1974 San Diego Chargers season

1974 NFL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1974 San Diego Chargers 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.

Quick facts San Diego Chargers season, Owner ...
1974 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerEugene V. Klein
General managerHarland Svare
Head coachTommy Prothro
Home stadiumSan Diego Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place4th AFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
All-ProsNone
Pro Bowlers
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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.[1][2][3] Players' uniform numbers were also removed from the helmets,[4] and the face mask color was changed to yellow. Previously, every team had gray face masks.[a] Chargers equipment manager Sid Brooks and business manager Bob Hood first went to their face mask supplier, Riddell, but they said they could not change the color. Brooks and Hood then approached a dentist who was selling face masks under the brand name Dungard, who was able to change the color by using a dental process. Some players were still wearing old single- and double-bar masks, which Brooks painted yellow himself.[2][3] 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

More information Round, Pick ...
1974 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
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
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Roster

1974 San Diego Chargers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve

Rookies in italics

Preseason

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 3 San Francisco 49ers W 20–6 1–0 San Diego Stadium
2 August 10 New York Jets W 20–14 2–0 San Diego Stadium
3 August 18 vs. St. Louis Cardinals L 14–48 2–1 Husky Stadium (Seattle)
4 August 24 New England Patriots L 14–23 2–2 San Diego Stadium
5 August 31 Los Angeles Rams L 16–30 2–3 San Diego Stadium
6 September 7 at Minnesota Vikings L 0–42 2–4 Metropolitan Stadium
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[5]

Regular season

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
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
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Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

More information AFC West, W ...
AFC West
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
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Season summary

Week 1: at Houston Oilers

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 7 7014
Oilers 14 0 0721
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at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 6 0720
Bengals 0 7 10017
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at Riverfront Stadium, 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
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Three: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 7 02128
Chargers 0 7 14021
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 29
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), relative humidity 75%, wind 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 44,706
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Four: Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 6 7 0013
Chargers 0 7 007
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Five: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 7 0714
Chargers 0 3 7010
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 40,539
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (KBHK-TV): Don Klein and Al LoCasale
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 6: at Denver Broncos

Week Six: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 707
Broncos 7 10 7327
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at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), relative humidity 51%, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,928
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 7: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Seven: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 7 71024
Chargers 7 0 0714
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18.3 °C), relative humidity 69%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 34,371
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Eight: Cleveland Browns at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 14 7 01435
Chargers 0 7 121736
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C), relative humidity 65%, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 35,683
  • Referee: Fred Swearingen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Nine: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 7 0714
Chiefs 0 0 077
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at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 48 °F (8.9 °C), relative humidity 98%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 48,551
  • Referee: Tommy Bell
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 10: at Oakland Raiders

Week Ten: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 3 0710
Raiders 7 0 7317
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at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,178
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 11: at Green Bay Packers

Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 000
Packers 3 10 14734
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at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C), relative humidity 77%, wind 15 mph, wind chill 25
  • Game attendance: 56,267
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 12: at New York Jets

Week Twelve: San Diego Chargers at New York Jets – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 01414
Jets 10 14 3027
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at Shea Stadium, New York, New York

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (2.8 °C), relative humidity 70%, wind 19 mph, wind chill 26
  • Game attendance: 44,888
  • Referee: Cal Lepore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Sam DeLuca
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Thirteen: Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 0 14021
Chargers 0 7 71428
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C), relative humidity 47%, wind 6 mph
  • Game attendance: 33,662
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Bart Starr
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Fourteen: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 0 000
Chargers 7 7 0317
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at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C), relative humidity 48%, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 36,571
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Ross Porter and Willie Davis
  • Box score
More information Game information ...
Game information
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Awards

Only one Charger was named to the 1975 Pro Bowl, with tackle Russ Washington a starter on the AFC squad;[6] none were selected for the AP All-Pro first or second teams, though Washington was named the best in his Conference.[7] Woods won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year with 52 of the 78 votes available.[8]

Notes

  1. In a few rare cases, individual players had changed their face mask color, but it was not done across the team.[2]

References

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