On January 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the island of Haiti causing widespread death and destruction. Thousands are homeless and the death toll is rising. There is an immediate need for food, water, temporary shelter and medical services for the victims of this devastating natural disaster.

The San Diego Chargers are urging all NFL fans to reach out and help the American Red Cross bring desperately-needed supplies into this area.

Please help today by texting “HAITI” to 90999 and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts; the charge will appear on the next cell phone bill.

The American Red Cross is also accepting other forms of monetary donations to support relief efforts.   Donors may send checks to the local chapter, designating Haiti Relief to: American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties, 3950 Calle Fortunada, San Diego, CA 92123, or by calling (858) 309-1200.  

You can also click on this link for the local chapter of the American Red Cross at www.sdarc.org and make a donation through their secure website.

The people in Haiti need our help today.  Please join with the Chargers and support the important work of the American Red Cross.

• The San Diego Chargers won their fourth consecutive AFC West title and their fifth title in the last six years.  Only New England (7) and Indianapolis (6) have won more division titles in the last DECADE.
• Since 2004, the Chargers are third in the NFL with 67 regular-season wins.  Only Indianapolis (77) and New England (73) have won more.  Pittsburgh (65), Dallas (57), Philadelphia (57) and Denver (55) trail San Diego.
• Over the last decade (2000-09), the Chargers won 85 regular-season games to rank 10th among the 32 NFL teams.  The team also won five division titles, tied for third in the NFL.
• The Chargers clinched a first-round bye for the sixth time in team history (1979, '80, '81, '94, '06 & '09).  The 1980 and '81 teams continued on to the AFC Championship Game before losing.  The 1994 Chargers won the AFC and appeared in Super Bowl XXIX in Miami. . The Chargers have won 18 consecutive games in the month of December dating back to a 24-21 win at Buffalo on December 3, 2006. It's the most ever for the month of December and ties an NFL record for the most in a calendar month with the Miami Dolphins set in November during the 1970-74 seasons.

Verve Records artist and actress Katharine McPhee will perform at the Chargers official tailgate, the Bud Light Power Party, before singing the National Anthem to kickoff the Chargers AFC Divisional playoff game against the New York Jets.

Fans first met McPhee on Season Five of American Idol. The runner-up could seemingly sing any style of music, but especially mesmerized millions with her heart-stirring rendition of "Over the Rainbow."  Her first solo album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 in early 2007. In her recently released album, Unbroken, the extent of her talent becomes apparent-not only as a singer but as a songwriter. The performer's new single, "Had it all" is currently available for purchase on iTunes.

McPhee's acting credits include an appearance on "CSI: New York," where she premiered "Say Goodbye," a heartbreaking ballad from Unbroken, as well as a co-starring role in the 2008 hit, "The House Bunny."  As a recording artist, Katharine found early success with her debut album, Katharine McPhee and her first single "Over the Rainbow"/"My Destiny" which both debuted at number two on Billboard's 200 and Hot Singles Sales Charts, respectively.

The Bud Light Power Party is free and located in Lot E2/F2. The party opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 12:30 p.m.

For more information about McPhee, visit her official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/katharinemcphee, or Kim Jakwerth at kim@marleahleslie.com or 323-464-9669.

###

Former San Diego Chargers Head Coach Don Coryell is among the 15 modern-era finalists for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Selection Committee meets in South Florida on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010.  

Three first-year eligible players - Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith - also are among the 15 modern-era finalists.
 
Joining Coryell and the three first-year eligible players are 10 other modern-era players.  The 15 modern-era finalists, along with the two senior nominees announced in August 2009 (former Detroit Lions cornerback Dick LeBeau and former Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little) will be the only candidates considered for Hall of Fame election when the 44-member Selection Committee meets. To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent.

Also, for the first time fans are invited to vote for their choice for the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan’s Choice at www.fanschoice.com.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation and JC Penney Company have teamed to provide the first-ever dedicated forum for fans to debate, discuss and voice their choice by voting for the Hall of Fame Enshrinee Class of 2010. The robust forum also includes stats on all candidates and opinions from football experts, Hall of Fame players and fans around the country.
 
The official Hall of Fame Selection Committee’s 17 finalists (15 Modern-Era and two Senior Nominees*) with their positions, teams, and years active follow:

• Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
• Don Coryell – Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
• Roger Craig – Running Back – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
• Dermonti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
• Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
• Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
• Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
• Rickey Jackson – Linebacker – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers
• Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
• Dick LeBeau* – Cornerback – 1959-1972 Detroit Lions
• Floyd Little* – Running Back – 1967-1975 Denver Broncos
• John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks
• Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
• Jerry Rice – Wide Receiver – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks
• Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
• Emmitt Smith – Running Back – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals

            
Carter, Dawson, Dent, Grimm, Kennedy, Randle, Reed, and Sharpe have all been finalists in previous years.  Although they were eligible in previous years, this is the first time Coryell, Craig, Haley, Jackson, Little, and LeBeau have been finalists.
 
From this year’s list, five players – Dawson, Grimm, Kennedy, LeBeau, and Little – spent their entire NFL career with just one team.  
 
LeBeau and Little were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2009 meeting.  The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago.  The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Selection Committee from a list of 131 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 25 semifinalists.  To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five years (prior to 2007 coaches were eligible immediately after retiring).

Since Coryell retired prior to the 2007 change in coach’s eligibility, he has been eligible the longest of the modern-era nominees, 23 years.  Grimm has been eligible 14 years, while Craig has been eligible 12 years.  Jackson has been eligible for 10 years, Dent eight years, Haley six years, Reed, Dawson and Kennedy five years, Carter three years, Randle and Sharpe two years. Brown, Rice and Smith are in their first year of eligibility.  Senior nominees LeBeau and Little have been eligible 33 years and 30 years respectively.

The Selection Committee will meet in South Florida, on Saturday, February 6, 2010, to elect the Hall of Fame Class of 2010. The election results will be announced at 5 p.m. ET during a one-hour NFL Network special, live from the Broward County Convention Center.
 
At the 2010 selection meeting, the selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist.  Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current ground rules stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year.  No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a given year and a class of six or seven can only be achieved if one or both senior nominees are elected. Representatives of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche will tabulate all votes during the meeting.

At the announcement, Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry will be presented with an envelope containing the names of the nominees elected.  Each newly elected member will be contacted immediately by the Hall of Fame.  Members of the Class of 2010 in South Florida for the Super Bowl will be asked to join the live announcement show.  Those not able to attend will be asked to join via teleconference.

The Van Heusen Fan’s Choice campaign which launched in September, mirrors the Hall of Fame’s selection process and will name the first-ever Fan’s Choice Class live on NFL Network just prior to the official announcement from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 
The Van Heusen Fan’s Choice Top 15 list includes seven candidates who also appear on the official Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee list including: Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Richard Dent, Charles Haley, Jerry Rice, Shannon Sharpe and Emmitt Smith.
 
Others who made the Van Heusen Fan’s Choice Top 15 list who didn’t make the official Hall of Fame Selection Committee list include an athletic trainer, Otho Davis; a coach, Tom Flores; as well as former players, Cliff Branch, Todd Christensen, Ray Guy, Lester Hayes, Ed “Too Tall” Jones , and Jim Plunkett.
 
The Final Round of fan voting begins today and the top 15 Fan’s choices will be combined with the Hall of Fame Selection Committee choices for one powerhouse list of candidates looking for fans’ votes to become a part of the inaugural Fan’s Choice class.
 
Fans are encouraged to visit www.fanschoice.com to vote for their favorites before the Fan’s Choice Class is revealed on February 6.

The Chargers announced today that their AFC Divisional Playoff Game scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 17 is sold out.

“We’ve had a tremendous response from our season ticket holders as well as fans interested in becoming new season ticket holders,” said Jim Steeg, the Chargers’ executive vice president and chief operating officer.  “Nearly all of our current season ticket holders bought their seats for the game.  And we’ve also sold a lot of new season seats for 2010.  Finally, we gave our season ticket holders the opportunity to purchase additional playoff tickets and they scooped up the remaining seats in less than 48 hours. 

“This is a great indicator of the excitement surrounding the team and the upcoming playoffs.” 

The team has held back a very limited number of playoff tickets that are available only to fans purchasing season tickets.  And there is a very limited number of suite and other premium-seating opportunities available.  Season tickets for the 2010 season may be purchased at the Chargers’ ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, calling 877-CHARGERS or going to www.CHARGERS.com.

The Chargers will play New England, Cincinnati or the New York Jets on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 1:40 pm PT. 

###

The San Diego Chargers have placed linebacker James Holt on “Reserve-Injured” and signed veteran linebacker Dontarrious Thomas to take his place on the active roster.
 
Thomas (6-2, 241), in his sixth NFL season, originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2004. He has appeared in 63 games, including 10 starts, and has 47 career special teams tackles. Thomas spent four seasons in Minnesota before signing with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent in 2008. He was released at the conclusion of training camp and later returned to Minnesota for the final 10 games of the season.
 
This fall, Thomas played for the United Football League’s California Redwoods. He was the team’s leading tackler and finished third in the UFL in stops. Thomas has been a special teams contributor throughout his professional career. He will wear No. 57 for the Chargers.
 
Holt will undergo surgery on his shoulder after injuring it Sunday in San Diego’s regular-season finale. Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in May, Holt spent the first seven weeks of the ’09 season on the team’s practice squad.  He was promoted to the active roster prior to the Chargers’ Week 9 victory over the Giants and had nine special teams tackles in nine games.
 
###

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS vs. WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Qualcomm Stadium (70,000) – San Diego, California
Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010 – 1:15 pm PST

• Malcom Floyd had a career-high 140 yards receiving today. His previous high was 109 yards, set in Cincinnati in 2006. Floyd led the team with nine catches.
• Antonio Gates caught his 59th career touchdown pass today, taking over sole possession of No. 2 all-time on the franchise’s career touchdown receptions list. He also takes over sole possession of third place for total touchdowns (59). He previously was tied with Gary Garrison.
• Gates finishes the season with a career-high 1,157 yards. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson also had a career-high with 1,167. Their 2,324 combined yards is the most by a Chargers duo since Kellen Winslow and John Jefferson totaled 2,630 in 1980.
• Philip Rivers passed for 99 yards today and finishes the season with a career-high 4,254 yards, third-most for a season in team history. Rivers threw his 28th touchdown pass of the season today to Gates for the fourth-most single season TD passes in team history.
• Kicker Nate Kaeding was a perfect 3-for-3 today on field goals and he finishes the season 32-of-35 (.914), a new franchise single-season high for field goal percentage. Kaeding hit a 24-yarder today in addition to kicks of 45 and 47 yards to extend his NFL-record streak of field goals 40-yards-or-less to 69.
• Kaeding also finished the season with 146 points, a new franchise kick-scoring record. He has made a personal-best 20 field goals in a row.
• The Chargers reported only two injuries today: linebacker James Holt (shoulder) and defensive tackle Antonio Garay (hamstring).

Enough tickets have been sold to lift the local television blackout and allow San Diego to see the Fox Sports telecast of the Chargers-Redskins game on Sunday, Jan. 3 at Qualcomm Stadium.  Kickoff is 1:15 p.m. PT.  The game will be televised in San Diego on Fox 5.  Ron Pitts and John Lynch will call the play-by-play action and Nischelle Turner will report from the sidelines.

The game also will be seen live in the Southern California communities of Palm Springs (Fox 11) and Santa Barbara (Fox 11).

A limited number of tickets, including many Club Level tickets and tickets returned by the visiting team, are still available at the Chargers’ ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, at www.Chargers.com and through TicketMaster at 800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open Saturday (10-4 pm) and Sunday (9-5 pm).

This weekend’s game is the 47th consecutive regular season or postseason Chargers home game to be televised live locally, the longest streak in team history.  

Fans are urged to use mass transit or carpool, and arrive EARLY.  To avoid heavy traffic around the stadium on Interstates 8 and 15, fans can reach the stadium via the Friars Rd. East exit off of Highway 163.  The parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium will open at 9:00 am for general parking and 8:00 am for those with pre-purchased permits. The lot is expected to fill and close early. 

Tickets to the upcoming San Diego Chargers’ AFC Divisional Playoff game are on sale now only with the purchase of 2010 season tickets.  Fans may purchase playoff tickets by making a non-refundable $200 deposit per season seat.  Purchases can be made online at Chargers.com, by calling 877-Chargers, or visiting the Chargers Ticket Office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium.

Tickets are available now at the Chargers' ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, at www.Chargers.com and through TicketMaster at 800-745-3000.

###
 

Philip Rivers, in the midst of a potential NFL MVP season, was voted the Chargers’ Most Valuable Player by teammates. Rivers, who has thrown for a career-high 4,155 yards and 27 touchdowns, wins his second-consecutive team MVP award a day after being chosen to his second-career Pro Bowl squad.

Offensive Player of the Year (Rodney Culver Memorial Award) honors will be split between tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Both players are enjoying career seasons, with Gates gaining a career-high 1,145 yards and Jackson setting career highs in yards (1,167), catches (68) and touchdowns (nine). This is Gates’ third-career Rodney Culver Award (2004 & ’05) and Jackson’s first.

Defensive Player of the Year (David Griggs Memorial Award) honors will be split between linebacker Shaun Phillips and cornerback Quentin Jammer. Phillips leads the NFL with seven forced fumbles and paces the team with seven sacks, while Jammer has broken up a team-leading 10 passes and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions. This the first David Griggs Award for both players.

Special Teams Player of the Year honors go to wide receiver and special teams ace Kassim Osgood, a 2009 Pro Bowl choice, who ranks second on the team with 12 stops. Routinely harassed by double and triple-teams, Osgood is headed to his third-career Pro Bowl. This is his fourth special teams player of the year award (2005-07).

Lineman of the Year honors go to left tackle Marcus McNeill, who is charged with protecting the blind-side of Rivers. McNeill hasn’t missed a start all season and is a key member of the line which has allowed only 10 sacks during the team’s current 10-game winning streak. Overlooked for the Pro Bowl, McNeill captures his second-career lineman of the year award (2006).

Linebacker Stephen Cooper, the team’s leading tackler with 119 stops on the season, receives the Emil Karas Award as Most Inspirational Player. At one of the most physically demanding positions on the field, Cooper has played more snaps this season (928) than any other defender and ranks second on the team with seven passes broken up. He’s also forced and recovered two fumbles.