Junior Seau, La Mesa Field Benefactor, Enters Chargers Hall of Fame Sunday

Junior Seau—a one-time La Mesa resident who lent money and time to create a sports complex at Parkway Middle School—will be inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame as part of Alumni Day ceremonies at Sunday’s sold-out game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium.

Seau was a Pro Bowl selection a team-record 12 times in his 13 seasons with the Chargers, including 12 consecutive seasons, the third-longest streak in NFL history.

A Chargers linebacker from 1990 to 2002, Seau was a six-time first-team All-Pro selection by The Associated Press and a second-team selection two other years.

About 11 years ago, Seau made a $55,000 donation and donated time to help raise millions of dollars toward creation of the artificial turf football field and other amenities adjacent to Parkway Middle School.

A 2006 editorial in The San Diego Union-Tribune said: “His phone calls opened doors that others couldn’t: ‘This is really important to me. Can you help?’ ”

The U-T reported that “grant money poured in. La Mesa’s $500,000 in tax money was leveraged into $1.2 million in private donations and $4.2 million in public grants.”

Seau established the Junior Seau Foundation in 1992, which supports child abuse prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti-juvenile delinquency efforts and educational programs.

Seau also annually takes children on Christmas shopping sprees to buy gifts for relatives and friends.

Seau was born in San Diego on Jan. 19, 1969, and graduated from Oceanside High School, where he was the San Diego Section Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1986. He played two seasons at USC, where he was an All-American in 1989 and the Chargers first-round choice in the 1990 NFL draft, the fifth player chosen overall.

After leaving the Chargers, Seau played for the Miami Dolphins from 2003 to 2005 and the New England Patriots from 2006 to 2009.

“From the day we drafted Junior, we knew he was special,” said Chargers President Dean Spanos.

“He’s such an energized, charismatic person. He attacks life the same way he attacked ball carries. It’s that passion that turned him into the Hall of Fame player he is.

“His athletic ability speaks for itself, but it’s his passion and energy that separate him from the rest of the league

“It’s that passion for life that has made him an icon in San Diego. He is San Diego in so many ways, in how he has represented himself on and off the field and how he has been there to help and support the community when and where it’s needed.”    

City News Service contributed to this report.