LA Chargers countdown to 2020: Best number 55 in team history

Counting today, we are 55 days away from seeing the LA Chargers back in action.

We are officially 55 days away from the LA Chargers‘ scheduled Week 1 matchup against first overall pick Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, anything could happen with the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and we could be looking at longer until the Bolts are back in action.

To count down the 2020 season, we here at Bolt Beat have been bringing you the best players to wear every number that coincides with the number of days remaining until that scheduled Week 1 matchup.

And today, with there being 55 days remaining until that scheduled matchup, we have the most obvious answer we possibly could have.

Best number 55 in LA Chargers’ history: Junior Seau

It almost feels wrong having to even write it out because it is already such a given. Every single Charger fan in the world knows who Junior Seau is, even if they were not old enough to watch him dominant for the Bolts.

Seau is so much more than the best number 55 in team history. He is arguably the greatest player in franchise history, with the only other player that can compare being LaDainian Tomlinson. We love Philip Rivers, we love Antonio Gates, we love Dan Fouts, but it is LT and Seau atop the list.

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Seau is also one of the best linebackers in NFL history. He was the best linebacker in the league in the 1990s and accomplished just about everything he could accomplish in the league, outside of a Super Bowl.

Seau it tied for seventh all-time in total tackles with 1,077, 842 of which came with the Chargers. He was named to 12 Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro eight times (and a second-team All-Pro twice). He was the 1992 Defensive Player of the Year, was on the 1990s All-Decade Team and was part of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team.

He is a Southern California sports icon, and more specifically, a San Diego sports icon. Seau was born and raised in Oceanside, attended USC and was drafted to the Chargers. He represents the Chargers in more ways than just his dominant play on the field.

Not only is Seau the greatest player in franchise history to ever wear the number 55 but he is the greatest of all-time as well. Seau leads all players in the history of the NFL to wear 55 in career Approximate Value with 189. Derrick Brooks comes in right behind Seau with 188.