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One
of America’s finest multi-purpose facilities, Qualcomm
Stadium opened in August of 1967. Built to accommodate
a wide variety of events, ranging from baseball and
football to concerts and off-road events, the Stadium
has become the center of the San Diego sports scene
and has given the City a Major League reputation in
the world of sports. Major events that have taken place
at the Stadium include the World Series in 1984, NFL
Super Bowl XXII in 1988, and Major League Baseball’s
All-Star Game in 1978 and 1992.
Chargers Team Info:
In their inaugural season the Chargers franchise
played in Los Angeles as members of the American
Football League where they remained until the merger
leading into the 1970 season. The team was
originally owned by Barron Hilton (grandfather of
celebrity recording artist Paris Hilton). Through
the 1960s the Chargers were coached by Sid Gillman,
a football innovator whose vision was to stretch the
field with long passing plays.
Now, the Chargers enter the 2007 NFL season with new
heads at the top three coaching positions. It will
be an interesting season, watching to see if new
coach Norv Turner can get this great offense and
spectacular defense back into the playoffs and add a
postseason victory or three. A great offensive
coordinator in his own right, Turner’s resume is a
perfect example of the Peter Principal and suggests
he leaves much to be desired as the top man.
Stadium History:
Home of the San Diego Chargers for more than three
decades, Qualcomm Stadium looks much different than
it did when it opened. In the early 1960’s
sportswriter Jack Murphy began to build up support
for a multipurpose stadium for the area. When built,
the stadium would become home of the Charges and a
MLB team, that the city hoped to attract. In
November of 1965, a $27 million bond was passed
allowing construction to began on a stadium.
Construction on the stadium began one month later.
When completed, the facility was named San Diego
Stadium.
The Chargers played the first game ever at the
stadium on August 20, 1967. San Diego Stadium had a
capacity of around 50,000 multicolored seats when it
opened. The three tier grandstand was in the shape
of a horseshoe, with the south end open. The team
was the main tenant of the stadium until 1969, when
MLB granted the area a team, the Padres. After the
death of Jack Murphy in 1981, San Diego Stadium was
renamed in honor of him. The stadium remained
basically the same until 1983. Over 9,000 bleachers
were added to the lower deck on the open end of the
stadium raising the capacity of Jack Murphy Stadium
to 59,022. Sixteen years later the most substantial
addition was completed at Jack Murphy Stadium. In
1997, Jack Murphy Stadium was fully enclosed, with
the exception of where the scoreboard is located.
Nearly 11,000 seats were added in readiness for the
Super Bowl in 1998, bringing the capacity to over
71,000. Also in 1997, the facility was
renamed Qualcomm Stadium after Qualcomm Corporation
paid $18 million for the naming rights. Today,
Qualcomm Stadium is one of the NFL’s finest
facilities. Many of the multicolored seats have been
replaced with new blue seats. Qualcomm Stadium has
several amenities including over 100 luxury suites,
over 7,000 club seats, and the Charges Gold Club
which is available to Charges season ticket holders,
and allows service at their seats, and access to air
conditioned lounges. The Chargers are now the main
tenant of the stadium, as the Padres have moved into
their own ballpark, Petco Park. Currently, the
Chargers are looking into possibly building their
own stadium in the San Diego area.
Some San Diego Chargers history: From 1960 to
1965 the Chargers won five division championships
and one league crown in the American Football League
(AFL). Wide receiver Lance Alworth set a
professional football record by catching at least
one pass in 96 consecutive games from 1962 to 1970.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s head coach Don
Coryell oversaw one of the most explosive offensive
units in NFL history. The team was led by
quarterback Dan Fouts and wide receiver Charlie
Joiner, who both set career team records -- Fouts
with 43,040 passing yards and 254 passing touchdowns
and Joiner with 586 receptions. |
