1971 San Diego Chargers season

The 1971 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 12th overall. The team improved on their 5–6–3 record in 1970. It was Harland Svare's first season as the team's head coach. After a 1–4 start, the Chargers would slightly improve, winning 3 of their next 4 games. However, they would lose 3 of their final 5 games en route to a 6-8 finish. The only bright spot was quarterback John Hadl who completed 233 passes out of 431 attempts for 3,075 yards and 21 touchdowns and won the NFL Man of the Year award as well as leading the league in both passing yards and touchdown passes.

1971 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerEugene V. Klein
General managerHarland Svare
Head coachSid Gillman (games 1-10)
Harland Svare (games 11-14)
Home fieldSan Diego Stadium
Results
Record6–8
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-ProsNone[2]

Offseason

NFL draft
Main article: 1971 NFL draft
1971 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 13 Leon Burns  Running back Long Beach State
3 65 Mike Montgomery  Running back Kansas State
5 115 Bryant Salter  Safety Pittsburgh
5 117 Ray White  Linebacker Syracuse
5 119 Phil Asack  Defensive end Duke
6 143 Jacob Mayes  Running back Tennessee State
7 169 Chuck Dicus  Wide receiver Arkansas
8 195 Leon Van Gorkum  Defensive end San Diego State
9 221 John Tanner  Linebacker Tennessee Tech
10 247 Gary Nowak  Linebacker Michigan State
11 273 Don Pinson  Defensive back Tennessee State
12 299 Wes Garnett  Wide receiver Utah State
13 325 Sammy Milner  Wide receiver Mississippi State
14 351 Edward O'Daniel  Defensive end Texas Southern
15 377 Eric Humston  Linebacker Muskingum
16 403 Ed Foote  Center Hawaii
17 429 Chip Kell  Center Tennessee
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster
1971 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

  • 38 Leon Burns
  • 20 Mike Garrett
  • 23 Mike Montgomery
  • 22 Dickie Post
  • 47 Jeff Queen FB
  • 36 Eddie Ray

Wide receivers

  • 28 Chuck Dicus
  • 27 Gary Garrison
  • 84 Walker Gillette
  • 25 Jerry LeVias
  • 32 Billy Parks

Tight ends

  • 88 Pettis Norman
  • 89 Art Strozier
 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

  • 82 Steve DeLong DE
  • 77 Ron East DT
  • 86 Wes Grant DE
  • 80 Kevin Hardy DT
  • 75 Gary Nowak DT
  • 79 Andy Rice DE
  • 85 John Tanner DE/TE
  • 73 Lee Thomas DE
  • 87 Tom Williams DE
 Linebackers
  • 60 Bob Babich
  • 59 Pete Barnes
  • 56 Bob Bruggers
  • 66 Rick Redman
  • 53 Mel Rogers
  • 81 Jeff Staggs
  • 55 Ray White

Defensive backs

  • 40 Joe Beauchamp CB
  • 35 Chuck Detwiler
  • 44 Chris Fletcher FS
  • 39 Jim Hill SS
  • 24 Bob Howard CB
  • 30 Bryant Salter SS
  • 43 Jim Tolbert SS

Special teams

  • 29 Dennis Partee K/P
 Reserve lists
  • 64 Phil Asack DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 65 Sam Gruneisen C (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 19 Kansas City Chiefs W 21–14 1–0 San Diego Stadium 54,061 Recap
2 September 26 Oakland Raiders L 0–34 1–1 San Diego Stadium 54,084 Recap
3 October 3 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–21 1–2 Three Rivers Stadium 44,339 Recap
4 October 10 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–31 1–3 Municipal Stadium 50,514 Recap
5 October 17 at Denver Broncos L 16–20 1–4 Mile High Stadium 51,200 Recap
6 October 23 Buffalo Bills W 20–3 2–4 San Diego Stadium 49,261 Recap
7 October 31 New York Jets W 49–21 3–4 San Diego Stadium 44,786 Recap
8 November 7 at New York Giants L 17–35 3–5 Yankee Stadium 62,905 Recap
9 November 15 St. Louis Cardinals W 20–17 4–5 San Diego Stadium 46,486 Recap
10 November 21 at Oakland Raiders L 33–34 4–6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,681 Recap
11 November 28 at Cincinnati Bengals L 0–31 4–7 Riverfront Stadium 59,580 Recap
12 December 5 Minnesota Vikings W 30–14 5–7 San Diego Stadium 54,505 Recap
13 December 12 Denver Broncos W 45–17 6–7 San Diego Stadium 44,347 Recap
14 December 19 at Houston Oilers L 33–49 6–8 Houston Astrodome 35,959 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week One: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 7 0014
Chargers 0 0 71421

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 73 °F (22.8 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 12 mph
  • Game attendance: 54,061
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • Box score
Game information

Week 2: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week Two: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 3 141434
Chargers 0 0 000

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20.0 °C), relative humidity 57%, wind 11 mph
  • Game attendance: 54,084
  • Referee: Jack Vest
  • Box score
Game information

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week Three: San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 7 7017
Steelers 7 0 7721

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 1:10 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20.0 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 44,339
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • Box score
Game information

Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week Four: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 7 0010
Chiefs 0 10 71431

at Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C), relative humidity 53%, wind 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,514
  • Referee: Jack Reader
  • Box score
Game information

Week 5: at Denver Broncos
Week Five: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 3 7316
Broncos 7 13 0020

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10.0 °C), relative humidity 90%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 51,200
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • Box score
Game information

Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week Six: Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 0 303
Chargers 7 3 3720

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), relative humidity 78%, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 49,261
  • Referee: Bernie Ulman
  • Box score
Game information

Week 7: vs. New York Jets
Week Seven: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 7 7 7021
Chargers 0 21 72149

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (13.9 °C), relative humidity 54%, wind 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 44,786
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • Box score
Game information

Week 8: at New York Giants
Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 3 14017
Giants 7 14 01435

at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 1:07 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C), relative humidity 69%, wind 19 mph
  • Game attendance: 62,905
  • Referee: Norm Schachter
  • Box score
Game information

Week 9: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Week Nine: St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 3 0717
Chargers 0 3 71020

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (13.9 °C), relative humidity 66%, wind 9 mph
  • Game attendance: 46,486
  • Referee: John McDonough
  • Box score
Game information

Week 10: at Oakland Raiders
Week Ten: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 10 14 0933
Raiders 3 7 141034

at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10.0 °C), relative humidity 65%, wind 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 54,681
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • Box score
Game information

Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 000
Bengals 7 14 7331

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C), relative humidity 80%, wind 10 mph, wind chill 29
  • Game attendance: 59,580
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • Box score
Game information

Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 7 0014
Chargers 7 3 02030

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), relative humidity 45%, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 54,505
  • Referee: Jack Reader
  • Box score
Game information

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos
Week Thirteen: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 3 7717
Chargers 7 7 141745

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 51 °F (10.6 °C), relative humidity 52%, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 44,347
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • Box score
Game information

Week 14: at Houston Oilers
Week Fourteen: San Diego Chargers at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 23 7333
Oilers 0 7 281449

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 35,959
  • Box score
Game information

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Kansas City Chiefs 10 3 1 .769 4–1–1 8–2–1 302 208 W3
Oakland Raiders 8 4 2 .667 4–1–1 7–3–1 344 278 W1
San Diego Chargers 6 8 0 .429 2–4 4–7 311 341 L1
Denver Broncos 4 9 1 .308 1–5 3–6–1 203 275 L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References
  1. "1971 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. "1971 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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