Aug. 7, 1960: The Chargers opened their first season in the American Football League and their only season in Los Angeles with a 27-7 victory at the Coliseum over the New York Titans.

The Chargers were coached by former Ram leader Sid Gillman and led by a quarterback who would be an early star in the league and later a well-respected politician.

Jack Kemp, described by The Times as a journeyman NFL quarterback who played college ball at Occidental in Los Angeles, would go on to have a solid career in the AFL with the Chargers and Buffalo Bills. He might have been even better at politics as a congressman, secretary of HUD during the Reagan administration and vice presidential candidate.

–Keith Thursby