AFC West Division Title (1963)

A founding member of the AFL Western Division from 1960 to 1969, and a member of the AFC West since 1970.

The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.

Quick Facts

Playoff result: Defeated Boston Patriots 51-10 to win AFL Championship

Lore & Background

The club was founded in 1959 by Barron Hilton and played the 1960 season in Los Angeles as part of the American Football League (AFL). In the next season, the Chargers moved to San Diego. In 2017, the Chargers relocated back to the Greater Los Angeles area. Their only Super Bowl appearance was in 1994 (a loss to the San Francisco 49ers).

Reader's Guide

The franchise has experienced three major periods of success. The first was from 1960 to 1965, when the Chargers were AFL West champions five times and AFL champions once (in 1963). The second was from 1978 to 1982, when the Chargers had five consecutive winning records, four playoff appearances and three division championships. The most recent spell of sustained success ranged from 2004 to 2009, with the franchise reaching the playoffs five times in six years, each time as the AFC West champion. This run included their best regular season record, as they went 14–2 in 2006.