Charlie Joiner

Lore & Background

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. He 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. 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.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over San Diego as the crowd roared, but far away in Cincinnati, Bengals fans were cheering for their own heroes. Charlie Joiner lined up on the line, his eyes locked on the quarterback, ready to execute a perfect route that would later be etched into NFL history books. He caught the ball with surgical precision, turning a potential incomplete pass into a thirty-yard gain. It was a moment of pure football artistry, yet it happened in a city where the Bengals' orange and black stripes were never worn by this legend.

Reader's Guide

Joiner 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. He earned all three of his Pro Bowl selections with the Chargers, and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1980.

Did You Know?

• Joiner was selected in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, not the first round.
• He played for the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Diego Chargers—not the Los Angeles Rams.
• Joiner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996, not 2015.
• He earned three Pro Bowl selections, not four.