Tales from the American Football League
Preserving the legacy of the AFL
One of our readers, 0tt060-74, mentioned in a past comment that his family lived next door to former AFL Chargers and Raiders player, Al Bansavage, in 1966. 0tt060-74 had hoped to reconnect with Bansavage, but sadly, Al Bansavage passed away in 2003. The mention of Bansavage reminded me of one of the kindest responses that I have [...]
I picked up a neat old wire photo the other day. The photo is from the December 4, 1960, game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders at Candlestick Park. The caption reads: “Oakland Raiders’ Bill Reynolds (HB-40) is smothered by Los Angeles Chargers’ Emil Karas (LB-56) after taking a pass from quarterback Tom [...]
Several years back, I was able to attend the estate sale of Phil Barile, the Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers first ticket manager. Barile joined the Chargers in 1960, and stayed with the team through the 1979 season. Barile lived in a small retirement community near San Diego State University, and had just moved [...]
I have been asked on a number of occasions why the Chargers left Los Angeles. Really, the answer is quite simple. They didn’t draw enough fans. Take a look at the photo of Jack Kemp leaping while being tackled. See the stands in the background? This photo was taken during a regular season home game [...]
I recently picked up this photo of Chargers defensive lineman, Ernie Ladd. Ladd has always been kind of a mythical AFL figure, with his size, boisterous personality and wrestling career all adding to the total package. I liked this particular image because although it is undated, it must have been taken early in Ladd’s time [...]
Dick Harris was a defensive back for the Chargers from 1960-1964. Known as “Chuckles,” because of his knack for being a team clown, Harris hauled in 28 interceptions in his five seasons in the Chargers backfield. This interview took place in July, 2003. AFL - Tell me about how you came to the Chargers. DH – [...]
HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 19 — SID GILLMAN JOINS THE GOOD GUYS — Professional football coach Sid Gillman (left) of the Los Angeles Chargers doesn’t seem too menacing as he joins Chuck Connors, star of “The Rifleman,” during the filming of an episode for the television series yesterday. It was Gillman’s second appearance as an off-season actor. [...]
Bob Reifsnyder was a highly-touted defensive lineman from the Naval Academy when he tore his Achilles tendon in his senior year. He played one season in the NFL, and then joined the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League in 1960. His time with the Chargers was short, and he was traded to the [...]
As someone whose introduction to the AFL came when I wrote my master’s thesis on Sid Gillman, I was excited to learn that a book had recently been published about Sir Sidney. Sid Gillman: Father of the Passing Game by Josh Katzowitz, was released on Amazon this past week. Published by Clerisy Press, the 322 page [...]
Several years ago, I was given a large photograph of the 1960 Los Angeles Chargers. This particular team poster was actually produced in the offseason between the 1960 and 1961 AFL seasons, and was used to promote the Chargers in their new hometown of San Diego. This particular 2″x3″ photo hung in an old sporting [...]
