The Chargers selected Don Macek out of Boston College in the second round of the 1976 draft, and the guard-turned-center became one of the franchise's most quietly valuable picks. As a rookie, he earned All-Rookie honors while starting at right guard, then shifted to center in 1979 and stayed there for the rest of his career. At 6-foot-3 and about 260 pounds, he was a durable, technically sound blocker who could handle the constant collisions in the middle of the line and still get out to the second level when the play called for it. He started 150 of his 162 games in San Diego, missing only a handful of starts across 14 seasons.

Most of those years lined up with Dan Fouts and the Air Coryell offense. Macek snapped the ball and helped anchor a line that allowed the fewest sacks per pass attempt in the NFL from 1981 to 1983, giving Fouts the time to lead the league in passing yards for four straight seasons. The Chargers won three consecutive AFC West titles from 1979 to 1981 and reached the AFC Championship Game twice during that stretch. Teammates such as Ed White lined up next to him for years, and the unit’s ability to keep the pocket clean helped the offense stretch the field the way it did. Macek never made a Pro Bowl, but he was the steady, understated presence who started nearly every snap for more than a decade.

He retired after the 1989 season. Throughout his career with the Chargers, he was the long-term center who helped protect one of the most prolific passing attacks the franchise has ever had.

The team later inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2004 alongside Ed White, recognizing the durable center who spent 14 years at center during the Air Coryell era.