What NFL team played and won in 108-degree heat? What NFL team won their very first season in existence? What team is about to take SoFi stadium by storm with their brand new rookie quarterback and make history?
The LA Chargers have been playing in the NFL for over sixty years, and residents of Los Angeles have been coming out to support their team ever since. There’s a good reason for that! These dynamic players have been putting on a show for all Angelinos since their very first season, and there is no sign that they’re ready to slow down!
Football fans might be familiar with the stats, and might even know the names of a few key players, but there’s so much more to know about the Chargers! With such a long history of excellence, there are plenty of facts to brush up on before you attend a game at the LA Chargers’ new stadium!
Are you ready to wow your friends and family without having to memorize the LA Chargers depth chart or set a phone alert for LA Chargers news? Keep reading to pick up six incredible facts about LA’s favorite football team!
- The LA Chargers Quarterback Is the Best in Rookie History
In the year 2020, just getting out of bed and functioning was a great feat of athletic excellence. During the 2020 NFL season, we all needed to see a different kind of success story so we’d have something to look forward to and cheer about. Luckily, the LA chargers delivered, providing Americans with the best rookie quarterback in rookie history!
That quarterback, of course, was twenty-three-year-old Justin Herbert from Eugene, Oregon. It makes sense that he’d have such an excellent first season, given his college accolades. Herbert played for the Oregon Ducks, winning the 2019 PAC-12 championship, and was the VIP of the Rosebowl in 2020.
During the 2020 NFL season, Herbert set four new rookie records:
- Pass Touch Downs: 31
- Pass Yards Per Game: 289.1
- Games Played of 300+ Pass Yards: 8
- Completion Percentage: 396
Furthermore, Herbert achieved the second most Pass Yards by a rookie in history, and it was a very close call! He passed 4,336 yards during the 2020 season. Andrew Luck set the record in 2012 with 4374 yards, but keep in mind that Herbert didn’t play during week one and was at a disadvantage!
Herbert also had the most 20+ Yard Touch Downs by a rookie. PFF only began tracking this data in 2006, but that’s still impressive! He is now considered the second quarterback under the age of 22 (at the time) to achieve a 30+ Pass TD in the history of the NFL.
His completion percentage under pressure was 110, putting him ahead of Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, and Matt Ryan.
All in all, that season wasn’t bad for a rookie season taking place during a global pandemic, and we can’t wait to see what Herbert will do next.
- The LA Chargers Has an Underrated Wide Receiver
While we could spend all day boasting about Justin Herbert, there is another unsung hero in the Chargers’ ranks. That is Wide Reciever Keenan Allen. This 29-year-old from Greensboro, North Carolina boasts some awesome stats that might be easy to miss.
Keenan began by playing college football for the Califonia Golden Bears. The Chargers drafted Allen in the third round in 2013 and set his impressive records during his rookie season with the LA team. These include records for receiving yards and receptions.
Allen is the half-brother of college quarterback Zach Maynard. Together, they combined for the longest pass play in school history while playing for the Golden Bears. Incredibly, little brother Keenan seems to be the dominant one in the family!
In 2017, Allen became the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and has more than proven worthy of that honor.
He’s had the most receptions in his first 100 career games in the history of the NFL, with an impressive 624 receptions. He even set a single-game franchise record for the LA Chargers. He achieved 16 receptions in a single game!
He’s one of the only players with over one hundred receptions in the past two seasons. He’s joined by DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals.
- The LA Chargers Are Making the Most of Their Move to SoFi
Despite Herbert’s record-breaking rookie season, the LA Chargers themselves couldn’t manage a strong finish during the 2020 season. One has to wonder if the lack of supportive fans might have been a contributing factor. Without a crew of supporters shouting from the LA Chargers stadium, it can be hard to play your best game.
That is all changing during the current NFL season as we begin to move back toward in-person games following the pandemic. The designers of the brand-new stadium kept the fan experience in mind throughout their process. The centerpiece is a 70,000 square foot, 4K, dual-sized center-hung called the Infinity Screen.
After a year of isolation, the Infinity Screen makes attending a game in person a more social experience. Fans can catch a glimpse at other fans across the stadium, and may even experience a celebrity sighting. The massive LED display makes it possible for all fans to see the Chargers’ famous ‘firing of the canon.’
In essence, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The stadium itself features a state-of-the-art light and sound system that can turn any game into an energetic, theatrical experience full of sound and spectacle.
Now is the time to get your tickets and experience the magic of a home game while everything is still sparkly and new. You can pick up tickets at https://www.barrystickets.com/los-angeles-chargers-tickets/ or anywhere Chargers tickets are sold.
- The LA Chargers Just Signed a New Cornerback
As the 2021 season kicks into gear, the LA Chargers lineup continues to evolve. The newest addition to the team is cornerback Davontae Harris. Harris was previously a member of the San Francisco practice squad, but he’s not exactly green.
Cincinnati drafted Harris in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft and has played in thirty-one games since then.
You may have seen him playing for the 49ers, Bengals, Ravens, and Broncos since then. His most memorable season was 2019 when he played for the Broncos. He appeared in all of that season’s games, starting six times.
He only played a single game this season for the 49ers so far, but we think the Chargers will put him to much better use! The Cornerback position needs depth and experience, and now is the perfect time for Harris to show off everything he’s learned since 2018.
- The LA Chargers Weren’t Always in LA
The team got its start in 1959 when the young hotel mogul Baron Hilton received an American Football League franchise for Los Angeles. Even though the team won their very first AFL Western Division championship, the fans just weren’t showing up. Since fans are key to a team’s success, Hilton took a chance and moved the team to San Diego in time for the 1961 season.
Their first San Diego games took place in the historic Balboa Stadium, which required an expansion to hold 34,000 fans on their arrival. By 1967, however, they had moved into what is now Qualcomm Stadium. The capacity for fans had doubled, but all the support didn’t kick in until the team won the championship in 1979.
Arguably, the Chargers had their best season in the team’s history while in San Diego. Coach Sid Gilman boasts an 87-57-6 record in eleven seasons.
The LA Chargers wouldn’t return home to Los Angeles until 2016 when the Spanos family moved them back. Now that they’re settled into SoFi stadium, we’re crossing our fingers that they’re here to stay!
- The LA Chargers Weren’t Always the Bolts
When you visit SoFi stadium, there will be no doubt whatsoever that the logo for the Chargers features an ionic thunderbolt. The team enters in a simulated thunderstorm, complete with sound and lighting effects. This supercharged crew used to wear a different logo, however.
When the team was first created, Baron Hilton held a contest to help him name the new team. Gerald Courtney was the winner of the contest and claimed a trip to Mexico. Initially, the logo featured the head of a horse – a different definition of ‘charger,’ indeed!
Even so, lightning has always been somewhere on their logo. The most recent change to their logo and brand came in 2020 when they began the move to SoFi.
Support Your LA Chargers!
Whether you’ve been following the boys since their first season, or have recently moved to LA, these facts will give you plenty to talk about at the big game! The LA Chargers are a Los Angeles institution, and they aren’t going anywhere soon! Check out the LA Chargers schedule and save the date – you’re sure to be a hit when you share these facts with your crew!
Are you looking for more articles about your favorite teams? Check out the rest of the blog for more posts that will keep you in the loop when it comes to everything sports!
