[48] Two weeks after that defeat, Coryell had to replace six defensive starters due to eligibility issues, but his rebuilt team convincingly won their second straight Camellia Bowl, 27–6 against San Francisco State.

[27] They declined to accept any bowl invitations, and had withdrawn from the CCAA in advance of joining the new Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) the following season, but were voted the No.

[57][10] With future NFL MVP Brian Sipe the quarterback the Aztecs went 9–2 in 1970,[58] winning their first nine games before losing to Long Beach State, who shared the PCAA title with them.

[71] They began well, taking a 21–0 lead less than seven minutes into their opening-day win in Philadelphia and following up by beating the defending NFC East champions Washington in Coryell's regular-season home debut,[72][73] but won only twice more through the rest of the season.

Jim Hart, who Coryell had committed to as starting quarterback during training camp, set new personal bests by completing 55.6% of his passes (the second-best percentage in franchise history at the time), and being intercepted on only 3.1% of his attempts, second only to Fran Tarkenton in 1973.

[74] Despite the losing record, Bidwill expressed satisfaction with the improved morale of the team and gave Coryell a new contract on December 27, extended by two years through to the end of the 1977 season.

[76] The team improved greatly once the regular season began, winning their first seven games en route to an eventual 10–4 record and their first divisional title since 1948, when they were based in Chicago.

[77] Impressed by his rushing attack's performance in a victory over Atlanta late in the previous season, Coryell opted to shift away from his pass-heavy offensive philosophy, adopting a more run-based style that would control the ball for longer and reduce pressure on the defense.

[79] Running back Terry Metcalf doubled as a kick returner and became the first Cardinal to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season,[80] while Hart won the UPI NFC player of the year award, leading the conference with 20 touchdowns while throwing only 8 interceptions from 388 attempts.

[98] They again played in a number of close games, standing at 8–2 after Jim Bakken kicked late game-winning field goals in three consecutive weeks, the third of which was a playoff rematch at the Los Angeles Rams.

[99] This left them one game behind Dallas and two ahead of Washington, but they lost to both their rivals in the space of four days, both times turning the ball over on downs in opposition territory in the final seconds.

[124] The Chargers, after struggling for most of the 1970s, had entered their 1978 season with hopes of a playoff push; the previous year they had gone 7–7 despite their offense being hampered by a ten-game holdout from starting quarterback Dan Fouts.

[128] The Los Angeles Times described the appointment as "a merger made in Heaven", with Coryell's expertise expected to improve the offense to match the already-strong defense.

[129] Coryell lost his first game in charge at New England, then won on his return to San Diego Stadium (still shared by the Chargers and Aztecs); a crowd of 50,000 gave him an ovation at both the start and finish of a 23–0 victory over the Denver Broncos.

[141] San Diego entered 1979 with high expectations after their strong finish the previous year,[142] though Coryell played down their Super Bowl chances, noting that they had yet to win even a divisional title since joining the NFL.

[138] In the event, the Chargers did capture their first AFC West title, posting a 12–4 record and clinching the division by beating Denver 17–7 in the final game of the regular season.

"[146] The defense was also strong, claiming four interceptions of Denver quarterback Craig Morton in the finale and five of Terry Bradshaw in an earlier win over the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite being without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini and NFL rushing champion Earl Campbell, the Oilers won 17–14; Fouts threw five interceptions, two of which led to Houston touchdowns.

[152] Coryell was skeptical as to the truth of the story, and whether any signal-stealing would have a major impact on the game, believing that Oilers would have needed a high degree of experience with the Chargers' system to take advantage of the information.

[150] Coryell's Chargers repeated as division champions with an 11–5 record in 1980; they stood at 6–4 following a mid-season loss to Denver,[153] but ran off five victories in their final six games and beat Oakland to the title on tiebreakers.

[154] While the Chargers improved their running game with the midseason acquisition of Chuck Muncie,[155][156] it was their passing attack that continued to dominate, described by the New York Times as having "more in common with fast-break basketball offense than with traditional ball-control football.

"[174] Despite the high-profile departures, and despite an indifferent 6–5 start to the season,[175] San Diego eventually finished 10–6 and won their third consecutive AFC West crown, edging out Denver on tiebreakers.

[181] Aware that the game would be played in taxing, humid conditions, Coryell decided on the flight over that his players should eat bananas beforehand, reasoning that they contained potassium and would reduce the risk of cramp.

[187] San Diego advanced to the AFC championship game, where they would meet the Cincinnati Bengals in what were expected to be freezing conditions; Coryell was concerned that the cold would make the ball heavier and harder, affecting the Chargers' passing attack.

[233] Spanos confirmed this in his 2002 autobiography; he also said that he regretted not dismissing Coryell and the rest of Klein's personnel as soon as he took over control of the team, noting that Jerry Jones had "cleaned house" when he bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 with good results.

[233] He earned a reputation for quickly turning around a losing team, doing so with numerous college programs before taking both the Cardinals and Chargers into the playoffs in his second seasons with the franchises.

[241] His focus on football would often lead him to walk straight by friends or players without noticing them or responding when they greeted him;[186] he worked late hours, and would sleep at his team's training facility two or three times a week while the season was ongoing.

[m] Possible reasons for the long delay include Coryell's failure to lead his teams to a Super Bowl, a 3–6 postseason record and his perceived weakness in the defensive side of the game.

[266] Advocates for Coryell's inclusion included Madden and Gibbs, both Hall of Fame inductees and former members of his San Diego State staff, and his former players Fouts and Winslow.

[270] In February 2023 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; his formal induction took place on August 5, with Fouts presenting Coryell at the ceremony while his daughter Mindy accepted the honor on his behalf.