1978 San Diego Chargers season
| 1978 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Tommy Prothro (weeks 1-4) (5th season) Don Coryell (weeks 5-16) (1st season) |
| General manager |
Johnny Sanders (Since 1976) |
| Owner |
Gene Klein (Since 1966) |
| Home field | San Diego Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | |
The 1978 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 19th season, and 9th in the National Football League.
The Chargers improved on their 7–7 record in 1977. This season included the "Holy Roller" game. It was Don Coryell's first season as the team's head coach, replacing Tommy Prothro after four games, and the team's first 16-game schedule.
Said the 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus,[3] "The Chargers were one of the worst franchises in the NFL before they hired Don Coryell four games into the 1978 season. The Chargers were 1–3 at the time, but finished 8–4 under Coryell, winning seven of their last eight games for the franchise's first winning record since 1969. Blessed with Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, the creative Coryell always designed potent offenses, but the San Diego Defense didn't catch up until 1979...."
1978 NFL Draft
| 1978 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | John Jefferson * | Wide receiver | Arizona State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3, 1978 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 24–20 | |
| 2 | September 10, 1978 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–20 | |
| 3 | September 17, 1978 | at Denver Broncos | L 27–14 | |
| 4 | September 24, 1978 | Green Bay Packers | L 24–3 | |
| 5 | October 1, 1978 | at New England Patriots | L 28–23 | |
| 6 | October 8, 1978 | Denver Broncos | W 23–0 | |
| 7 | October 15, 1978 | Miami Dolphins | L 28–21 | |
| 8 | October 22, 1978 | at Detroit Lions | L 31–14 | |
| 9 | October 29, 1978 | at Oakland Raiders | W 27–23 | |
| 10 | November 5, 1978 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 22–13 | |
| 11 | November 12, 1978 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 29–23 | |
| 12 | November 19, 1978 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 13–7 | |
| 13 | November 26, 1978 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 23–0 | |
| 14 | December 4, 1978 | Chicago Bears | W 40–7 | |
| 15 | December 10, 1978 | Seattle Seahawks | W 37–10 | |
| 16 | December 17, 1978 | at Houston Oilers | W 45–24 | |
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 282 | 198 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 345 | 358 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 311 | 283 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 355 | 309 | W3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 4–10 | 243 | 327 | L2 |
Roster
1978 San Diego Chargers Team Starters Rookies in italics
Offense
14 Dan Fouts QB 26 Lydell Mitchell RB 33 Don Woods FB 83 John Jefferson WR 18 Charlie Joiner WR 84 Bob Klein TE
66 Billy Shields LT 63 Doug Wilkerson LG 62 Don Macek C 67 Ed White RG 70 Russ Washington RT
Defense
68 Leroy Jones LDE 74 Louie Kelcher LDT 79 Gary Johnson RDT 71 Fred Dean RDE
50 Don Goode LB 55 Bob Horn LB 51 Woodrow Lowe LB
45 Hal Stringert LCB 29 Mike Williams RCB 42 Mike Fuller SS/PR 44 Pete Shaw FS
Kicking Team
6 Rolf Benirschke K 8 Jeff West P 85 Artie Owens KR
References
- ↑ "1978 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ↑ "1978 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ↑ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177), p.73-75