In 1996 , running back Rodney Culver and his wife , Karen , were killed in the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades . Culver was the second player in team history to die while on the active roster after David Griggs was killed in a one-car accident in Davie , Florida , 11 months earlier . In 1997 , Ross and Beathard were at odds with one another , resulting in Ross and his staff being released . The Chargers selected Kevin Gilbride to become their new head coach . Gilbride , whose coaching background with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oilers featured a more open passing attack , would mark a major change in offensive style from the ball control ground game of Ross . However , the Chargers struggled in pass protection that year , resulting in Humphries suffering several concussions and his retirement from the game . To replace Humphries , Beathard drafted quarterback Ryan Leaf after the Indianapolis Colts selected Peyton Manning with the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft . The Chargers traded several players and draft choices to the Arizona Cardinals in order to move up to the second pick and select Leaf . In 1998 , the Chargers went 5 – 11 . Said safety Rodney Harrison , " If I had to go through another year like that , I 'd probably quit playing . " Gilbride was replaced by interim head coach June Jones , who was on the Chargers ' staff before the hire . Jones left the team at the end of the season to coach at the University of Hawaii and the Chargers named former Oregon State University head coach Mike Riley as their new head coach . Leaf wound up having a disappointing career with the Chargers due to poor play and frequent conflict with both Chargers management as well as the press and his teammates , causing his release after the 2000 season . He has been arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL history , and his failure to be the player the team envisioned was seen as a black mark on the franchise . Quarterback Jim Harbaugh , who was acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for a conditional draft choice in 2000 , became the Chargers starting quarterback . Beathard retired in April 2000 and was replaced in January 2001 by John Butler , former general manager of the Bills . From to , the Chargers had eight straight seasons where they were .500 or worse
ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Flight 592
Los Angeles Chargers