Chargers Logo History: The Bolt, the Horse and the LA Mark

This guide covers the Los Angeles Chargers logo history as text: the main marks by year and why they changed. Photos show uniforms and equipment; standalone logo artwork is not reproduced.

Los Angeles Chargers logo timeline

The bolt and the horse

The Chargers have used an arc-shaped lightning bolt as their logo since the team debuted in 1960, with color changes along the way. During the AFL years the club also used a shield with a horsehead, a lightning bolt and the word Chargers. The team brought that shield back for on-field use in the 2018 season. Wikipedia notes that the original logo showed a cavalry stallion, and fans have debated whether "Charger" means a charging war horse or a bolt of lightning.

Helmets were white with the bolt in gold or navy, and the player’s number, in the early years. In 1976 a yellow thunderbolt appeared on the helmets.

2002, 2007 and the San Diego marks

In 2002 the Chargers dropped the side profile of the horse head as a team logo and unveiled the bolt logo, a white leaping thunderbolt in the shape of an arch with a blue and thicker yellow outline. In 2007 they reverted to the yellow thunderbolt from the 1976 helmets, with navy outlining and powder blue interior trim on the home jersey. The San Diego Chargers logo story runs through those years until the 2017 move.

Logos on the helmet

The helmet has carried the bolt since the beginning, usually on a white shell. In 1974 the shell turned dark blue, the player numbers came off the helmet and the facemasks turned yellow. In 2007 the team went to a metallic white helmet with a navy facemask and a gold bolt with navy and powder blue trim. After the April 21, 2020 uniform reveal, TV numbers moved from the sleeves to the helmets, and the white helmet kept gold bolts outlined in powder blue. For the navy Super Chargers alternate, the team added a navy helmet that pays homage to the navy helmets of 1985 to 2006.

The 2017 LA logo and the 2020 rebrand

On January 12, 2017 the Chargers announced the move to Los Angeles and unveiled an alternate logo that combined the letters "LA" with a lightning bolt shooting through the crossbar of the A. It was immediately criticized for its resemblance to the Los Angeles Dodgers logo, and the team scrapped it after two days.

On March 24, 2020 the team announced new logos. The bolt has a powder blue outline and a faint white outline for visibility on blue backgrounds, and its curve is flatter so it looks like it leaps across something. A new script logo has powder blue and gold with a bolt shooting from the A. Navy was removed from logos and clothing, though a navy alternate returned in 2025.

Logos and your jersey

A jersey carries the marks that were current for its style. A throwback listing shows older marks, and a current home or away listing shows the current ones, so check the style name and the product photo before you order. The Nike Game vs Limited vs Elite guide explains how the tiers differ, and the NFL jersey size chart helps you choose a size. Photos show uniforms and equipment; standalone logo artwork is not reproduced.

Wear the Chargers logo

The logo story is only half of the picture. Shop the Chargers throwback jerseys for retro marks, the Los Angeles Chargers jerseys for the current set and the legends jerseys for past stars. For the uniforms around each logo, read the Chargers uniform history. San Diego Chargers fans who search for "san diego chargers old logo" or "old san diego chargers logo" can find retro styles in the throwback jerseys. Fans also search for “la chargers logo”, “los angeles chargers logo”, “san diego chargers logo”, “los angeles chargers logos”, “san diego chargers old logo”, “chargers old logo”, “l a chargers logo”, “old san diego chargers logo”, “chargers logo history” and “football chargers logo”. All of them point to the logo history above.