Browns/Chargers Data points

The Gipper

I usually do this in the form of Trivia, but since it is late in the week I won't bother with that. I will simply give you the "trivia" as data points:

1. The Chargers lead the head to head series 14-8-1 with the Browns.

2. Marty Schottenheimer served as HC of both the Browns and Chargers.

3. The Chargers started in LA, but only played there for one year before moving to SD.

Of the 7 pre Super Bowl AFL title games, the Chargers appeared in 5 of them, but only won one, in 1963.

4.. That 1963 AFL title of the Chargers is the only time a team from San Diego has ever won an American major pro sports championship.

And that 1963 Chargers title makes San Diego the only city in America that has gone longer than Cleveland in waiting for a major pro sports Championship. (and only Ottawa and Vancouver have gone longer in Canada). (note....some US cities have not titles....but they never had a team until later)

5. Chargers in the Hall of Fame: Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, Ron Mix, Junior Seau.

6. The original owner of the Chargers was Baron Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels. He also had an interest in a credit card company.....and supposedly the Chargers were named that in order to encourage people to use their credit cards. There are other theories, like they were named after the "Charge" cry that people used at baseball and college football games.....but who really knows.

7. The term "Fearsome Foursome" was actually originally used for the Chargers defensive line with Earl Faison, Ernie The Big Cat Ladd etc. But when that line broke up, the Rams appropriated the name for their D Line with Deacon Jones/Rosey Grier/Merlin Olsen/Lamar Lundy. So, yea, the Rams stole it.

8. Chargers original coach Sid Gillman was a disciple of Paul Brown and brought the Browns offensive system to San Diego (5 title games in 7 years shows it was fairly successful). This same offense was somewhat modified later by another Paul Brown protoge, Bill Walsh and became known as the West Coast offense. (a name give to that system by Bernie Kosar). Don Coryell also adopted a form of the system when he coached the Cardinals and the Chargers.

9. The Chargers trade several players and draft picks to the Arizona Cardinals to move up in the 1998 draft to take Ryan Leaf with the #2 overall pick. Perhaps the biggest bust in NFL draft history.

10. Chargers retired numbers: Fouts 14, Alworth 19, Seau 55

11. The Chargers original logo had a horsehead on it:

12. The Chargers "Theme Song" is San Diego Super Chargers. Begun in 1979....it has a disco theme appropriate for the era: