1962 San Diego Chargers season

1962 San Diego Chargers season
1962 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Barron Hilton
General manager	Sid Gillman
Head coach	Sid Gillman
Home field	Balboa Stadium
Results
Record	4–10
Division place	3rd Western Division
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
All-AFL	4 LB Chuck Allen (2nd team); CB Dick Harris (2nd team); TE Dave Kocourek (2nd team); T Ron Mix (1st team);
AFL All-Stars	9 TE Reggie Carolan; DE Earl Faison; LB Emil Karas; TE Dave Kocourek; DT Ernie Ladd; RB Keith Lincoln; LB Paul Maguire; T Ron Mix; E Don Norton;
	← 1961; Chargers seasons; 1963 →;

Refer to caption — Jack Kemp's week 2 injury led to his sudden exit from San Diego

The 1962 San Diego Chargers season was the club's third in the American Football League. San Diego had won the AFL West with a 12–2 record in 1961, but slipped to 4–10, losing eight of their final nine games after a 3–2 start. It was their worst record to date; this would be the only time the Chargers would endure a losing season during their 10 years in the AFL.^[1]

Injuries on offense contributed to the slump. Promising rookie flanker Lance Alworth missed the final ten games of the season with a knee injury, Paul Lowe broke an arm and missed the entire year, and quarterback Jack Kemp was knocked out of action after only two games with a broken finger. Kemp was surprisingly placed on waivers after his injury. He was claimed by the Buffalo Bills for $100, leaving the Chargers with only rookie quarterbacks to call on for the rest of the year.

^ "Chargers Team Encyclopedia". pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.

[1] "Chargers Team Encyclopedia". pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.

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