Qualcomm Stadium Era
From the AFL to SoFi Stadium: The Chargers' journey through Los Angeles and San Diego.
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. They compete in the NFL as a member of the AFC West division and play home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Quick Facts
- Operational years
- 1967–2016
- Notable surface
- AstroTurf (1978–2002), Grass (2003–2016)
Lore & Background
The Chargers were founded in Los Angeles in 1959 and began play in 1960 as a charter member of the AFL. They spent their first season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. The team joined the NFL as a result of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. In 2017, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego. They previously played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Balboa Stadium, San Diego Stadium (also known as Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium), and Dignity Health Sports Park from 2017 to 2019.
Reader's Guide
The Chargers won the AFL championship in 1963 and have made 15 playoff trips since joining the NFL, with four AFC Championship game appearances. They won their only AFC championship in 1994 and lost Super Bowl XXIX 49–26 to the San Francisco 49ers. The team has nine players and two coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Sid Gillman, Charlie Joiner, Ron Mix, Kellen Winslow, Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Don Coryell, and Antonio Gates.
Did You Know?
- The Chargers were originally owned by hotel heir Barron Hilton.
- The team's temporary home from 2017 to 2019 was Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
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