A History of Football Teams in San Diego

​The city of San Diego has been the home of numerous football teams at several levels of competition. No team has a longer tradition in the city than the Chargers, a National Football League (NFL) franchise. The Chargers played their first 10 seasons as an American Football League (AFL) franchise, including an inaugural season as the Los Angeles Chargers. The team brought early success to the city, reaching five championship games during the team’s first six seasons, with a win in 1963.

The Chargers made their only Super Bowl appearance in 1994, losing to the San Francisco 49ers. The Chargers left the city after the 2016 NFL season, concluding a 55-season tenure, and returned to Los Angeles.

The city hosted two professional football franchises after the departure of the Chargers. The Indoor Football League’s (IFL) San Diego Strike Force was announced as an expansion franchise in 2018. The team plays out of Pechanga Arena in the Midway district. Following a rough opening season and multiple COVID-impacted campaigns, Strike Force announced Vivian Lin as the new team president in 2021. The team has increased its win total each year. Information about the 2024 season is available at goifl.com.

Strike Force is the third indoor football franchise to play in the city, following the San Diego Riptide and the San Diego Shockwave. The Riptide played in San Diego as part of AF2, the developmental league for the Arena Football League, from 2002 to 2005. The team lost a close game in the National Conference Semifinals in 2002 after eliminating Bakersfield in the first round.

Shockwave, meanwhile, was introduced to the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) as an expansion team ahead of the 2007 season. The franchise operated out of Viejas Arena, home of the San Diego State Aztecs. Ownership removed the franchise from NIFL competition after one year despite considerable success: the team won 10 of 11 games played and won the NIFL championship.

Strike Force was briefly joined as an active football franchise by San Diego Fleet, one of eight teams in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The team was coached by former NFL head coach Mike Martz and played in San Diego Community College University Stadium. The pandemic greatly impacted the 2019 AAF season, and the league ultimately filed for bankruptcy.

The city has also hosted several women’s football teams, including the Sting, the Surge, and the So Cal Scorpions. The 2007 Scorpions won the Women’s Professional Football League championship after finishing the season with a perfect road record. The Surge completed their final season with a perfect 8-0 record.

The North County Cobras were a semi-professional football team playing in north San Diego County. The team went 12-1 during the 2009 season, the Cobra’s second year in the LaBelle Community Football League (LCFL). After securing the best record in the Western Conference Southern Division, the Cobras won the Western Conference Championship and the National LCFL Championship.

In addition to professional and semi-professional teams, multiple college programs operate within the city. These programs include the Quantico Marines Devil Dogs, San Diego State Aztecs, and the University of San Diego Toreros.

Josh Barney

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