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4th season in franchise history; first and only league championship win
The 1963 San Diego Chargers season was the team's fourth in the American Football League . The team had gone 4–10 in 1962 . They won their only AFL Championship with a 51–10 win over the Boston Patriots in Balboa Stadium .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] Receiver Lance Alworth was named the league M.V.P .
Through 2019, this is the Chargers' only league championship season in the AFL or NFL , although they did win the 1994 AFC Championship before losing in Super Bowl XXIX to the San Francisco 49ers. [ 5] This is also the most recent world championship ever won by a major league sports team in the city and county of San Diego . In 2003, the team was inducted into the Chargers Ring of Honor .[ 6]
The Chargers were the only AFL team to go undefeated against four teams in the regular season that would go on to make the postseason.[ 7]
The 1963 San Diego Chargers were one of the best.[ 8]
Roster
1963 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Rookies in italics
Season schedule
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Attendance
1
September 8
Buffalo Bills
W , 14–10
1–0
22,344
2
September 14
Boston Patriots
W , 17–13
2–0
26,097
3
Bye
4
September 29
Kansas City Chiefs
W , 24–10
3–0
22,654
5
October 6
at Denver Broncos
L , 34–50
3–1
18,428
6
October 13
New York Jets
W , 24–20
4–1
27,189
7
October 20
at Kansas City Chiefs
W , 38–17
5–1
30,107
8
October 27
Oakland Raiders
L , 33–34
5–2
30,182
9
November 2
at New York Jets
W , 53–7
6–2
18,336
10
November 10
at Boston Patriots
W , 7–6
7–2
28,402
11
November 17
at Buffalo Bills
W , 23–13
8–2
38,592
Scheduled AFL games postponed to December 22
12
December 1
Houston Oilers
W . 27–0
9–2
31,713
13
December 8
at Oakland Raiders
L , 27–41
9–3
20,249
14
December 15
at Houston Oilers
W , 20–14
10–3
18,540
15
December 22
Denver Broncos
W , 58–20
11–3
31,312
Game summaries
Week 1
1
2 3 4 Total
Bills
0
3 0 7
10
• Chargers
0
7 7 0
14
Scoring summary Q2 SD Jackson 1 yard run (Blair kick)SD 7–0
Q2 BUF Yoho 17 yard field goalSD 7–3
Q3 SD Lowe 48 yard run (Blair kick)SD 14–3
Q4 BUF Brown 4 yard run (Yoho kick) SD 14–10
[ 9]
Week 2
1
2 3 4 Total
Patriots
3
7 0 3
13
• Chargers
0
14 0 3
17
Date: September 14Location: Balboa StadiumGame weather: 71°F; wind 8
Scoring summary Q1 BOS Cappelletti 35 yard field goalBOS 3–0
Q2 SD Alworth 43 yard pass from Rote (Blair kick)SD 7–3
Q2 SD Robinson 71 yard pass from Lowe (Blair kick)SD 14–3
Q2 BOS Yewcic 1 yard run (Cappelletti kick)SD 14–10
Q4 BOS Cappelletti 36 yard field goal SD 14–13
Q4 SD Blair 31 yard field goal SD 17–13
[ 10]
Week 8
1
2 3 4 Total
• Chargers
7
17 14 15
53
Jets
0
0 0 7
7
Date: November 2Location: Polo Grounds Game weather: 48°F; wind 16
Scoring summary Q1 SD Lowe 11 yard pass from Rote (Blair kick)SD 7–0
Q2 SD Kocourek 14 yard pass from Rote (Blair kick)SD 14–0
Q2 SD Lowe 11 yard run (Blair kick) SD 21–0
Q2 SD Blair 18 yard field goal SD 24–0
Q3 SD Alworth 28 yard pass from Rote (Blair kick)SD 31–0
Q3 SD Rote 1 yard run (Blair kick) SD 38–0
Q4 SD McDougall 3 yard run (Blair kick)SD 45–0
Q4 NYJ Wood 4 yard run (Guesman kick)SD 45–7
Q4 SD Robinson 8 yard pass from Hadl (pass good)SD 53–7
[ 11]
Week 14
1
2 3 4 Total
Broncos
7
10 3 0
20
• Chargers
10
16 10 22
58
Scoring summary Q1 SD Lowe 10 yard run (Blair kick)SD 7–0
Q1 DEN Joe 1 yard run (Mingo kick)Tie 7–7
Q1 SD Blair 17 yard field goal SD 10–7
Q2 SD Jackson 2 yard run (Blair kick)SD 17–7
Q2 DEN Stone 10 yard pass from Breaux (Mingo kick)SD 17–14
Q2 SD Kocourek 26 yard pass from Rote (kick failed)SD 23–14
Q2 DEN Mingo 12 yard field goal SD 23–17
Q2 SD Blair 28 yard field goal SD 26–17
Q3 SD Lowe 66 yard run (Blair kick) SD 33–17
Q3 DEN Mingo 15 yard field goal SD 33–20
Q3 SD Blair 13 yard field goal SD 36–20
Q4 SD Lincoln 29 yard run (Blair kick)SD 43–20
Q4 SD Allen 42 yard fumble return (Blair kick)SD 50–20
Q4 SD MacKinnon 6 yard pass from Hadl (pass good)SD 58–20
[ 12]
Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Playoffs
References
^ "Chargers roll over Boston in AFL final" . Pittsburgh Press . UPI. January 6, 1964. p. 27.
^ "Chargers rout Boston, 51-10; compared with NFL teams" . Milwaukee Journal . Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 11, part 2.
^ "Are Chargers good enough for NFL opponents?" . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon. Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 3B.
^ "Charger win Lincolnesque; Palouse Moose gains 349" . Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 6, 1964. p. 12.
^ As of 2011
^ Gehlken, Michael (October 28, 2013). "Chargers to honor their title team" . U-T San Diego . Archived from the original on December 23, 2013.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the AFL, in the regular season, team won game, in games against playoff teams only, only in games against teams with winning record for season, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3866837
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2017-Nov-04.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2017-Nov-04.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Dec-29.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Aug-16.
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Wild card berths (4) Division championships (15) Conference championships (1) League championships (1) Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
Early era (1920–1969)
Modern era (1970–present)Italics indicate future seasons