 Kelcher with theSan Diego Chargersc. 1982 | |||||||||
| No. 74, 94 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1953-08-23)August 23, 1953 (age 72) Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 291 lb (132 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | French (Beaumont) | ||||||||
| College | SMU (1971–1974) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1975: 2nd round, 30th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Louis James Kelcher (born August 23, 1953)[1] is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL), spending most of his career with theSan Diego Chargers. He was a four-timeAll-Pro and a three-timePro Bowl selection. Kelcher was inducted into theChargers Hall of Fame and is a member oftheir 40th and50th anniversary teams.
Kelcher playedcollege football with theSMU Mustangs and earned consensusAll-American honors as a senior in 1974. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the1975 NFL draft. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975 through 1983. He joined theSan Francisco 49ers in 1984 and helped them winSuper Bowl XIX that season.
Kelcher was born and raised inBeaumont, Texas.[1][2] Growing up, he was more interested in playingbaseball, 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 theLittle League president next door got him in a year early. He started playing football in junior high school.[2] Entering high school atBeaumont French,[3] he was only interested in playing baseball, but the coaches placed him in football.[2]
Kelcher attendedSouthern Methodist University, where he played for theMustangs. As a senior in1974, he was named National College Lineman of the Week by theAssociated Press after recording 16 unassistedtackles and assisting on eight others in an 18–14 win over No. 5Texas A&M.[4] He was named a consensusAll-American and voted theSouthwest Conference's defensive player of the year.[5]
Kelcher was known for his immense size. Standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), he once said his weight varied between 280 pounds (130 kg) and infinity;[6] he wore size 17EEE shoes.[7] He was selected by theSan Diego Chargers in the second round of the1975 NFL draft and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. In nine seasons (1975–1983) with the Chargers, Kelcher was selected to threePro Bowls (1977,1978 and1980),[6] twice as a starter.[8] He was named All-AFC in 1977, 1978 and 1980; first-teamAll-Pro in 1977 and 1978; and second-team All-Pro in 1980 and 1981.[9] His teammates voted him the Chargers'most valuable player in 1977, when he helped the team set a then-team record of 44sacks. He was the firstdefensive tackle in the team's history to win the award.[10]
in1979, Kelcher was sidelined for all but three minutes after a knee operation.[11] On November 18, 1979, against thePittsburgh Steelers atSan Diego Stadium, he asked Chargers coachDon Coryell to makeRolf Benirschke acaptain for the day. Thekicker was suffering fromulcerative colitis, and his weight had dropped from about 184 to 124 pounds (83 to 56 kg). In a pre-game ceremony on the field, Kelcher assisted his weakened teammate, captured in an iconic photo of the lineman, about 350 pounds (160 kg) then, holding Benirschke's hand as they walked together.[12][13]
Kelcher returned in1980, teaming with fellow 1975 Chargers' drafteesFred Dean andGary "Big Hands" Johnson as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks (60). Johnson and Dean were named first-team All-Pro, with Kelcher being named second-team All-Pro. The trio, along withLeroy Jones formed a defensive frontline that was nicknamed theBruise Brothers.[14][15] In the 1980AFC Championship Game against theOakland Raiders, Kelcher had 20 tackles, 10 solo and 10 assisted, and also one sack.[16] In theEpic in Miami, the 1981 divisional playoff which became one of the greatest football games ever, the Dolphins were leading 38–31 in the fourth quarter and threatening to score again at the Chargers' 20 when Kelcher stripped the ball from Miami'sAndra Franklin and San Diego'sPete Shaw recovered the fumble. The Chargers rallied to force overtime and won 41–38.[17][18] The Chargers teams of that era are mostly remembered for its high-scoring, pass-oriented,Air Coryell offense. San Diego made four consecutive playoffs (1979–1982), winning three straightAFC West titles (1979–1981) and advancing to back-to-back AFC championship games.[19]
Kelcher retired in November 1983, but remained on the Chargers reserve list. The Chargers traded him to theSan Francisco 49ers in March 1984. Kelcher had wanted to play again, but not with San Diego.[20] The trade reunited him with former Charger teammates Johnson, Dean and offensive linemanBilly Shields. In his final NFL season that year, the 49ers wonSuper Bowl XIX.[21]
Kelcher was a favorite among Chargers fans, who greeted him at home games with cheers of "Loueeee".[22][23] Chargers quarterbackDan Fouts called him "the most universally beloved guy on our team."[6] Kelcher was among the first NFL defensive linemen to weigh 300 pounds (140 kg).[24] He was inducted into theChargers Hall of Fame in 2003,[25] and theBreitbard Hall of Fame in 2006.[26] He was also named to both theChargers' 40th and50th anniversary teams.[27][28]
Kelcher received first-team honors on the All-Southwest Conference football team of the 1970s,[29] and he was inducted into the Southern Methodist University Hall of Fame in 2012.[30]
Kelcher moved toAustin, Texas, in 1992.[23] He became co-owner withDoug English, a former college rival with theTexas Longhorns, in the warehousing firm Pro Line Warehouse and Distribution.[23][31] Kelcher also had a stake in a trucking business in Texas.[23]
Kelcher once said his playing weight fluctuated between 280 and infinity, depending on the buffet special being offered.
The 2001 class was good, but the 1975 class ranks the best. San Diego had four of the first 33 picks in the draft, and the Chargers selected three defensive linemen that would form the nucleus of "The Bruise Brothers" and once formed three-fourths of the AFC Pro Bowl defensive line.(subscription required)
Kelcher also told Charger linebacker Cliff Thrift, a friend, that he wanted to return to football but did not want to play again for the Chargers.
'Loueeee,' Chargers crowds at Qualcomm Stadium crowds would coo, lovingly. 'Loueeee.'
Fouts showed up to offer a few words at halftime on the occasion of Kelcher being received into the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Media related toLouie Kelcher at Wikimedia Commons