The 1975 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's sixth season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 16th overall. The team were seeking to improve on their 5–9 record in 1974, but they lost their first eleven games amidst home attendances that dipped under 30,000.
San Diego were three losses from the league's first 0–14 season but averted that possibility with a week 12 win in Kansas City. They eventually finished 2–12, tied for the NFL's worst record and representing the worst mark in franchise history until the 2000 team went 1–15. The team suffered badly from injuries, most critically running back Don Woods, who had been AFC Rookie of the Year in 1974 but played only the first five games in this season. Quarterback Dan Fouts had a difficult campaign, throwing only two touchdowns in nine starts.
More positively, the Chargers draft class of 1975 was among their strongest, featuring many future starters. Defensive linemen Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, Louie Kelcher and Fred Dean would go on to form three quarters of San Diego's Bruise Brothers unit, with each of the three being named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press at least once during their careers. Other selections included defensive backs Mike Williams and Mike Fuller and tackle Billy Shields, each of whom would start at least 70 games for the Chargers.
Offseason
NFL draft
While Harland Svare was the Chargers' general manager in 1975, head coach Tommy Prothro is credited as the primary decision-maker when it came to the draft. San Diego's class of 1975 proved to be a success, with ESPN naming it the franchise's best in a 2009 article. Prothro's first selection was Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, a defensive tackle whose pass rushing appealed to Prothro. Johnson would miss only a single game during nine seasons in San Diego, starting the vast majority and accumulating sacks; he made four Pro Bowls, was an Associated Press first-team All-Pro twice, and was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1999.
San Diego had a further first-round pick, as part of the trade that sent Duane Thomas to Washington. With this, they selected cornerback Mike Williams ("as good a coverer as I have ever seen" – Prothro). Williams started every game during his rookie year, and went on to intercept 24 passes in eight seasons with the team.
In the 2nd round, the Chargers again had an extra pick, acquired in the 1973 trade of Bob Babich to Cleveland. This was used to draft Louie Kelcher, a defensive tackle noted for his strength. As a rookie, Kelcher was inserted into a starting role which he retained when injury-free for the bulk of his nine years in San Diego. He would be credited with 40 sacks during his career, appear in three Pro Bowls and be a first-team All-Pro once. In 2003, Kelcher was inducted into the Charger Hall of Fame.
With their following pick (their fourth selection out of the top 33 overall in that year's draft), San Diego selected a third defensive lineman in tackle Fred Dean. Prothro praised Dean's speed and intensity and indicated that he would be switched to linebacker. In the event, Dean played at defensive end throughout his professional career, which was split between San Diego (6 seasons) and San Francisco (5 seasons). Dean, another rookie who would be speedily inserted into the Chargers' defensive line-up, recorded 52 of his 92 career sacks in San Diego, while making two of his four Pro Bowl appearances and being granted the first of his two first-team All-Pro selections. Dean was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008; later that year, he became the third member of the Chargers' draft class of 1975 to be added to their Hall of Fame.
The Chargers acquired other future starters in the later rounds. Third-round pick Fuller had some success as a kick returner in his rookie season and also saw action as a strong safety. He started all but one game at that position from 1976 to 1979, and spent six years with the team in total. San Diego's first seven picks were all spent on defensive players, but they picked up a key offensive lineman in sixth-rounder Billy Shields. The tackle made only occasional appearances as a rookie but started 116 out of possible 117 games through the next eight seasons. Another offensive lineman, Ralph Perretta, became the team's long snapper during a six-year career and served as the starting center in 1977. Running back Rickey Young spent the first three of his nine years in the league in San Diego, rushing and receiving for close to 3,000 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns as a Charger.
Departures
A number of veterans left the Chargers during the offseason. Carl Mauck had started 54 games at center out of a possible 56 during four seasons in San Diego but was traded to the Oilers for two other players. Cornerback Bob Howard had been with the team for twice as long, playing in 102 games and starting 85 through 8 seasons. He was traded to the Patriots for a 1976 fifth-round draft choice, which they would spend on Woodrow Lowe.
Other former starters to be traded included running back Cid Edwards and Jerry LeVias (for draft choices), and defensive end Pete Lazetich (for linebacker Bruce Bannon), while wide receiver Harrison Davis, tight end Wayne Stewart, linebacker Carl Gersbach and safety George Hoey were all cut or placed on waivers.
Arrivals
As well as their new draftees, San Diego also signed a handful of established veterans. Tight end Pat Curran was obtained from the Rams in exchange for a draft pick, which proved to be the Chargers' 3rd round pick in 1977. Curran had been primarily used as a backup to Bob Klein (also a future Charger), making only nine catches in six seasons while starting a single game. He played a much bigger role in the Chargers' passing game, catching 45 passes in his first season alone. The offensive line gained a new center in Ed Flanagan, who joined the team after earning four Pro Bowl appearances during a decade in Detroit Lions. In 1975, he started every game in San Diego. On defense, fourth-year linebacker Tom Graham was acquired and started 28 games over the next three seasons.
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
San Diego's offense struggled through much of the preseason, beginning with a shutout loss to the Bears. Dan Fouts led his offense 67 yards on their opening drive, reaching the Chicago 1-yard line before a botched handoff between the quarterback and Bo Matthews resulted in a fumble Chicago recovered. Fouts stayed in the game for three quarters, but the Chargers had few threats after that. They ran their scoreless streak up to seven complete quarters in the next game, falling behind the Giants 17–0 before Don Woods managed a late touchdown. The offense improved in San Diego's third and final home game of the preseason, a 20–7 win over the 49ers. Fouts and rookie quarterback Neal Jeffrey combined for 253 passing yards, throwing one touchdown pass each to newly signed tight end Curran and veteran wide receiver Gary Garrison.
Charger quarterbacks were sacked seven times in St. Louis, and they were again kept out of the end zone. Ray Wersching kicked three field goals, good for a 9–7 lead late in the game, but a Cardinal touchdown with 29 seconds remaining provided the winning points. First-round draftee Gary scored on a fumble return against the Patriots; with Fouts having run for a touchdown earlier, the Chargers led 17–7, but New England responded with 24 unanswered points before a late touchdown pass from Virgil Carter to Garrison ended the scoring. Fouts struggled, completing 4 of 9 for 55 yards, with two interceptions. Finally, San Diego played a scoreless first half against the Vikings, eventually breaking through in the 3rd quarter with a 28-yard touchdown from Jesse Freitas to Dwight McDonald. Minnesota levelled the scores, then Freitas threw an interception that was run back for a 14–7 Vikings advantage. The Chargers bounced back with a 71-yard touchdown drive, Young scoring with four seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, where there was no further scoring.
Carter, a World Football League player in 1974, had only joined the Chargers in August but was named the starter for their regular season opener.
+ 1975 preseason gamesWeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance 1 August 9 Chicago Bears L 0–22 0–1 San Diego Stadium 30,497 2 August 16 New York Giants L 7–17 0–2 San Diego Stadium 28,305 3 August 21 San Francisco 49ers W 20–7 1–2 San Diego Stadium 18,764 4 August 30 at St. Louis Cardinals L 9–14 1–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 37,468 5 September 7 at New England Patriots L 24–31 1–4 Schaefer Stadium 39,502 6 September 13 at Minnesota Vikings T 14–14 (OT) 1–4–1 Metropolitan Stadium 31,642
Regular season
Overview
With an 0–11 start, the prospect of the NFL's first 0–14 record and first winless and tieless season since World War II led to serious discussion of the Chargers' plight in the press. San Diego eventually finished 2–12, tying the New Orleans Saints for the NFL's worst record. 1975 would remain as the Chargers' poorest record until they went 1–15 in 2000.
San Diego's offense struggled in 1975, getting shut out three times in their first six games and finishing the season ranked 25th for both points scored and yards gained in the 26-team NFL. An inability to sustain drives led them to run only 821 plays during the season, the fewest in the league (their opponents ran 1,022 plays against them). Neither Fouts (nine starts) nor Freitas (four starts) were able to spark the passing game – the Chargers had 1,610 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns, both second-worst in the league. Fouts threw only two touchdowns against ten interceptions but was still the top Charger by passer rating with 59.3 (the league average was 65.8). The offensive line struggled with pass protection, as Charger quarterbacks were sacked on a league-high 12.9% of pass attempts.
Offseason acquisition Curran was the leading receiver, his 45 receptions and 619 yards both ranking third in the league among tight ends. Ten-year veteran Garrison started every game at wide receiver, but managed barely 30 yards per game, his career low at that point; another wide receiver, McDonald, caught only 19 passes all year but led the team with 3 receiving touchdowns. The running game was little-used (the third fewest carries in the league) and hampered by an injury to Woods, the previous season's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Woods played in only five games before a knee injury ended his season, gaining 317 yards; rookie Young was his primary replacement, finishing with a team-high 577 yards. Young scored five touchdowns rushing and one receiving, giving him twice as many as the next-best Charger.
The defensive unit performed somewhat better, ranking 20th by points allowed and 23rd by yardage (18th by yards per play). Rookies featured heavily, with Dean, Kelcher and Johnson all starting games on the line, while Mike Williams and Mike Fuller did the same in the backfield. Veteran Coy Bacon was credited with a team-high 10 sacks, while Dean had . Chris Fletcher led the team with six interceptions.
Kicker Wersching made only half of his kicks (12 of 24), and Dennis Partee averaged 36.8 yards per punt – both ranked among the worst in the league statistically. Fuller handled punt and kick returns, ranking sixth in the league in the former category with 11.6 yards per return, with one touchdown. San Diego's coverage team struggled with opposing kickoff returns, giving up a league-high 27.5 yards per return.
Schedule