2012 SD Chargers Media Guide_PROOF.P - Seahawks Online ...

HISTORYChronology, continuedMay 14–Dean Spanos announces hiring of Mark Fabiani as Special Counsel toPresident. Fabiani’s primary function is to work with San Diego communityto secire new state-of-the-art stadium in San Diego region.Sept. 8–Schottenheimer leads Chargers to 34-6 win over Cincinnati in debut.He leads Chargers to 4-0 start to become only coach in team history towin first four games.Nov. 3–Bobby Ross and Stan Humphries are inducted into team’s Hall of Fame.Dec. 1–LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for team-record 220 yards vs. Denver.Dec. 8–Tomlinson breaks Natrone Means’ team record of 1,350 yards (1994).He ends season with 1,683 yards and is selected to Pro Bowl.Dec. 22–Junior Seau plays in his team-record-tying 200th career game.2003Jan. 26–Super Bowl XXXVII is played at Qualcomm Stadium. Tampa Baydefeats Oakland, 48-21, for its first-ever Super Bowl championship.March 4–Chargers activate trigger in their lease with City of San Diego tobegin negotiations to replace 36-year-old Qualcomm Stadium.April 11–GM John Butler succumbs after nine-month battle with cancer.April 16–Chargers trade Junior Seau to Miami.April 22–A.J. Smith is promoted to executive vice president-general manager.July 22–Chargers open training camp at Home Depot Center.Oct. 27–MNF game vs. Miami is moved to Arizona’s Sun Devil Stadium whileQualcomm Stadium is used as evacuation site during wildfires that ravageSan Diego County. Admission to Sun Devil Stadium is free as volunteerscollect donations for fire relief. More than $225,000 is raised.Oct. 31–Alex Spanos donates $1 million to San Diego Fire Relief Fund.Nov. 9–Louie Kelcher is inducted into Chargers Hall of Fame.Dec. 14–Tomlinson amasses 195 total yards against Green Bay, raising his seasontotal to 2,011. Becomes first player in team history and only eighthplayer in NFL history to record consecutive 2,000-yard seasons.Dec. 28–Tomlinson rushes for new team-record 243 yards in 21-14 win overRaiders. Also catches eight passes vs. Oakland to become first player inNFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in same season.2004April 24–San Diego selects Eli Manning No. 1 in NFL Draft and hour latertrades him to NY Giants for Philip Rivers, whom New York had selectedwith fifth-overall choice. Chargers also acquire Giants’ third-round choicein ’04 and first and fifth-round choices in ’05.July 2–Chargers and City of SD sign new lease agreement that brings end tocontroversial seat guarantee. New lease runs through ’08 and helps paveway for referendum to give San Diegans opportunity to vote for newfootball-only stadium for San Diego in 2006.July 26–Ed White and Don Macek are chosen for Chargers Hall of Fame.Aug. 14–Chargers preseason game against Indianapolis is blacked out locally.It’s first local television blackout since Sept. 27, 1998. As part of team’sprevious lease, all lblackouts had been lifted since Oct. 18, 1998.Oct. 31–Drew Brees completes 22-of-25 for 281 yards with five TDs and noINTs in 42-14 win over Oakland. He finishes game with career-high passerrating of 153.1 and is named AFC Offensive Player of Week.Nov. 15–Jim Steeg, who helped Super Bowl become one of world’s premiersporting events, is named executive VP and chief operating officer.Dec. 16–Chargers announce training camp will move to Chargers Park in 2005.Dec. 19–Chargers clinch first AFC West title since ’94 with 21-0 win in Clevelandon cold, snowy day. Game-time temperature is 18 degrees withwind-chill factor of (-10). It’s Chargers’ first shutout since Nov. 29, 1993.2005Jan. 7–Alex Spanos makes $150,000 donation to provide aid to victims ofdevastating tsunami that rocked Southeast Asia on Dec. 26, 2004.Jan. 8–Chargers fall to NY Jets, 20-17 in OT, in Wild Card playoff game,team’s first postseason game since 1995.Jan. 14–Marty Schottenheimer agrees to two-year contract extension through 2007.March 7–Dean Spanos extends A.J. Smith’s contract through 2009 season.July 29–Training camp opens for first time at Chargers Park.Sept. 18–LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for TD in NFL-record 14th straight game.Oct. 2–A 41-17 win ends New England’s NFL-record 21-game home win streak.Oct. 10–New stadium record 68,537 fans turn out to see Chargers face PittsburghSteelers on Monday Night Football.Oct. 16–Tomlinson scores TD on 35-yard catch-and-run to tie Lenny Moore’sNFL record of 18 straight games with TD.Nov. 20–Lance Alworth’s No. 19 is retired at halftime of game vs. Buffalo.Dec. 18–A 26-17 win in Indianapolis ends Colts’ 13-0 start to season. It hadbeen only fourth-ever 13-0 start in NFL history.Dec. 24–Streak of 28 straight games, including playoffs, not losing by more thanfour points ends in 20-7 loss at KC. It’s NFL’s third-longest streak since 1950.Dec. 31–Tomlinson passes Alworth to become team’s all-time leader in careeryards from scrimmage. LT also scores 20th TD of season, breaking ChuckMuncie’s team record of 19.Dec. 31–San Diego leads NFL in run defense (84.3 ypg). Chargers hold threeteams to less than 40 yards rushing for first time since 1965.2006Jan. 4–Shawne Merriman is named AP Defensive Rookie of Year.Feb. 12–Six Chargers, most since 1983, play in Pro Bowl in Hawaii.May 1–San Diego City Council amends Chargers’ lease, allowing team toexplore options for new stadium within San Diego County.May 9–Dean Spanos is presented with 44th annual Golden AchievementAward by Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego.Sept. 11–Season-opening 27-0 win in Oakland on ESPN’s MNF is San Diego’sfirst shutout win over Raiders since 1961.Oct. 8–Chargers beat defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh, 23-13, onNBC’s Sunday Night Football.Oct. 15–LaDainian Tomlinson ties team record with four TDs at San Francisco,and he passes Lance Alworth as team’s all-time touchdown leader.Nov. 12–Chargers overcome 21-point first-half deficit for 49-41 win in frontof stunned crowd at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. Bolts trailed 28-7at half and outscored Bengals 42-13 in second half.Nov. 19–Tomlinson scores four TDs in 35-27 win at Denver. Bolts overcome24-7 3Q deficit and become first-ever team to overcome 17-point deficitsin consecutive weeks. LT becomes first NFL player to score four TDs threetimes in season and fastest player in NFL history to 100 TDs (89 games).Nov. 26–Tomlinson sets new team record for rushing TDs (21).Dec. 10–Tomlinson scores three TDs against Denver and sets NFL record forsingle-season touchdowns (29). Chargers win game, 48-20, and claimsecond AFC West title in three seasons.Dec. 17–Against KC, Tomlinson becomes fastest player in NFL history to score100 rush TDs. On first, breaks Paul Hornung’s NFL record for points in season.His second is career-long (85 yards) and team’s longest since 1962.They are his 27th and 28th rush TDs for new NFL single-season record. It’salso his NFL-record eighth-consecutive multi-TD game.Dec. 24–Chargers win in Seattle, 20-17, on 37-yard TD pass from Philip Riversto Vincent Jackson with 0:29 left for team-record 13th win of season.Dec. 31–Chargers clinch No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in playoffswith 27-20 win over Arizona. It’s third No. 1 seed in team history (1979 &’80) and team-record 14th win. Marty Schottenheimer wins 200th regular-seasongame, Tomlinson claims his first NFL rushing title (1,815 yards),and Shawne Merriman claims NFL sack title (17).2007Jan. 4–LaDainian Tomlinson is named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of Yearby Associated Press. He is team’s first-ever MVP by AP.Jan. 14–New stadium-record 68,810 fill Qualcomm Stadium for AFC DivisionalPlayoffs vs. New England. Patriots win, 24-21.Feb. 2–Tomlinson and Drew Brees share 2006 NFL Man of Year award, whichrecognizes community service and playing excellence.Feb. 10–Team-record 10 Chargers play in Pro Bowl. Philip Rivers also is selected,but does not play due to foot injury.Feb. 12–Marty Schottenheimer is relieved of his duties as head coach.Feb. 19–Norv Turner is named 14th head coach in franchise history.March 14–Chargers unveil new uniforms at U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego.Most noticeable change is metallic-white helmet that features Gold bolt,outlined in both powder blue and Navy.Sept 9–Record-crowd for home opener (67,837) sees Chargers defeatdefending NFC Champion Chicago Bears, 14-3.Oct. 7–Chargers end three-game skid and hand Denver worst home loss in 41years (41-3). It’s Chargers’ largest-ever margin of victory in Denver.Oct. 14–Tomlinson scores all four TDs in 28-14 win over Raiders.Oct. 23–With wildfires raging throughout SD and smoke-filled air, Chargerspractice three days at Cardinals’ Training Facility in Tempe, Arizona.Oct. 27–Alex and Dean Spanos pledge $1 million to aid victims of wildfires andsupport firefighting efforts. It’s largest personal financial commitment torelief effort. Spanoses made similar donation following fires of 2003.Oct. 28–Days after Qualcomm Stadium is cleared as evacuation site, Chargersbeat Houston, 35-10, under smoky haze from fires. Antonio Cromartieand Antonio Gates both score two TDs in win.Nov. 4–Cromartie’s 109-yard TD return of missed FG at end of first half inMinnesota sets record for longest touchdown in NFL history.Nov. 11–In 23-21 win over defending Super Bowl Champion Colts on NBC’sSNF, Darren Sproles has KOR and PR for TDs, while Cromartie interceptsreigning Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning three times in first half. Manningthrows career-high six INTs.Dec. 9–A 14-point 4Q deficit is overcome in 23-17 OT win at Tennessee. Boltstied game with 0:09 left in 4Q and won on 16-yard run by Tomlinson in OT.Dec. 16–Chargers clinch second-straight AFC West title and third in fouryears with 51-14 home rout of Detroit. Norv Turner becomes secondChargers coach to win AFC West in first season. Following game, he presentsDean Spanos with Game Ball in locker room.2008Jan. 1–A.J. Smith receives five-year contract extension through 2014.Jan. 6–Down 6-0 at half, Bolts score 17 unanswered points and beat Tennesseein AFC Wild Card Playoffs at Qualcomm Stadium, team’s first playoffwin since 1995. LaDainian Tomlinson scores twice, including leapingone-yard score that puts away game in 4Q.Jan. 13–Chargers knock reigning SB Champion Colts out of playoffs in divisionalround, 28-24, in final game at RCA Dome. With Philip Rivers outwith knee injury, Billy Volek scores GW TD on one-yard sneak with 4:50left in 4Q. SD’s defense made two late stands, including one inside 10-yard line with just over two minutes remaining.Jan. 20–New England wins AFC Championship Game, 21-12, on frigid day inFoxborough. Heroic Rivers plays with torn ACL in right knee.Oct. 26–Chargers play their first-ever regular-season game overseas, facingNew Orleans before 83,226 in London’s Wembley Stadium.Oct. 12–Fred Dean is inducted into team’s Hall of Fame.MEDIA GUIDE | 252