History of the NFL San Diego Chargers and Their Jerseys

The San Diego Chargers jerseys have been one of the most iconic in NFL history. The powder blue variations and lightning bolt design have stuck around to this day.

The San Diego Chargers were a founding team of the American Football League in 1960. The Chargers compete in the NFL as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFL) West division. They spent their first season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961.

In 1970, The Chargers joined the NFL during the AFL-NFL merger. They played their home games at Qualcomm Stadium. 

In 2016, the Chargers were given a one-year option to return to the Los Angeles area. However, team chairman and CEO Dean Spanos, announced that the Chargers would remain in San Diego for the 2016 season.

The Chargers' name was picked by Frank Ready when he purchased an AFL franchise for LA. He said “I liked it because they were yelling "charge" and sounding the bugle at Dodgers Stadium and at USC games.” Their nickname The Bolts refers to the lightning bolt on the uniform.

Chargers fans have had the joy of an AFL Championship win in 1963 but no Super Bowl wins as of yet. After decades in the league, the San Diego Chargers have been able to send 8 players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame including, Ron Mix, Fred Dean, Lance Alworth, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, Junior Seau, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Chargers have used one of the more unique color combinations for their uniforms. Many believe the powder blue white and yellow San Diego Chargers jerseys as some of the best in NFL history. After several different shades of blue, the bolts recently brought back their iconic retro style with a modern, bold, and clean twist.

The Chargers' first uniform was white and blue with a blue lightning bolt on the side of the helmet. During the move to San Diego, the lightning bolt was updated and became a feature on the shoulders and pants. 

In the 1960s, their white pants were replaced with gold ones. The lightning bolt returns to the helmet and the one on the side of the pants was replaced with a blue and white stripe. There was also the premiere of the powder blue uniforms which hung around until 1973.

In the 1970s the Chargers changed back to the blue and white stripes and added matching blue cleats. The powder blue changes to a dark blue on the San Diego Chargers jerseys and helmets and the helmet numbers were removed.

The helmets stayed that way until 2009 which was some of the Chargers’ most successful years with stars like Shawn Merriman, Junior Seau, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

In 1979, the Chargers added the lightning bolt down the sides of the pants that they still have today. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the uniforms go through various configurations of blues, whites, yellows, and gold. 

In 1994 the Chargers celebrated the 75th anniversary of the NFL with their powder blue San Diego Chargers Throwback jerseys and uniform. Then again in 2000 for the Chargers' 40th anniversary. The Chargers made one of the biggest changes in 2016 by adding a yellow-gold mask to the helmet.

Custom Throwback Jerseys offer a wide selection of San Diego Chargers jerseys with your favorite player's name or your own name and number(s).