 Joiner with the San Diego Chargers c. 1982 | |||||||||
| No. 40, 18 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 14, 1947 Many, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 188 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | W. O. Boston (Lake Charles, Louisiana) | ||||||||
| College: | Grambling | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1969 / round: 4 / pick: 93 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Charles Joiner Jr. (born October 14, 1947) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. He played 11 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, with whom he earned all three of his Pro Bowl selections, and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1980. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Joiner played college football with the Grambling Tigers and was a three-time, first-team all-conference selection in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He was selected as a defensive back in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft by the AFL's Houston Oilers, who soon returned him to the wide receiver position. Joiner played three and a half seasons each for the Oilers (1969–1972) and Cincinnati Bengals (1972–1975), missing substantial time through injuries with both teams.
Cincinnati traded Joiner to the Chargers, with whom he played for eleven seasons (1976–1986). He made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the team, but his role was reduced in the following two seasons, nearly leading him to retire as early as 1978. Joiner's career was revitalised once head coach Don Coryell installed his Air Coryell passing offense. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1979 to 1981, making two further Pro Bowls (1979–1980) and the 1980 All-Pro team.
He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was noted for his precise route running, as well as his longevity and late-career success, with 586 of his 750 regular season catches coming after he joined the Chargers. Joiner went on to serve as a wide receivers coach for twenty-six years before retiring completely after the 2012 season.