1961 San Diego Chargers season

The 1961 San Diego Chargers season was the team's second in the American Football League. Following a move from Los Angeles, it was the Chargers' first season in San Diego, where the team remained until returning to Los Angeles in 2017.

The Chargers won their first eleven games and clinched the Western Division by mid-November.^[1] They lost form in December, with only one victory in their final three regular season games, and finished at 12–2, six games ahead of runner-up Dallas. Like the previous season, the Chargers' season ended with a loss to the Houston Oilers in the AFL championship game, this time 10–3 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego.

San Diego's defense had a historic campaign, setting AFL/NFL records for most total takeaways (66), most interceptions (49), and most interceptions returned for touchdowns (9). All three of these records still stand as of 2022^[update]. Defensive backs Charlie McNeil, Bob Zeman, and Dick Harris were the biggest contributors to the interceptions record, with 24 between the three of them.

At the linebacker position, rookie Chuck Allen played well enough that he was named Rookie of the Year and Most Inspirational Player by his teammates, despite breaking his ankle early in November and missing the latter half of the season. Quarterback Jack Kemp was voted the Chargers' MVP. He passed for over 2,600 yards, and Dave Kocourek caught passes for over 1,000 yards. Kemp, however, struggled with interceptions as the season wore on, and threw four in the title game defeat.