History 101: How The San Diego Chargers Became The Chargers!

February 21, 2010   ·   J Beckett   ·   Jump to comments

In 1959, The AFL (American Football League) founder and Texas oil Businessman Lamar Hunt was looking to expand the leagues' exposure and fan base out west.
He was referred the name of Los Angeles Hotel tycoon and avid sports fan, Barron Hilton, as a possible team owner candidate in Los Angeles. Yes, that is the man behind "the Hilton" hotel Chain we all are familiar with, and even more importantly to the younger generation, the grandfather of "Paris Hilton!"
It did not take Hunt long at all to convince Hilton to start up a team, and in 1960, The Los Angeles Chargers were born.
The start for the Chargers was ugly.
They shared the Los Angeles Coliseum with the much more established and respected Los Angeles Rams, who boasted popular stars such as John Arnett and Norm Van Brocklin.
The Chargers were merely a side show, and drew very small crowds, averaging just over 13,000 fans a game.
It did not take long to pull the plug, not on the team, but...

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