What Happened to Qualcomm Stadium? ABANDONED?

The San Diego sports world was flipped upside down when the Chargers announced they would be moving to Los Angeles in 2016 after spending 15 years trying to get a new stadium built. San Diego/Jack Murphy/Qualcomm/SDCCU Stadium served as their home for almost 90% of their home games throughout their franchise history, and was host to countless other events throughout its own life. Events include Super Bowl 22, Super Bowl 32, Super Bowl 37, Supercross Championships, MotoX Championships, and concerts like The Who, The Rolling Stones, One Direction, and Coldplay. After more than 50 years of continuous use, officials had reached the conclusion that the stadium was at the end of its life, and redevelopment planning began. Join me in Modern Ruins Episode 7 as we recap the ENTIRE history of the Q and discover what the future holds for the site.

Corrections in order they appear in the video:
1. While Mission Valley is outside DOWNTOWN San Diego it is still inside San Diego city limits.
2. Charles Bidwell died in 1947 (Lamar Hunt was 15). Hunt and the investors were dealing with Bidwell's widow Violet and her new husband Walter Wolfman who were needing cash to relocate the team.
3. DEAN Spanos, not Dan.
4. Chiefs beat the Chargers in the latter's final game at Qualcomm, not vis versa.

What Happened to Qualcomm Stadium? ABANDONED?

[LaBreeceTV]

Before sharing the correction you are about to comment, please see the current list of corrections in the description. There's not very many but I felt after 200 DEAN Spanos comments I should address them.

[jwwj]

Thank you so much for this heartbreaking video. As a Padres & Chargers fan since 1971, it’s like I was watching my own home movies. Living in SD since 1971, I had season tix to both teams & attended countless concerts including most of the same ones you covered. Graduating from SDSU, I also went to the Aztec games & 2 of the Super Bowls.
You really did an excellent job with all the backstories on each chapter. I’ll keep this video & share it with all my fellow Padres, Aztec & Charger fans. The absolute best name was “The Murph” in respect for Jack Murphy, a fantastic sport’s columnist for our local paper.

[jimmymac]

I am close to tears watching this as well. I was stationed in San Diego at MCRD, from 1996 to 2000. I worked an extra job at Elite Show Services for both the Chargers and Padres. When I wasn't working there, I was taking my family to Coca Cola Family Nights for Padre games. We would pay $32.00 for parking pass, tickets, peanuts and sodas...sometimes programs included...We got bobble heads, clocks, and all kinds of free stuff during the games. As a security member, I got to meet many players and their family by simply just being there. I worked in the stands and on the field, wherever there was room for me. I loved the fans out there...They were warm and genuine sports fans. I was on the field on the first base side when Tony Gwynn came home after his 3, 000th hit. I also remember every game chuckling as I watched Ricky Henderson stretching every free moment he could in the outfield between pitches...Those were such great memories. I will always hate Dean Spanos and his family with my whole heart for ripping that franchise away from San Diego. I truly hope he goes broke!

[yoshbmusic]

I drove passed the stadium everyday watching it slowly get torn apart from the I-805. It hurt watching my childhood go man. Snapdragon is now built in it’s place in which I’m happy for SDSU. GO PADRES!

[desertfalcon]

San Diego is my hometown. In 1966, I saw San Diego Stadium as a hole in the ground, during early construction

You’ve done a very good job researching the history of San Diego Stadium thank you for your honorable presentation. Great Job!

[upside]

Chargers never should have left San Diego. They'll always be the San Diego Chargers to me.

[tmc]

anyone watching this video who has no attachment to that stadium will never understand how sad it is to see it go. I grew up in san diego and i went to that stadium a lot. To watch chargers games but also for other events as well, I had so many good memories growing up at that stadium and it was sad to see it just demolished like it was nothing.

[dopehousex]

Dean Spanos did the city of San Diego dirty. I'm glad to see his organization struggle in Los Angeles.

[myothercarisadelorean]

38 year old SD native. I still remember going to the Murph/Q with my Dad to watch 90s Chargers. Humphreys, Means, Seau... good times! Fast forward to the last 15 years until they finally left and every season was the same Games were blacked out because not enough attendance. The thing you have to understand about San Diego is yes we have sports teams but we're not dedicated. There's a reason why cities like Kansas City or Green Bay have dedicated fans, because there's nothing else to do on a Sunday is those cities. I would say the 3 reasons why outsiders call us shitty fans:

1. The weather is great and there is a lot to do within the city. Most people don't want to waste their Sunday getting drunk and watching a greedy owner's team.
2. Most residents are transplants. Cost of living has drove out most natives and in comes a lot of east coasters rooting for their home team.
3. The price to attend a game. As they say in New York, " Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!" We not only pay high cost of living, but high gas, high taxes, high insurance. At the end of the day, nobody has money to go watch a Chargers game. Hell I went to a Padres game this past summer and paid nearly $30 for 2 beers. I mean WTF!

[Missileworksllc]

Still can’t believe that stadium is gone. Growing up in San Diego going to countless chargers games, monster jams, and motocross event there as a kid to being 16+ racing cars there with scca and their Friday night drag racing. I lost all charger fandom after the move and now my home town doesn’t quite feel like my home town anymore.

Oh well, go Broncos I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️

[lionsfan]

Awesome frigging video! You were awesome explaining everything to us. I'm fascinated by the history of older stadiums and the teams that played in them, so this is right up my alley.

[dylmwidner]

Spanos didn’t want to spend any money on a new stadium, but instead spent almost $700 million just to MOVE his team.

[jhollie]

First Charger game, 1968 with my grandfather and dad. Seeing the field in person for the first time was a great experience. John Hadl and my hero Lance Alworth. I’ll never forget those days. Plus it was easy to get tickets back then and did not cost an arm and leg like like today.

[aaronluna]

Thank you ma brotha for making this video. Nobody seems to talk about the Murph anymore, at all. This was truly a madhouse the final year of SDSU football. Going to that final game, we all kind of felt that this would be the last game we'd all go to. I will forever cherish my ticket stub
R.I.P The Murph/The Q (1967-2021)

[chanceraynor]

The final event at the stadium was the Holiday Bowl in 2019. It was not played without anyone in attendance. I was one of the 50, 123 in attendance at that game. It wasn't known at the time that it would be the final event. I'm glad I was there for that last time though. Being at the last event caps off so many great memories there. I attended my first Padre game in the summer of 1969 and grew up with the Padres in that Stadium. I still remember it as San Diego stadium before it was changed to Jack Murphy and then later Qualcomm. Watching them tear it down was like saying goodbye to an old and faithful friend.

[WARPONY]

I worked there last year while demolition took place. Lots of good memories went down with it. It was really sad to see it go. 💔😢

[Summitclym]

Great memories at The Murph including my BYU Cougars beating Michigan in 1984 and other holiday bowls. But the best day was meeting and talking to Tony Gwynn during fan appreciation day on that field. What a great guy!

[abrahamjackson]

Lifelong San Diego resident, traveling the 15 and 805 freeway it's hard not seeing "The Murph" .

[charlespage]

Its an absolute damn shame San Diego lost the Chargers. I hope the business community and local government of SD get their heads out of their asses and work out some sort of miracle to get the Chargers a new stadium and get them back! LA Chargers is just an abomination.

And I'm saying this as a Vikings fan. San Diego deserves it's Chargers back!

[TracksideViews]

Desperate for a new stadium they settled for sharing a stadium with another team. Hated to see the Chargers turn it’s back on San Diego.