<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles Area . The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division . The team was founded on August 14, 1959, and began play on September 10, 1960, as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles, before moving to San Diego in 1961 to become the San Diego Chargers . The Chargers joined the NFL as result of the AFL--NFL merger in 1970, and played their home games at SDCCU Stadium . The return of the Chargers to Los Angeles was announced for the 2017 season, just one year after the Rams had moved back to the city from St. Louis . The Chargers will play their home games at the StubHub Center until the opening in 2020 of the Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, which they will share with the Rams . </P> <P> The Chargers won one AFL title in 1963 and reached the AFL playoffs five times and the AFL Championship four times before joining the NFL (1970) as part of the AFL--NFL merger . In the 43 years since then, the Chargers have made 13 trips to the playoffs and four appearances in the AFC Championship game . In 1994, the Chargers won their lone AFC championship and faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, losing 49--26 . The Chargers have eight players and one coach enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio: wide receiver Lance Alworth (1962--1970), defensive end Fred Dean (1975--1981), quarterback Dan Fouts (1973--1987), head coach--general manager Sid Gillman (1960--1969, 1971), wide receiver Charlie Joiner (1976--1986), offensive lineman Ron Mix (1960--1969), tight end Kellen Winslow (1979--1987), linebacker Junior Seau (1990--2002), and running back Ladanian Tomlinson (2001--2009). </P>

When did the san diego chargers become the los angeles chargers