San Diego Chargers: Top 5 Quarterbacks of All-Time

John Hadl, 1962-1972

For those of you who weren’t old enough to see Hadl play, he was the franchise quarterback before franchise quarterbacks were even in existence. From 1962-1972, Hadl was the Bolts main gunslinger during the franchise’s early days in California. He passed for 26,938 yards and 201 touchdowns during his 11-year career in San Diego. His touchdowns and yards both rank third all-time in Chargers history. Of course, his 50.1 completion percentage or 211 interceptions with the Bolts were not the greatest, but his 59-55-9 record stands to prove his true value to the Chargers franchise.

Reason that Hadl earns the third spot on this list is not only because of the rankings of his statistics, but because of his longevity with the Bolts. In today’s fast-paced free agent market, it is inspiring to see Hadl stick with the Chargers (a relatively young team with no history) as long as he did. Of course, there was also no free agency when he played but his perseverance is worth noting.

Hadl was named to five Pro Bowls with San Diego and ranked first in the AFL in attempts, completions, passing yards and touchdown passes in both 1968 and 1971. Not to mention, according to his Pro-Football Reference profile, Hadl was a punter for the Chargers for some time, averaging 39.7 yards per punt – including 40.6 yards per punt in 1965.

Hadl wasn’t the greatest or most dominating passer, but he still earned the recognition as the first great Bolts passer. He was a part of the Bolts 1963 AFL Championship season (the franchise’s only league title) and was instrumental in creating a dynasty in San Diego.

Next: Number Three: Short-Lived Stan