1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Surveillance and negotiation
At that point, many of the officers involved felt the exchanges might lead to a negotiated settlement; when he returned to the phone, Loi Nguyen stated that while he accepted those terms, his partners did not. Suddenly, the phone went dead, and the CINT immediately tried to re-establish contact with the store. On the first attempt, the phone was busy, and on the second attempt, a suspect calling himself "Number One" (later shown to be Long Nguyen) answered the phone, informing everyone that he was now in control. From that point on, the situation began to rapidly deteriorate. Shots were once again fired at the store's security cameras.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
At approximately 9 p.m., Long Nguyen shot a twenty-year-old male hostage named Sean McIntyre in the leg and then released McIntyre as the ninth and final hostage to be released with the instruction to deliver their message and plight to the local media. They claimed they were trying to draw attention to the troubles of their home country and that they were on a suicide mission.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
At that point, the police attempted to distract the gunmen by putting the hostage on the news, which would also move them to the television area of the store, but unfortunately, this tactic did not work. The police team was finally given the "green light" to enter the store. Sniper Jeffrey Boyes would issue the signal to execute the assault. Boyes had received permission to fire on any subject on whom he could obtain a clear line of sight.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
After McIntyre was shot and released, another hostage was shot just before 10 p.m.; the gunmen had told the hostages to select the next victim from among themselves, causing an elderly hostage, Harold Brooks, to faint. According to Sheriff Craig, the gunmen joked "he just decided he was going to be our next person shot." Long Nguyen attempted to shoot Brooks, but his gun misfired, and Loi Nguyen shot Brooks in the leg. The surviving hostages stated the gunmen divided them into two groups and had begun flipping a coin to decide their fates. Guns were placed to the hostages' heads. Several hostages were placed on the phone, and they informed the police the gunmen were going to begin executing hostages.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
— Fernando Gutierrez, a 28-year-old hostage who was killed, police negotiator recording, quoted in AP News story (December 19, 1991)


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
A second bulletproof vest was delivered to the front door shortly after Brooks was shot, which was to be exchanged for nine more hostages, but no one was released. A female hostage was sent out to recover the second vest with her wrists tied behind her and harnessed with more speaker cord. As the door was opened and the woman was halfway down the path to retrieve the vest, Boyes took a shot at one of the gunmen, but the sniper's bullet was deflected by the glass door as it swung shut, and it failed to hit the target.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
Immediately, the hostage-takers ran back and forth, and one started to shoot the seated hostages who were tied down in a row behind the glass door, in full view of the news cameras broadcasting the event live. At the same time, Boyes radioed "Go", and the SED entry team immediately hit the door at 9:51 p.m. A stun grenade was tossed into the store from outside, and Curt Warburton, one of the Good Guys employees, managed to scramble to safety through the now shattered glass door. "Number One" (Long Nguyen), now stunned and disoriented, managed to stagger out of Boyes's sights and take cover behind a large pillar. He then immediately began firing his weapon at more bound hostages.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
It took the seven-person entry team two to three seconds to get through the back doors from where they had been hiding (a storage space in the rear of the store) because of the "barricades" erected earlier. They then had to contend with the 100-foot (30 m) distance to the front of the store. The team was armed with a variety of weapons for the entry. Sergeants Don Devlin, Charles Price, and Gordon Smith were armed with SiGARMS Sig P220 pistols, Sergeant Bill Kelly carried a laser-sighted HK MP5, investigators Mike Hammel and Greg Peterson carried H&K MP5SD3 submachine guns, and investigator Roger Stanfill was still armed with his AR-15.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
Hammel and Price cleared the west side of the store, Peterson and Kelly the east side, and Devlin and Smith went straight up the middle. Stanfill took up a rearguard position. As the team began its movement toward the front of the store, the remaining hostage-takers immediately began to fire on the entry team and hostages. Peterson stepped on the wire that had been used to tether the female hostage sent out to recover the second vest.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Entry
At that moment, she was snatched to safety by officers outside the store, causing Peterson's feet to fly out from under him, forcing him to fall backward, just as a shotgun blast immediately blew through the area where he was standing. His fellow team members mistakenly believed he had been struck in the face by the blast. As Peterson began to rise to his feet, Devlin and Kelly tried to flank the shotgun-wielding suspect, who fired on them once again, before being taken under fire by the team.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Suspects shot
Simultaneously, on the west side of the store, the team shot one of the suspects (Cuong Tran) before he could react. Then they spotted a second armed suspect (Pham Nguyen) and fired on him, but he disappeared into the chaos of the screaming and panicking crowd of hostages. Then, "Number One" (Long Nguyen) was shot.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Suspects shot
At this point, the team could only account for three of the suspects and immediately began a systematic search for the fourth. Price and Hammel discovered an unarmed Asian male (Loi Nguyen) lying on the floor, wearing the sole bulletproof vest that had been provided earlier. Once he was rolled over, they discovered he had a .223 caliber entrance wound, accounting for all four suspects.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Event, Suspects shot
It took only 30 seconds from the initial police entry until the gunfire ceased, bringing an end to the hostage crisis.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Casualties
During the assault, the suspects wounded eleven hostages and killed three. Of the eleven wounded, ten were shot, and one suffered a miscarriage. Others shot at were Bret Soren, Chris Lauretzen, Curt Warburton, and many others who suffered both physical and extreme emotional consequences including brutal bodily injuries, trauma, and severe ongoing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Of the four suspects, three were killed by the entry team and one, "Thai" (Loi), was wounded. None of the SED entry team was wounded. The hostages killed were store employees Kris Edward Sohne and John Lee Fritz and customer Fernando Gutierrez.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Casualties
Gutierrez's two nieces were also hostages. One of the nieces, Lisa Joseph, later wrote the book Heads or Tails: A True Hostage Story of Terror, Torture and Ultimate Survival about her ordeal. Two employees hid in a computer closet during the hostage crisis.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Casualties
The Good Guys! announced they would set up trust funds for the two slain employees and would pay for the funerals of all three murder victims.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Trial and prosecution
Loi Nguyen was arraigned from his hospital bed shortly after the crisis ended and charged with 54 felonies, including murder. Nguyen's attorney, Sacramento public defender Linda Parisi, argued that Loi Nguyen was trying to make peace, based on witness testimony and recorded audio, and did not deserve the death penalty; she pointed to Long Nguyen as the leader. However, Rebecca Moore, a sheriff's detective, pointed out that Loi Nguyen had purchased the guns, driven the group to the store, and handled most of the negotiations: "In my opinion he is the most responsible party for this thing going down."


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Trial and prosecution
Because of pre-trial publicity, the trial was moved to San Francisco. He was convicted on February 8, 1995, on 51 felony counts: three for murder, eight for attempted murder, two for assault with a firearm, and 38 for kidnapping, after two days of jury deliberation. On March 28, the jury recommended a life sentence in prison rather than the death penalty, after four more hours of deliberation.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Trial and prosecution
At the sentencing hearing in Sacramento, Judge W.J. Harpham said, "It's hard to find the adjectives for the terror the defendant put these hostages through." He sentenced Loi Khac Nguyen to 49 life terms in prison, 41 to be served consecutively without the chance of parole. Information that surfaced at Nguyen's trial revealed the men's motivation for committing the crime was that they were frustrated by their inability to learn English and find jobs. Nguyen initially served his sentence at the California State Prison, Lancaster. At some point, he was transferred to California State Prison, Centinela, where he is currently serving his term. His CDCR number is J69791.


1991 Sacramento hostage crisis, Aftermath, Trial and prosecution
The former Good Guys! building later became a Dollar Tree store, which was modified to move the main entry doors from the front (south facade) to the side of the building (east facade). This Dollar Tree still stands and remains in business.


1991 Saga gubernatorial election
A gubernatorial election was held on 7 April 1991 to elect the Governor of Saga Prefecture.


1991 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team
The 1991 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team represented Saint Louis University during the 1991 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Billikens played their first season in the now-defunct Great Midwest Conference, where they were the inaugural regular-season and tournament champions. Saint Louis earned an automatic bid to the 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, where they had their best NCAA tournament appearance since 1974. Saint Louis reached the College Cup before losing to the eventual national champions, Virginia.


1991 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team
Saint Louis were led by future United States men's national soccer team striker Brian McBride, who led Saint Louis with 20 goals throughout the season. McBride later had a professional career playing with Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer as well as with Fulham in the Premier League. Additionally, the 1991 team contained future professionals players and coaches: Mike Sorber, Shane Battelle, Steve Kuntz and Rory Dames.


1991 Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1991 Salvadoran legislative election
Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 10 March 1991. The result was a victory for the Nationalist Republican Alliance, which won 39 of the 84 seats. Voter turnout was 44.7%.


1991 San Diego Chargers season
The 1991 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 32nd overall and the third and final season under head coach Dan Henning. The team failed to improve on their 6–10 record in 1990, losing eight of their first nine games and finishing at 4-12, their fourth consecutive losing season.


1991 San Diego Chargers season
San Diego's poor record contrasted with a roughly average statistical season. They struggled in close games, going 2–8 when the margin was seven points or fewer; during Henning's reign, they were a cumulative 6–22 in such games. The Chargers did manage some good wins, defeating two teams (the Los Angeles Raiders and the New Orleans Saints) who made the playoffs in 1991, and a third (the Miami Dolphins) who missed the postseason only because of their defeat in San Diego.


1991 San Diego Chargers season
Henning, together with his entire coaching staff, was fired by general manager Bobby Beathard the day after the season ended.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
Lee Williams ended 1990 as the Chargers' career sack leader since records began in 1982, with 65½ through seven seasons. Williams was displeased at being asked to play defensive tackle, and wanted to renegotiate his contract. He became a holdout, and was threatening legal action to void his existing contract when Beathard opted to trade him to Houston, shortly before the season began. In return, San Diego received the Oilers' 1st-round draft pick in 1992, as well as rookie wide receiver Shawn Jefferson.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
Billy Joe Tolliver, who had started fourteen games the previous season, lost a training camp battle with John Friesz for the starting quarterback role. Friesz was named the starter on August 23, in the aftermath of the Chargers' final preseason game. Only five days later, Tolliver was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for their 5th-round pick in the 1992 draft, Another quarterback, Mark Vlasic was left unprotected from Plan B free agency, and signed for the Kansas City Chiefs in March. Vlasic had started once for the Chargers the previous season, and three times in total.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
Other offensive departures included wide receiver Quinn Early, a 2nd-round pick in 1988 who was left exposed to Plan B free agency after catching 55 passes in three seasons, and claimed by the New Orleans Saints. Veteran tight end Arthur Cox was released midseason, on October 29. After joining the Chargers as a free agent in 1988, he had been a starter through most of his first three season, but had seen less time in 1991. Dan Henning described Cox's performance in practice as "inconsistent", while general manager Bobby Beathard said the player had committed numerous errors.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
While the Charger defense had ranked fifth in the league the previous season, Beathard announced soon after the season ended that starting safety Vencie Glenn would not be retained in 1991. Glenn, a starter in 65 of the previous 67 games, was left unprotected in Plan B free agency, amid rumours of a lack of attention to conditioning, and a failure to report to training camp while negotiating a contract. Linebacker Cedric Figaro was also left unprotected: he had started fourteen games in 1989, but only one in 1990 with rookie Junior Seau preferred. Nose tackle Les Miller, a starter in ten games the previous year, joined Quinn Early as a Plan B signing for the Saints.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Departures
In total, the Chargers lost a league-high eleven players through Plan B free agency.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Arrivals
San Diego's signed eight players in the Plan B free agency market, though none of these were considered big names. Two of these players would go on to start every game during the Chargers' 1994 Super Bowl run, however. Safety Darren Carrington played in the maximum 64 regular season games during his four years in San Diego, starting 35 and intercepting 19 passes; tackle Harry Swayne had accumulated only three starts in four years in Tampa Bay, but started 74 in six years with the Chargers. They also signed journeyman quarterback Bob Gagliano to compete for the starting job.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, Arrivals
Shawn Jefferson, who came to San Diego in the Lee Williams trade, caught only 12 passes in his first season as a Charger, but would increase his production in each of the next four years, and was another 1991 acquisition who went on to start every game in 1994.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, NFL Draft
The Chargers had the ninth pick in the draft - they used this on Stanley Richard a safety Beathard described as, "one of the top two football players in the draft," noting that he had the speed to play cornerback as well as safety. Chargers staff expected Richard to start games as a rookie. Despite a lengthy holdout (resolved on August 3), he did, with fourteen starts in 1991. During a four-season stint in San Diego, Richard would go on to start 60 regular season games, including all 16 during the 1994 Super Bowl run.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, NFL Draft
San Diego had three 2nd-round selections. With the first of these, they selected defensive tackle George Thornton, started 16 games in two seasons with the club. The second, acquired through the previous season's trade of Gary Anderson to Tampa Bay, was used on running back Eric Bieniemy. He scored four touchdowns in four years with the Chargers, backing up Marion Butts and later Natrone Means. Finally, Beathard agreed a draft-day, sending the Chargers' 1992 1st-round pick to Washington in exchange for the Redskins' 2nd-round pick in 1991 and their 5th-round pick in 1992. He selected guard Eric Moten, who spent his six-year career in San Diego, starting 61 games despite a severe knee injury in 1993. Observers were surprised by the selection of Bieniemy, the Chargers already having a strong running game, and by the price paid for Moten.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Offseason, NFL Draft
In the later rounds, San Diego selected tight end Duane Young. Primarily a blocker, he had 38 receptions in 64 starts across five seasons with the Chargers. Wide receiver Yancey Thigpen was a Pro Bowler twice in his career. However, he achieved this in Pittsburgh, where he was traded after failing to make an impact during his solitary year in San Diego.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
Ronnie Harmon made several big plays as the Chargers won their preseason opener against the Oilers. He was the top receiver in the game for either team, gaining 111 yards on three receptions, including touchdowns catches of 64 and 35 yards from Billy Joe Tolliver. He was also the top rusher, despite having only one carry: a 51-yarder that set up Tolliver's third touchdown pass. Tolliver's main rival for the starting quarterback role, John Friesz, connected with Yancey Thigpen for a touchdown of his own in the second half (neither passer was intercepted). Houston led 29–28 late in the game, but Donnie Elder's interception set up John Carney to hit the winning field goal from 27 yards out with 2:04 to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
Having scored 31 points in their opener, the Chargers could only manage a total of 23 in their next three games, all losses. Head coach Dan Henning expressed disappointment with the performance of both quarterbacks after neither managed to complete 50% of their passes against the Rams, though Friesz was let down by Anthony Miller dropping a probable touchdown pass. The defense struggled the following week, letting 49ers' quarterback Steve Young break four tackles on a 47-yard touchdown run, and giving up another touchdown on a drive lasting over 12 minutes. Neither quarterback passed for 100 yards, and rookie Eric Bieniemy scored the Chargers' only touchdown in the 4th quarter.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Preseason
Friesz won the starting quarterback role in the final preseason game. After Tolliver had struggled, going 7 of 17 for 94 yards, with an interception and a fumble lost, Friesz entered the game and completed 17 of 19 for 210 yards, with a 34-yard touchdown to Miller and no interceptions. Henning said in the aftermath of the game, "We'll give John a chance to keep that spark going."


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Overview
John Friesz, a sixth-round draft pick for San Diego in 1990, started every game. He was the first Charger quarterback to do this since 1982. Friesz threw for 2,896 yards, while throwing 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions: he had a passer rating of 67.1, falling short of the league average of 76.2. Anthony Miller was the Chargers' leading receiver despite spending the final three weeks of the season in injured reserve; the bulk of his 649 yards came in a run of four games from Weeks 7 through 11. He was supported by 2nd-year wide receiver Nate Lewis (554 yards) and running back Ronnie Harmon (555 yards from a team-high 59 receptions), but the Chargers ranked 24th of 28 in the league for passing yardage.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Overview
By contrast, the Chargers running game was strong, their 2,248 yards ranking second in the league. Marion Butts, who had set a club record with 1,225 the previous season, held out through preseason, trying to force a contract renegotiation he believed Beathard had previously agreed to. On August 26, after accruing fines of approximately $57,000, Butts reported to the Chargers under the advice of his new agent Leigh Steinberg. Having returned, Butts had only 16 carries during the first three weeks of the season, and finished with 72 fewer carries than the previous season.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Overview
Nonetheless, he led the team with 834 yards. Rod Bernstine saw increased opportunities while Butts was eased back in, rushing for 766 yards despite a three-game midseason stint on injured reserve. He also scored eight touchdowns, a career high. Harmon added 544 yards at an average of 6.1 yards per carry; this was the league-wide best average yards per carry from any player who gained over 500 yards.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Overview
On defense, the Chargers had been the league's fifth-ranked unit the previous year, but slipped to 19th in 1991. Cornerback Gill Byrd led the team with six interceptions, while outside linebacker Leslie O'Neal had the most quarterback sacks with 9. Junior Seau, who made the first of twelve consecutive Pro Bowls, was second with 7 sacks, and was credited by the Chargers with a team-leading 129 tackles, ahead of his fellow inside linebacker Gary Plummer with 111.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Overview
John Carney had a difficult year as the Chargers' kicker, making 19 of 29 field goals. His 65.5% conversion rate was joint-26th in the league. John Kidd's 40.3 yards per punt ranked 23rd in the league. Nate Lewis had a good year as a kickoff returner, scoring a touchdown and average 25.1 yards per return, second best in the league. Kitrick Taylor was seventh in the league with 9.6 yards per punt return.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries
All game reports use the Pro Football Researchers' gamebook archive as a source.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
San Diego lost their opener after giving up a crucial late touchdown. Newly-installed starting quarterback John Friesz lost a fumble on the game's third play, and Gary Anderson put the Steelers ahead with a 38-yard field goal. Gill Byrd stopped the next two Steeler drives with interceptions of Bubby Brister, but the Chargers failed to convert either turnover into points, with John Carney missing a 36-yard kick after the second interception - he did, however, convert a career-high 48-yard attempt on the next Charger possession. Brister responded by leading a 9-play, 80-yard drive that ended with his touchdown pass to Chris Calloway, and the Steelers led 10–3 at halftime.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh dominated the 3rd quarter in terms of time of possession, holding the ball for over 11 minutes. Anderson added three further field goals, the last of these early in the final quarter, running the lead to 19–3. Ronnie Harmon's 23-yard run was the longest play on the ensuing drive, which ended with a successful trick play. Rod Bernstine took a handoff from Friesz and swept right, before pulling up and throwing to an unmarked Nate Lewis for an 11-yard touchdown.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Friesz was intercepted on the first play of the next Charger drive, but the Steelers went three-and-out, and San Diego drove into range for a second successful Carney field goal, drawing to within six points with 2:14 to play. After receiving the kickoff, Pittsburgh were twice penalised, and were faced with a 3rd and 19 from their own 11, with 1:44 still on the clock and San Diego holding two timeouts.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Neil O'Donnell, in for an injured Brister, then threw a pass to Dwight Stone in the left flat; Stone took advantage of an Ernie Mills block on Donald Frank to break clear up the sideline for an 89-yard touchdown. The Chargers scored again through rookie wide receiver Shawn Jefferson, but no time remained on the clock by then.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
John Friesz, who had completed over 89% of his passes in the final preseason game, failed to complete half his throws in this game. He was 19 of 41 for 192 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He had only 75 yards passing through the first three quarters. Dan Henning took over the playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Ted Tollner going into the final quarter; two days later, Henning fired Tollner and retained the offensive coordinator role himself for the rest of the season.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The Chargers failed to build on a strong start, as San Francisco pulled away in the second half. Donnie Elder returned the opening kickoff 42 yards to his own 44, and Rod Bernstine converted a 4th and 1 four plays later. After Bernstine picked up another first down, Marion Butts broke off a 22-yard gain before being brought down inches from the goal line. Friesz threw his only completion of the drive on the next play, faking a handoff before finding Craig McEwen in the right side of the end zone for a touchdown. San Francisco drove into Charger territory on their next three drives: on two of them, they settled for field goal tries, one of which was missed; on the third, Burt Grossman stopped Tom Rathman for no gain on 4th and inches from the 2.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers broke through late in the first half, with Jerry Rice's leaping catch giving them the lead. San Diego responded quickly, with Anthony Miller's diving catch moving the ball 50 yards to the San Francisco 9, from where he scored two plays later on a quick slant. Only 1:55 remained in the half, but Steve Young led a quick 81-yard drive, finding John Taylor for a touchdown and a 17–14 halftime lead.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco maintained their momentum after the interval, with Rice catching a 70-yard touchdown pass after less than two minutes' play. The Charger defense looked to have given them a way back into the game on the next 49er possession, with George Hinkle forcing a fumble that Grossman recovered. San Diego took over on the opposition 19, but Friesz was sacked on first down and intercepted on third down. He threw a second interception on the next Charger possession, setting up a 49er touchdown, and a third late on in the game.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
The Charger defense gave up 344 passing yards and 456 total yards, both season highs.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
John Carney missed three field goals as the Chargers lost a battle of winless teams. San Diego failed to cross midfield on each of their first four possessions, punting each time while the Falcons built a 10–0 lead. Anthony Shelton then intercepted Atlanta quarterback Chris Miller at midfield, and Butts swept around right end for 44 yards on the next play. The Chargers were backed up by an Eric Moten holding penalty, but Friesz found Miller for a touchdown on 2nd and goal from the 15. Carney was short from 53 yards out on the next Charger drive. Atlanta drove into San Diego territory shortly before halftime, but a holding penalty caused the final seconds to be run off the clock, denying them a field goal attempt and keeping the score at 10–7.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Rod Bernstine lost a fumble near midfield in the 3rd quarter, and Atlanta converted the turnover into three points with a field goal. On the next possession, Friesz converted a 3rd and 18 with a 20-yard pass to Miller, then found Ronnie Harmon for a 36-yard gain on the next play. The drive stalled, and Carney was wide right on a 47-yard field goal try. Atlanta drove into Charger territory, but their kicker Norm Johnson also missed (short from 53 yards).


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Shawn Jefferson took and end around 27 yards on the next play; San Diego reached a 4th and 7 on the Atlanta 21 with five minutes remaining, and opted for another field goal try, which Carney made from 39 yards out. Atlanta went three-and-out when Junior Seau stopped Steve Broussard for a loss of a yard on 3rd and 1. Following a punt, the Chargers began their final drive on their own 40, with 2:17 to play. Harmon had a 10-yard run, and Friesz converted a 3rd and1 with a 5-yard pass to McEwen, before Carney was wide left on a 47-yard kick with five seconds to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Bernstine carried 12 times for 78 yards, and Butts 8 times for 63, as San Diego gained 184 of their 313 total yards on the ground. It was the Chargers' worst run of losses to open a season since 1975, when they started 0–11.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Missed opportunities cost the Chargers as they stayed winless. Bernstine converted a 4th and 1 on the game's opening drive, but they stalled on the edge of field goal range and had to punt. On Denver's first play, Martin Bayless forced Gaston Green to fumble, and Hinkle recovered at the Denver 28. Friesz underthrew an open Jefferson in the front of the end zone on the next play, and San Diego settled for a field goal. After Denver tied the game, Harmon took a screen pass 30 yards on 3rd and 16, moving the Chargers back into Denver territory.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Friesz had another opportunity to throw a touchdown pass, but his hurried pass went over Miller's head as he broke alone into the end zone. San Diego again settled for a field goal, before driving once more into Denver territory on their next possession. Friesz was intercepted on a 3rd and 10 from the Denver 36, and the Broncos drove into field goal range, tying the scores at 6–6 shortly before halftime.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Early in the second half, Seau read an out route, intercepted John Elway and returned the ball 44 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, Burt Grossman had jumped offside, negating the score and enabling Denver to continue their drive, which ended with a touchdown run by Green which put the Broncos ahead to stay. After Carney pulled three points back with a 43-yard field goal, Gill Byrd dove to intercept Elway at the Bronco 33.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Harmon then converted a 4th and 4 with a 5-yard catch, but the Chargers had to settle for another field goal, and a 13–12 deficit early in the final quarter. Only two plays later, Green broke away for a 63-yard touchdown. After an exchange of punts, the Chargers converted on fourth down for the third time in the game, this time with Butts gaining 2 yards on a 4th and 1.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Three plays later, Butts bounced off a would-be tackler behind the line of scrimmage and broke upfield, where he hurdled another Bronco and broke through diving tackles from two more, completing a 27-yard touchdown run with 6:11 to play. Denver faced a 3rd and 12 on their next possession, but Elway converted with a 33-yard completion to a wide-open Mark Jackson. Green scored his third touchdown two plays later, and the Chargers' final possession ended with Friesz being sacked and losing a fumble in Bronco territory.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Bernstine rushed 18 times for 103 yards. Denver running back Gaston Green scored three touchdowns in this game but only five others throughout his NFL career.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego slipped to 0–5 despite shutting out the Chiefs in the second half. Rookie Kansas City running back Harvey Williams returned the opening kickoff for 76 yards, setting up a Christian Okoye touchdown only 79 seconds into the game. Nate Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to start the Chargers off at their own 46 yard line. Bernstine gained 14 yards on their first play from scrimmage, Harmon converted a 4th and 3 with an 18 yard reception, and Bernstine scored from 2 yards out on the ninth play of the drive.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Stanley Richard snagged a Steve DeBerg pass for first career interception on the next Chiefs drive, but DeBerg came back with a touchdown pass midway through the 2nd quarter. San Diego responded with two drives into Kansas City territory, but Friesz threw incomplete on 4th and 4 from the 37, and Carney hit the right upright on a 36 yard field goal attempt.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Trailing 14–7 entering the second half, San Diego opened up with a 61-yard drive. Friesz found Harmon and Bernstine for gains of 21 and 22 yards, but failed to notice an open McEwen in the end zone on 3rd and 7 from the 8. Friesz threw incomplete, and the Chargers settled for a Carney field goal. San Diego again went for it on fourth down on their next possession, but Friesz threw incomplete on 4th and 7 from the Kansas City 33.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
On the final play of the 3rd quarter, Miller appeared to have earned them a first down at the Chief 18, but Harmon was penalised for a chop block and they were forced to punt. In the final quarter, Butts took a short pass, bounced off a tackle near the line of scrimmage, and broke away for a 46-yard gain to the Kansas City 9. Three plays later, Friesz was sacked and fumbled, though Derrick Walker was able to recover, enabling Carney to hit a second field goal and pull the Chargers within a point.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs, who had failed to gain a first down since their second touchdown, pick up four on their next drive, but Nick Lowery missed a 44-yard field goal with 3:11 to play. San Diego took over on their own 28, needing only a field goal to win. Friesz twice threw incomplete, before finding Harmon for 9 yards. On 4th and 1, Bernstine was stopped an inch short of a first down, and the Chiefs took over with 2:32 to play. After gaining a first down, they ran out the clock.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chargers lost despite outgaining the Chiefs (311 to 182), gaining more first downs (17 to 12), and forcing the game's only turnover. They had six drives inside the Chiefs' 40 yard line, but converted them into only one touchdown and two field goals. Bernstine had his second 100-yard game in a row, with 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. Friesz completed less than half his passes for the fourth time in five games, with 10 completions from 25 attempts for 162 yards.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders
The Chargers finally registered their first win of the season, surprising the 3–2 Raiders. Lewis returned the opening kickoff 56 yards to the Raider 41, but San Diego could only gain 4 yards and were forced to punt. They were in Raider territory on their next two drives as well, but punted both times, either side of a Los Angeles field goal drive. San Diego's fourth drive started at the Raider 48, as they continued to enjoy an advantage in starting field position. This time, they needed only seven plays to score, with Bernstine narrowly breaking the plane of the goal line on a 4-yard carry. The Raiders needed less than three minutes to respond, Jay Schroeder throwing a touchdown shortly after Stanley Richard was flagged for a 36-yard pass interference penalty.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders
In response, San Diego used up almost all of the final eight minutes of the first half on a 15-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. They were in trouble early on, facing 2nd and 23 after a sack and a penalty, but Friesz had completions of 16 yards to Harmon and 9 yards to McEwen to keep the drive going. Further third downs were converted by Harmon's 25-yard catch and Bernstine's 1-yard run, the latter of which gave them a 1st and goal from the 2. After three plays gained only one yard, Dan Henning opted to go for it on fourth down, and Butts forced his way through the middle of the line for a touchdown and a 14–10 lead, with just two seconds remaining in the half.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders
Los Angeles scored a field goal on the opening possession of the second half, and were threatening to take the lead early in the final quarter, having gained a first down at the Charger 33. Joe Phillips then forced a fumble by Roger Craig, which Henry Rolling recovered and returned 53 yards to the Raider 13. Four plays later, Friesz threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Butts. The final two Raider drives were ended by interceptions, for Rolling and Byrd.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders
San Diego's offense continued to find more success with the run than the pass, with 158 of their 258 yards coming on the ground. It was the fifth consecutive game in which they gained at least 150 rushing yards.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
A pair of dubious coaching decisions were key as the Chargers lost another close game. They began well, taking the opening kickoff and driving 82 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown. Friesz converted three third downs on the drive, with completions of 12 yards to Lewis, 25 yards to Bernstine, and a 30 yards to Miller for the touchdown. They gained a first down at the Los Angeles 28 on their next drive, but three penalties, one by Courtney Hall and two by David Richards, backed them up and they were forced to punt.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
The Rams then drove 80 yards in 8 plays, tying the scores with a Jim Everett touchdown pass. The Chargers needed only 5 plays to respond, with Friesz throwing his second touchdown of the half, a 49-yarder to Lewis with 8:38 to play. The Rams used the bulk of that time on another 80 yard touchdown drive, with Robert Delpino's touchdown run tying the game at 14–14, with 19 seconds left.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
San Diego then misplayed a squib kick, which bounced between two Chargers and over the head of Lewis, who chased the loose ball backwards and managed to recover it at his own 1 yard line, with 14 seconds left. On the next two plays, Harmon gained a yard and Butts lost one; the Rams called timeout after each play, and stopped the clock with a single second to play. Needing to run one more play, San Diego sent Butts on a run to the left, where an unblocked Kevin Greene tackled him well short of the goal line for a safety, and a lead the Rams did not relinquish.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
Delpino scored his second touchdown of the game midway through the 3rd quarter, rounding off an 82-yard touchdown drive. The Chargers came straight back with a 7-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, Friesz completing a 43-yard pass to Miller that moved the ball to the 1, from where Bernstine went up the middle for the score. The Rams then produced their fourth 80+ yard touchdown drive of the game, this time going 87 yards, with Everett throwing another touchdown to put his team 30–21 up.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
Following an exchange of punts, the Chargers put together another 80-yard drive, but this one stalled at the Rams' 9 yard line. Carney's field goal drew the Chargers to within six points. They began their next drive at their own 38 with 2:22 to play. After three incompletions, Harmon could only gain 7 yards on a draw play, and the Rams took over on downs. San Diego had one more drive, but it began at their own 8 with 14 seconds to play. After a short completion, Friesz was intercepted as the game ended.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams
Friesz completed 21 of 33 for 306 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, while Miller caught 7 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Henning was criticised for his handling of the last sequence of the first half, and for calling the late draw play on 4th and 10. Of the safety, he explained that the Chargers did not run quarterback sneaks, and that they didn't consider trying a deliberate incompletion, believing that the 250-pound Butts could avoid being tackled for a loss. Of the draw, he said, "They had a three-man line and eight people in coverage ... we felt that was our best shot to get the ball downfield."


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
San Diego's struggles in close games continued, as the Browns erased a 14-point deficit to defeat them in overtime. The Chargers opened the scoring after Kitrick Taylor's 48-yard punt return set them up at the Cleveland 12; their offense gained only 2 yards from there, but Carney made a 27-yard field goal. On their next drive, San Diego drove from their own 16 to a 4th and 1 from the Browns 2, with Friesz completing four passes of over ten yards. However, Bernstine was stopped for no gain when they tried to convert the fourth down.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland went three-and-out, and Bernstine carried three times for 31 yards as the Chargers again threatened to score, reaching a 3rd and 9 from the Browns 21. This time, Friesz was sacked and fumbled, Cedric Figaro recovering. After a series of punts, Cleveland were able to drive for a game-tying field goal as time expired in the half.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Chargers forced punts on the first two Browns drives of the second half, giving them excellent field position both times; drives of 41 and 48 yards were capped by touchdown runs from Harmon and Butts, and San Diego led 17–3 late in the 3rd quarter. Bernie Kosar responded with completions on five consecutive plays, taking his team 76 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, Friesz was hit as he threw, leading to an interception by Richard Brown which set the Browns up at the Charger 11.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Joe Morris converted a 4th and 1 for Cleveland, and scored from a yard out on the next play. Friesz bounced back on the following possession, leading a 13-play, 86-yard drive that featured three third downs converted by passing. On the third of these, Harmon made a one-handed catch and hurdled a tackler to bring up 1st and goal at the 3. Steve Hendrickson caught a 2-yard touchdown pass two plays later. Cleveland drove 77 yards on their next possession, scoring their third touchdown in three possessions and tying the scores with 4:09 to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Friesz converted third downs with completions to Miller and Lewis as he moved the Chargers from their own 20 to the Cleveland 24. From there, they were pushed back ten yards by a holding penalty, called on Arthur Cox. Butts regained three of those yards, before Carney was narrowly wide left on a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired in regulation.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
The overtime coin toss was won by San Diego, who received the kickoff and started at their own 20. Harmon picked up two first downs, with a 14-yard reception and an 11-yard run, moving the ball to midfield, but the Chargers gained only five yards on their next three plays, and John Kidd pinned Cleveland at their own 6 yard line with a punt. The Browns also gained two first downs before punting, with San Diego starting their next possession from their own 14. They reached a 2nd and 10 from their own 32, whereupon Friesz threw for Lewis off his back foot. David Brandon cut in front of Lewis to intercept the pass and return the ball 30 yards for the winning touchdown.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns
Friesz set new career highs with 33 of 54 for 321 yards, while throwing a touchdown and two interceptions. Three Cleveland linebackers had takeaways: Figaro, Brown and Brandon. Each of these players was a former Charger.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
The Chargers were kept out of the end zone as they slipped to 1–8. They went three-and-out on their opening possession, and Seattle drove 56 yards for a touchdown, taking a lead they kept for the rest of the game. San Diego pulled three points back early in the 2nd quarter, when Miller drew a 37-yard pass interference penalty, negating an interception and moving the ball to the Seattle 11.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
They were unable to get any closer to the end zone, and Carney kicked a 29-yard field goal; barely three minutes later, Seattle kicker John Kasay hit a 51-yarder to restore his team's seven-point lead. The Seahawks drove to the Charger 28 on their next possession, but Gill Byrd stopped the threat with an interception near the goal line. San Diego also missed a chance on the ensuing drive, Butts being thrown for a loss on 4th and 2 at the Seattle 42. On their next possession, Harmon's 26-yard reception on 4th and 11 moved the ball to the Seattle 12, setting up another Carney field goal with four seconds remaining in the half.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
Carney was short from 56 yards early in the 3rd quarter (Henning mistakenly believed the kick would be a 51-yarder), and Seattle drove to the Charger 29 before Billy Ray Smith intercepted Dave Krieg. San Diego moved back into Seattle territory, this time passing on a long field goal and going for it on 4th and 1 from the Seattle 36. Butts converted with a 14-yard run off right tackle, setting up another field goal and pulling the Chargers within a point at 10–9. Seattle running back Chris Warren ran the ensuing kickoff back 55 yards to the Charger 40.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
Gill Byrd forced a fumble on the next play, but Seattle recovered, and scored six plays later on a pass from Krieg to Mike Tice. Following a Charger three-and-out, Seattle added another long Kasey field goal, this one from 54 yards out. Needing two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game, San Diego drove from their own 20 to the Seattle 3, from where Friesz threw incomplete on 4th and goal. Seattle saw out the remaining two minutes without difficulty.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
San Diego lost despite clear advantages in rushing yardage (128 to 75) and passing yardage (192 to 127).


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks
John Carney hit a club-record 54-yard field goal to give San Diego their second win of the season. The Chargers started well, forcing a punt and going 75 yards in six plays to take the lead. Friesz completed passes of 24 yards to Miller and 20 yards to Hendrickson, and Butts swept left for a 17-yard touchdown run. Early in the 2nd quarter, Martin Bayless forced a fumble  that Gary Plummer recovered at the San Diego 33.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Two plays later, Miller took a mid-range pass for a 58-yard gain to the Seattle 9, setting up another Butts touchdown, this time from a yard out. The Seahawks threatened to get on the scoreboard shortly before halftime, reaching a 1st and goal at the 4. Smith then forced John L. Williams to fumble, and Grossman recovered to leave the Chargers 14–0 up at the break.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks
There was no scoring in the 3rd quarter. Late in the period, Seattle began an 80-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass from Dave Krieg to Williams with 14 minutes to play. After the next three possessions ended in punts, the Seahawks tied the score. Krieg converted a 3rd and 19 with a 24-yard completion and threw his second touchdown pass on the next play. Friesz responded with a 29-yard completion to McEwen, taking the ball to midfield. Though the Chargers were then forced to punt, they pinned the Seahawks at their own 16 with 2:10 to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Following back-to-back sacks by Donnie Elder and Anthony Shelton, Seattle were forced to punt from their own 5. Kitrick Taylor's 29-yard punt return set the Chargers up at the Seattle 33 with 1:35 to play. Initially, the Chargers went backwards, with penalties on Hendrickson and Moten costing them 15 yards. Harmon recovered 12 of those yards with a pair of receptions, and Carney made his winning kick with 18 seconds left. Byrd intercepted Krieg's deep throw as time expired.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Miller finished with 5 catches for 128 yards. The three-point victory ended a run of ten straight defeats for the Chargers in games decided by seven points or fewer.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
Carney again kicked a late game-winner, as San Diego shocked the Saints. New Orleans, 9–1 coming into the game, drove 78 yards in 12 plays after receiving the opening kickoff, taking over seven minutes off the clock and scoring on a short touchdown pass by Steve Walsh. The Chargers' reply began at their own 20 yard line. Butts opened the drive with back-to-back carries of 9 and 33 yards. After the next three plays gained only four yards, Friesz connected with Harmon for 8 yards on 4th and 6 to retain possession. Two plays later, Butts swept for 17 yards down to the Saints' 3, and Hendrickson went in for the touchdown on the next play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
In the 2nd quarter, Bayless topped a Walsh pass, and Smith intercepted, setting San Diego up near midfield. Lewis then caught a 25-yard pass, but a pair of sacks knocked the Chargers back out of field goal range. John Kidd came in to punt, but his kick was blocked and run back 37 yards for a touchdown. From the ensuing kickoff, Lewis angled through a large hole to the right, and completed a 95-yard touchdown return without being touched.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
New Orleans went back in front on their next drive, Walsh finding ex-Charger Quinn Early for a touchdown and a 21–14 lead. Butts lost a fumble on the next play, but the defense held and Morten Andersen missed a 39-yard field goal. An interception thrown by Friesz shortly afterwards also led to no further points.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
Defenses took control in the second half, as the first seven drives featured seven punts and only two first downs. Smith recovered a fumble in Saints' territory early in the final quarter, but the Chargers turned the ball back over when Friesz threw incomplete on 4th and 2 from the 25. New Orleans then crossed midfield, but lost another fumble, this time forced by Sam Seale, recovered by Bayless and lateraled to Byrd, who returned the ball to the Charger 37 with 6:31 to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
Friesz completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards on the ensuing drive, and Butts tied the scores from the 5 after fighting through tacklers on the goal line. New Orleans were forced to punt after picking up a single first down, and San Diego took over on their own 29 yard line, with 1:36 to work with. Harmon had a 15-yard run on a draw, and Friesz completed passes of 13 yards to Lewis and 29 yards to Chris Samuels, the latter moving the ball to the 1 yard line. Carney kicked a 19-yard chip shot on the next play, with five seconds remaining, and Hendrickson recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to clinch the win.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
The key reception by Samuels was one of only two during his single season in the NFL.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
An early turnover and two key injuries sent the Chargers to a one-sided defeat. The game's opening kickoff was short; Mitchell Benson, a defensive lineman who usually blocked on kick returns, fielded the ball at his own 24 but fumbled, with the Jets recovering. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Gill Byrd went out for the game with an ankle injury; on the fourth play, Ken O'Brien's touchdown pass put the Jets ahead to stay, 97 seconds into the game.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
New York forced a punt and drove 76 yards on their second drive to make it 14–0, and Friesz was also intercepted before the opening quarter ended. San Diego did manage to score in the 2nd quarter after being pinned at their own 10. Butts had back-to-back carries of 23 and 12 yards to start the drive, and Harmon took a screen pass for 11 yards on 3rd and 11, before Carney made a 53-yard field goal. Friesz, however, injured his ankle while being sacked towards the end of the drive, and did not return after Carney's kick. Elder thwarted the Jets with an end zone interception on 3rd and goal from the 7, but New York led 14–3 at halftime.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
With Bob Gagliano in at quarterback, the Chargers carried little threat in the second half. After a Jets field goal, as they drove from their own 25 to the New York 28 - this was the furthest they penetrated into New York territory all game, and Carney missed a field goal to end the drive. A Gagliano interception later set up the Jets' third touchdown; in the final quarter, he lost a fumble and twice threw incomplete on fourth down.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at New York Jets
San Diego managed 186 yards on the ground (Harmon led the team with 70), but only 105 through the air. Gagliano was 9 of 22 for 76 yards, and an interception, while being sacked three times for a loss of 22 yards.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
A weak offensive performance set up another defeat for the Chargers. Their defense played well, starting on the game's opening play, when Darren Carrington intercepted Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder. Three runs by Butts earned San Diego a first down, but he lost a fumble two plays later. The Chargers gained no further first downs throughout the first half; the Raiders had numerous scoring threats, though they managed only three field goals by Jeff Jaeger.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Martin Bayless and Henry Rolling stopped drives with further interceptions, and Seau stopped Marcus Allen on a 3rd and goal from the 1 before the second Jaeger field goal. By halftime, the Raiders had a 190–5 advantage in total yardage. Friesz, who had recovered sufficiently from his ankle injury to start the game, had completed none of his eight passes.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
The offensive improved in the 3rd quarter. Butts was stopped on fourth down on their first possession, but they drove 89 yards for a touchdown the next time they had the ball. Kitrick Taylor drew a 37-yard pass interference to move into Raider territory, Lewis caught a 32-yard pass on 3rd and 4 to bring up 1st and goal from the 1, and Bernstine scored from there two plays later, closing the deficit to 9–7. Early in the final quarter, McEwen had a 30-yard reception, and Butts converted a 4th and 1 at the Raider 46 with a 5-yard carry.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Harmon lost a fumble on the next play to end that drive. After forcing a punt, the Chargers took over at their own 13 with 7:22 to play. Taylor had 5 receptions for 54 yards on the ensuing drive, and Derrick Walker appeared to have caught a 22-yard touchdown. A holding penalty on Courtney Hall wiped out that score, and Carney's 44-yard field goal was blocked with 1:57 to play. The final Charger drive began at their own 6 yard line with only 23 seconds to play, and ended with an interception.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
San Diego were outrushed for the first time since Week 1, by 161 yards to 75. Friesz improved somewhat after his bad start, finishing 12 of 27 for 150 yards and an interception.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs
The Chargers lost a fourteen-point lead en route to their second overtime loss of the season. After forcing the Chiefs to punt on their first possession, San Diego put together an 18-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took 11:52 off the clock. Friesz converted a pair of third downs with completions to Bernstine and Taylor, and Bernstine twice rushed for 2 yards on 4th and 1. Friesz finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lewis, two plays into the 2nd quarter. The Chiefs drove as far as the Charger 32 in response, but Donald Frank intercepted an out pass by Steve DeBerg, returning the ball untouched for a 71-yard touchdown. Late in the half, Carrington ended another Kansas City threat with an interception, and the Chargers led 14–0 at the interval.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs
Former Charger Mark Vlasic replaced DeBerg for the second half. His first drive went 71 yards, and ended in a field goal. Three plays later, Friesz fumbled, and Derrick Thomas recovered at the Charger 1, setting up a touchdown on the next play. San Diego drove into Chiefs territory on their next two possessions, but were foiled by an interception and Carney's missed 47-yard field goal. After the second of these, Kansas City went 70 yards in only 4 plays, taking the lead on Vlasic's touchdown pass to Harvey Williams with 3:00 to play. Friesz and Lewis connected on completions of 16 and 14 yards, both times converting third downs, and Carney sent the game into overtime with a 27-yard field goal, eleven seconds from time.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City took the overtime kickoff and punted, pinning the Chargers at their own 4. Friesz completions of 15 and 16 yards helped San Diego get as far as their 40 before they too were forced to punt. The Chiefs crossed midfield before having to punt again - this time, they pinned the Chargers at their own 1. San Diego failed to gain any yards in three plays, and had to kick again, with Kansas City taking over only 30 yards from the end zone. Two plays later, a 28-yard run by Barry Word set up Nick Lowery's 18-yard chip shot to win the game.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: at Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego had slightly more first downs (23–21) and yards (366–349), but committed 14 penalties for 117 yards.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Rod Bernstine scored three of the Chargers' four 4th quarter touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over Miami. Following an exchange of field goals, Miami went 10–3 up with under six minutes to play in the first half, Dan Marino rounding off an 80-yard drive by running 10 yards for a touchdown on 3rd and goal. The Chargers responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Friesz converted a pair of third downs with pass completions, Bernstine gained 3 yards on 4th and 1 to reach the Miami 36.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Friesz fumbled while being sacked on the next play, but Courtney Hall recovered for a loss of 9. Harmon then slipped through multiple tackles on a draw play, gaining 33 yards to the 12, from where Friesz found McEwen open in the end zone, tying the score with 21 seconds to play.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Marino dominated the 3rd quarter, completing 7 of 7 on two drives, and finishing both with touchdown passes. Pete Stoyanovich missed the extra point after the first of these, so the Dolphins led 23–10. Friesz responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Harmon early in the final quarter. On the next play from scrimmage, Leslie O'Neal broke through on Marino's blindside to sack the quarterback, forcing a fumble that Joe Phillips recovered on the Miami 13. On 3rd and 2 from the 5, Bernstine went up the middle for a touchdown, and the first Charger lead.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Three plays later, Richard intercepted Marino and returned the ball to the Dolphin 43. Friesz converted a 3rd and 19 with a 29-yard completion to Jefferson, and Bernstine scored his second touchdown on 3rd and goal from the 1. Marino led a quick touchdown drive draw his team within a point with 2:37 left. Four plays later Bernstine swept left and went 63 yards untouched for the clinching score, benefitting from a key block at the line by Derrick Walker.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Bernstine had 13 carries for 104 yards and three touchdowns. The 28 4th quarter points tied a club record set in 1966, also against the Dolphins.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos
San Diego ended their season with another close loss. They failed to pick up a first down on their first six possessions of the game, while a Taylor fumble and a Friesz interception set up 10 points for Denver. In the final stages of the half, they did manage to put together a long drive, going 82 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Harmon's 21-yard run and Taylor's 18-yard reception on 3rd and 15 were the longest gains, and McEwen caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in what would prove to be his final NFL game.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos
After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Denver scored their second touchdown early in the 4th, taking a 17–7 lead. The Chargers responded immediately, Harmon (with a 16-yard carry) and Taylor (with a 19-yard reception), again had the biggest gains, before Bernstine scored on 3rd and goal from the 1 to pull the deficit back down to three points with 10:25 to play. San Diego had three further possessions, but failed to cross midfield on any of them, punting once before Friesz threw two interceptions.


1991 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos
Leslie O'Neal had four of five Charger sacks. John Friesz completed 12 of 34 passes, for 123 yards, with a touchdown and three interceptions. This gave him a passer rating of 19.6, which would stand as his worst through 38 career starts.


1991 San Diego Padres season
The 1991 San Diego Padres season was the 23rd season in franchise history.


1991 San Diego Padres season, Offseason, Blockbuster Deal
On December 4, 1990, the Padres traded second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for first baseman Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernández. Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick and Padres GM Joe McIlvaine originally talked about just trading Joe Carter for Fred McGriff. The Padres were losing Jack Clark and needed a new first baseman. The Blue Jays had John Olerud ready to take over at first base but were losing outfielder George Bell. Gillick decided to up the ante by trying to get Roberto Alomar.


1991 San Diego Padres season, Offseason, Blockbuster Deal
Gillick figured that with Garry Templeton in the twilight of his career, Fernández would be an adequate replacement. Alomar feuded with Padres manager Greg Riddoch and the thinking was that Bip Roberts and Joey Cora could platoon at second base. Alomar and Carter would go on to help the Toronto Blue Jays win the 1992 World Series and 1993 World Series.


1991 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1991 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1991 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 1991 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).


1991 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The team was led by head coach Al Luginbill, in his third year. They played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. They completed the season with a record of eight wins, four losses and one tie (8–4–1, 6–1–1 WAC). The year finished with an appearance in the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, California vs. the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1991 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League and their 46th overall. The franchise did not qualify for the postseason for the first time since the strike-shortened 1982 season. Joe Montana would miss the entire season with an elbow injury, paving the way for Steve Young to take over as the team's starting quarterback.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season
In Week 17, the 49ers found themselves not controlling their destiny. The Atlanta Falcons had already swept the 49ers in 2 very close games in the regular season, and therefore held the tiebreaker in the wild card. The New Orleans Saints had a 10–5 record entering the week, and defeated the Phoenix Cardinals, winning the division.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season, Offseason
Following the 1990 season, the 49ers left team stalwarts Roger Craig and Ronnie Lott unprotected and allowed them go to the Los Angeles Raiders via Plan B free agency.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season, Offseason
In 1991, the 49ers announced a prototype for a new logo and helmet design. Instead of the traditional "SF" oval, this new logo featured a stylized "49ers" in white with black and red shadows. However, fan reaction was so overwhelmingly negative that the idea was scrapped six days later. The only change to the uniform would be the switching from red socks with three white stripes to plain solid red socks.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season
With Joe Montana out for the season with an elbow injury, Steve Young became the starting quarterback. The season opener, a rematch of the previous year's NFC Championship with the New York Giants, was the first road loss suffered by the 49ers since losing at Phoenix in 1988. The loss ended a still-standing NFL record 18 consecutive regular season road game victories spanning the 1988–90 seasons. The first month of the season saw the team inconsistent with alternating home wins and road losses.


1991 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season
In week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, Young suffered a knee injury, causing him to miss five games. With Young out and with the 49ers record at 4–5, Steve Bono led the 49ers to five wins in 6 games. However, Young returned for the final game; a 52–14 victory over the Chicago Bears. Although the 49ers finished the regular season at 10–6, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1982 (losing on a tie-breaker to the Atlanta Falcons due to having lost both meetings). Young would however win the first of four passing titles.


1991 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks season
The 1991 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks season was the club's second in the American Professional Soccer League and their third season overall. The Blackhawks finishedwith the second-best overall record and went on to win the championship, beating the Albany Capitals in the finals.


1991 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1991 San Francisco Bay Blackhawks season, Competitions, APSL, Playoffs
* = Shootout@ = Forfeit# = Series tied, 1-1. S. F. Bay wins mini-gameSource:


1991 San Francisco Giants season
The 1991 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 109th season in Major League Baseball, their 34th season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their 32nd at Candlestick Park. The team finished in fourth place in the National League West with a 75-87 record, 19 games behind the Atlanta Braves.


1991 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1991 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1991 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1991 San Francisco State Gators football team
The 1991 San Francisco State Gators football team represented San Francisco State University during the 1991 NCAA Division II football season.


1991 San Francisco State Gators football team
San Francisco State competed in the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC). The Gators were led by first-year head coach Harold Hamilton. Hamilton was the third Gator head coach in three years. They played home games at Cox Stadium in San Francisco, California. The team finished the season with a record of four wins and seven losses (3–7, 2–3 NCAC). For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 257–288.


1991 San Francisco State Gators football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Francisco State players were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft.


1991 San Francisco mayoral election
The 1991 San Francisco mayoral election was held on November 5, 1991, with a runoff election on December 10 that year. Incumbent mayor Art Agnos, after having won nearly 70% of the vote in 1987, scraped by with less than a third of the vote in the first round and was narrowly unseated by Chief of Police Frank Jordan in the runoff.


1991 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 1991 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Big West Conference. The team was led by head coach Terry Shea, in his second year as head coach at San Jose State. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1991 season as co-champions of the Big West conference, with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1, 6–1 Big West). This was their last conference title until 2020.


1991 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Jose State Spartans were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1991 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on 28 April 1991. The 61-lap race was the third race of the 1991 Formula One season and was won from pole position by Ayrton Senna, driving a McLaren-Honda, with team-mate Gerhard Berger second and JJ Lehto third in a Dallara-Judd.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Pre-race
With the team under new management having been sold by Cyril De Rouvre, Stefan Johansson was replaced at AGS by Formula One debutant Fabrizio Barbazza.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Qualifying, Pre-qualifying report
In the pre-qualifying session on Friday morning, Andrea de Cesaris was fastest in the Jordan, just under four tenths of a second faster than JJ Lehto's Dallara in second. De Cesaris' team-mate Bertrand Gachot was third, just a few hundredths behind Lehto. The fourth pre-qualifier was Eric van de Poele in the Lambo, who edged out the second Dallara of Emanuele Pirro. It was van de Poele's first progression through to the main qualifying sessions, and the first time in 1991 that a Dallara had failed to pre-qualify.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Qualifying, Pre-qualifying report
Apart from Pirro, those who failed to pre-qualify included Olivier Grouillard in the new British-built Fomet-1 chassis debuted by the Fondmetal team. Despite teething troubles which prevented him from progressing any further, Grouillard said he was happy with the new car. Seventh was the other Lambo of Nicola Larini, and bottom of the time sheets was Pedro Chaves in the sole Coloni, who suffered a gearbox failure during the session.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Qualifying, Qualifying report
Ayrton Senna claimed his 55th pole position from Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Gerhard Berger.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
The formation lap saw two dramatic incidents: Prost spun off the track at Rivazza Turn, followed by Berger, who was able to continue. However Prost stalled the engine and did not take the start.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
At the lights, Patrese took the lead ahead of Senna, whilst Mansell, already slow off the line with gearbox problems, retired at the end of lap 1 after a collision with Martin Brundle. He was followed out by Nelson Piquet who spun off on lap 2, Aguri Suzuki who spun off on lap 3 behind the leaders and Jean Alesi who also spun off on lap 3 attempting a rather foolhardy pass on Stefano Modena.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
In a strong lead, Patrese pitted for originally what appeared to be an early stop to slicks turned out to be more serious – a misfire with a faulty camshaft sensor. He restarted last before retiring for good 9 laps later.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
Berger was catching Senna, lapping 1.5 seconds quicker than his teammate. The lead was soon down to 5 seconds, with Modena a superb third from Satoru Nakajima and the two Minardis of Pierluigi Martini and Gianni Morbidelli.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
Both McLarens pitted for tyres with Senna maintaining his lead. Just after setting fastest lap, Berger was delayed in traffic, held up by the trio of Maurício Gugelmin, Julian Bailey and Thierry Boutsen. Bailey himself moved past Andrea de Cesaris into 6th, whilst Nakajima retired with transmission problems.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
Ivan Capelli spun into retirement from fourth to hand over to JJ Lehto's Dallara. Modena retired with transmission problems which meant that behind the two dominant McLarens, the order was now Roberto Moreno, Lehto, Eric van de Poele for the little Modena team and Martini's Minardi. Meanwhile, de Cesaris eventually retired in the pits with gearbox problems on lap 38.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
Moreno's gearbox broke on lap 52 causing him to retire, whilst Senna was having problems with oil pressure caused by the special high-torque Honda V12. As the Leyton House of Maurício Gugelmin eventually retired with an engine failure on lap 58. Berger put in a series of fastest laps to cut Senna's lead to just 1.7s at the line. Eric van de Poele had retired on the last lap as the result of fuel pump problems.


1991 San Marino Grand Prix, Race, Race report
Lehto was overjoyed to gain the first podium place of his career for Dallara, with Martini fourth. Van de Poele's drive ended when a fuel pump broke on the last lap – he was classified ninth overall. The Lotus drivers of Mika Häkkinen and Bailey took fifth and sixth, both scoring their first world championship points, an unexpected result for the troubled team since their cars had barely managed to get on to the grid with Häkkinen 25th and Bailey 26th. This race was also noted for being the only Formula One point for Julian Bailey.


1991 San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1991 San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 16–18 August 1991 at the Mugello Circuit.


1991 San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix, 500 cc race report
5th pole of the season for Kevin Schwantz. Wayne Rainey gets the start from Wayne Gardner, Schwantz and Mick Doohan.


1991 San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix, 500 cc race report
Rainey and Doohan get away, Doohan superior on the brakes at the end of the straight. Schwantz is a close 3rd.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season
The 1991 San Miguel Beermen season was the 17th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
March 19: Import Ricky Wilson, who also came in last season's third conference as a replacement, torched the hoops with 57 points as San Miguel snapped the Ginebras' two-game winning run with a 112-109 victory. The Beermen improved to four wins and three losses while Ginebra dropped to three victories against four defeats.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
July 2: San Miguel Beermen pull off an easy 102-91 triumph over Alaska that sent them two games closer to a semifinal seat in the All-Filipino Conference.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
September 22: Import Andrew Moten scored 69 points and hitting 12 triples to lead the Beermen to their second victory in the Third Conference, a 125-123 win over Shell on Ato Agustin's last-second basket.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
October 13: Ato Agustin's jumper with a second remaining lift San Miguel to a 126-124 win over Swift as the Beermen tied the Mighty Meaties in the standings with an even four wins and four losses. New Import Larry Robbins topscored for the Beermen with 54 points.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
October 27: San Miguel avoided playoff complications and booked the fourth semifinals seat of the Third Conference with their sixth win in 11 games on a hassle-free 138-132 victory over also-ran Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Notable dates
November 10: Jay Taylor, the fourth Beermen import to arrived, sizzled with 72 points in leading San Miguel to a 141-128 win over Tivoli Milk at the close of the first round of the semifinals. The Beermen moved two games ahead of the Milkmasters with their eight victory in 15 games.


1991 San Miguel Beermen season, Occurrences
In San Miguel's third outing in the Third Conference against Alaska, Import Andrew Moten blew his top on the physical defense put up by the Milkmen over him and deserted his team during the halftime break, he later return to finish the game. Moten's emotional outburst resulted to the Beermen's 92-111 loss to Alaska. Moten lambasted league officials and was immediately sent home by San Miguel management to protect their image, he was promptly banned by the PBA thereafter.


1991 Sandžak autonomy referendum
The 1991 Sandžak autonomy referendum was held in Sandžak, Serbia, between 25 and 27 October 1991. Voters are asked whether they supported autonomy.


1991 Santa Clara Broncos football team
The 1991 Santa Clara Broncos football team represented Santa Clara University during the 1991 NCAA Division II football season. Santa Clara competed in the Western Football Conference (WFC).


1991 Santa Clara Broncos football team
The Broncos were led by seventh-year head coach Terry Malley. They played home games at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6, 0–5 WFC). The Broncos outscored their opponents 309–281 for the season.


1991 Santa Clara Broncos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Santa Clara Broncos players were selected in the 1992 NFL Draft.


1991 Sarawak state election
The sixth Sarawak state election was held between Friday, 27 September and Saturday, 28 September 1991. This election elected 56 state representatives into the Sarawak State Assembly. This election saw 72.8% of the eligible voters to cast their votes.


1991 Sarawak state election
Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) fielded candidates for all 56 seats, followed by Sarawak Dayak People's Party (PBDS) (34 seats), Parti Negara Rakyat Sarawak (NEGARA) (28 seats), Democratic Action Party (DAP) (18 seats), and Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak (PERMAS) (12 seats). There were 19 independents vying for 16 seats. A total of 167 candidates were successfully nominated on the nomination day.


1991 Sarawak state election
After the 1987 Ming Court Affair, PERMAS which was founded by Abdul Rahman Ya'kub (the uncle of Abdul Taib Mahmud) continued his final bid with PBDS in this election to topple the Taib led Sarawak BN. Before this, PERMAS and PBDS lost narrowly in the 1987 state election. However, Sarawak BN won with a larger majority this time. PERMAS won none of the seats in this election and was dissolved not long after in 1991.


1991 Sarawak state election, Background
Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia. The population of the state roughly consists of: 30% Iban people, 30% Malaysian Chinese, 25% Malay and Melanau people, and 7% of other indigenous people. Meanwhile, the Iban, Bidayuh, and other indigenous people are collectively known as the Dayak people. Since 1970, Sarawak has been ruled by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition which consisting of: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak National Party (SNAP), and Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP). Roughly speaking, PBB represents the Malay/Melanau people, SUPP represents the Chinese, and SNAP represents the Dayak people. Many Dayaks are members of PBB and SUPP.


1991 Sarawak state election, Background
Abdul Rahman Ya'kub was the chief minister of Sarawak from 1970 until 1981. He was succeeded by his nephew Abdul Taib Mahmud in 1981. During the 1987 Sarawak state election, an alliance between PBDS and Sarawak Malaysian People's Association (PERMAS) nearly led to the fall of Sarawak BN led by chief minister Taib Mahmud. However, Taib was able to maintain his power after the election, aided by eight opposition state assemblymen who defected to the BN side, thus securing a strong majority in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.


1991 Sarawak state election, Background
But in 1990 Malaysian general election, PBDS, which remained with the BN coalition at the federal level, won four parliamentary seats. Another four independents backed by the party also won their seats, thus bringing a total of eight parliamentarians under PBDS control out of 25 parliamentary seats in Sarawak. During the 1985 state election in the neighbouring state of Sabah, the Bajau/Malay-dominated Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA) was ousted from power and was replaced by the Kadazan-dominated Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Therefore, there were high hopes from political analysts that the Dayak-based Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) would topple the Malay/Melanau-dominated PBB because Sarawak shared a similar ethnic-based electoral history with Sabah since the formation of Malaysia.


1991 Sarawak state election, Electoral system
Before the 1991 election, Election Commission of Malaysia had redrawn the electoral boundaries of Sarawak, increasing the number of state assembly seats from 48 to 56. With the new boundaries, there were 18 Malay/Melanau constituencies, 17 Iban-majority seats, 11 Chinese-majority seats, 5 Bidayuh seats, 2 Orang Ulu seats and 3 mixed seats. Incumbent chief minister Taib Mahmud dissolved the state assembly in September 1991.


1991 Sarawak state election, Parties and leaders, Government
The Sarawak BN ruling coalition consisted of PBB, SNAP, and SUPP. In July 1991, three notable PERMAS personalities withdrew from the party and announced their support for PBB. Just before the election, the seats composition for BN was: 21 for PBB, 11 for SUPP, and 5 for SNAP. The seats negotiations amongst the component parties in BN did not go smoothly. SNAP demanded 17 seats because it wanted to reclaim all the seats that was lost to PBDS in the 1983 and 1987.


1991 Sarawak state election, Parties and leaders, Government
PBB, the largest component party of the Sarawak BN coalition, had the final say in the seat allocation. The party was the major beneficiary from PBDS and PERMAS defections. They did not give the seats back to SNAP. PBB leaders decided to give a warning that if SNAP continued to raise the issue of seat allocations in the public, SNAP would get only five seats in this election, instead of eight. This measure effectively silenced SNAP and the final seat allocation for the component parties were: PBB given 31 seats, SUPP 17 seats, and SNAP 8 seats. In fact, SNAP was contesting only for 7 seats because for the seat of Bukit Begunan, SNAP was using a "loan" candidate from PBB.


1991 Sarawak state election, Parties and leaders, Opposition
Just before the state election, the opposition only had 11 seats: seven seats from PBDS and four from PERMAS. PBDS fielded 34 candidates in this election, including seven Chinese. PERMAS fielded 11 candidates in Malay/Melanau areas, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) fielded 18 candidates, and the Sarawak People's National Party (Parti NEGARA) fielded 28 candidates. Fourteen independents participated in the election. Most of the contests were between PBDS and BN, and DAP against SUPP.


1991 Sarawak state election, Parties and leaders, Opposition
PBDS hoped to repeat their victories during the 1987 state election by exploiting Dayak nationalism. By winning in this election, they also hoped to install a Dayak chief minister because the Iban people is the largest ethnic group in Sarawak. This was known as "Project Chief Minister 1992" because PBDS was anticipating the election to be held in 1992. Meanwhile, DAP hoped that they could at least win a single state assembly seat in the Chinese-dominated parliamentary seats of Sibu and Bandar Kuching.


1991 Sarawak state election, Parties and leaders, Opposition
DAP put high hopes on the state assembly seats of Bawang Assan in Sibu and Batu Lintang in Kuching. DAP first won the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat in 1982 and retained the seat in the 1986 and 1990 parliamentary elections. DAP won the Sibu parliamentary seat for one term in 1982 and Lanang in 1990. However, DAP had not won any state assembly seats since its inception in Sarawak in 1978. PBDS tried to cooperate with DAP. However, PBDS, as part of the national BN coalition, was opposed by the national BN chairman on any possibilities of such cooperation. DAP and PBDS, however, reached an agreement that they would contest the Repok and Meradong constituencies in Sarikei and Bintangor respectively.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Barisan Nasional
The press, controlled by the BN parties, covered positively about BN candidates while reporting negatively about the opposition. Parti NEGARA was mocked by Sarawak BN as "mosquito" party. The credibility of Parti NEGARA was damaged when its president had to go to court to justify his standing as the president of the party. Parti NEGARA was speculated to receive financial backing from PBS government in Sabah in order to contest against BN.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Barisan Nasional
BN campaigned on the continuation of development policy that can guarantee a "better future for all". BN also had more money and resources when compared to the opposition in terms of printed material, contributions, and campaign workers. SUPP, a component party of BN, appealed to the Chinese that a vote for SUPP is a guarantee for "Chinese participation in government". Chan Seng Khai, a SUPP candidate contesting for the Batu Lintang state assembly seat, was an underdog at the beginning of the campaign period. He lost to Sim Kwang Yang, a DAP parliamentarian for Bandar Kuching in 1990 parliamentary elections.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Barisan Nasional
However, when Sarawak BN pledged RM 60 million for upgrading the drainage system in Kuching, the Chinese voters decided to support SUPP for the continuation of development. Meanwhile, in Sibu, a relative newcomer from SUPP, Wong Soon Koh (who was related to SUPP chairman Wong Soon Kai) emphasized that only a Sarawak BN government is able to carry out its pledges. He stated that DAP could only "bark like a dog and make empty promises". Soon Koh lost to David Tiong from PERMAS in the 1987 state elections for the constituency of Igan.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Barisan Nasional
Despite losing, Soon Koh continued his community services and contested for Bawang Assan constituency in this election. SUPP also portrayed Ling Sie Ming, a DAP parliamentarian for Sibu from 1982 to 1986 as ineffective. SUPP also successfully portrayed DAP as an outsider party from Peninsular Malaysia which has no interest in Sarawak. Chief minister Taib also barred Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (leader of Semangat 46) from entering Sarawak campaigning for DAP during the state election.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Opposition parties
PBDS promoted Dayak nationalism by claiming that the Dayaks was sidelined by Malay/Melanau and Chinese political elites. PBDS also campaigned against BN excessive logging policies and called for respect for Dayak native land laws. However, PBDS only contested for 24 Dayak majority seats. Had it even won all the seats, PBDS would still be five seats short of a simple majority to form the state government. Besides, the "Project Chief Minister 1992" did not make sense when PBDS party president Leo Moggie was still a federal cabinet minister and did not contest for any state assembly seats in Sarawak.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Opposition parties
Besides, PBDS did not announce the chief minister nominee if they swept to power in this election. PBDS also tried to appeal to the Chinese by setting up Chinese Affairs Consultative Committee (CACC), allowing Chinese input into PBDS's decision-making process. PBDS also promised RM 5 million yearly for Chinese independent high schools. However, these two efforts were unsuccessful because PBDS did not allow non-Dayaks to become members. The print media also launched a successful campaign against PBDS by saying that PBDS membership requirement showed that it is a racial party and will not protect Chinese interests.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Opposition parties
BN also said that PBDS Dayak nationalism was only for the Iban people, as the Iban people dominated the PBDS party. The aim is to create a divide between the Ibans and the other Dayak ethnic groups in the party. The BN federal ministers decided to campaign for Sarawak BN instead of PBDS even though PBDS is also a member of the federal BN coalition. This further undermined the credibility of PBDS.


1991 Sarawak state election, Campaign, Opposition parties
Meanwhile, DAP campaigned so that the voters would allow DAP to break the "egg" which means "zero" in Chinese context. This was because DAP always returned empty-handed in previous state elections. DAP hoped that the Chinese would return at least one state assemblyman for DAP. DAP called the SUPP a "tycoon" party which serves only the interests of big businesses and towkays instead of the people. DAP also portrayed SUPP as an arrogant party and Sarawak BN as "corrupted". Therefore, a strong opposition is needed to keep the ruling government in check.


1991 Sarawak state election, Results
On the morning of 29 September 1991, Sarawak BN had made a clean sweep of all the state assembly seats except for seven seats won by PBDS. Parti NEGARA, PERMAS, and DAP returned empty-handed. Senior PBDS leaders such as Jawie Masing, who stood for Pakan, and Edmund Langgu, who stood for Krian, were defeated by newcomers from Sarawak BN. However, PBDS deputy president Daniel Tajem was able to win back his old seat of Bukit Begunan which he has lost in the 1987 elections.


1991 Sarawak state election, Results
Another two PBDS members, Harrison Ngau Laing and Richard Riot Jaem also lost their seats to BN. James Jemut Masing, the senior vice-president of PBDS was a consistent performer in this election. He increased his majority in the constituency of Baleh. The only successful PBDS Chinese candidate was Sng Chee Hua at Pelagus. James Masing, surprised by the scale of the PBDS defeat in this election, stated that,"I am baffled. Perhaps we haven't explained the issues enough or they (the Dayak voters) are quite happy with the government". However, PBDS voters share increased from 17.63% in 1987 to 21.48% in 1991.


1991 Sarawak state election, Results
For DAP, this election was another disappointment. DAP had lost significantly to SUPP in Bawang Assan and Batu Lintang. Several of the DAP candidates in rural areas even lost their deposits. The Sarawak Chinese viewed the vote for DAP is a "wasted vote" because resource allocations are decided by the state government based in Kuching. Therefore, a vote for SUPP is needed to protect Chinese community and business interests. On the other hand, at parliamentary level, DAP parliamentarians were elected as a "protest vote" against the federal BN coalition which was perceived as "anti-Chinese". The only bright spot for DAP was at the Padungan state constituency when a newcomer named Dominique Ng Kim Ho put up a good fight against a popular SUPP candidate, Song Swee Guan. Dominique gained more than half of Song's total votes.


1991 Sarawak state election, Results, Results by constituency
The Sarawak BN won a total 49 out of 56 seats in the state assembly, including two uncontested seats. The remaining seats were won by PBDS.


1991 Sarawak state election, Results, Results by constituency
On the nomination day, Sarawak BN won two uncontested seats, namely N.3 Pantai Damai and N.24 Saribas.


1991 Sarawak state election, Aftermath
After the election, PBDS decided rejoin Sarawak BN without any conditions. Initially, chief minister Taib was skeptical about PBDS intentions. SNAP, a component party in Sarawak BN, also expressed strong opposition against the readmission of PBDS into the BN fold. PBDS, a splinter party from SNAP, have been the rival party of SNAP since 1983. Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is also federal BN chairman, was unhappy about the status of PBDS which was part of government and part of opposition at the same time.


1991 Sarawak state election, Aftermath
Both Mahathir and Taib were keen to readmit PBDS to gain the remaining faction of Dayak support. However, SUPP welcomed the addition of PBDS into Sarawak BN. SUPP saw this move as a necessary step to bolster the Dayak support towards SUPP, thus strengthening the status of SUPP in Sarawak BN coalition. Negotiations did not start until 1992 when PBDS proved its sincerity in rejoining Sarawak BN. PBDS also agreed that all the parliamentary and state assembly seat allocations will be left to the Sarawak BN to decide. A memorandum of understanding was signed between PBDS and Sarawak BN. PBDS was later officially admitted into Sarawak BN on 1 June 1994. From now on, PBDS could no longer criticize BN on issues that worked against the Dayaks.


1991 Sarawak state election, Aftermath
After this election, PERMAS was relegated "mosquito party" status. With the readmission of PBDS into BN fold in 1994, chief minister Taib ruled Sarawak without any opposition in the state assembly.