LaDainian Tomlinson is the latest and possibly last San Diego Chargers player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I’m a Hall of Famer because of San Diego,” Tomlinson said Saturday night. “That’s the legacy. I’m officially the last that will got into the Hall as a San Diego Charger. That is the legacy.”

The running back who led the league in scrimmage yards and touchdowns and contributed to the renewed relevance of a franchise over his nine seasons with the Chargers was voted into the Hall on Saturday in his first year of eligibility. He is the ninth Chargers to be enshrined.


“When I got to San Diego I was a young man,” Tomlinson said. “That city raised me into the man I am. Those fans there inspired me to run harder and dig deeper. Times I was tired in the fourth quarter and didn’t think I had anything left, the chants of “L.T., L.T.” inspired me. I really appreciate that.”

His former teammates, Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers, stand to be up for Hall consideration after they retire. But unless Gates retires or is released by the Chargers before the 2017 season, Tomlinson will be the last Hall of Famer to have spent his entire time with the Chargers while the team was in San Diego.

Tomlinson will be inducted in a ceremony on Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio, along with the rest of the Class of 2017 – running back and Lincoln High alum Terrell Davis, quarterback Kurt Warner, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, kicker Morten Andersen, safety Kenny Easley and defensive end Jason Taylor.

The 48-member panel took less than five minutes to discuss Tomlinson’s candidacy, the shortest deliberation of any of the 18 candidates debated over nearly nine hours. Tomlinson had been considered the only sure inductee this year, something he had worked to not believe.


“You go through so many different emotions,” Tomlinson said. “People keep telling you, ‘You’re a lock and you’re not going to have any problems.’ But I knew the one knock on me was I never won a Super Bowl. So I constantly thought about that. I never allowed myself to be arrogant enough to think, ‘I’m a lock.’ “

A defense of Tomlinson’s playoff history did take the bulk of the time selectors spent on his candidacy. But there was no apparent dissension afterward, as voters seemed sufficiently impressed by his overwhelming numbers.

In Tomlinson’s 11-year career, the last two of which were spent with the New York Jets, Tomlinson scored the second-most rushing touchdowns (145) and third-most scrimmage touchdowns in NFL history (162). He rushed for the fifth-most yards (13,684) in history. His 16,445 scrimmage yards were the fifth-most yards from scrimmage ever.


Tomlinson was drafted fifth overall by the Chargers in 2001 after the Chargers finished 1-15 the previous year. The Chargers had the No.1 overall pick and passed on the opportunity to quarterback Michael Vick, instead trading down and taking Tomlinson.

Tomlinson made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,236 yards and 10 touchdowns his rookie season. In 2003, he became the first player in NFL history to catch 100 passes and rush for at least 1,000 yards. In 2006, he was named NFL MVP after leading the league with 1,815 yards and scoring 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total touchdowns, which both still stand as NFL records.

With Tomlinson gaining 1,335 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns, the Chargers made the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons in 2004. The Chargers would make the playoffs five times in a span of six seasons with Tomlinson scoring at least 12 touchdowns and rushing for at least 1,110 yards every year.


“It was a pretty darn special place,” Tomlinson said of Qualcomm Stadium. “We packed the house. We won five division titles. Those people made it extra hard for other teams to come in and play there. It had a certain mystique about it, especially when we wore those powder blues in prime time games. That was pretty much the greatest years in franchise history -- that nine years I was there.”

Tomlinson is the only player in NFL history to score at least 10 rushing touchdowns in nine straight seasons. Only Jerry Rice, with 10, had a longer streak with at least 10 scrimmage touchdowns in a season.

He is the only player to ever rush for at least 1,100 yards in each of his first eight seasons.

“Throughout your career you’re always striving to be greater, striving to get more yards, you want more,” Tomlinson said. “And I can’t be any greater now. My football journey is over. I’m a Hall of Famer. Forever that title will be behind my name. It will say, ‘Here lies a Hall of Famer.’ It will say it on my tombstone. That’s pretty special.”


Tomlinson praised his former teammates Saturday night, especially his offensive linemen, as well as former head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Former Chargers head coach was also one of 15 modern-era finalists considered Saturday by a panel of 48 selectors. Coryell did not make the final 10.

Tomlinson is the eighth player to make the Hall of Fame after spending the majority of his career with the Chargers. he joins Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Ron MIx, Junior Seau and Kellen Winslow. Former Chargers coach Sid Gillman is also in the Hall.

Tomlinson said he is working to organize a gathering in San Diego after the induction, where he will wear his gold jacket.


“I will somehow throw a huge party that will be at a very special place,” he said. “Hopefully in the next month, we’ll be able to lock down the site where we can make it happen. A lot of people can come – the whole city if they can make it.”

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com