1974 San Diego Chargers season

1974 San Diego Chargers season
1974 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Eugene V. Klein
General manager	Harland Svare
Head coach	Tommy Prothro
Home field	San Diego Stadium
Results
Record	5–9
Division place	4th AFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	1 T Russ Washington;
AP All-Pros	None
	← 1973; Chargers seasons; 1975 →;

The

season was the franchise's fifth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 15th overall. The team improved on their 2–11–1 record in 1973 and finished 5–9. It was Tommy Prothro

's first season as the team's head coach.

Before the season, the team changed from white helmets and powder blue jerseys—which it had had since its inception in 1960—to royal blue helmets and jerseys.^[3] Players' uniform numbers were also removed from the helmets. The royal blue would remain through 1984, when the helmets and jerseys became a darker shade of blue (navy blue); that blue became even darker in 1988. The Chargers switched back permanently to modified white helmets in 2007.^[4]

Offseason

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1974 San Diego Chargers draft
1	2	Bo Matthews	Running back	Colorado Boulder
1	15	Don Goode	Linebacker	Kansas
2	43	Mark Markovich	Center	Penn State
3	59	Bill Rudder	Running back	Tennessee
4	81	Harrison Davis	Wide receiver	Virginia
5	105	John Teerlinck	Defensive tackle	Western Illinois
6	133	Jesse Freitas	Quarterback	San Diego State
8	185	Tom Forrest	Guard	Cincinnati
8	206	Bon Boatwright	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma State
9	210	Danny Colbert	Cornerback	Tulsa
10	237	John Ketchoyian	Linebacker	Santa Clara
11	262	Dave Grannell	Tight end	Arizona State University
12	289	Sam Williams	Cornerback	California
13	314	Brian Vertefeuille	Tackle	Idaho State
14	341	Greg Bailey	Defensive back	Long Beach State
15	366	Charles Anthony	Linebacker	Southern California
15	386	Greg Meczka	Tight end	Bowling Green
16	393	Neal Skarin	Defensive end	Arizona State
17	418	Charles DeJurnett	Defensive tackle	San Jose State	Joined the Chargers in 1976 after initially playing in the WFL
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

**1974 San Diego Chargers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 14 Dan Fouts 17 Jesse Freitas Jr. 13 Don Horn Running backs 21 Glen Bonner 35 Cid Edwards FB 41 Bo Matthews 35 Bob Thomas 38 Tom Thompson 33 Don Woods Wide receivers 85 Jim Beirne 87 Harrison Davis 27 Gary Garrison 88 Dick Gordon 25 Jerry LeVias Tight ends 82 Dave Grannell 80 Gary Parris 89 Wayne Stewart		Offensive linemen 52 Jay Douglas C 69 Ira Gordon G 65 Mark Markovich C 55 Carl Mauck C 76 Terry Owens T 62 Harold Paul T 68 Brian Vertefeuille T 70 Russ Washington T 63 Doug Wilkerson G Defensive linemen 79 Coy Bacon DE 75 Raymond Baylor DE 73 Bon Boatwright DT 61 Blenda Gay DE 71 Pete Lazetich DE 74 Dave Rowe DT 77 John Teerlinck DT 75 Dave Tipton DE		Linebackers 59 Charles Anthony 56 Fred Forsberg 54 Carl Gersbach 50 Don Goode 58 Mike Lee 53 Chip Myrtle 57 Floyd Rice Defensive backs 40 Joe Beauchamp CB 45 Reggie Berry 46 Danny Colbert CB 44 Chris Fletcher FS 23 George Hoey 24 Bob Howard CB 47 Sam Williams CB Special teams 29 Dennis Partee P 15 Ray Wersching K		Reserve lists 81 IRTooltip Injured reserve) Rookies in italics , 5 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 15	at Houston Oilers	L 14–21	0–1	Astrodome	25,317	Recap
2	September 22	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–17	1–1	Riverfront Stadium	51,178	Recap
3	September 29	Miami Dolphins	L 21–28	1–2	San Diego Stadium	44,706	Recap
4	October 6	Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–13	1–3	San Diego Stadium	36,124	Recap
5	October 13	Oakland Raiders	L 10–14	1–4	San Diego Stadium	40,539	Recap
6	October 20	at Denver Broncos	L 7–27	1–5	Mile High Stadium	50,928	Recap
7	October 27	Kansas City Chiefs	L 24–14	1–6	San Diego Stadium	34,371	Recap
8	November 3	Cleveland Browns	W 36–35	2–6	San Diego Stadium	35,683	Recap
9	November 10	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 14–7	3–6	Arrowhead Stadium	48,551	Recap
10	November 17	at Oakland Raiders	L 10–17	3–7	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	50,178	Recap
11	November 24	at Green Bay Packers	L 0–34	3–8	Lambeau Field	56,267	Recap
12	December 1	at New York Jets	L 14–27	3–9	Shea Stadium	44,888	Recap
13	December 8	Chicago Bears	W 28–21	4–9	San Diego Stadium	33,662	Recap
14	December 15	Denver Broncos	W 17–0	5–9	San Diego Stadium	36,571	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Oakland Raiders	12	2	0	.857	5–1	9–2	355	228	W3
Denver Broncos	7	6	1	.536	3–3	5–4–1	302	294	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	5	9	0	.357	2–4	4–7	233	293	L2
San Diego Chargers	5	9	0	.357	2–4	4–7	212	285	W2

Season summary

Week 1: at Houston Oilers

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	7	7	0	14
Oilers	14	0	0	7	21

at

Houston, Texas

Date: September 15
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
CDT
Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
Game attendance: 25,317
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
Box score

Game information

First quarter

HOU – George Amundson 1-yard run (Skip Butler kick), 10:27. Oilers 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:33.
HOU – George Amundson 8-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Skip Butler kick), 0:03. Oilers 14–0. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:23.

Second quarter

SDG – Glen Bonner 3-yard run (Dennis Partee kick), 1:23. Oilers 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:24.

Third quarter

SDG – Gary Garrison 29-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Dennis Partee kick), 13:07. Tied 14–14. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:53.

Fourth quarter

HOU – George Amundson 3-yard run (Skip Butler kick), 13:20. Oilers 21–14. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:54.

Top passers

SDG – Dan Fouts – 13/26, 209 yards, TD, 2 INT
HOU – Lynn Dickey – 19/26, 195 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

SDG – Cid Edwards – 16 rushes, 100 yards
HOU – Ronnie Coleman – 21 rushes, 123 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Gary Garrison – 4 receptions, 80 yards, TD
HOU – George Amundson – 5 receptions, 51 yards, TD

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	6	0	7	20
Bengals	0	7	10	0	17

at

Cincinnati, Ohio

Date: September 22

Game time: 1:00 p.m.
EDT
Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 9 mph
Game attendance: 51,178
Referee: John Keck
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels and Mike Haffner
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Glen Bonner 2-yard run (Dennis Partee kick), 9:06. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:54.

Second quarter

SDG – Dennis Partee 22-yard field goal, 12:56. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:19.
CIN –
Horst Muhlmann
kick), 8:06. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 4:44.
SDG – Ray Wersching 28-yard field goal, 2:20. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 5:46.

Third quarter

CIN – Boobie Clark 12-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick), 12:13. Bengals 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:47.
CIN – Horst Muhlmann 34-yard field goal, 2:59. Bengals 17–13. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:20.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Dan Fouts 1-yard run (Dennis Partee kick), 7:45. Chargers 20–17. Drive: 10 plays, 98 yards, 4:14.

Top passers

SDG – Dan Fouts – 13/24, 173 yards
CIN – Ken Anderson – 17/28, 178 yards, INT

Top rushers

SDG – Cid Edwards – 12 rushes, 45 yards
CIN – Lenvil Elliott – 11 rushes, 66 yards, TD

Top receivers

SDG – Gary Garrison – 8 receptions, 116 yards
CIN – Charlie Joiner – 5 receptions, 57 yards

[1]

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[4]

v t e Los Angeles Chargers
Founded in 1960 Played in San Diego (1961–2016) Based in Inglewood, California Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California
Franchise	Franchise History in San Diego NFL in Los Angeles Coaches Seasons Retired numbers Hall of Fame Anniversary teams 40th 50th Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Balboa Stadium SDCCU Stadium San Diego stadium proposals Dignity Health Sports Park SoFi Stadium
Culture	Fearsome Foursome Air Coryell Alex Spanos "San Diego Super Chargers" Los Angeles Charger Girls Bruise Brothers
Lore	Holy Roller Epic in Miami Freezer Bowl Snowball Game 2006 playoff game vs. New England Patriots
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders
Wild card berths (4)	1995 2013 2018 2022
Division championships (15)	1960 1961 1963 1964 1965 1979 1980 1981 1992 1994 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
Conference championships (1)	1994
League championships (1)	1963
Media	Broadcasters KYSR Matt "Money" Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Category

1974 San Diego Chargers season

Offseason

NFL draft

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Season summary

Week 1: at Houston Oilers

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 6: at Denver Broncos

Week 7: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 10: at Oakland Raiders

Week 11: at Green Bay Packers

Week 12: at New York Jets

Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos

References