The National Football League (NFL) is home to 32 professional American football teams divided into two conferences – the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each NFL team has its own unique color scheme that represents its identity and brand. When it comes to the colors blue and gold, there is one NFL franchise that is well-known for sporting these colors – the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Chargers are members of the AFC West division in the AFC. The team was founded in 1960 as part of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Since then, the Chargers have called multiple cities home, including San Diego from 1961 to 2016, before relocating back to their original home of Los Angeles in 2017.
Throughout their history, the Chargers have maintained the same color scheme of “Power Blue” and sun gold. Their official team colors are navy blue, powder blue, white, and gold. The Chargers typically wear uniforms that prominently feature different shades of blue and gold – from their dark navy helmets and pants to their light “Power Blue” jerseys. This color scheme represents the beautiful sunny skies and beaches of their home in Southern California.
History of the Chargers Colors
The Los Angeles Chargers traces its history back to the Los Angeles Chargers team founded by hotel heir Barron Hilton in 1959. When the Chargers joined the AFL as an inaugural member in 1960, the team’s original colors were just blue and gold. Their helmets were gold, while their jerseys featured a navy blue lightning bolt across the shoulders set against a powder blue background. This iconic lightning bolt logo endures as part of the team’s identity.
In 1974, the Chargers debuted a bold new uniform design that featured large side bolts on the pants and the player’s numbers on the helmet. Navy blue was established as the primary color for home jerseys while white was adopted for away games. In 2007, the Chargers switched their primary home jersey color back to powder blue as a tribute to past players and fans. The navy blue pants and gold accents remained as part of the Chargers signature look.
When the Chargers relocated from San Diego back to Los Angeles in 2017, the team made minor updates to their uniforms while retaining the core elements – the powerful lightning bolt, bold color blocking, and mix of blues and golds. To this day, the Chargers remain the only NFL team to incorporate various shades of blue paired with metallic gold into their visual identity.
Chargers Uniforms Over the Years
| Year | Jersey Colors | Pants Color | Helmet Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Powder blue | Gold | Gold |
| 1974 | Navy blue (home), White (away) | Navy blue | Navy blue |
| 2007 | Powder blue (home), White (away) | Navy blue | Navy blue |
| 2017 | Navy blue (home), White (away), Powder blue (alternate) | Navy blue | Navy blue |
As shown in the table above, while the Chargers have made minor tweaks to their uniforms over the decades, the core blue and gold color scheme has remained a constant in the team’s identity. The navy blue pants and helmets paired with light blue jerseys create a bold contrast between the two shades of blue. Meanwhile, the metallic gold helmets, bolt logos, and other accents provide a bright, sunny pop of color.
Chargers Blue and Gold in Pop Culture
Given their unique visual identity, the Chargers blue and gold colors are instantly recognizable even outside football. The team’s colors and logos frequently appear in movies, TV shows, commercials, and other media set in the San Diego or Los Angeles area as a way to represent the local NFL team.
For example, the cast of the 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starring Jim Carrey can be seen wearing Chargers jerseys and hats in blue and gold. In the HBO TV series Ballers set in Miami, multiple characters wear Chargers gear throughout the show’s five seasons.
Rapper Snoop Dogg, an avid sports fan, has also incorporated Chargers themes into his music videos when repping his hometown teams. His song “Special” featuring Brandy and Pharrell includes a scene with cheerleaders dancing in Chargers uniforms against a Chargers-themed backdrops.
The Chargers bolts logo and colors are also regularly featured on merchandise, apparel, and other products for fans around the world to proudly showcase their support. For example, Nike has released limited-edition Chargers sneakers in team colors.
Chargers Blue and Gold in the NFL
While multiple NFL teams feature some shades of blue in their color schemes, such as the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants, the Los Angeles Chargers stand out as the only team to pair blue and gold as their primary colors.
In fact, the Chargers powder blue jerseys are considered one of the best uniform designs in the NFL, if not all of professional sports. The bold colors and lighting logos create a distinctive look on the field. As a result, the Chargers helped inspire the rise of alternate retro jerseys across the league as other teams also tapped into powder blue throwbacks.
Here is how the Chargers colors compare to other blue-wearing NFL franchises:
| Team | Primary Colors |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Chargers | Navy blue, Powder blue, Gold |
| Indianapolis Colts | Blue, White |
| Denver Broncos | Orange, Navy blue |
| New York Giants | Blue, Red, White |
While the Colts feature blue as a primary color, it is a darker royal blue paired with white. The Broncos and Giants use navy blue as an accent to their uniforms rather than as the main color. So the Chargers stand out as truly unique with their shades of blue and gold.
Conclusion
With their iconic powder blue jerseys and gold lightning bolt logos, the Los Angeles Chargers are the sole NFL franchise to adopt various shades of blue and gold as their official team colors. This unique color scheme represents the sunny Southern California landscape and is instantly recognizable even outside football. The Chargers’ blue and gold uniforms are considered among the best looks in professional sports and have inspired retro jersey trends. So when you spot those cool shades of blue and gold on the field, you can instantly recognize them as belonging to the one-and-only Chargers.
