The Uncrowned Champs: How the 1963 San Diego Chargers Would Have Won the Super Bowl

by Dave Steidel, Lance Alworth (Foreword)

Before the inception of the Super Bowl-football’s faceoff of the best teams to find out who is truly superior-the two leagues (AFL and NFL) would each have their own championship game. This bad blood stuck around until the merger of the leagues in 1966.Since beginning play in 1960, the American Football League had always taken a backseat to the National Football League. It was considered a secondary league; the best and most skilled players went to the more powerful NFL, which had been around for nearly fifty years.During the 1963 NFL season, the Chicago Bears reigned supreme, commanding every team that crossed their path. But were they the best team in football? If you asked the San Diego Chargers of the AFL, that answer would be a resounding no.The Uncrowned Champs follows the incredible season of the ’63 Chargers as they transformed their roster from a 4–10 finish in 1962 to a conquering force that ripped through the AFL. With a week-to-week breakdown, Dave Steidel chronicles the team’s innovative, high-scoring, juggernaut offense and top-rated defense that featured a fearsome, foursome front-line.Unfortunately for football fans, the Bears and Chargers never met on the field that year. But thanks to new technology, we are able to conduct a computer simulation of what would have been the first Super Bowl game and answer the fifty-year-old question of who was the best football team of ’63?Featuring a foreword by Chargers Hall of Fame wide-receiver Lance Alworth, The Uncrowned Champs is a terrific look into the pre–Super Bowl era, when two rival leagues fought for dominance in the public’s eye.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports-books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Sports

429 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book for football nerds. Interesting description of an unconventional training camp with all the discomforts of a boot camp. Chargers coach Sid Gillman was a true innovator, and there were several great coaches involved, notably Chuck Noll who coached the Chargers defense and became an all time great later with the Steelers. The Chargers were a talented team, solid both offensively and defensively. They won the AFL championship decisively against Boston that year. There is a summary of all 14 games (only 14 in those days) with comments from many participants accompanied by short bios.

I read the book to learn about the AFL in its early days just before I became an NFL fan. The most interesting chapter of the book is a computer simulation of a Super Bowl before its time between the Chargers and the Bears coached by Papa Bear himself, George Halas. Of course, this book written by a Charger fan has a happy ending for his team. Believable? Not quite, but entertaining, easily the best part of the book. What is noticeable is the number of players who had already passed away at a relatively young age when the book was published in 2015. Football is a very entertaining game but there is a price to pay especially at a time when player safety was not a subject of concern.

[Adrian]

Quirky book. Author was fan of the Chargers team that went 11-3 and beat the Boston Patriots 51-10 to win the 1963 AFL championship. He believes they would have beaten the Chicago Bears if there had been a Super Bowl back then. The book consists of player profiles, quotes and a recap of the Chargers games that year. Apparently it was coach Sid Gilman's idea to hold pre-season training camp at an abandoned ranch miles from anywhere. Most players credit that experience as a prime reason for their success since it allowed for team bonding. We learn that players were told to take a certain pink pill three times a day while in camp. No one knew what they were but according to what they said when interviewed for this book many turned them down. I wonder if this is selective memory since it has since been revealed they were steroids. How many football players would refuse to take 'vitamins' in 1963? The recap of the Chargers games is a bit dry (and a ton of typos and grammatical errors, especially in the book's first half) but it was fun to run across guys who became famous in other ways later on, Chuck Noll was the Chargers defensive coordinator, Paul Maguire who later was an NFL colorman for NBC was the Chargers punter and Daryle Lamonica was punting for the Buffalo Bills in 1963. Who knew? The book ends with a computer simulated game between the Chargers and Bears. It's hardly a surprise who comes out a winner in that game.

[Sam Spade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of the AFL. Remember the "Heidi" game? Yep I was one of those folks watching that game when the TV network pulled one of the all time boners in broadcast history. This book is an interesting read as the author recounts the the "63 season game by game and does a breakdown of each of the players both from a teammates perspective as well as the opponents. So good so far right? Well we get to the question finally. The Super Bowl had yet to happen, that was 1967. So in '63 the author presents the scenario of whether the San Diego Chargers (of which he admits he was a fan) would have beaten the NFL champion Chicago Bears.

As you read through the book you become aware that despite the talent of the Chargers they had a weakness. They turned over the ball at an alarming rate. So on to the Super Bowl of '63. The author has the Chargers winning the game (no surprise there) despite turning the ball over FIVE TIMES in the game to the Bears one time.

I have watched a lot of football in my life but turning the ball over 5 times in a championship game and winning!? The author's bias clearly shows through.

[Ralphz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not enough because it was not quite what was promised - and it's way too much, too. And it's not what I was hoping for.

It's too much because it's the entire 1963 season of the AFL's Chargers, training camp to preseason, regular-season game by regular-season game, score by score, and player profile by player profile. It felt like a collection of game programs - which is fine but not what I expected.

It's not enough because it has only one chapter that deals with the true premise of the book: Would the 1963 Chargers have beaten the 1963 NFL champs - Chicago Bears - in an early Super Bowl?

Well you can guess the author's conclusion. But in portraying it, the "game" he simulates is not that much fun. And a little too contrived (last-second, game-winning field goal).

What sealed it for me is the typos all throughout the book. Sorry, but as a former and forever copy editor, that bugs me.

[Michael E. Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting premise

I know the author was a Chargers fan and wrote about the history of the AFL but the scenario of a 1963 Super Bowl and a win over the Bears I take with a grain of salt. By his own game recaps the Chargers were a turnover machine and in his Super Bowl scenario they committed 5 MORE turnovers and WON the game? I can't buy it. A team turns the ball over that many times in a title game and wins? Sorry I can't swallow it.. Like I said the author is a little biased. But it was a nice recap. I was a fan of the league and remember watching this late Sunday games. Joe Na math was one of my favorites as was Lance.Alworth. I was one of those fans who saw the Heidi game nonsense.

Sorry Dave I just don't buy the ending.

[Eric Mayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining read. There were a lot of grammatical errors though. Some of the photos weren’t labeled, and it was hard to connect what players were being talked about. I’m not big on “what if” scenarios so the last chapter on a championship game between the Bears and the Chargers in ‘63 was a little of a waste for me. I’m not surprised the Chargers won the fantasy game. The author grew up a Chargers fan. I suspect the game would not have appeared if the computer simulation had the Bears winning most of the time.

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed - brain candy at it's finest!! I appreciate the vast amount of time the author spent researching the 1963 San Diego Chargers. The book offers a week-by-week recap of each of the Charger games including the AFL title game against the Boston Patriots. A bonus is a play-by-play account of a computer simulated game between the AFL Champs, the Chargers, versus the NFL Champs, the Chicago Bears - the Super Bowl that never was so to speak. This book was just lots of fun to read.

[Mike Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought Provoking

The author provides a fun and fact filled 1963 Chargers season. At the end of the book, the reader is given a computer simulation of the NFL champion Bears vs AFL champion Chargers. Interesting match up.

The game was simulated 100 times via computer and provides some interesting facts.
A completely detailed book. Very enjoyable coverage of a vintage time in pro football.
Very well written and easy to read.

[David Corleto-Bales]

The 1963 Chargers were a good team, but could they have beaten the Chicago Bears who wound up winning the NFL championship in this pre-merger imagined match-up? No one really knows, but it's interesting to consider. These were the years before all professional athletes were automatically making huge amounts of money; definitely a more austere experience for the players.

[David Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memories of the old AFL

Excellent book about the San Diego Chargers. The old AFL was a fun football league. The Chargers powder blue jersey is still one of the best looking ever. Would the 1963 Chargers have beaten the Chicago Bears. Maybe, Maybe not. Still an excellent book to read.

[Chris Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, easy-to-read and informative book on the 1963 San Diego Chargers championship team. Filled with interview quotes and detailed game recaps the author does a fantastic job bringing to life one of the greatest AFL teams of all-time. I would recommend this book.

[Scott Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captures all of the excitement of the 1963 San Diego Chargers championship football season. Dave Steidel did a great job, particularly with the preseason information and the game recaps.

[David Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1963 San Diego Chargers football teams was loaded. I enjoyed reading about this part of football history. You don’t see too much about the early AFL. I enjoyed this read.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable history of a truly dominant football team. The '63 Chargers campaign is documented in a game-by-game fashion. Spoiler alert: San Diego basically steamrolls through the rest of the AFC. An undisputed champ.

What is in dispute however, is how this first class team would fare in a matchup versus the 1963 NFL champion Chicago Bears. The Monsters of the Midway. Papa Bear George Halas' last championship.

A scenario for an alternative Super Bowl I is presented, but the debate will continue.

Good read.