Alworth

Former Chargers receiver Lance Alworth said the team's rivalry with the Raiders flared up after Al Davis left San Diego to run the Oakland franchise when both were in the AFL.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Both Mix and Alworth got a taste of the NFL after the 1970 merger.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Alworth makes it clear that Davis also fueled the rivalry.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Upon arriving, Alworth was brought in to meet with head coach Tom Landry.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

"I had been hurt in the previous game, I found out years later," Alworth says of a knee injury that hampered him in the team's 20-7 loss to the Bills in the 1964 title game.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Alworth also feels injuries played a major factor in his team's failure to win multiple AFL crowns.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Gillman, who coached the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, ran what Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth calls "the original West Coast offense."

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

But Alworth admits that he owes much of his success to Davis, who recruited him out of Arkansas and converted him from running back to receiver.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

Alworth and Mix agree that the defense played by teams such as the Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers hindered their ability to win numerous titles.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009

"He would give us heck every time we played," Alworth said.

Chargers' days with Al Davis set stage for Raiders rivalry 2009