LT No Longer A Bolt, Will Always Be A Bolt

My two favorite LT moments are these:

1. Sunday, October 20, 2002, Chargers at Raiders: I am in my third year of law school in D.C. and spend a good number of my Sundays at the ESPN Zone on 12th St. downtown. It is a pretty low time in my sports fandom as I have to concentrate on school, and neither the Padres or Chargers have been competitive for a long while (not since '96 for the Bolts). I'm aware that LT is a good young running back - possibly a great young running back - but haven't seen enough evidence to know for certain he is The Man. Then I watch this game against the Raiders in October 2002.

LT ran 39 times for 153 yards, leading the Bolts to a 27-21 OT victory over the eventual Super Bowl runners-up. What I'll never forget though is when LT broke through the line in OT and scampered 19 yards for the game-winnning TD. An incredibly powerful and fast run that no man should have been capable of on his 39th carry of the game. Just an astounding performance. That was the high point of that particular Chargers season, and one of the most fun games I've ever watched. Thanks, LT.

2. Sunday, December 10, 2006, Broncos at Chargers: The day LT set the single-season touchdown record. For my 30th birthday my wife bought us tickets to a Chargers game. We'd had the tickets for weeks and booked a cross-country flight to spend the weekend in the Diego (where better?). I knew the Chargers were good when we planned the trip, but didn't know they were on their way to their best season in team history. Likewise, I knew LT was the best RB in the league, but I didn't know he was on his way to an MVP season.

Well, this game was the absolute coronation of both that great Bolts season, and LT's season of the ages. The Broncos were a competitive team but the Bolts exploded to a 28-3 halftime lead, including a 1-yard LT touchdown run. That put LT two TDs away from breaking the record. The Broncos pulled to 28-20 in the third quarter, but then the Chargers went into pulverize mode, and scored 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, including two LT touchdown runs, the latter of which - the record breaker - you see above. I saw that moment live and will never forget it. Thanks, LT.

There are many more great LT moments, and I'll chronicle a few more here in the coming weeks. Until then, all I can say is what I've already said:

Thanks, LT.