LA Chargers

The Chargers were established with seven other American Football League teams in 1959. They began AFL play in Los Angeles the following year in 1960. The Chargers' original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. According to the official website of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Barron Hilton agreed after his general manager, Frank Leahy, picked the Chargers name when he purchased an AFL franchise for Los Angeles: "I liked it because they were yelling ‘charge’ and sounding the bugle at Dodger Stadium and at USC games."

In December 1960, the Chargers considered moving to San Diego, Atlanta, or Seattle, ultimately relocating to San Diego’s Balboa Stadium in January 1961, due to financial losses in Los Angeles. The city upgraded the stadium, increasing its seating capacity to 34,000. The Chargers’ defense was strong, recording forty-nine interceptions in their first season in San Diego. They won the AFL title against the Boston Patriots in 1963, but lost in the 1964 and 1965 championships to the Buffalo Bills.

In the late 1960s, the Chargers faced ownership changes and financial difficulties. In 1966, Hilton sold the team to a group of executives, including Eugene V. Klein and Sam Schulman. The team moved to San Diego Stadium in 1967 and continued to perform well, though not winning any championships. By 1970, they had joined the NFL following the AFL-NFL merger. The team struggled in the early 1970s, with coaching changes and a decline in performance, finishing with a 2–11–1 record in 1973.

The Chargers hired Don Coryell as head coach in 1978, introducing the "Air Coryell" offense, a pass-heavy strategy that revitalized the team's performance. With quarterback Dan Fouts, the Chargers led the league in passing yards from 1978 to 1983 and again in 1985. The team made four consecutive playoff appearances from 1979 to 1982, winning three AFC West division titles. Despite regular-season success, the Chargers faced challenges in the playoffs, including the famous "Epic in Miami" game in 1981.

The 1990s brought further changes, including the hiring of Bobby Ross as head coach in 1992. The Chargers won the AFC West title in 1992 and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 1994, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 49–26.

Marty Schottenheimer was named as Chargers head coach prior to the 2002 season. He led the team to a 8–8 record in his first season at the helm. The team dropped to a 4–12 mark in the 2003 season. The Chargers drafted Eli Manning with the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. However, Manning did not want to play for the Chargers resulting in a trade with the Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers, who was their first round pick. The Chargers improved to a 12–4 record in the 2004 season. They won the AFC West. Their stint in the postseason was short as they dropped the Wild Card Round to the Jets. The Chargers went 9–7 but missed the postseason in the 2005 season. Rivers took over as starting quarterback in the 2006 season. Rivers went on to be the franchise quarterback for the Chargers. In the 2006 season, the Chargers won the division and went 14–2, the best record in franchise history. The team was eliminated in the Divisional Round by the New England Patriots. Despite the historic season for the Chargers, the team fired Schottenheimer.

Prior to the 2007 season, the Chargers named Norv Turner as head coach. In his first season at the helm, Turner led the Chargers to an AFC West title. The team defeated the Titans in the Wild Card Round and the Colts in the Divisional Round before falling to the Patriots in the AFC Championship. The team regressed to a 8–8 record in the 2008 season. However, they still won the division. They defeated the Colts in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Steelers in the Divisional Round. In the 2009 season, the Chargers went 13–3 and won the division again. The success was short lived in the postseason with a 17–14 loss in the Divisional Round to the Jets. In the 2010 season, the Chargers went 9–7 but missed the postseason for the first time under Turner. Five of the Chargers' seven losses were within one possession. In the 2011 season, the team went 8–8 and missed the postseason. In the 2012 season, the team went 7–9, missed the postseason, and fired Turner following the season.

Prior to the 2013 season, the Chargers hired Mike McCoy to be their new head coach. In the 2013 season, the Chargers went 9–7 and made the playoffs despite a 3rd-place finish in the AFC West. The Chargers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27–10 in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Denver Broncos 24–17 in the Divisional Round. In the 2014 season, the Chargers went 9–7 again but missed the postseason. In the 2015 season, the Chargers went 4–12. In the 2016 season, the Chargers went 5–11 and missed the post season for the third consecutive season. The team parted ways with Mike McCoy as head coach following the season. In 2017, the Chargers relocated back to Los Angeles.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos announced the move in a letter to the city of San Diego posted to the team's official site on January 12, 2017. The team, which would pay the NFL a $645 million relocation fee announced it would be returning to their birthplace in Los Angeles starting with the 2017 season at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, despite the stadium's 30,000 seating capacity being well below the 50,000 minimum that the NFL set for temporary homes. The home of Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy served as the Chargers' temporary home field until they joined the Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood starting with the 2020 NFL season. The Chargers became the second former San Diego professional sports franchise to move to Los Angeles, after the Clippers in 1984.

The move drew some controversy. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke welcomed the team to town by writing "We. Don't. Want. You.", noting that "The Chargers aren't even the second team in town behind the Rams. The Chargers aren't even the third team of interest here behind the Rams and Raiders. The Chargers might not even be in the top-five favorite NFL teams in Los Angeles." At a game at the Staples Center between the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, the Chargers' logo was shown on a scoreboard and was "booed heartily". Chargers tight end Jeff Cumberland was also "jeered" by the crowd when featured on the big screen.

One week after the move from San Diego to Los Angeles was announced, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the other NFL owners were "angered" by the decision, and that "the NFL wants the Chargers to move back, though nobody believes that possibility is realistic."

On January 13, the Chargers fired defensive coordinator John Pagano. It took the team one week to find a replacement for Pagano, as they hired Gus Bradley on January 20. Bradley was formerly the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and before landing that head coaching job was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. The Chargers also announced they had hired Anthony Lynn to be their next head coach.

In their first game back in Los Angeles at StubHub Center included an announced attendance was just over 25,000, divided "around 50/50" between fans of the Chargers and the visiting Miami Dolphins. After the poor response, the NFL was reportedly considering ways to move the Chargers back to San Diego, although that possibility was considered unlikely. The league officially denied that such discussions were happening, as San Diego was stated not to have a usable stadium and that the Spanos family refuses to consider going back to the city; the league did acknowledge that a vote of the owners could change the situation. The team had a 9–7 record, but missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive time.

After a 12–4 regular season record, the Chargers qualified for the 2018 playoffs. The team defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the Divisional round. However, Chargers' attendance problems continued into their second season. For instance, there were so many fans of the visiting Kansas City Chiefs at the Chargers' 2018 home opener that USA Today remarked it "was essentially a Chiefs home game". In December 2018, a Los Angeles Times columnist asked if the Chargers would receive a parade in the city if they were to win the Super Bowl.

The team's struggles to draw fans reportedly led them to lower their initial revenue goal when they moved into the new stadium from $400 million to $150 million, and caused some owners to doubt the Chargers' viability in Los Angeles. Beyond low attendance, the Chargers receive only 18.75% of season ticket revenues through 2040, contributing to the reduced goal.

In the 2019 season, the Chargers had a poor 5–11 record, and were swept by their division. Rivers entered free agency and ended his long tenure as the Chargers' starting quarterback.

On September 13, 2020, Tyrod Taylor became the starting quarterback for the Chargers and the first new quarterback to start since Philip Rivers' starting debut on December 31, 2005. He led them to win 16–13 due to a missed field goal by the Bengals. On September 20, 2020, Taylor suffered a punctured lung while receiving a pain-killing injection, forcing rookie quarterback Justin Herbert to start. Herbert led the team to a narrow loss against the Chiefs, 23–20, in his first start. In week 13, the Chargers lost to the Patriots, 45–0, in the worst blowout loss in team history. The season concluded in a 38–21 win over the Chiefs. Justin Herbert broke multiple rookie records throughout the season, but despite his record-breaking season, the Chargers finished the season with a 7–9 record. At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the organization announced that Lynn was fired as head coach.

The Chargers signed Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to become their new head coach on January 17, 2021. Brandon Staley brought in Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, grandson of Vince Lombardi, as the new offensive coordinator, and Renaldo Hill, Broncos defensive backs coach, as their new defensive coordinator.

In the 2021 season, the Chargers' record improved to 9–8 (with an extra 17th game added to the NFL regular season). Herbert broke numerous sophomore year records, but despite his and the rest of the team's efforts, the Chargers missed the playoffs in a week 18 win-or-tie-or-go-home overtime loss to the Raiders.

On February 3, 2022, the Chargers hired Vikings special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken. In 2022, the Chargers announced the location of a new headquarters in El Segundo, California. The Chargers finished the 2022 NFL season with a 10–7 record and the 5th seed in the AFC. They lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Jacksonville Jaguars after blowing a 27–0 lead in the game. Despite the playoff loss, the Chargers were alleviating their attendance issues, with their average attendance during the 2022 season being in the top third of the league for a second consecutive year.

On January 17, 2023, the Chargers fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day. The Chargers hired former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be their new offensive coordinator on January 31. Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill unexpectedly left the team on February 20 to join the Miami Dolphins as their secondary coach and passing game coordinator, with the vacancy being filled by the Chargers defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley on the same day.

On December 15, 2023, head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired, one day after a 63–21 primetime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers finished the remainder of the season with interim head coach Giff Smith. The Chargers finished out the 2023 with a 5–12 record.

The Chargers signed former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh on January 24, 2024. Harbaugh served as the coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014. He went to Super Bowl XLVII with the 49ers where he lost to the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Michigan football coach from 2015 to 2024. There, he had a total record of 86–25 while reaching the college football playoffs three times, as well as winning the 2024 National Championship. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback for the Chargers from 1999 to 2000.