Paul Lowe was undrafted out of Oregon State in 1959 and didn’t stick with the 49ers in training camp, but the brand-new American Football League gave him a fresh shot in 1960. He landed with the Los Angeles Chargers and immediately made noise as the starting halfback. As a rookie, he ran for 855 yards on just 136 carries—an eye-popping 6.3 yards per attempt that led the league—while also hauling in 23 passes for 377 yards. He earned First-Team All-AFL honors and showed the kind of speed and elusiveness that would make him a problem for defenses for years.

Once the team moved to San Diego, Lowe kept producing. In 1961, he led the AFL with nine rushing touchdowns and ripped off an 87-yard score that still stands as a Chargers record. He missed all of 1962 with a broken arm, then bounced back in 1963 with 1,010 rushing yards and another eight touchdowns as the Chargers won the AFL Championship; in that title game he ran for 94 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, in the 51-10 blowout of Boston. Two years later he had his biggest season, leading the league with 1,121 rushing yards and six scores while earning AFL Player of the Year honors from The Sporting News and another First-Team All-AFL selection. Sid Gillman once compared his speed and change of pace to Gale Sayers, and Lowe’s ability to hit the outside on toss plays made him a constant threat.

He played another year-plus in San Diego before the Chargers released him in 1968. Across his time with the franchise, he finished with 4,972 rushing yards, 1,045 receiving yards, and 45 total touchdowns, numbers that made him one of the most productive backs the early Chargers ever had.

The team later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1979, recognizing the elusive halfback who had helped define the franchise’s first championship run and spent the better part of a decade wearing out opposing defenses.