The strength of three: The 30 greatest trios in NFL history
By Ian Cummings
Air Coryell . 22. player. 13. . Don Coryell, Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow. San Diego Chargers
In different contexts, the very word “success” has different definitions. Some trios define success as the jewelry on their fingers, while others define it as their consistent competitiveness across eras. The Air Coryell unit boasts neither; instead, the San Diego Chargers of the 1980s can put on their résumé that they revolutionized the very sport of football itself.
That’s not to say that Air Coryell didn’t experience success. With the offensive genius of Don Coryell, the strong-armed, fearless Dan Fouts, and the perplexing offensive mismatch that was Kellen Winslow Sr., the Chargers earned three straight AFC West titles from 1979 to 1981. From 1979 to 1982, the peak of Coryell’s reign, the Chargers amassed a record of 49-18.
Despite their more than modest success, the Chargers, under the influence of Air Coryell, never made it to a Super Bowl. They were 3-4 in the playoffs in Coryell’s tenure and they ventured closest to a ring in 1980 when they lost to the Raiders by a touchdown in the AFC Championship. Nevertheless, there are other ways to make an impact that transcends generations.
Coryell was dubbed the “father of the modern passing offense” by former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz. His Chargers offense led the league in passing yards for six straight years, and it was the inauguration of the Air Coryell unit that marked a key precipice in NFL history.
In 1980, the average team’s first downs by passing across the league eclipsed 10.0 for the first time. Average passing attempts per game rose above 30.0 for the first time in NFL history as well. One year later, the average passing yards per game hit the 200.0-mark.
Coryell did something that had seldom been done before: he molded his offense around the forward pass and then forced the NFL to evolve, to keep up. Fouts and Winslow are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for their contributions. Coryell’s Chargers never won the big one, but if not for Coryell’s influence, others might not have gotten the chance, generations beyond.