We are 74 days away from seeing the LA Chargers back in action.
Counting today, there are 74 days until the LA Chargers kick off their 2020 season in Week 1 against first overall pick Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. That is, as long as everything goes as planned for the league.
To count down the 2020 season, we have been naming the best players in team history that wore the number that coincides with the number of days remaining. Thus far, not a single current Charger has earned the honor.
That will continue with the number 74 as well as the listed number 74 on the LA Chargers roster is XFL signing Storm Norton. Norton is a promising tackle with some big potential but has not played an NFL snap.
Instead, the best number 74 in team history is not even close as it is one of the all-time greatest players in franchise history.
The best number 74 in LA Chargers’ history: Ron Mix
Ron Mix was on the original LA Chargers that were born in 1960 and spent a decade with the team through the 1969 season. During his tenure with the Bolts, Mix was arguably the best offensive lineman in the AFL.
Mix is one of the best offensive linemen of all-time. While he played in a different era of football in the AFL, compared to his peers, Mix was absolutely dominant.
Mix was an All-Pro in the first nine of his 10 seasons with the Chargers and was a Pro Bowler eight times. Mix actually has the second-most All-Pro honors in NFL history, with only Jerry Rice and Jim Otto having more than Mix’s nine.
Iconic numbers that deserve to be retired
Legendary Bengals offensive lineman Anthony Munoz also has nine All-Pro honors to his name.
While there naturally are not a lot of stats to showcase the value of an offensive lineman, especially from the 1960s, we can look at Mix’s career Approximate Value as a good indication. Mix finished his Chargers career with 125 AV, which is by far the most of any number 74 and is the eighth-most in franchise history.
There have been other great players to wear the number, such as Louie Kelcher, but nobody even comes close to Mix. If he had played longer with the Chargers then he undoubtedly would have been closer to the top of the franchise’s all-time AV leaderboard.
Ron Mix is the one of the greatest players in team history and it is a shame that his number has not been immortalized forever by the LA Chargers.