When Was Your First Live Chargers Game?

[BoltNTO]

Long time lurker! First time posting! 1966 at Balboa Stadium was my first game. I was also at the Murph opening day in 1967. My dad had season tickets until 1970.

[like54ninjas]

Long time lurker! First time posting! 1966 at Balboa Stadium was my first game. I was also at the Murph opening day in 1967. My dad had season tickets until 1970.

Welcome to TPB!

Great to have you on board.

[bartman83642]

Sadly I am not sure. Would have been somewhere 69-71 but I was too young and don't remember it. Even more sad haven't been to one as an adult.

[21&500]

Sadly I am not sure. Would have been somewhere 69-71 but I was too young and don't remember it. Even more sad haven't been to one as an adult.

haha I was embarrassed to admit how bad my memory was but then I saw this post.
at least that was in the early 70s while mine was in the 2000s
I went to a few pre season games before my actual first game, so maybe that had something to do with not being able to remember (I don't drink so that's not it)
I also remember all the games I attended were fairly unremarkable outside of a few awesome/memorable plays, but nothing historic.
weak answer I know
I always had a better time watching from home vs going in person, and I lived in SD, so I didn't take advantage enough.
the last few years they were down here in SD, I was really struggling with supporting my family and had a brief spell of unemployment, so I was virtually priced out.
The LAST game I saw live was Peyton Manning as a Colt beating us in the 4th at the Q

[Blue Thunder]

Metrodome - Road Game versus Vikings in the 1990s.

Best Road was in KC/Monday Night Football in 2013(?). Charger RB Ryan Mathews fumbled in the rain and Dexter McCluster killed us on special teams. Missouri rain is the worst.

Missouri rain IS the worst, but not as bad as my first in-person Chargers game. You'll probably know where this is going after the next four words.

In September of 1998, a friend of mine from college who lived in KC at the time told me that he had an extra ticket to the Chargers/Chiefs game at Arrowhead and he invited me to drive up from Texas to stay the weekend with him and go to the game together. Of course, I said yes. I couldn't wait to see our rookie phenom, Ryan Leaf, lead us to a 3-0 record on the way to our first Super Bowl title!

The gates open at 10am for a noon kickoff and we were two of the first people in the stadium. We walked down to the rail and watched the Chargers warmup. During a break, Leaf walked over close to us. He signed a couple of footballs for a couple of kids and a hat for another guy. Then I asked him to sign my program. He looked up at my Chargers cap and said "Sure." Then he went back into the locker room without signing anything else for anyone. I'm thinking, "This is awesome! I've got the only Ryan Leaf signed program from today's game!" Then the game started.

Of course, you guys know what happened. Leaf went 1 for 15 for 4 yards, threw 2 interceptions and lost 4 fumbles and began his infamous downward spiral into MUCH less than mediocrity, to put it kindly. I had to endure all of this in the pouring Missouri rain in a thin and cheap rain pancho from Walmart while sitting next to one of my best friends, who of course, was loving all of this! Sigh.

The ONLY thing that went right in that game was that Natrone Means had a 72-yard TD run late in the 3rd quarter when the game was already decided anyway. I had my Means jersey on under my jacket, but my jacket never came off all day because of the weather, the thrashing of a game, and the sea of red that I was surrounded by.

I still have that program in a box somewhere. It might actually be worth something, but not for the right reason.

Even after experiencing that drenching beat down as my initiation into watching the Chargers live, my fandom has never wavered. In fact, every other Chargers game that I've seen in person (three vs.Texans and four vs. Cowboys), the Chargers have won. I guess karma is still paying me back for that first one!

[sonorajim]

1-11-81 Turds at the Murph.

[UtahBolt]

First live game: 1990 against the Oilers. Warren Moon vs. Billy Joe Tolliver. Nuff said. Anthony Miller scored a TD though, so there was that...

Best live game: 1994 opening night at the Broncos. The big comeback and then the Seau strip of Elway to seal it. I have told the story of the Donk fans on here many times and won't bore you again but that was quite a night!

Worst live game: 2006 playoff against NE. Ugh...worse day as a sports fan ever.

[therber219]

First live game was 2001 in Dallas.. It took me a Lotta years to make that trip happen, too many kids! Good game, I took alot of shit from Cowboy fans, but walked out at the end smiling with a W!
Last game live was 2015 in Green Bay.. That was an awesome game, sucked to lose but the Packer fans were great to drink with all game... First time my son was old enough to drink at a game with me, and he did pretty well!

[ghost]

Missouri rain IS the worst, but not as bad as my first in-person Chargers game. You'll probably know where this is going after the next four words.

In September of 1998, a friend of mine from college who lived in KC at the time told me that he had an extra ticket to the Chargers/Chiefs game at Arrowhead and he invited me to drive up from Texas to stay the weekend with him and go to the game together. Of course, I said yes. I couldn't wait to see our rookie phenom, Ryan Leaf, lead us to a 3-0 record on the way to our first Super Bowl title!

The gates open at 10am for a noon kickoff and we were two of the first people in the stadium. We walked down to the rail and watched the Chargers warmup. During a break, Leaf walked over close to us. He signed a couple of footballs for a couple of kids and a hat for another guy. Then I asked him to sign my program. He looked up at my Chargers cap and said "Sure." Then he went back into the locker room without signing anything else for anyone. I'm thinking, "This is awesome! I've got the only Ryan Leaf signed program from today's game!" Then the game started.

Of course, you guys know what happened. Leaf went 1 for 15 for 4 yards, threw 2 interceptions and lost 4 fumbles and began his infamous downward spiral into MUCH less than mediocrity, to put it kindly. I had to endure all of this in the pouring Missouri rain in a thin and cheap rain pancho from Walmart while sitting next to one of my best friends, who of course, was loving all of this! Sigh.

The ONLY thing that went right in that game was that Natrone Means had a 72-yard TD run late in the 3rd quarter when the game was already decided anyway. I had my Means jersey on under my jacket, but my jacket never came off all day because of the weather, the thrashing of a game, and the sea of red that I was surrounded by.

I still have that program in a box somewhere. It might actually be worth something, but not for the right reason.

Even after experiencing that drenching beat down as my initiation into watching the Chargers live, my fandom has never wavered. In fact, every other Chargers game that I've seen in person (three vs.Texans and four vs. Cowboys), the Chargers have won. I guess karma is still paying me back for that first one!

My Mustang hydroplanes something awful in heavy rain, and I was near St. Joseph, and I pulled off the Interstate into an awful-looking two-bit filling station to ride it out the storm. In 15 minutes, the lot was full of cars who couldn't go further. I've been in a few tornadoes, and storm-chase once, but Missouri rain, you can't even drive in that shit. Wild.

[Iowachargers 70]

Two words: Ed Hoculi

[FoutsFan]

My Mustang hydroplanes something awful in heavy rain, and I was near St. Joseph, and I pulled off the Interstate into an awful-looking two-bit filling station to ride it out the storm. In 15 minutes, the lot was full of cars who couldn't go further. I've been in a few tornadoes, and storm-chase once, but Missouri rain, you can't even drive in that shit. Wild.

In may of 2017 I was pulling my travel trailer with my Excursion on the 5 in Oregon near the Washington border and it rained, I have never been in rain like that I could have sworn I was driving behind a fire truck and they had a guy hitting my windshield with the fire hose.

[Boltnut]

1976 Chargers vs Rams. Having been born in Santa Barbara, I was a Rams fan first.
The defenses dominated that day.
Rams had Jack Youngblood, Larry Brooks, Merlin Olsen, and Fred Dryer along their DL.
Chargers had Leroy Jones, Gary Big Hands Johnson, Louie Kelcher, and Fred Dean along their DL.
The Chargers fans spent the whole day booing their own player... poor #74. Strange... because he had a great game that day.
Chargers lost in OT (10-13) but won a new 10-year-old fan.
The Chargers' fans were great that day.
Knowledgable and gracious.
They loved that 6-8 team.
Coryell was hired 2 years later.