1994 San Diego Chargers season
The 1994 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 35th, its 25th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 34th in San Diego.
1994 San Diego Chargers season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Bobby Ross |
General manager | Bobby Beathard |
Owner | Alex Spanos |
Home field | Jack Murphy Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 11–5 |
Division place | 1st AFC West |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) 22–21 Won Conference Championship (Steelers) 17–13 Lost Super Bowl XXIX (49ers) 26–49 |
Pro Bowlers | K John Carney RB Natrone Means LB Junior Seau DE Leslie O'Neal |
The 1994 season began with the team trying to improve on their 8–8 record in 1993. They finished the season with an 11–5 record and were crowned AFC West Champions. After a 17–13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game, they would advance to Super Bowl XXIX, only to lose to the San Francisco 49ers 49–26 at Joe Robbie Stadium. To date, this is the Chargers' most recent, and only, Super Bowl appearance.
Offseason
NFL Draft
1994 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 43 | Isaac Davis | Guard | Arkansas | |
2 | 63 | Vaughn Parker | Offensive tackle | UCLA | |
3 | 70 | Andre Coleman | Wide receiver | Kansas State | |
3 | 82 | Willie Clark | Cornerback | Notre Dame | |
5 | 137 | Aaron Laing | Tight end | New Mexico State | |
5 | 145 | Rodney Harrison * | Safety | Western Illinois | |
5 | 150 | Darren Krein | Defensive end | Miami (FL) | |
5 | 160 | Tony Vinson | Running back | Towson | |
7 | 207 | Zane Beehn | Linebacker | Kentucky | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Undrafted free agents
Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|
David Binn | Long snapper | California |
Jeff Brohm | Quarterback | Louisville |
Greg Engel | Center | Illinois |
Mike Hollis | Kicker | Idaho |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | Location | Record | TV Time(PT) | Announcing Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 4, 1994 | at Denver Broncos | W 37–34 | Mile High Stadium | 1–0 | TNT 5:00pm | Gary Bender & Pat Haden | |
2 | September 11, 1994 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–10 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 2–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Dan Hicks & Bob Golic | |
3 | September 18, 1994 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 24–10 | Husky Stadium | 3–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Jim Lampley & Todd Christensen | |
4 | September 25, 1994 | at Los Angeles Raiders | W 26–24 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 4–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Dick Enberg & Bob Trumpy | |
5 | Bye | |||||||
6 | October 9, 1994 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–6 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 5–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Charlie Jones & Randy Cross | |
7 | October 16, 1994 | at New Orleans Saints | W 36–22 | Louisiana Superdome | 6–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Marv Albert & Paul Maguire | |
8 | October 23, 1994 | Denver Broncos | L 15–20 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 6–1 | NBC 1:00pm | Charlie Jones & Randy Cross | |
9 | October 30, 1994 | Seattle Seahawks | W 35–15 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 7–1 | NBC 1:00pm | Tom Hammond & Cris Collinsworth | |
10 | November 6, 1994 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 9–10 | Georgia Dome | 7–2 | NBC 10:00am | Marv Albert & Paul Maguire | |
11 | November 13, 1994 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 14–13 | Arrowhead Stadium | 8–2 | NBC 10:00am | Dick Enberg & Bob Trumpy | |
12 | November 20, 1994 | at New England Patriots | L 17–23 | Foxboro Stadium | 8–3 | NBC 10:00am | Don Criqui & Beasley Reece | |
13 | November 27, 1994 | Los Angeles Rams | W 31–17 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 9–3 | FOX 1:00pm | Dick Stockton & Matt Millen | |
14 | December 5, 1994 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 17–24 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 9–4 | ABC 6:00pm | Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf | |
15 | December 11, 1994 | San Francisco 49ers | L 15–38 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 9–5 | FOX 1:00pm | Pat Summerall & John Madden | |
16 | December 18, 1994 | at New York Jets | W 21–6 | Giants Stadium | 10–5 | NBC 10:00am | Tom Hammond & Cris Collinsworth | |
17 | December 24, 1994 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 37–34 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 11–5 | NBC 1:00pm | Jim Lampley & Todd Christensen |
Game summaries
Week 1
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Week 2
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Standings
AFC West | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) San Diego Chargers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 381 | 306 | W2 |
(6) Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 319 | 298 | W2 |
Los Angeles Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 303 | 327 | L1 |
Denver Broncos | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 347 | 396 | L3 |
Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 287 | 323 | L2 |
Playoffs
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time(PT) | TV Announcers | Attendance | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | January 8, 1995 | Miami Dolphins | W 22–21 | NBC 1:00pm | Dick Enberg & Bob Trumpy | Jack Murphy Stadium | |
Conference Championship | January 15, 1995 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–13 | NBC 9:30am | Dick Enberg & Bob Trumpy | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Super Bowl | January 29, 1995 | San Francisco 49ers | L 26–49 | ABC 3:00pm | Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf | Joe Robbie Stadium |
Game Summaries
AFC Divisional Playoffs: Dolphins vs Chargers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Chargers | 0 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 22 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 63,381
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
Game information |
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The Chargers overcame a 21–6 halftime deficit by limiting the Dolphins offense to only 16 plays in the second half.
AFC Championship Game: Chargers at Steelers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), fog with heavy rain
- Game attendance: 61,545
- Referee: Gerald Austin
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
Game information |
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With the upset win over the Steelers, the Chargers go to their first Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXIX: Chargers vs 49ers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 26 |
49ers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
- Date: January 29, 1995
- Game attendance: 74,107
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play-by-play), Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf (color commentators)
Deaths of players
The 1994 Chargers are also remembered for tragedy in the form of numerous untimely deaths, as eight of the players from that 1994 squad have died prematurely since that time, all by the age of 44. It is part of a supposed locally infamous curse in the San Diego area, involving its sports teams.
- June 19, 1995 – Linebacker David Griggs died in a car accident when his vehicle slid off a ramp on Florida's Turnpike, linking to three roads just west of Fort Lauderdale and subsequently slammed into a pole, he was 28 years old.[2]
- May 11, 1996 – Running back Rodney Culver and his wife Karen were among the 110 people (105 passengers, 5 crew members) aboard ValuJet Flight 592 when it crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing everyone aboard. He was 26 years old.[3]
- July 21, 1998 – Linebacker Doug Miller died after being struck twice by lightning during a thunderstorm while camping in Colorado. He was 29 years old.[4]
- May 11, 2008 – Center Curtis Whitley died of a drug overdose. His body was discovered by sheriff deputies in his trailer home in Fort Stockton, Texas, just one day after his 39th birthday. One of the drugs he was known to use was Crystal methamphetamine.[5]
- October 15, 2008 – Defensive end Chris Mims was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment by police officers conducting a welfare check. The most likely cause of death was cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart since he weighed 456 pounds or 207 kilograms when he died. He was 38 years old.[6][7]
- February 26, 2011 – Defensive tackle Shawn Lee died from a cardiac arrest resulting from double pneumonia. Lee had been suffering from diabetes for years prior to his death. He was 44 years old.[8]
- December 8, 2011 – Linebacker Lewis Bush died from an apparent heart attack, just six days after his 42nd birthday.[9]
- May 2, 2012 – Linebacker Junior Seau died in his home in Oceanside, California. Seau was discovered already lifeless by his girlfriend. His death was likely a suicide since a self-inflicted gunshot wound was apparent to the chest. He was 43 years old.[10]
References
- "1994 San Diego Chargers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
- David Griggs; Football Player, 28 – published by The New York Times on June 21, 1995.
- ON PRO FOOTBALL; Questions With Few Answers in Culver's Death – published by Thomas George for The New York Times on May 26, 1996.
- Doug Miller, LB at NFL.com
- Former center Whitley found dead in his Texas trailer home – NFL – ESPN – published on May 14, 2008.
- Chris Mims Obituary – published by U-T San Diego.
- Chris Mims | Former Charger Mims dead at 38 – published by Sam Farmer for the Los Angeles Times on October 16, 2008.
- Former Chargers DL Shawn Lee dead at 44 | UTSanDiego.com – published by Chris Jenkins for U-T San Diego on February 28, 2011.
- Ex-Washington High, WSU great Bush dies | NFL – The News Tribune Archived September 13, 2012, at Archive.today – published by The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington on December 9, 2011.
- Junior Seau, Famed N.F.L. Linebacker, Dies at 43 – Suicide is Suspected – NYTimes.com – published by Greg Bishop and Rob Davis for The New York Times on May 2, 2012.