1975 San Diego Chargers season

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1975 San Diego Chargers season
Owner
Eugene V. Klein
General managerHarland Svare
Head coachTommy Prothro
Home fieldSan Diego Stadium
Results
Record2–12
Division place4th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
1
AP All-ProsNone
Gary Johnson 1982
Louie Kelcher 1982
Defensive tackles Gary Johnson (left) and Louie Kelcher (right) were two of the success stories in the Chargers' celebrated 1975 draft class.

The 1975 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's sixth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 16th overall. The team were seeking to improve on their 5–9 record in 1974, but they lost their first eleven games amidst attendances under 30,000.[1]

By the beginning of December, the prospect of the first winless and tieless season since World War II loomed, and led to serious discussion of the Chargers’ plight in the press.[2] San Diego eventually finished 2–12, tying the New Orleans Saints for the NFL's worst record. The team suffered badly from injuries, most critically running back Don Woods, who had been AFC Rookie of the Year in 1974 but played only the first four games in this season.[3] Quarterback Dan Fouts had a difficult campaign, throwing only two touchdowns in nine starts. 1975 would remain as the Chargers’ poorest record until they went 1–15 in 2000.[4]

More positively, the Chargers draft class of 1975 proved to be a success, with ESPN naming it the franchise's best in a 2009 article.[5] Defensive linemen Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, Louie Kelcher and Fred Dean would go on to form three quarters of San Diego's Bruise Brothers unit, with each of the three being named a first team All-Pro by the Associated Press at least once during their careers. Other selections included defensive backs Mike Williams and Mike Fuller, and tackle Billy Shields, each of whom would start at least 70 games for the Chargers.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1975 NFL draft

While

Pro Bowls, was an Associated Press first team All-Pro twice, and was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1999.[8]

San Diego had a further 1st-round pick, as part of the trade that sent Duane Thomas to Washington.[9] With this, they selected cornerback Mike Williams ("as good a coverer as I have ever seen" - Prothro).[7] Williams started every game during his rookie year, and went on to intercept 24 passes in eight seasons with the team.[10]

In the 2nd round, the Chargers again had an extra pick, acquired in the 1973 trade of Bob Babich to Cleveland.[9] This was used to draft Louie Kelcher, a defensive tackle noted for his strength.[7] As a rookie, Kelcher was inserted into a starting role which he retained when injury-free for the bulk of his nine years in San Diego. He would be credited with 40 sacks during his career, appear in three Pro Bowls and be a first team All-Pro once. In 2003, Kelcher was inducted into the Charger Hall of Fame.[11]

With their following pick (their fourth selection out of the top 33 overall in that year's draft), San Diego selected a third defensive lineman in tackle Fred Dean. Prothro praised Dean's speed and intensity, and indicated that he would be switched to linebacker.[12] In the event, Dean played at defensive end throughout his professional career, which was split between San Diego (6 seasons) and San Francisco (5 seasons). Dean, another rookie who would be speedily inserted into the Chargers' defensive line-up, recorded 52 of his 92 career sacks in San Diego, while making two of his four Pro Bowl appearances and being granted the first of his two first team All-Pro selections.[13] Dean was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008;[14] later that year, he became the third member of the Chargers' draft class of 1975 to be added to their Hall of Fame.[15]

The Chargers acquired other future starters in the later rounds. 3rd-round pick Fuller had some success as a kick returner in his rookie season, and also saw action as a

strong safety. He started all but one game at that position from 1976 to 1979, and spent six years with the team in total.[16] San Diego's first seven picks were all spent on defensive players,[7] but they picked up a key offensive lineman in 6th-rounder Billy Shields. The 6 foot 8 inch tackle made only occasional appearances as a rookie, but started 116 out of possible 117 games through the next eight seasons.[17] Another offensive lineman, Ralph Perretta, became the team's long snapper during a six-year career, and served as the starting center in 1977.[18] Running back Rickey Young spent the first three of his nine years in the league in San Diego, rushing and receiving for close to 3,000 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns as a Charger.[19]

1975 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 8 Gary Johnson *  Defensive tackle Grambling St.
1 22
Mike Williams
  		Defensive back LSU
2 30 Louie Kelcher *  Defensive tackle SMU
2 33 Fred Dean †  Defensive end Louisiana Tech
3 73 Mike Fuller  Defensive back Auburn
4 101
Ken Bernich
  		Linebacker Auburn
5 111 Kevin Nosbusch  Defensive tackle Notre Dame
5 125 Charles Waddell  Tight end North Carolina
6 134 John Carroll  Wide receiver Oklahoma
6 136 Billy Shields  Tackle Georgia Tech
7 164 Rickey Young  Running back Jackson St.
8 203 Barry Collier  Tackle Georgia
8 206 Ralph Perretta  Center Purdue
9 214 Larry Keller  Linebacker Houston
10 242 Otha Bradley  Defensive tackle USC
11 267 Vince Phason  Defensive back Arizona
11 284 Ike McBee  Wide receiver San Jose St.
12 292 Jerry Dahl  Linebacker North Dakota St.
13 320 Peter Demmerle  Wide receiver Notre Dame
13 335 Glen Printers  Running back
Colorado State-Pueblo
14 345 Reggie Barnett  Defensive back Notre Dame
15 370 John Roush  Guard Oklahoma
16 398 Chip Salvestrini  Guard Yankton
17 423 Neal Jeffrey  Quarterback Baylor Made roster in 1976
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[20]

Departures

A number of veterans left the Chargers during the offseason. Carl Mauck had started 54 games at center out of a possible 56 during four seasons in San Diego, but was traded to the Oilers for two other players.[21][22] Cornerback Bob Howard had been with the team for twice as long, playing in 102 games and starting 85 through 8 seasons. He was traded to the Patriots for a 1976 5th-round draft choice, which they would spend on Woodrow Lowe.[23]

Other former starters to be traded included running back

waivers.[26][27]

Arrivals

As well as their new draftees, San Diego also signed a handful of established veterans. Tight end Pat Curran was obtained from the Rams in exchange for a draft pick, which proved to be the Chargers' 3rd round pick in 1977.[28] Curran had been primarily used as a backup to Bob Klein (also a future Charger),[29] making only nine catches in six seasons while starting a single game.[27] He played a much bigger role in the Chargers' passing game, catching 45 passes in his first season alone.[30] The offensive line gained a new center in Ed Flanagan, who joined the team after earning four Pro Bowl appearances during a decade in Detroit Lions. In 1975, he started every game in San Diego.[22][31] On defense, fourth-year linebacker Tom Graham was acquired, and started 28 games over the next three seasons.[32]

Personnel

Staff

1975 San Diego Chargers staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

[33]


Roster

1975 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

[34][35][36]

Rookies in italics

Preseason

San Diego's offense struggled through much of the preseason, beginning with a shutout loss to the Bears. Dan Fouts led his offense 67 yards on their opening drive, reaching the Chicago 1-yard line before a botched handoff between the quarterback and Bo Matthews resulted in a fumble Chicago recovered. Fouts stayed in the game for three quarters, but the Chargers had few threats after that.[37] They ran their scoreless streak up to seven complete quarters in the next game, falling behind the Giants 17–0 before Don Woods managed a late touchdown.[38] The offense improved in San Diego's third and final home game of the preseason, a 20–7 win over the 49ers. Fouts and rookie quarterback Neal Jeffrey combined for 253 passing yards, while throwing one touchdown pass each to newly signed tight end Curran and veteran wide receiver Gary Garrison.[39]

Charger quarterbacks were sacked seven times in St. Louis, and they were again kept out of the end zone. Ray Wersching kicked three field goals, good for a 9–7 lead late in the game, but a Cardinal touchdown with 29 remaining provided the winning points.[40] 1st-round draftee Gary scored on a fumble return against the Patriots; with Fouts having run for a touchdown earlier, the Chargers led 17–7, but New England responded with 24 unanswered points before a late touchdown pass from Virgil Carter to Garrison ended the scoring. Fouts struggled, completing 4 of 9 for 55 yards, with two interceptions.[41] Finally, San Diego played a scoreless first half against the Vikings, eventually breaking through in the 3rd quarter with a 28-yard touchdown from Jesse Freitas to Dwight McDonald. Minnesota levelled the scores, then Freitas threw an interception that was run back for a 14–7 Vikings advantage. The Chargers bounced back with a 71-yard touchdown drive, Young scoring with four seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, where there was no further scoring.[42]

Carter, a World Football League player in 1974, had only joined the Chargers in August but was named the starter for their regular season opener.[43]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 9 Chicago Bears L 0–22 0–1 San Diego Stadium 30,497
2 August 16 New York Giants L 7–17 0–2 San Diego Stadium 28,305
3 August 21 San Francisco 49ers W 20–7 1–2 San Diego Stadium 18,764
4 August 30 at St. Louis Cardinals L 9–14 1–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 37,468
5 September 7 at New England Patriots L 24–31 1–4
Schaefer Stadium
 39,502
6 September 13 at Minnesota Vikings T 14–14 (OT) 1–4–1 Metropolitan Stadium 31,642

[44]

Regular season

Overview

San Diego's offense struggled in 1975, getting shut out three times in their first six games and finishing the season ranked 25th for both points scored and yards gained in the 26-team NFL. An inability to sustain drives led them to run only 821 plays during the season, the fewest in the league (their opponents ran 1,022 plays against them).[45] Neither Fouts (9 starts) nor Freitas (4 starts) were able to spark the passing game - the Chargers had 1,610 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns, both second worst in the league. Fouts threw only two touchdowns against ten interceptions, but was still the top Charger by passer rating with 59.3 (the league average was 65.8).[46] The offensive line struggled with pass protection, as Charger quarterbacks were sacked on a league high 12.9% of pass attempt.[45][47]

Offseason acquisition Curran was the leading receiver, his 45 receptions and 619 yards both ranking third in the league among tight ends.

Offensive Rookie of the Year.[50] Woods played in only five games before a knee injury ended his season,[35] gaining 317 yards; rookie Young was his primary replacement, finishing with a team-high 577 yards. Young scored five touchdowns rushing and one receiving, giving him twice as many as the next best Charger.[47]

The defensive unit performed somewhat better, ranking 20th by points allowed and 23rd by yardage (18th by yards per play).[51] Rookies featured heavily, with Dean, Kelcher and Johnson all starting games on the line, while Mike Williams and Mike Fuller did the same in the backfield. Veteran Coy Bacon was credited with a team-high 10 sacks, while Dean had 6+1⁄2. Chris Fletcher led the team with six interceptions.[47]

Kicker Wersching made only half of his kicks (12 of 24), and Dennis Partee averaged 36.8 yards per punt - both ranked among the worst in the league statistically.[52] Fuller handled punt and kick returns, ranking sixth in the league in the former category with 11.6 yards per return, with one touchdown.[53] San Diego's coverage team struggled with opposing kickoff returns, giving up a league-high 27.5 yards per return.[51]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 21 Pittsburgh Steelers L 0–37 0–1 San Diego Stadium 35,853 Recap
2 September 28 at Houston Oilers L 17–33 0–2
Houston Astrodome
 33,765 Recap
3 October 5 Oakland Raiders L 0–6 0–3 San Diego Stadium 31,095 Recap
4 October 12 Los Angeles Rams L 10–13 (OT) 0–4 San Diego Stadium 37,382 Recap
5 October 19 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–12 0–5 San Diego Stadium 26,469 Recap
6 October 26 at Oakland Raiders L 0–25 0–6
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
 42,796 Recap
7 November 1 at New York Giants L 24–35 0–7 Shea Stadium 52,032 Recap
8 November 9 New England Patriots L 19–33 0–8 San Diego Stadium 24,349 Recap
9 November 16 Denver Broncos L 17–27 0–9 San Diego Stadium 26,048 Recap
10 November 23 at Minnesota Vikings L 13–28 0–10 Metropolitan Stadium 43,737 Recap
11 November 30 at Denver Broncos L 10–13 (OT) 0–11 Mile High Stadium 44,982 Recap
12 December 7 at Kansas City Chiefs W 28–20 1–11 Arrowhead Stadium 46,888 Recap
13 December 15 New York Jets W 24–16 2–11 San Diego Stadium 49,706 Recap
14 December 21 at Cincinnati Bengals L 17–47 2–12 Riverfront Stadium 46,474 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 10 10 31437
Chargers 0 0 000

at

San Diego, California

Game information

San Diego's season began badly, with a shutout defeat at home against the defending Super Bowl champions. Virgil Carter started the game, but could generate only three first downs in the Chargers' first four possessions, getting intercepted once. Pittsburgh, in the meantime, scored on each of their answering possessions to take a 20–0 lead late in the half. Carter was then pulled from the game, and did not play for the Chargers again.[54] His replacement Fouts led a 39-yard drive that reached the Pittsburgh 41, from where he was intercepted as the half ended.

That proved to be the Chargers' longest drive of the day, as well as their deepest penetration into Steeler territory. Pittsburgh added seventeen further points in the second half, while Freitas replaced Fouts and became the third San Diego quarterback to be intercepted on the day. The Steelers finished with a 443–146 advantage in total yardage.[55]

Week 2: at Houston Oilers

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 3 0717
Oilers 3 13 71033

at

Houston, Texas

  • Date: September 28
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
    Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
Game information

San Diego were more competitive in their second game, but still lost by a comfortable margin. After falling behind to an early field goal, Fouts led a 10-play, 67-yard drive that Woods capped with a 4-yard touchdown run. The Oilers responded with a pair of 2nd-quarter touchdowns before Wersching, who had earlier been short from 53 yards out, made a 29-yard field goal to reduce the deficit to 16–10 at halftime. Houston drove 83 yards for a touchdown to start the second half and missed field goals on their next two possessions. With Fouts unable to create scoring threats in response, he was replaced by Freitas late in the 3rd quarter. The first time Freitas dropped back to pass, he was sacked and fumbled, with Curley Culp returning the loose ball 38 yards for a touchdown. Freitas did manage a 30-yard touchdown pass to McDonald in response, but his tipped pass was intercepted in Oiler territory on the next Chargers possession, and a late Houston field goal was the only scoring after that.

Freitas was sacked on five of the thirteen occasions that he dropped back to pass; Fouts was also sacked once.[56]

Week 3: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Three: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 3 036
Chargers 0 0 000

at

San Diego, California

  • Date: October 5
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
    PDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 84%, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 31,095
  • Referee: Bernie Ulman
  • TV announcers (KHBK-San Francisco): Don Klein and Al LoCasale
  • Box score
Game information

A number of negative club records were set as San Diego were shut out for the second time in their opening three games. After both sides punted on their first two possessions, the Chargers had their best drive of the game; starting from their own 1-yard line, they gained three first downs and reached the Raider 37 when Fouts

three-and-out on six of their first seven possessions, a sequence broken when Fouts was intercepted shortly before halftime. Oakland's offense struggled as well, but did manage two field goal attempts by George Blanda
in the 2nd quarter, one of which was successful.

Blanda missed his next try on the opening possession of the second half. Fouts was soon intercepted again; there followed an exchange of punts, the latter of which was fumbled by Oakland's returner and recovered by Young at the Raider 48. Fouts ran for 5 yards on first down, but was sacked on the next two plays, and San Diego punted once more. After Blanda's second successful field goal midway through the final quarter made it 6–0, the Chargers gained a single first down before punting, and Oakland ran out the final four minutes of the game.

The six total points remained the lowest for a Charger game until they won by the same scoreline in 2023.[57] Fouts completed 3 of 13 for 29 yards, while throwing two interceptions and being sacked five times for a loss of 51 yards. Club records set included fewest passing yards (minus 22, still a record),[58] fewest first downs (5), fewest completions (3), and most punts (11).[59]

Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Four: Los Angeles Rams at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Rams 0 3 70313
Chargers 0 0 100010

at

San Diego, California

Game information