1994 San Diego Chargers season

1994 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Alex Spanos
Head coach	Bobby Ross
General manager	Bobby Beathard
Home field	Jack Murphy Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 22–21 Won AFC Championship (at Steelers) 17–13 Lost Super Bowl XXIX (vs. 49ers) 26–49
Pro Bowlers	K John Carney RB Natrone Means LB Junior Seau DE Leslie O'Neal
← 1993 Chargers seasons 1995 →

The 1994 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 35th, its 25th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 34th in San Diego.

The 1994 season began with the team trying to improve on their 8–8 record in 1993. The offense had undergone a major overhaul, with the club leaders in rushing and receiving yards (Marion Butts and Anthony Miller) both having been traded during the offseason. 2nd year running back Natrone Means took over the lead rusher role, setting a club record with 1,350 yards during the regular season. At wide receiver, the trio of Tony Martin, Shawn Jefferson and Mark Seay combined for over 2,000 yards. On defence, Junior Seau and Leslie O'Neal were again the club leaders in tackles and sacks respectively; Stanley Richard ran two of his four interceptions back for touchdowns. Future All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison joined the team as a 5th round draft pick, but primarily played on special teams, where the Chargers had four touchdowns on kick returns and John Carney led the league in scoring.

San Diego won their first six games en route to an 11–5 record, and were crowned AFC West Champions. After a 17–13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game, they would advance to Super Bowl XXIX, only to lose to the San Francisco 49ers 49–26 at Joe Robbie Stadium. To date, this is the Chargers' only Super Bowl appearance.

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

1994 San Diego Chargers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2	43	Isaac Davis	Guard	Arkansas
2	63	Vaughn Parker	Offensive tackle	UCLA
3	70	Andre Coleman	Wide receiver	Kansas State
3	82	Willie Clark	Cornerback	Notre Dame
5	137	Aaron Laing	Tight end	New Mexico State
5	145	Rodney Harrison *	Safety	Western Illinois
5	150	Darren Krein	Defensive end	Miami (FL)
5	160	Tony Vinson	Running back	Towson
7	207	Zane Beehn	Linebacker	Kentucky
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Undrafted free agents[]

1994 Undrafted Free Agents of note

Player	Position	College
David Binn	Long snapper	California
Jeff Brohm	Quarterback	Louisville
Greg Engel	Center	Illinois
Mike Hollis	Kicker	Idaho

Personnel[]

Staff[]

1994 San Diego Chargers staff

	Front office Chairman of the Board and President – Alex Spanos Vice Chairman – Dean Spanos General Manager – Bobby Beathard Assistant General Manager – Dick Daniels Director of Player Personnel – Billy Devaney Director of Pro Personnel – Rudy Feldman Director of College Scouting – John Hinek Coordinator of Football Operations – Marty Hurney Head coaches Head Coach – Bobby Ross Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Ralph Friedgen Quarterbacks – Dwain Painter Offensive Backs – Sylvester Croom Wide Receivers – Jerry Sullivan Tight Ends/H-Backs – Frank Falks Offensive Line – Carl Mauck Offense and Special Teams Assistant – Stan Kwan Quality Control – John Misciagna			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Bill Arnsparger Defensive Line – Dennis Murphy Linebackers – Dale Lindsey Secondary – Willie Shaw Defense Assistant – Kevin O'Dea Special teams coaches Special Teams – Chuck Priefer Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – John Dunn Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Chip Morton

Roster[]

1994 San Diego Chargers final roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Jeff Brohm 13 Gale Gilbert 12 Stan Humphries Running backs 32 Eric Bieniemy 35 Rodney Culver 33 Ronnie Harmon 20 Natrone Means Wide receivers 85 Johnnie Barnes 83 Andre Coleman KR 80 Shawn Jefferson 81 Tony Martin 82 Mark Seay Tight ends 86 Aaron Laing 89 Shannon Mitchell 86 Alfred Pupunu 87 Duane Young		Offensive linemen 67 Stan Brock T 68 Joe Cocozzo G 73 Isaac Davis G 60 Greg Engel C 53 Courtney Hall C 74 Eric Jonassen T 71 Joe Milinichik G 70 Vaughn Parker T 72 Harry Swayne T 64 Curtis Whitley C/G Defensive linemen 93 Reuben Davis DT 99 Raylee Johnson DE 98 Shawn Lee DT 95 Les Miller DT 94 Chris Mims DE 91 Leslie O'Neal DE 97 John Parrella DT 79 DE 90 Reggie White DT		Linebackers 58 Lewis Bush ILB 57 Dennis Gibson ILB 92 David Griggs OLB 34 Steve Hendrickson OLB/FB 54 Doug Miller ILB 55 Junior Seau ILB Defensive backs 29 Darren Carrington SS 44 Eric Castle FS 31 Willie Clark CB 21 Darrien Gordon CB/PR 28 Dwayne Harper CB 37 Rodney Harrison SS 24 Stanley Richard FS 25 Sean Vanhorse CB 43 Lonnie Young SS Special teams 50 David Binn LS  3 John Carney K  9 Bryan Wagner P		Reserve lists 66 Ernest Greene OT (IR) 56 Darren Krein LB (IR) 88 Deems May TE (IR) 77 Eric Moten G (PUP) 96 Blaise Winter DT (IR) 84 LS Practice squad  2 Darren Bennett P 63 Shane Zey G 17 Chris Thomas WR 30 Tony Vinson RB 59 Glen Young LB Rookies in italics , 5 practice squad

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 4	at Denver Broncos	W 37–34	1–0	Mile High Stadium	74,032	Recap
2	September 11	Cincinnati Bengals	W 27–10	2–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	53,217	Recap
3	September 18	at Seattle Seahawks	W 24–10	3–0	Husky Stadium	65,536	Recap
4	September 25	at Los Angeles Raiders	W 26–24	4–0	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	55,385	Recap
5	Bye
6	October 9	Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–6	5–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	62,923	Recap
7	October 16	at New Orleans Saints	W 36–22	6–0	Louisiana Superdome	50,565	Recap
8	October 23	Denver Broncos	L 15–20	6–1	Jack Murphy Stadium	61,626	Recap
9	October 30	Seattle Seahawks	W 35–15	7–1	Jack Murphy Stadium	59,001	Recap
10	November 6	at Atlanta Falcons	L 9–10	7–2	Georgia Dome	59,217	Recap
11	November 13	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 14–13	8–2	Arrowhead Stadium	76,997	Recap
12	November 20	at New England Patriots	L 17–23	8–3	Foxboro Stadium	59,690	Recap
13	November 27	Los Angeles Rams	W 31–17	9–3	Jack Murphy Stadium	59,579	Recap
14	December 5	Los Angeles Raiders	L 17–24	9–4	Jack Murphy Stadium	63,012	Recap
15	December 11	San Francisco 49ers	L 15–38	9–5	Jack Murphy Stadium	62,105	Recap
16	December 18	at New York Jets	W 21–6	10–5	Giants Stadium	48,213	Recap
17	December 24	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 37–34	11–5	Jack Murphy Stadium	58,379	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries[]

Week 1[]

The Chargers recovered from an early eighteen point deficit to win their opener, aided by key defensive plays at the end of each half. Down 17-0 and 24-6, the Chargers rallied to lead 27-24, thanks to three Stan Humphries touchdown passes and a 99 yard interception return by Stanley Richard as time expired in the 1st half. Later, San Diego drove 89 yards in 19 plays, converting five 3rd downs and taking 10 minutes off the clock, capping the drive with a 1 yard Natrone Means touchdown run; this put them ahead 37-34, with 3:01 remaining. John Elway responded by leading the Broncos from their own 25 yard line to the Chargers' 3, but on 2nd and goal, Elway fumbled as he attempted to throw, and Junior Seau recovered with 35 seconds left to clinch the win.

Week 2[]

San Diego started 2-0 for the first time in 13 years, courtesy of a straightforward win over the Bengals. Mark Seay caught 8 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, while Natrone Means rushed 21 times for 107 yards and one score. The scoreline was identical to the teams' previous meeting.

Week 3[]

A pair of big plays helped the Chargers run their record to 3-0. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Seahawks reached 1st and Goal at the Chargers' one yard line, but had to settle for a field goal. The Chargers responded with a John Carney field goal and Natrone Means' 1 yard touchdown run, and led 10-3 at the half. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Seattle were threatening with a 1st and 10 at the San Diego 28, but Stanley Richard picked off a Rick Mirer pass and went 73 yards for his second touchdown of the season. Later, Humphries was sacked in his own one yard line by Brent Williams, bringing up a 3rd and 19. Humphries then hit Tony Martin in stride at the 35 yard line, and he outran the Seahawks' defence for a 99 yard touchdown, the seventh such pass in NFL history.

Week 4[]

John Carney's 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining preserved San Diego's unbeaten record, after they had let a twenty point lead slip in the 2nd half. Darrien Gordon's 90-yard punt return only three minutes into the game gave the Chargers a lead they built on with three Carney field goals and a 1-yard TD run by Natrone Means. Down 23-3 midway through the 3rd quarter, the Raiders began their comeback when Jeff Hostetler scrambled for a touchdown on 4th and goal, and completed it when Lionel Washington ran a deflected Humphries pass back 31 yards for another score. Humphries, who had injured his knee on the play, stayed in the game and led a 14 play, 65 yard drive to set up Carney's winning kick, the key play being an 8-yard completion to Ronnie Harmon on 4th and 1.

A loss by the New York Giants during San Diego's bye week left them as the last unbeaten team in the league for the first time as an NFL club.

Week 6[]

A dominant performance by Natrone Means helped the Chargers reach 5-0 for the first time in 31 years. Means rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries, and played a major role in the only two touchdown drives of the game. Firstly, with San Diego up 6-3, he had runs of 9, 8, 6, 6 and 9 yards on five consecutive plays, the last of these a touchdown. In the 4th quarter, further rushes on 9, 25 and 23 yards helped set up a 5 yard touchdown pass from Stan Humphries to Mark Seay, making the score 20-6. The Chiefs gained 361 yards, but could muster only a pair of field goals from six trips into San Diego territory.

The Chargers debuted their powder blue throwback uniforms in this game.

Week 7[]

Means again excelled, rushing for three touchdowns, and accounting for 120 of the Chargers' 198 rushing yards. San Diego led 24-0 early in the 2nd quarter, and John Carney's five field goals helped them stave off a Saints comeback thereafter.

Week 8[]

The Broncos, 1-5 heading into the game, handed the Chargers their first loss of the season. San Diego forced two turnovers in Broncos' territory in the first half, but struggled to capitalise on their openings and led only 12-7 at the break. A 43-yard touchdown pass from John Elway to Shannon Sharpe gave Denver their first lead, and Jason Elam's 54-yard field goal put them ahead to stay with 10:02 to play. San Diego drove into Denver territory in the final minute, but Humphries was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury, and backup Gale Gilbert threw four consecutive incompletions from the Denver 31.

Natrone Means ran for 100 yards in a losing cause, while John Carney made five field goals from as many attempts for the second game in a row.

Week 9[]

Stanley Richard forced two key turnovers either side of halftime, and the Chargers overcame an uncertain start, and the loss of Stan Humphries, to win comfortably. Seattle led 7-6 before Richard forced two fumbles from running back Chris Warren either side of halftime, both recovered by the Chargers, leading to touchdown runs from Ronnie Harmon and Natrone Means. Humphries had to leave the game with a dislocated left elbow in the 3rd quarter, but Gale Gilbert was solid in relief, completing 11 of 14 passes, for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns, caught by Tony Martin and Alfred Pupunu. Means had 104 yards on 26 carries.

Week 10[]

A missed 47-yard field goal by John Carney with seven minutes to play cost the Chargers, as they were kept out of the end zone for the second time in three games. Gale Gilbert committed no turnovers, but had only one completion over 20 yards, and couldn't lead San Diego past midfield after Carney's miss. Natrone Means rushed for 102 yards, his fifth consecutive 100 yard game; this set a new club record, eventually broken by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.

Week 11[]

The Chargers overcame four first half turnovers to earn a crucial divisional game. Kansas City entered the game a game back in the AFC West, and would have gone top on divisional record with a win.

Andre Coleman fumbled the opening kickoff, and though Stanley Richard soon picked off Joe Montana to offset the error, further fumbles by Means and Humphries followed, as well as a Humphries interception. In total, the Chiefs started five of their first nine drives in San Diego territory, but only led 13-0 at halftime. The game turned late in the third quarter, when Ron Dickerson was penalised for running into the kicker on a San Diego punt. Humphries hit Shaun Jefferson for a 52-yard touchdown on the next play. Midway through the 4th quarter, Darren Carrington intercepted Montana and returned the ball to the Chiefs' eight yard line. Humphries found a wide open Duane Young for the go-ahead score three plays later.

The Chargers forced a punt on the Chiefs' next possession, but had to punt themselves after Means was stopped two yards short of a first down at the two minute warning. Montana then converted two 4th downs, before finding Danan Hughes at the San Diego 31 with the clock running. Montana then spiked the ball an instant after the clock had expired, and the Chiefs had no opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal.

Week 12[]

Former Charger Marion Butts rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown to lead the 4-6 Patriots to an upset win over the 8-2 Chargers. San Diego generated few threats on offense throughout the game, but only trailed 10-3 late in the 3rd quarter following Andre Coleman's 80 yard kickoff return touchdown. New England responded with a 12-play, 64-yard drive capped by Butts' 1 yard TD run. A 2-yard touchdown pass from Humphries to Martin came too late to affect the outcome.

Week 13[]

Four interceptions of Rams' quarterback Chris Miller helped the Chargers overcome a faltering offensive performance and dodge an upset defeat. Miller threw for two touchdowns in the 2nd quarter, to which the Chargers could only respond with a pair of field goals - they trailed 14-6 at the break. However, the Rams were forced to punt on their first possession of the second half, and Darrien Gordon returned the kick 75 yards up the left sideline for his second touchdown of the season. Ronnie Harmon then tied the scores with a two point conversion run, before catching a go-ahead touchdown pass from Humphries. The Rams responded by reaching a 3rd and 1 on the San Diego 7 yard line, but Gordon intercepted Miller in the endzone to preserve the lead.

Following an exchange of field goals, the Rams made a final bid to tie the scores, but Sean Vanhorse intercepted Miller's 4th down pass and returned it 50 yards for the clinching touchdown.

Week 14[]

A loss by Kansas City earlier in the week left the Chargers one win from clinching the AFC West, but the Raiders, denied them on Monday Night Football. Unusually, four different quarterbacks threw touchdown to four different receivers in the first half alone, with Jeff Hostetler and Stan Humphries both picking up injuries and giving way to Vince Evans and Gale Gilbert respectively. Both returned in the 3rd quarter, which saw the Chargers drive inside the Los Angeles 20-yard line. Means then badly missed an open receiver on an HB option pass, before fumbling a few plays later. Following an exchange of field goals, Hostetler hit Rocket Ismail for the game-winner with seven minutes left; San Diego failed to cross the LA 40 after that.

Week 15[]

The Chargers missed their second chance to win their division, easily defeated by a 49ers team winning their ninth in a row. San Diego managed to cross the San Francisco 30 on their first possession, but Humphries was sacked attempting to convert a 4th and 8. Steve Young then led his team to three touchdowns in four possessions, and a 21-0 lead. In the second half, Natrone Means scored his first touchdown for six weeks, and Humphries found Tony Martin for another score, but the 49ers struck the final blow when Deion Sanders returned an interception for a 90-yard touchdown.

Humphries passed for a season-high 337 yards, while Martin caught nine passes for a career-high 172 yards. The 23-point margin of defeat would be repeated seven weeks later in Super Bowl XXIX.

Week 16[]

San Diego overcame a slow start to wrap up their division at the third time of asking. A pair of Nick Lowery field goals has the Jets up 6-0 approaching halftime, but a two-yard strike from Humphries to Mark Seay put the Chargers ahead to stay. A 44-yard Humphries-to-Martin connection extended the lead to eight points, then, after the defence stopped New York on downs, the same pair hooked up again for 60 yards and the clinching touchdown. Humphries completed 19 of 26 passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions - this game him a passer rating of 146.3, a career-high.

Week 17[]

San Diego earned a 1st round playoff bye on John Carney's 32 yard field goal 3 seconds from time. In a back-and-forth encounter, Andre Coleman's 90 yard kickoff return touchdown put the Chargers 10-3 ahead, before Pittsburgh went up 13-10 with a minute remaining in the half. The Chargers responded with a rapid 73 yard drive, capped by a Humphries-to-Seay touchdown pass. The pair connected again to convert a 4th and 4 on the first drive of the 3rd quarter, the key play of a 17-play drive culminating in a Means touchdown and a 24-13 lead.

Pittsburgh, who were assured of the #1 seed in the playoffs, had rested many of their starters by this point, but nonetheless rallied. Mike Tomczak led the team on three consecutive touchdown drives, putting them ahead 34-27 with 6:29 to play. Coleman broke off a 46 yard return on the ensuing kickoff, and the Chargers, now led by Gale Gilbert after another Humphries injury, soon reached a 4th and 1 on the Steelers' 20. Means then broke through off right tackle, surviving contact with numerous defenders en route to the end zone. After the defence forced a three-and-out, Means carried four times on a 34 yard drive to set up the winning kick.

Standings[]

AFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) San Diego Chargers	11	5	0	.688	381	306	W2
(6) Kansas City Chiefs	9	7	0	.563	319	298	W2
Los Angeles Raiders	9	7	0	.563	303	327	L1
Denver Broncos	7	9	0	.438	347	396	L3
Seattle Seahawks	6	10	0	.375	287	323	L2

Postseason[]

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
Divisional	January 8, 1995	Miami Dolphins (3)	W 22–21	1–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	63,381	Recap
AFC Championship	January 15, 1995	at Pittsburgh Steelers (1)	W 17–13	2–0	Three Rivers Stadium	61,545	Recap
Super Bowl XXIX	January 29, 1995	San Francisco 49ers (N1)	L 26–49	2–1	Joe Robbie Stadium	74,107	Recap

Game summaries[]

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Dolphins at Chargers[]

The Chargers overcame a 21–6 halftime deficit by limiting the Dolphins offense to only 16 plays in the second half.

AFC Championship Game: Chargers at Steelers[]

With the upset win over the Steelers, the Chargers went to their first Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXIX: Chargers vs 49ers[]

The heavily-favoured 49ers proved too strong for San Diego, going ahead 14-0 inside of 5 minutes, and coasting to victory.

Deaths of players[]

The 1994 Chargers are also remembered for tragedy in the form of numerous untimely deaths, as nine of the players from that 1994 squad have died prematurely since that time.

• June 19, 1995 – Linebacker David Griggs died in a car accident when his vehicle slid off a ramp on Florida's Turnpike, linking to three roads just west of Fort Lauderdale and subsequently slammed into a pole, he was 28 years old.^[2]
• May 11, 1996 – Running back Rodney Culver and his wife Karen were among the 110 people (105 passengers, 5 crew members) aboard ValuJet Flight 592 when it crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing everyone aboard. He was 26 years old.^[3]
• July 21, 1998 – Linebacker Doug Miller died after being struck twice by lightning during a thunderstorm while camping in Colorado. He was 29 years old.^[4]
• May 11, 2008 – Center Curtis Whitley died of a drug overdose. His body was discovered by sheriff deputies in his trailer home in Fort Stockton, Texas, just one day after his 39th birthday. One of the drugs he was known to use was Crystal methamphetamine.^[5]
• October 15, 2008 – Defensive end Chris Mims was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment by police officers conducting a welfare check. The most likely cause of death was cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart since he weighed 456 pounds or 207 kilograms when he died. He was 38 years old.^[6][7]
• February 26, 2011 – Defensive tackle Shawn Lee died from a cardiac arrest resulting from double pneumonia. Lee had been suffering from diabetes for years prior to his death. He was 44 years old.^[8]
• December 8, 2011 – Linebacker Lewis Bush died from an apparent heart attack, just six days after his 42nd birthday.^[9]
• May 2, 2012 – Linebacker Junior Seau died in his home in Oceanside, California. Seau was discovered already lifeless by his girlfriend. His death was likely a suicide since a self-inflicted gunshot wound was apparent to the chest. He was 43 years old.^[10]
• April 30, 2021- Center Courtney Hall. Hall's death was announced on April 30, 2021.^[11]

References[]