The

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

are a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

team in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) based in the

Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Cou ...

. The club began play in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

before moving to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

in 1961. They returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The Chargers created their Hall of Fame in 1976. Eligible candidates for the Hall of Fame must have been retired for at least four seasons. Selections are made by a five-member committee chaired by

Dean Spanos Dean Alexander Spanos (born May 26, 1950) is the chairman and owner of the National Football League (NFL)'s San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers franchise. He is the son of Alex Spanos, who purchased majority interest in the team in 1984. Spanos to ...

, Chargers vice-chairman. As of 1992, other committee members included

Bob Breitbard Robert Breitbard (April 28, 1919 – May 17, 2010) was an American football coach and professional sports owner. He served as the head football coach at San Diego State University in 1945. A member of the Greater San Diego Sports Council, Breitbard ...

, founder of the

San Diego Hall of Champions The San Diego Hall of Champions was an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California until its closure in June 2017. The Hall of Champions housed the Breitbard Hall of Fame - San Diego's sports hall of fame - which is now located at Petco P ...

;

Ron Fowler Ronald Lee Fowler (born July 23, 1944) is an American businessman. He is the vice chairman of the ownership group of the San Diego Padres franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB) and CEO of Liquid Investments Inc., a San Diego beer distributorship ...

, 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. The initial four members—former players Emil Karas, Frank Buncom,

Bob Laraba Robert Edward Laraba (May 30, 1933February 16, 1962) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker and quarterback in the American Football League (AFL). He played professionally for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1960 ...

, and Jacque MacKinnon—were inducted posthumously in 1976. From 1986 through 1992, there were no new inductions. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote in 1992, "The Chargers have not done a good job in recent years of recognizing their former players."

Dan Fouts Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973-87). After a relatively undistinguished fi ...

and Charlie Joiner were inducted in 1993. "It embarrasses me to go into the Hall of Fame before

Don Coryell Donald David Coryell (October 17, 1924 – July 1, 2010) was an American football coach, who coached in the National Football League (NFL) first with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1973 to 1977 and then the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1986. ...

, 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. Coryell was inducted the following year. The Chargers allowed the 2012 inductee to be determined by fans, who selected punter Darren Bennett. 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 San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the West Coast of the United States, west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 199 ...

on the press level. It was founded in 2000 as part of the team's season-long celebration of its 40th anniversary. Before its introduction that season, the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders were the only NFL teams without a Ring of Honor. 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.

Key

Hall of Fame inductees

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" , - ! style=";", Inducted ! style=";", Name ! style=";", Position ! style=";", Years ! style=";", No. ! class="unsortable" style=";", Ref , - , rowspan=4, 1976 , , Emil Karas , , LB , , 1960–1966 , , 56 , , , - , Frank Buncom , , LB , , 1962–1968 , , 55 , , , - ,

, , LB , , 1960–1961 , , 53 , , , - , Jacque MacKinnon , , TE , , 1961–1969 , , 38 , , , - , 1977 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

Lance Alworth Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed “Bambi”, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) an ...

* , , WR , , 1962–1970 , , style="background:#ff9;", 19^ , , , - , 1978 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

Ron Mix Ronald Jack Mix (born March 10, 1938) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle. He is a member of the American Football League (AFL) All-Time Team, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 19 ...

* , , OT , , 1960–1969 , , 74 , , , - , 1979 , ,

Paul Lowe Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, , RB , , 1960–1968 , , 23 , , , - , rowspan=2, 1980 , , Barron Hilton , , Majority owner , , 1960–1966 , , – , , , - ,

Keith Lincoln Keith Payson Lincoln (May 8, 1939 – July 27, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars befor ...

, , RB , , 1961–1968 , , 22 , , , - , rowspan=2, 1981 , ,

Ernie Ladd Ernest Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball sc ...

, , DT , , 1961–1965 , , 77 , , , - , Walt Sweeney , , G , , 1963–1973 , , 78 , , , - , 1983 , ,

John Hadl John Willard Hadl (February 15, 1940 – November 30, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Cha ...

, , QB , , 1962–1972 , , 21 , , , - , 1984 , ,

Chuck Allen Charles Richard Allen (September 7, 1939 – December 14, 2016) was an American professional football player. He was a linebacker who played in the American Football League (AFL) with the San Diego Chargers, and later the National Football ...

, , LB , , 1961–1969 , , 50 , , , - , rowspan=2, 1985 , ,

Gary Garrison Gary Lynn Garrison (born January 21, 1944 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He attended San Diego St ...

, , WR , , 1966–1976 , , 27 , , , - , style="background:#cfecec;",

Sid Gillman Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...

* , , Head coach , , 1961–1969, 1971 , , – , , , - , 1986 , ,

Earl Faison Earl Faison (January 31, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the American Football League (AFL) between 1960 and 1966. He spent most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. Career D ...

, , DE , , 1961–1966 , , 86 , , , - , rowspan=2, 1993 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

* , , QB , , 1973–1987 , , style="background:#ff9;", 14^ , , , - , style="background:#cfecec;", Charlie Joiner* , , WR , , 1976–1986 , , 18 , , , - , 1994 , ,

, , Head coach , , 1978–1986 , , – , , , - , rowspan=3, 1995 , , Speedy Duncan , , CB , , 1964–1970 , , 45 , , , - ,

Russ Washington Russell Eugene Washington (December 17, 1946 – August 5, 2021) was an American professional football player who was an offensive and defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football L ...

, , Offensive tackle, OT , , 1968–1982 , , 70 , , , - , style="background:#cfecec;",

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ...

* , , TE , , 1979–1987 , , 80 , , , - , 1996 , , George Pernicano , , Minority owner , , 1961–present , , – , , , - , 1997 , , Rolf Benirschke , , K , , 1978–1987 , , 6 , , , - , 1998 , , Gill Byrd , , CB , , 1983–1992 , , 22 , , , - , 1999 , ,

Gary "Big Hands" Johnson Gary Lynn "Big Hands" Johnson (August 31, 1952 – August 4, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was a four-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He p ...

, , DT , , 1975–1984 , , 79 , , , - , 2000 , , Doug Wilkerson , , G , , 1971–1984 , , 63 , , , - , 2001 , ,

Wes Chandler Wesley Sandy Chandler (born August 22, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four t ...

, , WR , , 1981–1987 , , 89 , , , - , rowspan=2, 2002 , ,

Stan Humphries William Stanley Humphries (born April 14, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.. He played high school football a ...

, , QB , , 1992–1997 , , 12 , , , - ,

Bobby Ross Robert Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1936) is an American former football coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel (1973–1977), the University of Maryland, College Park (1982–1986), the Georgia Institute of Technology ...

, , Head coach , , 1992–1996 , , – , , , - , 2003 , , Louie Kelcher , , DT , , 1975–1983 , , 74 , , , - , rowspan=2, 2004 , , Don Macek , , C , , 1976–1989 , , 62 , , , - , Ed White , , G , , 1978–1985 , , 67 , , , - , 2008 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

Fred Dean Frederick Rudolph Dean (February 24, 1952 – October 14, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). A twice first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler, he won two Super ...

* , , DE , , 1975–1981 , , 71 , , , - , 2011 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969May 2, 2012) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play, he was a ...

* , , LB , , 1990–2002 , , style="background:#ff9;", 55^ , , , - , 2012 , , Darren Bennett , , P , , 1995–2003 , , 2 , , , - , 2014 , ,

Leslie O'Neal Leslie Claudis O'Neal (born May 7, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker for 13 years in the National Football League (NFL). He spent the majority of his career with the San Diego ...

, , DE , , 1986–1995 , , 91 , , , - , 2015 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...

* , , RB , , 2001–2009 , , style="background:#ff9;", 21^ , , , - , 2018 , , style="background:#cfecec;",

Bobby Beathard Robert King Beathard Jr. ( ; born January 24, 1937) is an American former football executive who was a general manager in the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his 38 years in the NFL, his teams competed in seven Super Bowls ( ...

* , , General manager , , 1990–2000 , , – , , , - , 2022 , ,

Jamal Williams Jamal Williams (born April 28, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1998 ...

, , NT , , 1998–2009 , , 76 , , {{center, {{cite web, first=Eric, last=Smith, title=Jamal Williams Made Undeniable Impact on Path to Chargers Hall of Fame, date=September 28, 2022, work=Chargers.com, url=https://www.chargers.com/news/jamal-williams-chargers-hall-of-fame, access-date=September 29, 2022

References

{{Reflist, 30em {{Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame {{Los Angeles Chargers American football museums and halls of fame

Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame 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 sea ...

Hall of Fame Halls of fame in California Awards established in 1976 1976 establishments in California

Key

Hall of Fame inductees

See also

References