Chargers Trivia
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7correct to beat the crowd
This Chargers trivia quiz has 57 free questions with answers and covers the whole franchise, not just one city. It starts in 1960 with a hotel heir's AFL team playing to empty seats in the Los Angeles Coliseum, follows the move down the coast to Balboa Stadium and the only league title in team history, then runs through Air Coryell, the Epic in Miami and the Freezer Bowl, Junior Seau and Super Bowl XXIX, the LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers years, and finally the return to Los Angeles, SoFi Stadium, Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. The early questions are the ones any Bolts fan can get: the logo, the powder blues, the retired numbers. The later ones ask about a 1966 sale price, a two-penalty offensive tackle, a wind chill reading and a Kent State basketball run, and are meant for people who can name the kicker who won the Epic in Miami. Every answer has been checked against a reference source, and each question shows its explanation and citation once you have answered. Play the full set for a shareable score, then send it to the friend who still says San Diego.
30 of 57 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which stadium became the Chargers' home when it opened in 2020?
SoFi Stadium
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood opened in 2020 as the shared home of the Chargers and Rams; MetLife Stadium is the NFL's only other dual-tenant venue.
Q 02Which Chargers linebacker was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2005?
Shawne Merriman
Shawne Merriman, the 12th overall pick in 2005, recorded 10 sacks as a rookie and won Defensive Rookie of the Year, celebrating each sack with his 'Lights Out' dance.
Q 03Which hotel heir was the Chargers' original owner?
Barron Hilton
Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, paid a $25,000 franchise fee to found the Chargers in 1959 and sold control of the team in 1966.
Q 04The Chargers' owner said the team's name was inspired by what?
Fans yelling 'Charge!' to a bugle
The owner recalled fans yelling 'Charge!' to a bugle call at Los Angeles ballgames and denied any link to his Carte Blanche credit card business; a fan had submitted the name in a contest.
Q 05Where did the Chargers play their home games from 1961 to 1966, their first years in San Diego?
Balboa Stadium
Balboa Stadium, built in 1914 beside San Diego High School, was expanded to about 34,000 seats for the Chargers; The Beatles played there in August 1965.
Q 06Who was the Chargers' first head coach, hired away from the Los Angeles Rams?
Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman, let go by the Rams after the 1959 season, became the Chargers' first head coach in 1960 and pioneered the deep vertical passing game.
Q 07By what score did the Chargers win the 1963 AFL Championship Game, their only league title?
51–10
The Chargers routed the Boston Patriots 51–10 in San Diego on January 5, 1964, and their coach then publicly sought a game against the NFL champion Chicago Bears.
Q 08Which Chargers back was MVP of the 1963 AFL title game after rushing for 206 yards on just 13 carries?
Keith Lincoln
Keith Lincoln also led the team with 123 receiving yards and completed a 20-yard pass, accounting for 349 yards of offense in the title game.
Q 09Which Chargers receiver was nicknamed 'Bambi' by teammates?
Lance Alworth
Lance Alworth's baby face and deer-like stride earned the 'Bambi' tag; he caught a pass in 96 straight games and in 1978 became the first AFL player in the Hall of Fame.
Q 10How many holding penalties was Chargers tackle Ron Mix called for in ten seasons?
Two
Ron Mix, 'The Intellectual Assassin', was flagged for holding just two times in ten seasons with the Chargers and later earned a law degree and practiced as an attorney.
Q 11For how much was the Chargers franchise sold to a group led by Gene Klein in 1966?
$10 million
Gene Klein and Sam Schulman led a 21-man group that bought the Chargers for $10 million in 1966, a record price for a pro sports franchise at the time.
Q 12In what year did the Chargers move into the newly built San Diego Stadium in Mission Valley?
1967
San Diego Stadium opened in August 1967; it became Jack Murphy Stadium, then Qualcomm Stadium, hosted three Super Bowls, and was demolished in 2021.
Q 13San Diego Stadium was renamed in 1981 for Jack Murphy, who had what job?
Sportswriter
Jack Murphy was a sportswriter, the San Diego Union's sports editor and columnist, who campaigned to bring the Chargers to town; the stadium carried his name until Qualcomm bought the rights in 1997.
Q 21What rule did the NFL adopt after the Raiders' 1978 'Holy Roller' win over the Chargers?
Only the fumbler may advance a late fumble
After the play the NFL ruled that only the fumbler may advance a late fumble; Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler later admitted he had flipped the ball forward on purpose.
Q 22Which Chargers receiver retired in 1986 with the most receptions and receiving yards of any NFL wide receiver?
Charlie Joiner
Charlie Joiner's 750 catches and 12,146 yards were career records for a receiver when he retired after 1986; Bill Walsh called him the most intelligent receiver the game had known, and his No. 18 is retired.
Q 23In which California city was Alex Spanos, who bought control of the Chargers in 1984, born?
Q 14What was the nickname of the pass-heavy offense the Chargers unleashed starting in 1978?
Air Coryell
Air Coryell, named for coach Don Coryell, led the NFL in passing yards six straight seasons from 1978 to 1983, an NFL record.
Q 15Before the NFL, the Chargers' 1978–86 head coach won 100-plus games at which college?
San Diego State
Don Coryell went 104–19–2 at San Diego State from 1961 to 1972, and his Aztecs staffs included future Hall of Fame coaches John Madden and Joe Gibbs.
Q 16Which Chargers quarterback was the first with three straight 4,000-yard NFL passing seasons?
Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts passed for 4,000-plus yards in 1979, 1980 and 1981; his 4,802 yards in 1981 set an NFL record, and his father Bob was a longtime 49ers broadcaster.
Q 17Which Chargers tight end caught 13 passes and blocked a field goal in the 1981 'Epic in Miami'?
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow caught 13 passes for 166 yards, blocked a potential game-winning field goal as regulation ended, and was famously helped off the field by teammates.
Q 18What was the final score of the Epic in Miami, won by the Chargers in overtime on January 2, 1982?
41–38
The Chargers won 41–38 after leading 24–0 in the first quarter; Miami tied it at 38 before the game finally ended 13:52 into overtime.
Q 19Which Chargers kicker won the Epic in Miami with a 29-yard field goal in overtime?
Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Benirschke's 29-yard kick came 13 minutes and 52 seconds into overtime, after he had missed a 27-yarder earlier in the period.
Q 20What was the reported wind chill at the January 1982 'Freezer Bowl' AFC Championship?
−59 °F
Kickoff air temperature was −9 °F with strong winds, producing the reported wind chill of −59 °F, the coldest by wind chill in NFL history.
Stockton
Alex Spanos was born in Stockton in 1923 to Greek immigrant parents, began by selling sandwiches to farm workers there, and built A.G. Spanos Companies into one of the country's largest apartment developers.
Q 24Which linebacker's No. 55 is retired by the Chargers?
Junior Seau
Junior Seau, a San Diego native, made 12 straight Pro Bowls with the Chargers and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015, three years after his death.
Q 25Which head coach, hired in 1992, took the Chargers to their only Super Bowl?
Bobby Ross
Bobby Ross's 1994 Chargers went 11–5, then upset the Steelers 17–13 in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game to reach the franchise's only Super Bowl.
Q 26Which quarterback, acquired in a trade with Washington, led the Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX?
Stan Humphries
Stan Humphries, acquired from Washington in a trade days before his first Chargers season opener, quarterbacked the 1994 Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX, where they were 18.5-point underdogs to the 49ers.
Q 27What was the final score of Super Bowl XXIX, the Chargers' loss to the 49ers in January 1995?
49–26
The 49ers won 49–26 as Steve Young threw a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes and was named the game's MVP.
Q 28Which quarterback did the Chargers take second overall in 1998, right behind the Colts' first pick?
Ryan Leaf
Ryan Leaf went 4–14 as a Chargers starter and was released in 2001, while Peyton Manning, taken one slot ahead of him, went to Canton.
Q 29LaDainian Tomlinson played college football for which program?
TCU
LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 5,263 yards at TCU, including an NCAA-record 406 yards against UTEP in 1999, before the Chargers took him fifth overall in 2001.
Q 30How many total touchdowns did LaDainian Tomlinson score in his record-setting 2006 MVP season?
31
LaDainian Tomlinson's 31 touchdowns in 2006 were 28 rushing, a record, plus three receiving; he also threw a pair of touchdown passes that did not count toward the total.