What NFL Teams Are in Los Angeles?
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A look at the two NFL teams that call Los Angeles home, the Rams and the Chargers.
The Rams
The Rams are a professional American football team that compete in the National Football League (NFL). They are based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
History
The Rams were founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. After winning the 1945 NFL Championship, the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1946. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
Stadium
The Rams play their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Coliseum was originally built in 1923 and has a capacity of over 93,000 fans. The Rams moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016 and have a lease to play at the Coliseum until 2023.
Notable Players
The Rams have had many notable players throughout their history. Some of the most famous Rams include quarterbacks Kurt Warner andBob Waterfield, running back Eric Dickerson, and wide receiver Isaac Bruce. The team has also produced defensive greats such as Jack Youngblood and Deacon Jones.
The Chargers
The Chargers are a professional American football team based in Los Angeles. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team was founded on August 14, 1959, and began play on September 10, 1960, as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles, before moving to San Diego in 1961.
History
The Chargers began in Los Angeles in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team played its home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Chargers were then relocated to San Diego in 1961.
Stadium
The Chargers play their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The stadium opened in 2003 and has a capacity of 27,000.
Notable Players
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team was founded on August 14, 1959, and began play on September 10, 1960, as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles, before moving to San Diego in 1961. The Chargers joined the NFL asresult of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, and played their home games at SDCCU Stadium. The return of the Chargers to Los Angeles was announced for the 2017 season, just their second season back in Southern California since 1961. Stan Humphries is their all-time leading passer; LaDainian Tomlinson is their leading rusher and Darren Sproles is their leading receiver.
The Raiders
History
The Raiders are a professional American football franchise based in Oakland, California. The Raiders began play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League (AFL); they joined the National Football League (NFL) as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team’s off-field fortunes have varied considerably over the years. The team’s first three years of operation (1960–1962), when they were known as the Oakland Raiders, were relatively successful; despite failing to make the playoffs, the Raiders won nine games in each of those seasons. In 1963, however, the Raiders’ coverage in the San Francisco Bay Area declined sharply following the arrival of an NFL franchise – the San Francisco 49ers – that same year; attendance at Raiders games declined accordingly.
During this period, an intense rivalry developed between the Raiders and their cross-bay rivals, which helped contribute to their shaky financial status during that time; this rivalry would later become one of professional football’s fiercest and most well-known. Since 1963, however, theRaiders’ fortunes have improved dramatically; they have won fourteen division championships (three AFL West titles and eleven AFC West titles), four AFC Championships (1976, 1980, 1983, and 2002), and one Super Bowl title (XV). At the end of his ownership tenure from 1972 to 1974, Al Davis – who would go on to purchase a controlling interest in 1976 – began a highly controversial period for both Davis himself and for the team; many players from this era claim that Davis became dictatorial during these years and ruined what had been a great team. In 1982, Davis moved back to Oakland; he resumed control of the team one year later.
Stadium
The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum. The Coliseum was also home to the Oakland Raiders from their 1963 founding until 1981. From 1982 to 1994, the Raiders played in Los Angeles. They returned to Oakland in 1995.
Notable Players
Some of the most notable players in Raiders history include defensive end Howie Long, linebacker Ted Hendricks, quarterback Ken Stabler, and running back Marcus Allen. Wide receiver Tim Brown and coach John Madden are also Hall of Famers.
