres High School in Detroit, Michigan and earned a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame where he started as a tailback in 1990 and 1991. The Irish backfield had a number of talented running backs including future pros Ricky Watters and Reggie Brooks, and NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis. Culver played as a freshman on the 1988 national championship team, including a touchdown run in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl against West Virginia. He led the Irish in rushing in 1990 with 710 yards in 11 games. The Irish were ranked number one twice that year and eventually lost to the Un ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Darren Bennett (football Player)
Darren Bennett (born 9 January 1965) is a former Australian rules football player and American football punter in the National Football League. As an Australian rules footballer, he played for East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) between 1982 and 1987 and then in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the West Coast Eagles and the Melbourne Football Club. He was most successful at Melbourne, where he was named as one of the club's 150 Heroes of the last 150 years, kicking 208 goals from just 74 games for the club. As an American football player, following a three-club career in the National Football League he is regarded as one of the greatest players of the 1990s and a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. This combination made him notable as arguably the most successful of the Australian sportsmen linked to professional American Football in history. Australian rules football career Born in Sydney, Bennett grew up in Perth, Western Australia whe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rodney Harrison
Rodney Scott Harrison (born December 15, 1972) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Chargers, where he spent nine seasons. After being released by San Diego, Harrison was a member of the Patriots in his following six seasons. Since leaving the NFL in 2009, he has served as a commentator for NBC's ''Football Night in America''. During his career, Harrison was selected to two Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro honors three times. He holds the defensive back record for sacks and was the first NFL player to obtain 30 sacks and 30 interceptions. Harrison participated in four Super Bowls, winning two with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX. In recognition of his accomplishments in San Diego and New England, he was named to the 50th Anniversary Teams of both the Chargers and Pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |