The 1966 Season was the 7th season for the San Diego Chargers as a professional AFL franchise; the team failed to improve on their 9–2–3 record from 1965. In the team's final season at Balboa Stadium, the Chargers went 7–6–1 and finished in third place in the AFL West Division. They would move to San Diego Stadium for the following season. It was the first season to feature an AFL-NFL World Championship Game now known as the Super Bowl. San Diego began the season among the favorites to represent the AFL in the historic game, but faded after a 4–0 start, winning only three more times in the remaining ten games.
Flanker Lance Alworth was the Chargers' main offensive threat. Catching passes from quarterback John Hadl, he achieved the AFL's triple crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. The Chargers' offense shifted its focus towards the pass, with running back Paul Lowe, the AFL's rushing champion the previous season, seeing far fewer carries in 1966. On defense, the Chargers lost assistant coach Chuck Noll and tackle Ernie Ladd during the offseason, while end Earl Faison left during the regular season. They were strong against the pass, with cornerback Speedy Duncan and safety Kenny Graham making twelve interceptions between them, but became the AFL's worst team against the run.
Offseason
AFL draft
Regular draft
The 1966 AFL Draft took place on November 27, 1965, late in the previous season. The rival National Football League (NFL) conducted its draft on the same day. Where the same player was drafted by both AFL and NFL franchises, the two would compete to sign him. San Diego struggled to sign their highest selections, with their top six (and seven of their first eight) signing for NFL clubs. One of these, running back Russ Smith, was cut by the Atlanta Falcons on 6 July, 1966, and joined the Chargers afterwards, spending a year on the taxi squad before scoring 10 touchdowns over the following four seasons. 7th-round pick Jim Tolbert stayed with the team for six seasons, and returned briefly at the end of his 11-year NFL career; he played in over 100 games in the Chargers' defensive backfield, starting over 50 of them.
San Diego found a long-term starter in the later rounds in offensive tackle Terry Owens. Chosen in the 11th round, he was primarily a backup in his first two seasons, but won a starting role in 1968 and kept it until injuries forced his retirement in 1975, having made over 100 starts in total. In the 13th round, the Chargers selected defensive lineman Houston Ridge. A regular starter during two of his four seasons in San Diego, Ridge would later sue the Chargers, winning $300,000 after successfully arguing that the organization's drug culture had caused the injury that ended his career.
Redshirt draft
As well as their regular collegiate draft, the AFL also held a separate redshirt draft. This covered players whose graduation had been delayed by taking a redshirt year, meaning that they still had a further year of college football eligibility. Three of these would play for the Chargers, with linebacker Jeff Staggs and running back Brad Hubbert joining the team in 1967, while defensive back Joe Beauchamp skipped his final year of college eligibility and played for the Chargers in 1966. It was the first of ten seasons in San Diego for Beauchamp, who eventually started 97 games, intercepting 23 passes and returning three of them for touchdowns.
Unless noted otherwise, these players began their professional careers in 1967.
Departures and arrivals
The Chargers lost two 1965 AFL All-Pros in defensive tackle Ernie Ladd and defensive end Earl Faison; the pair had been named 1st-team All-Pros three and four times respectively during their five years in San Diego, but had expressed dissatisfaction with head coach Sid Gillman in his joint role of general manager early the previous season. They had played out the final year of their contracts in 1965, making clear their intention to leave afterwards, and were traded to the Houston Oilers on January 15 in exchange for three defensive players. Four days later, AFL commissioner Joe Foss nullified the trade after finding the Oilers guilty of tampering with the players, whose Chargers contracts would not expire until May 1. Ladd eventually signed with the Oilers as a free agent on June 7; Faison re-signed with the Chargers on July 29, but Gillman waived him when he struggled with injuries, commenting that Faison had, "a long way to go to become average, much less outstanding." The expansion Miami Dolphins signed Faison on October 19.