The San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's fifth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 15th overall. The team improved on their 2–11–1 record in 1973 and finished 5–9. It was Tommy Prothro's first season as the team's head coach.
Before the season, the team changed from white helmets and powder blue jerseys—which it had had since its inception in 1960—to royal blue helmets and jerseys.Gridiron Uniform Database: San Diego ChargersBrooks, Brooks 2014, pp. 14, 15. Players' uniform numbers were also removed from the helmets, and the face mask color was changed to yellow. Previously, every team had gray face masks. Chargers equipment manager Sid Brooks and business manager Bob Hood first went to their face mask supplier, Riddell, but they said they could not change the color. Brooks and Hood then approached a dentist who was selling face masks under the brand name Dungard, who was able to change the color by using a dental process. Some players were still wearing old single- and double-bar masks, which Brooks painted yellow himself. The royal blue would remain through 1984, when the helmets and jerseys became a darker shade of blue (navy blue); that blue became even darker in 1988. The Chargers switched back permanently to modified white helmets in 2007.SportsLogos.net: San Diego Chargers
Offseason
NFL draft
Roster
Preseason
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 3 San Francisco 49ers W 20–6 1–0 San Diego Stadium 2 August 10 New York Jets W 20–14 2–0 San Diego Stadium 3 August 18 vs. St. Louis Cardinals L 14–48 2–1 Husky Stadium (Seattle) 4 August 24 New England Patriots L 14–23 2–2 San Diego Stadium 5 August 31 Los Angeles Rams L 16–30 2–3 San Diego Stadium 6 September 7 at Minnesota Vikings L 0–42 2–4 Metropolitan Stadium
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 15 at Houston Oilers L 14–21 0–1 Astrodome 25,317 Recap 2 September 22 at Cincinnati Bengals W 20–17 1–1 Riverfront Stadium 51,178 Recap 3 September 29 Miami Dolphins L 21–28 1–2 San Diego Stadium 44,706 Recap 4 October 6 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–13 1–3 San Diego Stadium 36,124 Recap 5 October 13 Oakland Raiders L 10–14 1–4 San Diego Stadium 40,539 Recap 6 October 20 at Denver Broncos L 7–27 1–5 Mile High Stadium 50,928 Recap 7 October 27 Kansas City Chiefs L 24–14 1–6 San Diego Stadium 34,371 Recap 8 November 3 Cleveland Browns W 36–35 2–6 San Diego Stadium 35,683 Recap 9 November 10 at Kansas City Chiefs W 14–7 3–6 Arrowhead Stadium 48,551 Recap 10 November 17 at Oakland Raiders L 10–17 3–7 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 50,178 Recap 11 November 24 at Green Bay Packers L 0–34 3–8 Lambeau Field 56,267 Recap 12 December 1 at New York Jets L 14–27 3–9 Shea Stadium 44,888 Recap 13 December 8 Chicago Bears W 28–21 4–9 San Diego Stadium 33,662 Recap 14 December 15 Denver Broncos W 17–0 5–9 San Diego Stadium 36,571 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Season summary
Week 1: at Houston Oilers
Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 6: at Denver Broncos
Week 7: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 10: at Oakland Raiders
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers
Week 12: at New York Jets
Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos
Awards Only one Charger was named to the 1975 Pro Bowl, with tackle Russ Washington a starter on the AFC squad; none were selected for the AP All-Pro first or second teams, though Washington was named the best in his Conference. Woods won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year with 52 of the 78 votes available.
Notes
References