1960 Los Angeles Chargers season

1960 Los Angeles Chargers season
OwnerBarron Hilton
General managerFrank Leahy
Head coachSid Gillman
Home fieldLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Local radioKFI
Results
Record10–4
Division place1st Western Division
Playoff finishLost AFL Championship
(at Oilers) 16–24
All-AFL
4
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was home to the Chargers during their inaugural season.

The 1960 Los Angeles Chargers season was the team's inaugural season and also the inaugural season of the American Football League (AFL). Head coach Sid Gillman led the Chargers to the AFL Western Division title with a 10–4 record, winning eight games out of nine after a 2–3 start, and qualifying to play the Houston Oilers in the AFL championship game.[1][2]

The Chargers had the right to host the championship game at their home venue, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, as the team's attendance for home games was falling below 10,000, league and television officials feared showing empty seats in the 100,000+ seat Coliseum, and they persuaded the Chargers to give up the advantage. The game was moved to Houston's Jeppesen Stadium.[3] The teams had split their two games in the regular season, with the home teams winning, and the host Oilers were 6½-point favorites to win the title.[4] Down by a point after three quarters, the Chargers gave up an 88-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and lost, 24–16.[5][6]

The Chargers' poor attendance figures, due in part to heavy competition from the Los Angeles Rams, soon led to speculation that they might leave Los Angeles.[7] In December, owner Barron Hilton denied that he was planning a move,[8] but in late January he relocated the Chargers down the coast to Balboa Stadium in San Diego for the 1961 season.[9][10][11] The team would not return to Los Angeles until 2017 where they would temporarily stay at Dignity Health Sports Park in the suburb of Carson for three seasons until they moved to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood with the Rams in 2020.[12]

  1. ^ "Chargers clinch Western crown". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 11, 1960. p. 2, sports.
  2. ^ "Chargers, Oilers set for big test". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 19, 1960. p. 14.
  3. ^ "Chargers history". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 1985.
  4. ^ "Oilers choice to win AFL grid title". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 1, 1961. p. 3, sports.
  5. ^ "Blanda paces Oilers to AFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 44.
  6. ^ "Oilers stop LA pass attack, win AFL title contest, 24-16". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. January 2, 1961. p. 2C.
  7. ^ "Sports Merry-Go-round". Long Beach Independent. November 22, 1960.
  8. ^ "Harry Wismer optimistic about future". Gettysburg Times. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. December 23, 1960. p. 5.
  9. ^ "LA Charger owner Hilton likes the setup in San Diego". Lodi News-Sentinel. California. UPI. January 7, 1961. p. 9.
  10. ^ "Chargers move south". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 25, 1961. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Chargers go to San Diego". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. January 25, 1961. p. 3B.
  12. ^ Knoblauch, Austin (January 12, 2017). "Chargers announce decision to relocate to Los Angeles". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2020.