These are my top 5 favorite San Diego Chargers of all time. Just my opinion, and given that I grew up a Wide Receiver there are 2 of them that made my top 5! Let me know who your top 5 are in a comment below as I would love to hear everyone’s input!#5: Gill Byrd – Defensive BackByrd played 10 seasons with the Bolts and totaled 42 interceptions throughout his career, returning 2 for touchdowns. He had at least 1 interception in every season on the roster and was a leader for our pass defense throughout his whole career.Bolt Records: Most career INT’s – 42Most career INT return yards – 546#4: Charlie Joiner – Wide ReceiverCharlie Joiner was in the right place at the right time, and possessed the talent to take full advantage of it. What do I mean by the right place at the right time? He was on roster with 2 other fellow Chargers hall of famers, Kellen Winslow and Dan Fouts. Joiner thrived in a pass happy offense and broke multiple NFL receiving records.Bolt Records:Most career receptions: 586
#3: Ladainian Tomlinson – Running BackWho could deny Tomlinson the right to be in the top 5? Not me! Tomlinson won games almost single handedly for us throughout his career and was a complete workhorse for 9 seasons. He has become perhaps the most widely known and legendary Charger of all time since being drafted in 2001 with the 5th overall selection. Not enough could be said about this guy. He has great character, diversity, leadership, talent, drive, passion, and most of all the ability to change games.Bolt Records:Most point in season: 186Most career td’s:153Most td’s in season: 31Most td’s in consecutive games: 18Most seasons leading NFL rushing: 2Most career rush yds: 12490Most rush yds in season: 1815Most rush yds in game: 243Most seasons leading NFL rush td’s: 3Most career rush td’s: 138Most season rush td’s: 28Most rush td’s in game: 4Most career rush attempts: 2880Most season rush attempts: 372Most attempts in game: 39Most receptions in season: 100
#2: Lance Alworth – Wide ReceiverNicknamed Bambi and is the most famous Wide Receiver in San Diego history. Lance Alworth was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and holds multiple records with the Chargers. If you ever watched highlights of Alworth receiving you know exactly how he earned his nickname. He possessed a combination of speed, agility, and the ability to leap over defenders therefore leading him to the name “Bambi”. He was a member of the 1963 Chargers club that won the AFL Championship over the Boston Patriots.Bolt Records:Most seasons leading league total td’s: 3Most seasons leading league rec yds: 3Most career rec yds: 9584Most season rec yds: 1602Average yds per catch (min=250 catches): 19.4Most seasons leading league receptions: 3Most consecutive games with catch: 96Most seasons leading league rec td’s: 3Most career rec td’s: 81Most consecutive games with td: 9 (tied with Antonio Gates)
#1: Don Coryell – Coach – Innovator – GeniusOkay so this might not be a position player, but I will make a case that he had more influence in our offense than any other person in Chargers history. Not only did he make a presence throughout the span of his own career, “Air Coryell” forever changed the way the passing game has been used ever since he brought it in. Hired officially as head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1978, Don Coryell brought a passion, a temper, an edge, and a new form of passing to the club. Using his new system nicknamed “Air Coryell” the San Diego Chargers led the league in passing yards for 6 consecutive seasons and led the league in total offensive yards for 3 of those seasons. He had a win percentage of .545 and led the Bolts to multiple division titles and post-seasons.
So what was it that made his offense so successful? “Coryell offense” was the starting point for what is today known as the West Coast offense. The idea behind “Air Coryell” is to be able to have a quarterback with a cannon for an arm and a couple of receivers with the speed and agility to burn defenders and get open for the deep ball. By stretching out the field this way it opens up the inside running game as well as the ability to get the tight end and slot receivers open across the middle. Don Coryell was a leader, a former collegiate athlete, a dedicated coach, and was crazy enough to leave a permanent mark in NFL history!