The 1992 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 33rd season, their 32nd in San Diego, and 23rd in the National Football League.
San Diego came into the season off the back of a 4–12 record in 1991, four consecutive losing records, and nine consecutive seasons without making the playoffs. Bobby Ross began his first season as the team's head coach, after having spent the previous five years as a college coach at Georgia Tech. After starting quarterback John Friesz was injured in preseason, the Chargers lost their first four regular season games while being outscored 95–29, but rallied behind replacement quarterback Stan Humphries and a strong defense that featured Pro Bowlers on the defensive line (Leslie O'Neal), at linebacker (Junior Seau), and in the defensive backfield (Gill Byrd). They finished 11–5, clinching the AFC West title and becoming the first NFL team to start 0–4 and still make the playoffs. , this feat has yet to be replicated.
During the regular season, the Chargers lost all four of their games against eventual playoff teams, though they did defeat Kansas City 17–0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in the wild card round. In the divisional playoffs they were emphatically beaten by the Miami Dolphins, being eliminated by a 31–0 scoreline.
Offseason Head coaching change Dan Henning, the Chargers' head coach for the previous three seasons, was fired by general manager Bobby Beathard on December 23, 1991, the day after the Chargers completed a 4–12 campaign. Henning had gone 16–32 during his tenure; his entire staff of assistants were also dismissed.
On December 22, Beathard had denied rumours that Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Bobby Ross was already set to be installed as Henning's replacement. Nonetheless, Ross remained among the favorites for the role. On December 25, Georgia Tech won the Aloha Bowl by a single point; Ross interviewed for the Chargers job on December 30, and was unveiled as head coach on January 2, 1992. Ross' five-year stint in Georgia had seen the Yellow Jackets win a share of the National Championship in 1990. His accomplishments with the Chargers over the next five seasons included a Super Bowl appearance in 1994, and would earn him a place in their Hall of Fame.
Ross appointed Bill Arnsparger as defensive coordinator after Beathard arranged a meeting. Arnsparger, an NFL coach from 1964 to 1983, had been acting as the University of Florida's athletic director. In the early 70s, he had won two Super Bowls with Miami as a defensive coordinator, running their "No-Name" defense, and faced San Diego in the same role in the Epic in Miami a decade later. Arnsparger installed a 4–3 defense, a switch from the 3–4 alignment preferred by his predecessor Ron Lynn.
Other coaching appointees included numerous assistants Ross brought with him from Georgia Tech. Ralph Friedgen, who had also been with Ross in a prior job at Maryland, was installed as running game coordinator and tight ends coach; the post of offensive coordinator went unfilled until Friedgen was promoted to it two seasons later.
Players change For the second consecutive year, the Chargers lost 11 players through Plan B free agency. These included Sam Seale, who had started every game at cornerback in 1991, defensive end George Hinkle, a starter in 13 games, and Kitrick Taylor, who had served as both a wide receiver and punt returner. Safety Anthony Shelton was injured during training camp, had shoulder surgery, and missed the entire season, while H-Back Craig McEwen was waived; neither played in the NFL again.
A well-established name on the defensive line also departed after failing to come to contract terms with the Chargers. Joe Phillips had been the Chargers' starting nose tackle the previous season, his fifth with the club. He was a holdout through training camp, asking either for more money or to be traded. On 9 September, he narrowly missed a final deadline to accept a two-year deal, and Beathard announced that negotiations were over. Phillips was released on September 21, and signed for the Chiefs.
On July 27, John Friesz ended a lengthy holdout, signing a two-year deal as the Chargers' starting quarterback. Twelve days later, he suffered a knee injury in the team's preseason opener after a late hit by Ken Harvey. Friesz required surgery for torn knee ligaments and was ruled out for the season, leaving journeyman Bob Gagliano as the only available quarterback with regular-season experience.
In April's NFL draft, Beathard had contacted Washington about the potential trade of a 5th-round draft pick for third-string quarterback Stan Humphries, a player he himself had drafted while serving as Washington's general manager in 1988. That trade fell through, but the parties reached an agreement after Friesz's injury, with Humphries moving to San Diego in exchange for what proved to be a 3rd-round pick in the 1993 draft. The new quarterback was already familiar with the Chargers' offensive system, as Dan Henning had been influential in both San Diego (as head coach) and Washington (as offensive coordinator). Humphries, who had fallen out of favor with Joe Gibbs in Washington, described the move as "a new life for me and a new opportunity". He would start 76 regular season games with the Chargers over the next six seasons, leading them to their only Super Bowl appearance and ultimately earning a place in the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Other arrivals included a pair of defensive linemen, Blaise Winter and Shawn Lee. Winter had been with the Chargers for two seasons in the late 1980s, but was unable to find a team in 1991. After winning a spot on the Chargers' roster, he made six sacks during the regular season and was granted the Ed Block Courage Award by his teammates. Lee was a midseason acquisition from Miami, who saw limited action in 1992, but would start 15 games in each of the next three seasons. Cornerback Sean Vanhorse had been unable to get onto the field in his first two seasons in the league, but started nine games in 1992 after the Chargers picked him up through Plan B free agency.
Additions SubtractionsQB Stan Humphries (Redskins) C/LS Mark Rodenhauser (Bears)S Delton Hall (Steelers) DT Joe Phillips (Chiefs) S Martin Bayless (Chiefs) S Sam Seale (Raiders) WR Kitrick Taylor (Packers)
NFL draft
San Diego made Tennessee defensive end Chris Mims their first pick in the draft, with Beathard praising the player's pass-rushing ability. Mims produced 10 sacks in his rookie year, and 38 in total during seven seasons with the Chargers.
Other selections made less of an impact in San Diego. Second-round pick Marquez Pope would play in the NFL for ten seasons, but only two of those were with the Chargers, for whom he started only a single game. Their next selection, wide receiver Ray Ethridge, caught only two passes in his career. Fifth-round offensive linemen Curtis Whitley and Eric Jonassen started two games each. Further down the draft, blocking tight end Deems May started six games in his rookie year, and spent five seasons in San Diego.
Undrafted free agents
+ 1992 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeGreg ByrneWide receiverSouthern OregonChris CollinsLinebackerSMUCecil DoggetteCornerbackWest VirginiaMitch KaaialiiGuardHawaiiJimmy LaisterTackleGeorgia TechTony LenseigneRunning backEastern WashingtonPeter TuipulotuRunning backBYUDonald WalkinshawGuardPortland StateJerelle WilliamsLinebackerGeorgia TechWayne WilliamsCornerbackLSU
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
San Diego's preseason began badly, as they were comfortably beaten by Phoenix, and lost starting quarterback Friesz for the year with a knee injury. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, and led 28–0 before Derrick Walker caught a touchdown pass from Gagliano. Eric Bieniemy scored the Chargers' second touchdown. Gagliano started at quarterback in the next game, completing 7 of 11 for 123 yards; Marion Butts and Bieniemy scored with short rushes as San Diego beat the Patriots.
Against San Francisco, Gagliano completed 8 of 13 for 87 yards, and ran 20 yards for a touchdown. He then gave way to the newly-signed Humphries, who went 5 of 12 for 52 yards and an interception, while leading a drive that Ronnie Harmon capped with a 9-yard touchdown run. Future Charger Mark Seay scored for San Francisco as they won the game with 17 unanswered 4th quarter points. Gagliano was again the starter in the final preseason game against the Rams, leading an 80-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession, with Rod Bernstine scoring from the 1-yard line. Gagliano was 6 of 8 for 90 yards. Humphries took over and completed 11 of 16 for 118 yards, with touchdowns to Harmon and Walter Stanley (the latter of whom was nonetheless cut four days later). John Carney, who had won a training camp battle with Carlos Huerta for the kicking job, converted all three of his field goal attempts.
On August 31, Bobby Ross named Gagliano as his starting quarterback for week 1 of the regular season. He represented the six different opening day starter for the Chargers in as many seasons.
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance 1 August 8 at Phoenix Cardinals L 14–35 0–1 Sun Devil Stadium 28,298 2 August 14 at New England Patriots W 20–10 1–1 Foxboro Stadium 18,626 3 August 21 San Francisco 49ers L 14–20 1–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 40,921 4 August 27 Los Angeles Rams W 30–19 2–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 46,949
Regular season Overview Expectations for the Chargers were not particularly high going into the season. A summary of nine major publications found that four of them had San Diego finishing 4th in their 5-team division, while three placed them 3rd and two 2nd. The low expectations seemed justified as the team lost their first four games, but they improved drastically through the next twelve. This was echoed by the performance of Humphries, who started every game from week 2 onwards: he threw 1 touchdown and 8 interceptions during the 0–4 start, but 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions the rest of the way. Overall, Humphries had 3,356 passing yards, the most by a Chargers starter since Dan Fouts in 1985. Anthony Miller enjoyed a return to form, crossing 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in three seasons. He ranked 10th in the league for receptions, and 6th for receiving yards, catching 72 passes for 1,060 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns. Running back Harmon ranked 6th for receptions and 10th for receiving yards, with 79 receptions for 914 yards - he was comfortably the top running back in both categories. Nate Lewis added four touchdowns and over 500 receiving yards.
The Chargers employed a balanced attack that ranked 7th in the league for passing yardage and 9th for rushing (they were 6th overall). Butts led the team with 809 rushing yards. Bernstine had a higher yards per carry than Butts (4.7 to 3.7), but struggled with injuries and only played in nine regular season games. He finished with 499 yards, while Harmon and Bieniemy each contributed over 200. The four running backs combined for 14 rushing touchdowns, and Humphries added four more.