 Balboa Stadium
San
Diego, CA
Although Balboa Stadium was the home
to some great San Diego Charger teams in the 1960s, few fans know
about the stadium the team played at prior to moving to Qualcomm Stadium. In 1960, the
team, then located in Los Angeles, played at the LA Coliseum. For
one season the Chargers played in Los Angeles before owner Barron
Hilton moved the team to San Diego and Balboa Stadium. Balboa
Stadium was constructed in 1914 next to the campus of San Diego
High School. Originally it was a simple stadium with concrete
seats on both sides of the field. When the Chargers moved to San
Diego the stadium was expanded. In May 1961, an upper deck was
constructed increasing the capacity from 23,000 to 34,000. This
gave the stadium its classic horseshoe look. The Chargers played
their first game at Balboa Stadium on August 6, 1961 when they
beat the Houston Oilers. For six seasons the Chargers played at the stadium
winning the AFL Championship in 1961, 1963 and 1965. In the mid
1960s local sportswriter Jack Murphy began to build support for a
new stadium to be constructed in Mission Valley. He was successful
and a new 50,000 seat stadium, now known as Qualcomm Stadium, was
constructed. The Chargers played their last game at Balboa Stadium
in December 1966 and moved into Qualcomm Stadium in 1967. Today
Balboa Stadium is used for various high school sports.
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FACTS & FIGURES |
-Tenant: San Diego Chargers
-Capacity: 34,000
-Surface: Grass
-Opened: August 6, 1961 (NFL)
-Closed: December 16, 1966 (NFL)
-Other Names: None
-Cost:
Unknown
-Architect: Unknown
-Demolished:
Currently used for high school sports.
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Chargers
Tickets |
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Balboa Stadium Poster |
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