FOOTBALL isn't just a game – it's a business, too, as proven by the Los Angeles Chargers' latest decision to cut ties with some of the team's key staff.
On December 15, 2023, Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos shocked Chargers fans when he fired the team's head coach and general manager after the team suffered a crushing defeat against the Las Vegas Raiders the night before.
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Who owns the Los Angeles Chargers?
In 1984, billionaire real estate developer and founder of the A.G. Spanos Companies, Alex Spanos, purchased a majority interest in the team.
He was able to buy the football franchise for around $72 million.
A.G. Spanos Companies is a builder of commercial buildings, communities, and multifamily residences.
The company is considered to be one of the largest apartment developers in the US.
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The Los Angeles Chargers are currently owned by Dean Alexander Spanos, Alex's son.
Dean Spanos took over the team's daily operations in 1994, eventually becoming president and CEO.
He passed daily operations to his own sons, John and A.G., in 2015 and took over full ownership after Alex died in 2018.
Under Dean's leadership, the Chargers won 113 games between 2004 and 2014.
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On January 12, 2017, Dean announced that the team, then playing as the San Diego Chargers, would be relocating, returning to their "birthplace" in Los Angeles.
The team would end up paying the NFL a $645 million relocation fee.
The Chargers currently play home games at SoFi Stadium, which they share with the Los Angeles Rams.
Besides his work and interest in football, Dean is an avid philanthropist.
In 1999, his family launched Chargers Champions through the Community Foundation, supporting local schools.
In 2011, he donated $500,000 to the University of California, San Diego, for the Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center.
He's also a proud supporter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, leading the team to partner with the San Diego chapter in honor of his wife, Susie, a breast cancer survivor.
Dean also created the Chargers Champions All-Star Gala, which recognizes high school students and educators in the San Diego, and now Los Angeles, areas.
After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Spanos, along with the Chargers, donated $500,000 to hurricane relief funds.
As of October 2023, the Los Angeles Chargers are worth $4.15 billion.
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When were the Los Angeles Chargers founded?
The Los Angeles Chargers were founded in Los Angeles, California on August 14, 1959.
The team's first season occurred in 1960 when the team was a charter member of the American Football League.
In 1961, the team relocated to San Diego, becoming the San Diego Chargers.
The team joined the NFL in 1970 after the AFL-NFL merger.
After 56 seasons in San Diego, the Chargers moved back to Los Angeles in 2017, starting with the 2017 football season – the NFL's 98th season in history, and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era.
Just one year before, the Rams had also moved back to LA after spending 21 seasons in St. Louis.
Despite their long history, the team has only won one AFC championship in 1994.
The team has only appeared in one Super Bowl, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in 1995.
Since 1970, they've played for the American Football Conference –Western Division, known as AFC West.
In addition to the Los Angeles Chargers, the division includes the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Las Vegas Raiders.
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Who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers?
On Friday, December 15, 2023, the Los Angeles Chargers announced that they fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.
Brandon Staley was the team's 17th head coach in franchise history.
He became the first head coach with a defensive background in over a decade.
Staley was born on December 10, 1982, in Perry, Ohio.
He played college football at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, and Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Staley began his coaching career at Northern Illinois, serving as a graduate assistant from 2006 to 2008.
He then went on to work with defensive linemen and special teams at St. Thomas University in Minnesota in 2009.
In 2010 and 2011, Staley served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
He spent the 2012 football season as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee.
Between 2013 and 2016, Staley worked as a defensive coordinator and secondary coach at John Carroll University.
In 2015, he had a brief stint as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at James Madison University.
Staley began working with the NFL in 2017.
He was first hired by the Chicago Bears as their outside linebackers coach.
He was hired for the same position in 2019 by the Denver Broncos.
In 2020, he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator.
On January 17, 2021, Staley replaced Anthony Lynn as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
He made his official debut on September 12, 2021, leading the Chargers to a 20-16 victory against the Washington Football Team.
In 2021, the Chargers finished third in the AFC West, with nine wins and eight losses.
In 2022, they finished second, with 10 wins and seven losses.
In 2023, Staley had so far led the Chargers to five wins and nine losses.
The day before his firing, the Chargers lost 63-21 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football.
On December 15, 2023, in a statement released via X, Chargers owner Dean Spanos wrote: "I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication, and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best."
"These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly – especially when you consider the number of people they impact."
"We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision. Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take."
"Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they've earned more."
He added: "Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today."
The team's director of player personnel, JoJo Wooden, will serve as the team's general manager on an interim basis.
The team's outside linebackers coach, Giff Smith, has been named interim head coach.
Smith was born on October 12, 1968 in Mableton, Georgia.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas in 1991 and at the University of Georgia from 1994 to 1995.
Smith also had coaching stints at Georgia Southern University as a wide receivers coach in 1996, Tulane University as a defensive line coach in 1999, and Georgia Tech as a defensive line coach in 2004.
In 2010, Smith was hired by the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach.
Smith was also a defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans in 2014, and the San Diego Chargers in 2016.
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In 2017, when the Chargers relocated to Los Angeles, Smith was retained as the defensive line coach and later promoted by Staley to outside linebackers coach.
It is unclear whether Smith will become the team's permanent coach, or how long he will serve as the team's interim coach.
