CHARGERS RELEASE

As part of the NFL’s Color Rush initiative, the San Diego Chargers are set to debut a new uniform that honors one of the most successful periods in franchise history.

In a nod to the Air Coryell era, the team will don Royal Blue “Color Rush” uniforms when they host the Denver Broncos Oct. 13 on Thursday Night Football at Qualcomm Stadium.  To compliment the Royal Blue jerseys, pants, socks and shoes, the players will also wear helmets with gold facemasks that were also worn in that era.  It’s the first time the Bolts are donning the Royal Blue since it was made popular by Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow and other great players who wore the color from 1974-84.  The Chargers switched to a Navy Blue heading into the 1985 campaign.

“We met with Nike and went through several options,” said President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos.  “Wearing the Royal Blue was an idea that we got really excited about.  It’s a color from our past that is synonymous with an era we all feel fondly about.  It will be the first time in 30 years we will wear Royal Blue in a game, and it is something we think the fans will enjoy seeing again.”

The NFL partnered with Nike to launch the Color Rush program in 2015 as “a new way for NFL teams to unify their fans and communities by wearing uniforms that completely drape players from neck to toe in one of the team’s current or historic colors.”

The Thursday Night Football Color Rush schedule for 2016 includes:

9/15 – Jets at Bills

9/22 – Texans at Patriots

9/29 – Dolphins at Bengals

10/6 – Cardinals at 49ers

10/13 –  Broncos at Chargers

10/20 –  Bears at Packers

10/27 –  Jaguars at Titans

11/3 –  Falcons at Buccaneers

11/10 –  Browns at Ravens

11/17 –  Saints at Panthers

12/1 –  Cowboys at Vikings

12/8 –  Raiders at Chiefs

12/15 –  Rams at Seahawks

12/22 –  Giants at Eagles

12/25 – Ravens at Steelers (special edition of Thursday Night Football)

One-hundred percent of the NFL’s proceeds from the sale of Color Rush jerseys will go directly to the NFL Foundation to fund health, safety and wellness programs for youth around the country. The NFL Foundation is the league’s nonprofit organization representing all 32 clubs and funds grants to support athletes, youth football and the communities which support our great game. The first $500,000 raised from this initiative will be earmarked to replace youth and high school football equipment and fields lost in last month’s devastating floods in Louisiana.

Color Rush jerseys and other apparel are available at NFLShop.com, Nike.com, and at various club retailers.

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About the San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers originated as the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League in 1960.  The team relocated to San Diego in 1961 and captured the American Football League championship in 1963.  It finished first in five of the 10 AFL seasons.  Since joining the National Football League when the two leagues merged in 1970, the Chargers have won 11 AFC West division titles, including five titles in the last 12 seasons (2004-15).  Overall, the team has played in 28 playoff games.  The Chargers were purchased by construction leader and real estate developer Alex G. Spanos in 1984 and has been under the guidance of Spanos’ eldest son Dean, the team’s current Chairman of the Board, since 1994.  That same season the team won the AFC Championship and played in Super Bowl XXIX.  All Chargers games are annually the highest-rated television programming in San Diego.  The Chargers play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium and the Spanos family, nationally renowned as one of San Diego’s and the NFL’s most philanthropic families, has invested millions of dollars in an effort to secure a new Super Bowl-quality, multi-use venue for San Diego.