1986 San Diego Chargers season

1986 San Diego Chargers season
1986 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Alex Spanos
Head coach	Don Coryell (weeks 1-8); Al Saunders (weeks 9-16)
General manager	Johnny Sanders
Home field	Jack Murphy Stadium
Results
Record	4–12
Division place	5th AFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	RB Gary Anderson
	← 1985; Chargers seasons; 1987 →;

The 1986 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 27th overall. the team failed to improve on their 8–8 record from 1985. Following a stagnant 1–7 start, Head Coach Don Coryell was fired and Al Saunders was named interim Head Coach. After the season, Saunders was named the permanent Head Coach and would hold the position through the end of the 1988 season. Leslie O'Neal was named Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Roster[]

**1986 San Diego Chargers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 14 Dan Fouts 9 Mark Herrmann 12 Tom Flick 7 Bruce Mathison Running backs 26 Lionel James 40 Gary Anderson 42 Curtis Adams 43 Tim Spencer 21 Buford McGee Wide receivers 89 Wes Chandler 18 Charlie Joiner 83 Trumaine Johnson 81 Timmie Ware Tight ends 88 Pete Holohan 80 Kellen Winslow 85 Eric Sievers		Offensive linemen 61 Ken Dallafior G 75 Curt DiGiacomo G 70 James Fitzpatrick G 68 Gary Kowalski T 74 Jim Lachey T 62 Don Macek C 60 Dennis McKnight G 77 Sam Claphan G 63 Jim Leonard G 72 Jeff Walker T/G Defensive linemen 91 Leslie O'Neal DE 99 Lee Williams DE 78 Chuck Ehin 92 Dee Hardison 90 Mack Moore 98 Terry Unrein 96 Lester Williams 93 Earl Wilson 96 Blaise Winter		Linebackers 56 Ty Allert 57 Thomas Benson ILB 51 Woodrow Lowe 55 Derrie Nelson 50 Gary Plummer ILB 54 Billy Ray Smith, Jr. OLB 53 Mike Douglass 52 Mark Fellows 59 Andy Hawkins 90 Fred Robinson 52 Angelo Snipes Defensive backs 22 Gill Byrd CB 37 Jeffery Dale SS 20 Wayne Davis CB 23 Danny Walters CB 25 Vencie Glenn FS 27 32 Donald Brown CB 33 David Martin 33 John Sullivan 24 Ken Taylor CB 30 Kevin Wyatt Special teams 2 Ralf Mojsiejenko P 6 Rolf Benirschke K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 7	Miami Dolphins	W 50–28	1–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	57,726	Recap
2	September 14	at New York Giants	L 7–20	1–1	Giants Stadium	74,921	Recap
3	September 21	Washington Redskins	L 27–30	1–2	Jack Murphy Stadium	57,853	Recap
4	September 28	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 13–17	1–3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	63,153	Recap
5	October 6	at Seattle Seahawks	L 7–33	1–4	Kingdome	63,207	Recap
6	October 12	Denver Broncos	L 14–31	1–5	Jack Murphy Stadium	55,662	Recap
7	October 19	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 41–42	1–6	Arrowhead Stadium	55,767	Recap
8	October 26	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–23	1–7	Veterans Stadium	41,469	Recap
9	November 2	Kansas City Chiefs	L 23–24	1–8	Jack Murphy Stadium	48,518	Recap
10	November 9	at Denver Broncos	W 9–3	2–8	Mile High Stadium	75,012	Recap
11	November 16	Dallas Cowboys	L 21–24	2–9	Jack Murphy Stadium	55,622	Recap
12	November 20	Los Angeles Raiders	L 31–37 (OT)	2–10	Jack Murphy Stadium	56,031	Recap
13	November 30	at Indianapolis Colts	W 17–3	3–10	Hoosier Dome	47,950	Recap
14	December 7	Houston Oilers	W 27–0	4–10	Jack Murphy Stadium	40,103	Recap
15	December 14	Seattle Seahawks	L 24–34	4–11	Jack Murphy Stadium	47,096	Recap
16	December 21	at Cleveland Browns	L 17–47	4–12	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	68,505	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries[]

Week 1 vs Dolphins[]

Miami Dolphins (0–0) at San Diego Chargers (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	14	7	7	28
Chargers	17	9	14	10	50

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

Date: September 7
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 57,726
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV: NBC
Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

Dolphins

Dan Marino
23/36, 290 Yds, 3 TD
Lorenzo Hampton
6 Rush, 26 Yds
Mark Clayton
5 Rec, 143 Yds, 2 TD

Chargers

Dan Fouts
23/35, 293 Yds, 3 TD
Lionel James
10 Rush, 61 Yds
Wes Chandler
6 Rec, 78 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MIA	SD
1	10:52				Chargers	Gary Anderson 18-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	7
1	2:17				Chargers	26-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	0	10
1	0:24				Chargers	Tim Spencer 17-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	17
2	12:00				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 22-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	7	17
2	4:02				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick no good	7	23
2	2:19				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 49-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	14	23
2	0:28				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	14	26
3	9:22				Chargers	Wes Chandler 7-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	14	33
3	6:47				Dolphins	Nat Moore 6-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	21	33
3	0:21				Chargers	Pete Holohan 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	40
4	14:15				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	47
4	5:48				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	21	50
4	0:58				Dolphins	Nat Moore 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	28	50
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							28	50

Standings[]

AFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Denver Broncos⁽²⁾	11	5	0	.688	5–3	8–4	378	327	L1
Kansas City Chiefs⁽⁵⁾	10	6	0	.625	5–3	9–5	358	326	W3
Seattle Seahawks	10	6	0	.625	5–3	7–5	366	293	W5
Los Angeles Raiders	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–5	323	346	L4
San Diego Chargers	4	12	0	.250	1–7	4–8	335	396	L2

Awards and honors[]

Leslie O'Neal, Defensive Rookie of the Year

v t Los Angeles Chargers
Founded in 1960 Played in San Diego (1961–2016) Based in Inglewood, California Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California
Franchise	Franchise History in San Diego Coaches Seasons Retired numbers Hall of Fame Anniversary teams 40th 50th Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Balboa Stadium SDCCU Stadium San Diego stadium proposals Dignity Health Sports Park SoFi Stadium
Culture	Fearsome Foursome Air Coryell Alex Spanos "San Diego Super Chargers" Los Angeles Charger Girls Bruise Brothers
Lore	Holy Roller Epic in Miami Freezer Bowl Herschel Walker trade Snowball Game 2006 playoff game vs. New England Patriots
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders
Wild card berths (3)	1995 2013 2018
Division championships (15)	1960 1961 1963 1964 1965 1979 1980 1981 1992 1994 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
Conference championships (1)	1994
League championships (1)	1963
Media	Broadcasters KYSR Matt "Money" Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Category

v t Los Angeles Chargers seasons
Played in San Diego (1961–2016)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance