HOUSTON _ LaDainian Tomlinson is the latest and possibly last San Diego Chargers player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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.
Tomlinson will be enshrined as the 31st running back of the modern era in a ceremony on Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio, along with the rest of the Class of 2017.
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.
In his 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, fourth-most.
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.
He 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.
In those first eight seasons, Tomlinson missed just one game � and he was angry about that. It was the 2004 season finale and Marty Schottenheimer rested his stars in advance of the playoffs.
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.
