LA Chargers countdown to 2020: Best number 72 in team history

We are 72 days away from seeing the LA Chargers back in action.

Counting today, we are officially 72 days away from the LA Chargers kicking off their 2020 season in Week 1 against first overall pick Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, that is assuming that everything goes as planned for the 2020 NFL season.

To count down the 2020 season, we have been naming the best players in franchise history to wear the number that coincides with the number of days remaining until the Bolts are back in action. Thus far, not a single current player has taken home the honors.

That will continue with the number 72, as the current number 72, as listed on the Chargers roster, is Ryan Groy. Groy may be a seven-year vet of the league but he has only spent one season with the Chargers, appearing in nine games and starting none.

The number 72 does not have that many notable names, but there is one player from the 1990s that stands out as the best to wear the number.

The best number 72 in LA Chargers’ history: Harry Swayne

Harry Swayne was a long-time veteran of the NFL and actually lasted in the league for 15 years. He was not an elite tackle during his tenure in the league, but he did put together some solid years for the Bolts.

Swayne was a Charger from 1991 to 1996 and it was easily the most successful stretch of his career. He was an impact starter from 1991 to 1995, with 74 of his 113 career starts coming with the Chargers.

Swayne posted two seasons with 10 or more Approximate Value while a Charger, a number he only hit one other time in his career. Altogether, Swayne accumulated 41 career AV with the Chargers, which is the most of any player to wear 72 for the Chargers.

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Second place on that list belongs to someone who was very recently a member of the Chargers, offensive lineman Joe Barksdale.

Even more impressive is Swayne’s success on the team level. Not only was he the starting left tackle on the only Chargers team to make the Super Bowl but he is a three-time Super Bowl Champion.

He won two Super Bowls with the Broncos and one with the Baltimore Ravens, all coming after his tenure with the Chargers. He has the rare honor of starting in the Super Bowl for three separate teams.

Swayne is not a huge name and definitely is someone that is easy to forget when we look at the history of the franchise, but he has at least made his mark as the best number 72 in team history.