The 1962 San Diego Chargers season was the club's third in the American Football League. San Diego had won the AFL West with a 12–2 record in 1961, but slipped to 4–10, losing eight of their final nine games after a 3–2 start. It was their worst record to date; this would be the only time the Chargers would endure a losing season during their 10 years in the AFL.
Injuries on offense contributed to the slump. Promising rookie flanker Lance Alworth missed the final ten games of the season with a knee injury, Paul Lowe broke an arm and missed the entire year, and quarterback Jack Kemp was knocked out of action after only two games with a broken finger. Kemp was surprisingly placed on waivers after his injury. He was claimed by the Buffalo Bills for $100, leaving the Chargers with only rookie quarterbacks to call on for the rest of the year.
Offseason
AFL draft
The 1962 AFL draft took place on December 2, 1961, late in the previous season. There were 34 rounds – previous trades had given the Chargers five extra picks, for 39 in total.
Future Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth came to the Chargers via this draft, though he was originally selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 2nd round. Raiders General Manager Wesley Fry revealed that prior to the draft, the Chargers had agreed to trade four players for Oakland's 2nd round pick, on the understanding that Alworth would be the player selected. Three of the players the Raiders received were Bo Roberson, Hunter Enis and Gene Selawski – the fourth was not announced. San Diego still had to outbid the San Francisco 49ers for Alworth's signature, the NFL club having selected him in the 1st round of their draft. On January 1, 1962, Alworth chose San Diego. San Francisco president Vic Morabito stated that Alworth had requested a "no cut, no-trade" contract, which was against club policy.
Alworth was a college running back who was enthused by the opportunity to catch the ball at the pro level, which fit in with San Diego's plan to use him as a receiver; he has credited Chargers receiver coach Al Davis with recruiting him. Head coach Sid Gillman inserted the rookie into the Charger line-up in week 1 – though Alworth was knocked out by injury early on in 1962, he would remain with San Diego through the 1970 season, accumulating over 9,000 yards receiving.
Two other draftees had even longer careers in San Diego. 3rd-round pick John Hadl was a versatile player who had earned All-American honors both as a halfback in 1960 and as a quarterback in 1961. It was the latter role that Chargers chief scout Don Klosterman envisioned him playing – Hadl, who preferred the quarterback position, has cited this as a reason for choosing the Chargers over the NFL's Detroit Lions, as well as the opportunity to start sooner and the city of San Diego itself. Immediately after leading the Kansas Jayhawks to victory in the Bluebonnet Bowl, Hadl met Klosterman at the 20-yard line to sign a four-year contract with the Chargers, saying, "it's a young club and I feel I'll have more opportunity." An injury to starting quarterback Jack Kemp saw Hadl start ten games during his rookie year – he lost nine of them, but would greatly improve during an 11-year stint in San Diego. Sam Gruneisen, a 25th-round pick, was also a Charger for 11 years, playing both guard and center.
Other successfully-signed draftees included linebackers Bob Mitinger (five seasons as a Charger), Frank Buncom (six seasons as a Charger, three All-Star games), and halfback/tight end Jacque MacKinnon (nine season as a Charger, two All-star games).
Including Alworth, the Chargers signed twelve of their 1962 draft class, while twelve signed for NFL clubs.
1962 San Diego Chargers draft Round Pick Player Position College Notes 1 8 Bob Ferguson Fullback Ohio State 5th pick in NFL draft; signed by Pittsburgh Steelers 2 16 Dick Hudson Tackle Memphis 3 24 John Hadl * Quarterback Kansas 10th pick in NFL draft 4 31 Bob Bill Tackle Notre Dame 26th pick in NFL draft 4 32 Mack Burton Halfback San Jose State 57th pick in NFL draft; signed by British Columbia Lions 5 34 Bob Mitinger Linebacker Penn State 29th pick in NFL draft 5 40 John Cornett Tackle Rice 33rd pick in NFL draft 6 42 Roy Winston Linebacker Louisiana State 45th pick in NFL draft; signed by Minnesota Vikings 6 48 Frank Buncom * Linebacker USC 7 51 Wendell Harris Defensive back Louisiana State 9th pick in NFL draft; signed by Baltimore Colts 7 56 Bobby Jackson Fullback New Mexico State 19th pick in NFL draft 8 64 Jerry Robinson Flanker Grambling State 147th pick in NFL draft 9 72 Tom Minter Defensive back Baylor 19th pick in NFL draft; traded to Buffalo Bills 10 80 Dan Sullivan Guard Boston College 37th pick in NFL draft; signed by Baltimore Colts 11 88 Sonny Bishop * Guard Fresno State 249th pick in NFL draft; traded to Dallas Texans 12 93 Ralph Smith Tight end Mississippi 111th pick in NFL draft; signed by Philadelphia Eagles 12 96 George Andrie * Defensive end Marquette 82nd pick in NFL draft; signed by Dallas Cowboys 13 104 Chuck Bryant End Ohio State 34th pick in NFL draft; signed by St. Louis Cardinals 14 112 Jim Bates Halfback USC 32nd pick in NFL draft 15 120 Fred Moore Defensive tackle Memphis 135th pick in NFL draft; made the Chargers' roster in 1964 16 128 George Gross Defensive tackle Auburn 103rd pick in NFL draft 17 136 Frank Gardner Tackle North Carolina Central 179th pick in NFL draft 18 144 Dennis Biodrowski Guard Memphis 221st pick in NFL draft; traded to Kansas City Chiefs 19 152 Mike Lind Fullback Notre Dame 64th pick in NFL draft; signed by San Francisco 49ers 20 160 Ron Herman Quarterback Bradley 21 168 Jesse Williams Center Fresno State 138th pick in NFL draft; signed by British Columbia Lions 22 176 Jim Thibert Linebacker Toledo Signed by 1963 Toledo Tornadoes (UFL) 23 184 Dick Farris Guard North Texas 100th pick in NFL draft 24 192 Homer Jones * Halfback Texas Southern Declared ineligible in 1962; Chargers did not retain signing rights 25 200 Sam Gruneisen Center Villanova 26 208 Mike Woulfe Linebacker Colorado 208th pick in NFL draft; signed by Philadelphia Eagles 27 216 Mel Rideout Quarterback Richmond 247th pick in NFL draft 28 224 Ben Wilson Fullback USC 68th pick in NFL draft; signed by Los Angeles Rams 29 232 Paul Dudley Halfback Arkansas 54th pick in NFL draft; signed by New York Giants 30 240 John Denvir Guard Colorado 166th pick in NFL draft; traded to Denver Broncos 31 248 Doug Elmore Halfback Mississippi 171st pick in NFL draft; signed by Washington Redskins 32 256 Wayne Frazier Center Auburn 216th pick in 1961 NFL draft 33 264 Jacque MacKinnon * Halfback Colgate 280th pick in NFL draft 34 272 Phil Lohmann Center Oklahoma 195th pick in NFL draft; signed by Calgary Stampeders Made roster Made at least one AFL All-Star game or NFL Pro Bowl during career Played in the NFL in 1962
Departures and arrivals
A significant exit occurred early in the regular season, with Jack Kemp's move to Buffalo. Kemp suffered a broken finger in his throwing hand during a week 2 game against the Titans, though he played through the injury and finished the game. On September 25, nine days after his injury, Kemp was placed on waivers by Sid Gillman and claimed by the Bills for $100. Gillman's action has been described as either a deliberate decision, a calculated risk that backfired, or a simple misunderstanding of the rules. At the time, Gillman stated that he thought Kemp wouldn't be claimed due to his injury, but he was later quoted as saying that the Chargers "could not win consistently" with Kemp. Several Chargers expressed shock at the move; Kemp himself said that his feelings had been hurt, and he unsure whether he would report to Buffalo, or retire instead.
During his time with the Chargers, Kemp was 22–6 as a starter in the regular season, though he had struggled in two title game defeats, throwing no touchdowns and six interceptions. He ultimately did report to Buffalo, and was part of the Bills teams who beat San Diego in the AFL title games of 1964 and 1965.
As well as the players sent to Oakland for the signing rights of Alworth, the Chargers used further trades to secure future draft picks. Fullback Charlie Flowers went to New York, while safety Bob Zeman (who had intercepted eight passes in 1961) joined receivers Luther Hayes and Bob Scarpitto in being traded to Denver. Offensive linemen Sam DeLuca and Orlando Ferrante both retired, the latter after being traded.
Tight end Reggie Carolan, a draftee from the previous year, joined the team in 1962. He caught only three passes, but blocked well enough to make the AFL All-Star game as a rookie. Pat Shea went undrafted, but was given a try-out after his aggressive style during practice impressed offensive line coach Joe Madro. He signed a contract for $8,000 a year, and would start every game at right guard during the Chargers' title-winning 1963 season.
Fullback Gerry McDougall arrived late in the season, after his CFL team, the Toronto Argonauts, failed to make the playoffs. He passed up a slightly higher offer from the Giants so that he could play in his home state of California. McDougall also informed Gillman that Argonauts quarterback Tobin Rote might be interested in a move south of the border – this began the process that would see Rote become the Chargers' starting quarterback in 1963.
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
San Diego were a perfect four wins out of four in preseason, running their cumulative record in exhibition games to 12–0. Their first game was a 17–0 shutout of Dallas, with rushing touchdowns from rookie Bob Jackson and soon-to-be-traded Charlie Flowers. They followed up with a 31–24 win over Denver, having led 31–10 through three quarters – Keith Lincoln ran the second half kickoff back 87 yards for a touchdown, and MacKinnon scored on a 97-yard reception from Jack Kemp, who ran for two touchdowns. However, Paul Lowe fractured his right arm and missed the entire regular season.
A road trip to Oakland saw San Diego overcome five turnovers to edge the Raiders 33–27 in their new venue, Frank Youell Field. Emil Karas ran a fumble back 55 yards for a touchdown, and rookie quarterback Hadl ran in what proved to be the winning score from 11 yards out. Finally, rookie Alworth caught a pair of touchdowns from Kemp in a 14–9 win over the Titans.
+ 1962 San Diego Chargers preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 11 Dallas Texans W 17–0 1–0 Balboa Stadium 28,555 2 August 18 Denver Broncos W 31–24 2–0 Balboa Stadium 19,168 3 August 26 at Oakland Raiders W 33–27 3–0 Frank Youell Field 17,053 4 September 1 New York Titans W 14–9 4–0 Balboa Stadium 20,871
Regular season
Summary
Injuries played a major role in the Chargers' campaign, with eight players missing at least half the season and twenty-three missing at least two games. On offense, running back Paul Lowe (broken arm) missed the entire regular season, Alworth (knee) the final ten games, and center Wayne Frazier (knee) the final seven.
San Diego also had to contend with Jack Kemp's surprising departure after only two games. They used three different rookies at quarterback for the remainder of the season: Hadl, Dick Wood, and Val Keckin. None of the trio posted a passer rating above 50, though Hadl did enough to secure a roster spot for the next season, throwing 15 touchdowns against 24 interceptions and passing for 1,632 yards while starting ten games. With Alworth out injured after catching three touchdowns in the opening four games, Don Norton (771 yards) and Dave Kocourek (688 yards, after switching from flanker to tight end) were the leading receivers for the second consecutive year. On the ground, Lincoln and rookie Bobby Jackson had the bulk of the carries in Lowe's absence, combining for 985 yards and seven touchdowns behind a line where tackle Ron Mix was San Diego's lone first-team All-AFL selection.