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.
| 1974 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eugene V. Klein |
| General manager | Harland Svare |
| Head coach | Tommy Prothro |
| Home stadium | San Diego Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–9 |
| Division place | 4th AFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | 1 |
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
Roster
Preseason
| 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 |
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 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Oilers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: October 6
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C), relative humidity 67%, wind 8 mph
- Game attendance: 36,124
- Referee: Norm Schachter
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Tom Brookshier
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 14 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 36 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: at Oakland Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Raiders | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packers | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at New York Jets
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Jets | 10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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]