Los Angeles Chargers all-time Mount Rushmore

QB Dan Fouts

The Chargers organization that began play in 1960 in Los Angeles, moved to San Diego one year later and is now back in its original home has had its share of outstanding performers. One position they’ve been very fortunate at has been quarterback. In the early days, there was John Hadl – who spent 11 seasons with the team and actually threw more interceptions (211) than TD passes (201) in an era that was unforgiving to receivers.

More recently, Philip Rivers just concluded his 16th year with the Bolts, became an unrestricted free agent and, with the organization opting to head in a new direction, latched on with the Indianapolis Colts. You can find him in the NFL’s Top 10 when it comes to career passing yards and scoring tosses. He became the full-time starter in Week of 2006 and never missed a game.

Somewhere in the middle was Hall-of-Famer Dan Fouts. A third-round draft choice from the University of Oregon in 1973, he spent 15 years with the club and he and the team really blossomed under the command of Don Coryell, named head coach in 1978. He led the NFL in passing yards four consecutive years from 1979-82 – throwing for 4,000-plus yards those first three years and averaging over 300 yards per game during the strike-shortened ’82 season. Those Chargers’ offenses were electrifying and Fouts was the triggerman.