The 1961 San Diego Chargers season was the team's second in the American Football League. Following a move from Los Angeles, it was the Chargers' first season in San Diego, where the team remained until returning to Los Angeles in 2017.
The Chargers won their first eleven games and clinched the Western Division by mid-November. They lost form in December, with only one victory in their final three regular season games, and finished at 12–2, six games ahead of runner-up Dallas. Like the previous season, the Chargers' season ended with a loss to the Houston Oilers in the AFL championship game, this time 10–3 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego.
San Diego's defense had a historic campaign, setting AFL/NFL records for most total takeaways (66), most interceptions (49), and most interceptions returned for touchdowns (9). All three of these records still stand . Defensive backs Charlie McNeil, Bob Zeman, and Dick Harris were the biggest contributors to the interceptions record, with 24 between the three of them.
At the linebacker position, rookie Chuck Allen played well enough that he was named Rookie of the Year and Most Inspirational Player by his teammates, despite breaking his ankle early in November and missing the latter half of the season. Quarterback Jack Kemp was voted the Chargers' MVP. He passed for over 2,600 yards, and Dave Kocourek caught passes for over 1,000 yards. Kemp, however, struggled with interceptions as the season wore on, and threw four in the title game defeat.
Offseason
Relocation The Los Angeles Chargers struggled to attract fans throughout their opening season. For their first exhibition game, the attendance was 27,778, well short of the anticipated 45,000. Five days later, owner Barron Hilton professed both disappointment at a crowd of under 12,000, and hope for an increase once the regular season began, especially if Los Angeles fielded a winning team. In the event, the Chargers pulled under 18,000 for their regular season opener, peaked with 21,805 against the eventual AFL champion Oilers, and mustered fewer than 10,000 against Denver on December 11, the day they clinched their division.
The Chargers finished the season 10–4, yet averaged an attendance of just 15,768 over their seven regular-season home games. By contrast, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL pulled in over 77,000 fans for a game late in a mediocre 4–7–1 campaign. The 1960 AFL Championship Game was moved from the Los Angeles Coliseum to Jeppesen Stadium, home of the opposing Houston Oilers. This move was made with the consent of the Chargers' head coach and general manager, Sid Gillman, amid fears that broadcasters might be put off by rows of empty seats in the showpiece game. Gillman later quipped, "It would have been the first championship game ever played for the personal amusement of bellhops and players' wives." Funding the team proved a major financial drain for Hilton, with losses estimated at $900,000 from its founding through to the end of the 1960 season.
With the Chargers failing to make an impact in Los Angeles, San Diego was rumoured as a likely alternative location for the team as early as December 1960, with the AFL Title game still to be played. Balboa Stadium was proposed as a venue; Hilton expressed concerns over the size of the stadium after surveying it early in January, but was impressed by the enthusiasm of city administration. Jack Murphy, a journalist with the San Diego Union, was instrumental in building local enthusiasm for the Chargers; by late January, advanced ticket sales stood at approximately 24,000. Hilton met with San Diego City Council on January 25, agreeing a contract that would see renovations to Balboa Stadium; its capacity was boosted from 23,000 to 34,000 by the construction of an upper deck, beginning in May 1961. The San Diego Chargers were officially born on February 10, when the AFL owners voted unanimously to allow the move.
AFL draft
The AFL conducted their draft for the 1961 season in the winter of 1960, with the first six rounds conducted on November 21–22, and the remaining twenty-four on December 5–6. In contrast to the largely randomised AFL draft of 1960, the 1961 edition employed a 30-round structure, with the Chargers choosing seventh in each round. Having received the Texans' sixth-round pick in a trade, they had 31 picks in total.
Despite having to compete with NFL clubs to secure the services of much of their draft class, the Chargers acquired several players who would start with them for years. Their first-round pick, Earl Faison, was keen to play in California, hoping for both better weather and a better racial climate than he had experienced at Indiana. He would go to the AFL All-Star game in each of his five full seasons in San Diego, and be voted a first-team All-Pro in four of them. San Diego also signed their second-round pick, running back Keith Lincoln, despite competition from the Chicago Bears and a Canadian team. Lincoln was persuaded by a higher salary, the presence of Gillman and, having played college football at Washington State, the opportunity to stay on the west coast. He would go on to play six seasons in San Diego, with four All-Star games, two first-team All-Pro selections, and an MVP performance in the 1963 AFL Championship Game.
Other successes came from further down the draft. Ernie Ladd, selected in the fifteen round, joined Faison on the defensive line. In five seasons with the Chargers, he appeared in four All-Star games, and was a three-time first-team All-Pro. In the next round, they chose defensive back Bud Whitehead, who would spend his entire eight-year career in San Diego. Linebacker Chuck Allen was selected by the Rams in the NFL draft. He chose to play in the AFL, feeling he would see more playing time in the newer league. Over the next nine seasons, he played in more than 100 games for the Chargers, and featured in two All-Star games.
San Diego also suffered numerous defeats in the bidding war with NFL clubs, including a notable pair of UCLA alumni who signed with the 49ers: Billy Kilmer, who went on to start at quarterback for Washington in Super Bowl VII, and Jimmy Johnson, who stayed in San Francisco for his entire sixteen-year career, and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1994.
1961 San Diego Chargers draft Round Pick Player Position College Notes 1 7 Earl Faison * Defensive end Indiana 66th pick in NFL draft 2 15 Keith Lincoln * Halfback Washington State 61st pick in NFL draft 3 23 Marlin McKeever * End USC 23rd pick in NFL draft; signed by Los Angeles Rams 4 31 Jimmy Johnson † Defensive back UCLA 6th pick in NFL draft; signed by San Francisco 49ers 5 39 Billy Kilmer * Quarterback UCLA 11th pick in NFL draft; signed by San Francisco 49ers 6 47 Calvin Bird Halfback Kentucky 237th pick in NFL draft 6 47 Cliff Roberts Tackle Illinois Traded to Oakland Raiders 7 55 Claude Gibson Defensive back North Carolina State 33rd pick in NFL draft 8 63 Charley Johnson * Quarterback New Mexico State 109th pick in NFL draft; signed by St. Louis Cardinals 9 71 Bob Scarpitto * End Notre Dame 10 79 Willie Hector Guard College of Pacific 60th pick in NFL draft; signed by Los Angeles Rams 11 87 Greg Larson * Center Minnesota 81st pick in NFL draft; signed by New York Giants 12 95 Hezekiah Braxton Fullback Virginia Union 13 103 Dale Messer Fullback Fresno State 52nd pick in NFL draft; signed by San Francisco 49ers 14 111 Billy Wilson Tackle Auburn 31st pick in NFL draft 15 119 Ernie Ladd * Defensive tackle Grambling 48th pick in NFL draft 16 127 Bud Whitehead Defensive back Florida State 17 135 Reggie Carolan * End Idaho 102nd pick in NFL draft; joined the Chargers in 1962 18 143 Ed Dyas Fullback Auburn 62nd pick in NFL draft 19 151 Jack Espenship Halfback Florida Signed by Montreal Alouettes 20 159 Mike Lucci Center Tennessee 69th pick in NFL draft; signed by Cleveland Browns 21 167 Gene Gaines Halfback UCLA Signed by Montreal Alouettes 22 175 John Brown Tackle Syracuse 55th pick in NFL draft; signed by Cleveland Browns 23 183 Glenn Bass Halfback East Carolina 64th pick in NFL draft; traded to Buffalo Bills 24 191 Ben Balme Guard Yale 84th pick in NFL draft 25 199 Don Coffey End Memphis State 164th pick in NFL draft 26 207 Bill Kinnune Guard Washington 148th pick in NFL draft 27 215 Luther Hayes End USC 140th pick in NFL draft 28 223 Chuck Allen * Guard Washington 228th pick in NFL draft 29 231 Dan Ficca Tackle USC 53rd pick in NFL draft; traded to Oakland Raiders 30 239 Mike McKeever Guard USC 172nd pick in NFL draft Made roster Pro Football Hall of Fame Made at least one AFL All-Star game or NFL Pro Bowl during career Played in the NFL in 1961
Departures and arrivals
Several of the 1960 Chargers squad did not join the team in their new city. Veteran kicker Ben Agajanian didn't want to move away from his business interests in Los Angeles, though he did help coach Lincoln, primarily a running back, as a potential replacement kicker. Guard Fred Cole had started every game the previous year, but retired to become an engineer. Gillman traded several players, including starting defensive tackle Volney Peters, in exchange for picks in the 1962 AFL draft. San Diego eventually made eleven selections in the first seven rounds of that draft.
While most of the Chargers' new recruits came to them through the draft, they did acquire a defensive tackle with two years' experience. Hank Schmidt had been cut by the NFL's 49ers in training camp; he was contacted by starting quarterback Jack Kemp, who knew Schmidt from his own time in San Francisco, and signed with the Chargers. Another signing was Bo Roberson, an Olympic long jumper fresh from taking silver in the 1960 games. A receiver later in his career, Roberson was used primarily as a running back in San Diego.
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
The Chargers' first exhibition game in San Diego drew a crowd of a little over 12,000, close to the reduced capacity of Balboa Stadium, which was in the process of begin renovated. They defeated the Oilers 27–14, in a rematch of the first AFL title game. Paul Lowe and flanker Dave Kocourek scored touchdowns of over 70 yards, and Roberson added a third. The teams met again twelve days later in Honolulu: San Diego jumped out to a 39–0 halftime lead, gave up four touchdowns in ten minutes, then clinched the win with their seventh rushing touchdown; Roberson scored three of them. Next, the Chargers returned home for a 35–7 victory over the Raiders. Lowe scored on a 72-yard punt return, rookie Lincoln took a short pass from Kemp 63 yards for another touchdown, and Faison got on the scoresheet with a safety. A week later, Lowe again ran a punt back 72 yards for a touchdown; Lowe, Kemp and Roberson added further touchdowns as San Diego led 28–0 at halftime, eventually winning 31–10 to complete an unbeaten preseason.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 6 Houston Oilers W 27–14 1–0 Balboa Stadium 12,304 2 August 18 vs. Houston Oilers W 46–28 2–0 Honolulu Stadium 12,836 3 August 27 Oakland Raiders W 35–7 3–0 Balboa Stadium 6,521 4 September 3 Dallas Texans W 31–10 4–0 Balboa Stadium 15,232
Regular season
Overview
San Diego proved a more welcoming city for the Chargers, with an average home attendance of 27,859 during the regular season, over 12,000 more than in Los Angeles. Hilton still reported a loss on the year, albeit a greatly reduced one of between $250,000 and $300,000.