Louie Kelcher

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Louie Kelcher
Career information
Date of birth:	(1953-08-23) August 23, 1953
Place of birth:	Beaumont, Texas
Position(s):	Defensive tackle
College:	Southern Methodist
NFL Draft:	1975 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30
Organizations
As player:
1975–1983 1984	San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers
Career highlights and awards
First-Team All-Pro (1978) 3x Second-Team All-Pro (1977, 1980–1981) 3× Pro Bowl selection (1978, 1979, 1981) 3× All-AFC (1977–1978, 1980) 1975 All-Rookie team San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team San Diego Chargers 40th Anniversary Team
Career stats
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Louis James Kelcher (born August 23, 1953) is a retired American football player who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. His primary position was defensive tackle, where his honors included being a four-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975-83. Kelcher was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, and is a member of the franchise's 40th and 50th Anniversary Teams. He was a graduate of Southern Methodist University and French High School in Beaumont, Texas.

NFL career

Kelcher was known for his immense size: he stood 6'5", weighed 285 pounds, wore size 17EEE shoes, and had a size 16.5 ring finger. He was drafted in the 2nd round in 1975 and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Kelcher was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1978, 1979 and 1981; was named All-AFC in 1977, 1978 and 1980; and 1st-team All-Pro in 1978 and 2nd-team All-Pro in 1977, 1980 and 1981.^[1] In 1977, his teammates voted him the team's Most Valuable Player.^[2]

Kelcher was sidelined in 1979 for all but three minutes after a knee operation.^[3] He returned in 1980, teaming with fellow 1975 Chargers' draftees Fred Dean and Gary "Big Hands" Johnson as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks (60). Johnson and Dean were named 1st-team All-Pro, with Kelcher being named 2nd-team All-Pro. The trio, along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive frontline that was locally nicknamed the Bruise Brothers,^[4]^[5] coined from a popular act at the time, The Blues Brothers.^[6] Don "Air" Coryell's Chargers teams of that era are mostly remembered for its high-scoring, pass-oriented offense. The Chargers won the AFC West from 1979–1981 and made the playoffs in 1982.

In 1985 Kelcher finished his career as a member of the Super Bowl XIX champion San Francisco 49ers, reuniting him with former Charger teammates Johnson and Dean.

Recognition

In 2006, Louie Kelcher was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame.^[7]

References

↑ "2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide". San Diego Chargers. 2012. pp. 244–5. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
↑ 2008 San Diego Chargers Media Guide (accessed October 18, 2008)
↑ Zimmerman, Paul (September 8, 1980). "Afc West". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014.
↑ "Grambling State University Loses Two Football Legends". FoxSports.com (Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC). August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011.
↑ "No. 16: Chargers' best draft class". ESPN.com. March 28, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2011. "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)
↑ "Countdown to Enshrinement Spotlight: Fred Dean". College Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
↑ sdhoc.com, San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum

v t e San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XIX Champions

4 Max Runager 6 Matt Cavanaugh 14 Ray Wersching 16 Joe Montana (MVP) 19 Tom Orosz 21 Eric Wright 22 Dwight Hicks 24 Derrick Harmon 26 Wendell Tyler 27 Carlton Williamson 28 Tom Holmoe 29 Mario Clark 30 Bill Ring 32 Carl Monroe 33 Roger Craig 42 Ronnie Lott 43 Dana McLemore 49 Jeff Fuller 50 Riki Ellison 51 Randy Cross 52 Blanchard Montgomery 53 Milt McColl 54 Ron Ferrari 55 Jim Fahnhorst 56 Fred Quillan 57 Dan Bunz 58 Keena Turner 61 Jesse Sapolu 62 Guy McIntyre 64 Jack Reynolds 65 Lawrence Pillers 66 Allan Kennedy 67 Billy Shields 67 John Macaulay 68 John Ayers 71 Keith Fahnhorst 72 Jeff Stover 74 Fred Dean 76 Dwaine Board 77 Bubba Paris 78 Manu Tuiasosopo 79 Jim Stuckey 81 Russ Francis 83 Renaldo Nehemiah 84 Al Dixon 85 Mike Wilson 86 John Frank 87 Dwight Clark 88 Freddie Solomon 89 Earl Cooper 90 Todd Shell 94 Louie Kelcher 95 Michael Carter 97 Gary Johnson 98 Greg Boyd 99 Mike Walter

Head Coach Bill Walsh

Coaches Paul Hackett Tommy Hart Norb Hecker Sherman Lewis Bobb McKittrick Bill McPherson George Seifert Ray Rhodes Fred von Appen

v t e San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team

Offense	QB Fouts Hadl Humphries Rivers RB Lincoln P. Lowe Means Muncie Tomlinson WR Alworth Chandler Garrison Jefferson Joiner TE Gates Winslow T Mix Washington Wright G Dielman Sweeney White Wilkerson C Hardwick Macek

Defense	DE Dean Faison O’Neal DT Johnson Kelcher Ladd Williams LB Allen W. Lowe Merriman Seau Smith DB Buchanon Byrd Harrison Jammer McNeil

Special teams	K Benirschke Carney KR Duncan Sproles P Bennett Scifres ST Bauer Osgood

Coaches	Coryell Gillman Ross

v t e 1974 College Football All-America Team consensus selections

Offense	QB Steve Bartkowski RB Anthony Davis RB Archie Griffin RB Joe Washington WR Peter Demmerle TE Bennie Cunningham OT Marvin Crenshaw OT John Roush G Gerry DiNardo G Ken Huff C Steve Myers

Defense	DL Rubin Carter DL Leroy Cook DL Pat Donovan DL Mike Hartenstine DL Louie Kelcher DL Jimmy Webb DL Randy White LB Kenneth Bernich LB Woodrow Lowe LB Rod Shoate LB Richard Wood DB Dave Brown DB John Provost DB Pat Thomas

2012 SMU Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee

Persondata
Name	Kelcher, Louie
Alternative names
Short description	Player of American football
Date of birth	August 23, 1953
Place of birth	Beaumont, Texas
Date of death
Place of death

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