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balboa stadium
Built in 1914, Balboa Stadium is located behind San Diego High School and was the San Diego Chargers' home from 1961-66. A
high school field with concrete slab seats, Balboa Stadium witnessed the Chargers' glory years, which featured such players
as John Hadl, Lance Alworth and Ernie Ladd, and hosted the 1961, 1963, and 1965 American Football League championship games,
as well as the 1961, 1962, and 1963 AFL All-Star games. In their six seasons here, head coach Sid Gillman's club finished
with a combined record of 28-12-2, winning four Western Division titles and one league crown. In 1967, the team left Balboa
for new San Diego Stadium (now Qualcomm Stadium) in Mission Valley, where the club's glory slowed and the titles stopped (although
they did win several American Football Conference Western Division titles) until they won the AFC championship after the 1994
season. The stadium also hosted local amateur and professional baseball contests in the period prior to the establishment
of the Pacific Coast League Padres in 1936.
The stadium had a seating capacity of 34,000. Today the capacity has been significantly reduced.
The NCAA football Harbor Bowl was held there from 1947 to 1949.
The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix have performed at Balboa Stadium.
Current Use
Today the stadium, with a much smaller seating capacity than at the time it housed the Chargers, is used for local high
school sporting and other events. The stadium is owned by the city of San Diego and leased to the San Diego Unified School
District, which is responsible for its maintenence. An article in the San Diego Union-Tribune from November 27, 2006 highlighted
the state of disrepair the stadium is in. The field is covered in artificial turf installed in 2001 that is torn and rippling,
and the track surrounding the field has some dangerous depressions that could cause injury.
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