Chargers find out they can't really go home again

The new logo for the Los Angeles Chargers took all of five minutes to design.

The Chargers had sought a new stadium in San Diego for the last decade, constantly looking for a place to move from the antiquated Qualcomm Stadium. The first home of the Chargers was Balboa Stadium, which was built in 1914. The 34,000-seat stadium was torn down in 1979 after being condemned for failure to meet modern earthquake standards.

The Chargers will play at the StubHub Center in Carson for the next two seasons, the home of the MLS’ Galaxy, while the Inglewood stadium is being completed. The stadium holds 27,000. The league average attendance is 69,000.

The first time the Chargers played in Los Angeles was in 1960-61. The team reached the American Football League title game both years, losing to the Houston Oilers 24-16, and 10-3 the next. The future looked bright when the Chargers moved to Balboa Stadium in San Diego in 1962.

The high powered Chargers' offense under Sid Gilman in 1963 led the AFL in scoring with 399 points. They also featured the top defensive unit, finishing first in fewest points allowed. San Diego crushed the Boston Patriots in the championship game, 51-10.

The Chargers are regarded as the top team in the AFL, appearing five times in the title game from 1960-69. Nine players and coaches are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame representing the San Diego Chargers. Five others were inducted as well, but only wore the lightning bolt for a brief period. They are: John Mackey, John Unitas, Fred Dean, Deacon Jones and Larry Little. The perennially powerful Patriots boast only two players in the HOF, John Hannah and Andre Tippett.

Barron Hilton owned the Chargers from its inception in 1960 until he sold the club to Gene Klein in 1966. The majority owner, Klein served as the team's president and head of operations. He established the Chargers' Hall of Fame in 1976, and the first inductee was not a star player, but his favorite. Ten year veteran, Jacque MacKinnon from Colgate University was posthumously inducted.

The last player selected in the 1961 NFL Draft, Jacque MacKinnon was designated Mr. Irrelevant. He was also the second to last selection of the rival AFL, and signed with the Chargers following an incident which happened during his senior year at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. Jacque was arrested for public drunkenness and being naked in the downtown area while impeding traffic. Some states’ laws reflect the view that public intoxication, especially when it is chronic, is a medical condition or social ill that can be addressed through treatment or other non-punitive measures.

The long shot MacKinnon made the Chargers' roster, and was the AFL's lowest drafted player to be selected as an All-Star. Mr. Irrelevant was now relevant. Klein saw fit to include MacKinnon in the team's Ring of Honor.

Jacque was out of football in 1975 when he was killed. After fleeing the scene of a car accident in San Diego, MacKinnon jumped over a tail fence, not knowing about the construction site on the other side. He fell 30 feet and died of injuries from the fall.

Gene Klein sold the team to its current owner, Alex Spanos in 1984.

Irrelevant - immaterial, not pertinent, not germane, off the subject, unconnected, unrelated, peripheral, extraneous, inapposite, inapplicable. The journey took 55 years. A return to Los Angeles now makes the Chargers completely irrelevant.


Paul Murphy

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