Gary Garrison stayed close to home after starring at San Diego State, choosing the local Chargers over the Philadelphia Eagles after being selected in both the AFL and NFL drafts. He joined the team for the 1966 season and immediately carved out a role as a serious threat in Sid Gillman’s innovative passing attack, catching 46 passes for 642 yards as a rookie.

Over the next decade, he became one of the Chargers’ steadiest receivers, finishing among the league’s top ten in receiving yards in seven different seasons and posting two 1,000-yard campaigns. His best years came in 1968 (1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns) and 1970 (1,006 yards and 12 scores). Nicknamed “The Ghost” for the way he slipped into open spaces and ran precise routes, Garrison averaged nearly 19 yards per catch across his Chargers career. Gillman praised his work ethic, acceleration, and ability to create separation, calling him one of the finest receivers he had coached.

Garrison’s time in San Diego ended after the 1976 season, and he tallied 404 receptions for 7,533 yards and 58 touchdowns. He earned an AFL All-Star selection and four Pro Bowl nods (1968, 1970–1972), serving as a reliable complement to stars like Lance Alworth before becoming a primary target himself. Even as the offense evolved in the early 1970s, he continued producing big plays until injuries and age slowed him in his final years with the club.

The franchise later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1985, recognizing his long stretch of consistent production as a local product who helped define the Chargers’ passing game for more than a decade.

Doug Wilkerson arrived in San Diego before the 1971 season via a trade from the Houston Oilers, sent in exchange for tight end Willie Frazier. Frazier had been a two-time AFL All-Star for the Chargers, but his best years were behind him. Wilkerson, who had spent his rookie year mostly as a defensive end and backup, settled in as the starting left guard and quickly became a fixture.

For the next fourteen seasons, he anchored the interior of the line and rarely missed a game. He started all 195 of his appearances with the Chargers, missing only a handful of contests across the entire stretch. Athletic and mobile for a 6-foot-3, 250-pound guard—he had been timed at 9.8 in the 100 as a college player—Wilkerson excelled at pulling on sweeps, sustaining blocks at the second level, and providing the pocket stability that let Dan Fouts operate. Once Don Coryell’s high-powered passing attack took hold in the late 1970s, Wilkerson’s combination of quickness, leverage, and intensity helped protect one of the league’s most prolific offenses while still contributing to a strong running game.

His peak recognition came from 1980 through 1982, when he earned three straight Pro Bowl selections and a First-Team All-Pro honor in 1982. He served as a team captain for five years and was frequently named the Chargers’ Lineman of the Year. During that stretch, the offense ranked among the league’s best in scoring, and Wilkerson’s reliability was a constant as San Diego made multiple playoff runs and reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games.

Wilkerson retired after the 1984 season. The franchise later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2000 and placed him on both the 40th and 50th Anniversary Teams, recognizing the long, steady tenure of a guard who had helped define the Air Coryell era from the inside.

Drafted eighth overall in the 1986 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State—where he was a two-time consensus All-American—Leslie O'Neal immediately delivered one of the most explosive introductory stretches by a pass rusher in league history. Stepping into the starting lineup for the San Diego Chargers, he terrorized opposing backfields right out of the gate, compiling an astonishing 12.5 sacks in his first 13 professional games to capture AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and earn a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

However, what promised to be a legendary rookie campaign turned tragic in Week 14 against St. Louis, when O'Neal suffered a devastating knee injury that tore multiple ligaments. The severe damage forced him into a grueling rehabilitation process that stripped away his entire 1987 season and kept him sidelined for the first half of 1988.

After returning full-time, O'Neal shifted to outside linebacker and rewarded San Diego's patience in 1989 with an explosive full-season comeback. With his trademark burst off the edge, he racked up 12.5 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl selection, instantly reaffirming his place among the game's premier defenders.

Moving back to his natural defensive end spot in 1992, O'Neal kicked off a dominant four-year run of Pro Bowl selections from 1992 through 1995. He reached double-digit sacks in five distinct seasons for the Bolts, headlined by a career-high 17.0 sacks in 1992 that co-led the entire NFL. In 1994, he anchored a fierce defensive unit that carried San Diego to an AFC Championship and the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl XXIX).

Following nine active seasons in Southern California, O'Neal departed in 1996 for St. Louis, playing two years with the Rams and spending his final two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He retired with 132.5 career sacks, tied for 14th on the NFL's all-time official leaderboard. In 2014, the Chargers formally enshrined his legendary status by inducting him into the Chargers Hall of Fame.  With the Chargers, O’Neal compiled 105.5 sacks (franchise record), 517 combined tackles, 22 forced fumbles, and 13 fumble recoveries.

Selected fourth overall in the 1968 AFL Draft out of Missouri—where he was a standout lineman and Big Eight Player of the Year—Russ Washington arrived in San Diego, expected to anchor the defensive front. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing nearly 300 pounds, he lined up primarily at defensive tackle during his first two seasons and earned AFL All-Rookie Team honors. However, a position switch in his third year altered the trajectory of both his career and the franchise's offensive line.

Moving to right tackle in 1970, Washington found his true calling as an impenetrable pass blocker. Opponents quickly dubbed him "Mt. Washington" due to his massive frame, low center of gravity, and immovable base. Pass rushers couldn’t drive through him or get around his long reach. His insertion at right tackle gave signal-callers like John Hadl and later Dan Fouts an absolute wall on the edge, creating the deep pockets Sid Gillman and Don Coryell needed to stretch defenses downfield.

Washington’s dominance at tackle earned him national acclaim across multiple coaching eras. He was selected to five Pro Bowls (1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1979) and earned First-Team All-Pro honors from the NEA in 1974, along with multiple Second-Team All-Pro recognitions. When Coryell unleashed the historic "Air Coryell" passing offense in the late 1970s, Washington and left tackle Doug Wilkerson held down the edges, allowing Fouts to drop back and rewrite the NFL passing records.

Beyond his individual accolades, Washington was an absolute pillar of durability. Over 15 seasons in San Diego, he played in 200 regular-season games, starting 196. He anchored the line through 148 consecutive games at one point, serving as an indisputable team leader during San Diego's back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 1980 and 1981.

When Washington retired following the 1982 season, he held the franchise record for most games played in a Chargers uniform (a mark later passed by Junior Seau and Philip Rivers). His fifteen years of selfless, elite service were permanently recognized in 1995 when he was enshrined in the Chargers Hall of Fame.