Louis James Kelcher (born August 23, 1953) is an American retired professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), spending most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. He was a four-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Kelcher was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and is a member of their 40th and 50th anniversary teams. Kelcher played college football with the SMU Mustangs and earned consensus All-American honors as a senior in 1974. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975 through 1983. He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1984 and helped them win Super Bowl XIX that season. Early life Growing up in Beaumont, Texas, Kelcher was more interested in playing baseball, even though youngsters in Texas who were big typically played football. He was supposed to be eight years old to play peewee league. However, Kelcher was bigger than his peers, and the Little League president next door got him in a year early. He started playing football in junior high school. Entering high school at Beaumont French, he was only interested in playing baseball, but the coaches placed him in football. College career Kelcher attended Southern Methodist University, where he played for the Mustangs. As a senior in 1974, he was named National College Lineman of the Week by the Associated Press after recording 16 unassisted tackles and assisting on eight others in an 18–14 win over No. 5 Texas A&M. He was named a consensus All-American and voted the Southwest Conference's defensive player of the year. NFL career Kelcher was known for his immense size. Standing , he once said his weight varied between and infinity; he wore size 17EEE shoes. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1975 NFL draft and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. In nine seasons (1975–1983) with the Chargers, Kelcher was selected to three Pro Bowls (1977, 1978 and 1980), twice as a starter. He was named All-AFC in 1977, 1978 and 1980; first-team All-Pro in 1977 and 1978; and second-team All-Pro in 1980 and 1981. His teammates voted him the Chargers' most valuable player in 1977, when he helped the team set a then-team record of 44 sacks.