Ever have to explain why you are a Chargers fan?

Here in Oregon I've gotten that question a thousand times it seems. Many times if I'm at a place watching a Chargers game on satellite, or just wearing Charger merch, I get people asking me that. Like I have to explain why...I hardly ever see a Raiders, Packers, Cowboys, or Steelers fan having to explain themselves why they like the team they do. But to be a Bolts fan, there has to be more to it? And of course the question gets posed more often when San Diego has success.

For me, I've been a Chargers fan going on 30 years now. Heck, I still even have a Chargers shirt from then with a 1978 copyright date. No no, it doesn't fit anymore. Probably the last time it was worn was maybe what, 1981? My early memories of watching them on television unfortunately are based around the Holy Roller game in '78. They got hosed on that. Several years ago I picked up a VHS copy of it, and man...it seems like the entire game the Chargers would go on to win. What people never mention is that if kicker Rolf Benirschke would not have missed a PAT the game would have gone overtime, final score being 21-20.

Anyway, growing up I had relatives in San Diego. My mother lived for a time in Lemon Grove. So of all the NFL cities that's what I identified with. We visited a few times in the late '70s/early '80s. It seemed like paradise, and I'm not just talking the climate. Driving around and seeing Chargers stuff on billboards, buildings, and just about anything was the greatest thing in the world. Plus, Dan Fouts played his college ball at the University of Oregon here in Eugene. So that was the local tie-in. I've met Fouts several times over the years. He often is at Oregon football games being a broadcaster and attends some of the Ducks basketball games during the winter. Pretty cool, approachable guy. The first time I met him was in the spring of 1983 at a store opening here. It was great!

Last but not least, as a kid I loved the futuristic uniforms with the lightning bolts. John Jefferson looked and played like the coolest guy in the game. And yes, the uniforms from that era are my all-time favorites.

So anyway, that's a little of how I became a Chargers fan. And ever since I turned 21 I've made it a point to watch every game on TV whether local or satellite. And yeah, try to make it to at least one game in person each year. Mentioning the TV package, it still irks me that back in 2000 when the Chargers went 1-15 the only win of the season was pre-empted by the Katherine Harris Florida Presidential vote issue. Seriously, even on the NFL package when the Chargers won that game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs at the end I didn't actually see it. That was my "Heidi" moment. So from a certain point of view I didn't see them win a game that entire season. The best thing about 2000 was the 40th Anniversary logo...I still have a bundle of that merchandise.

And that's a little of why I follow the Bolts...