San Diego Chargers to retire #21 for LaDainian Tomlinson

According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Diego Chargers are set to retire the #21 this season when they add LaDainian Tomlinson to the team's Hall of Fame.

The Chargers are expected to announce the greatest running back, and arguably player, in franchise history will become the 38th inductee into their team Hall of Fame. Tomlinson also is due to have his No. 21 jersey retired, joining Dan Fouts (14), Lance Alworth (19) and Junior Seau (55) as the only others whose numbers are presently out of circulation.

Nobody has worn the #21 since LaDainian Tomlinson was released by the team, following the 2009 season, reportedly because it was "unofficially retired". The team knew it would eventually be retiring the jersey, so any requests by players to wear it were denied.

That's my way of saying that this isn't surprising, but it certainly was earned. Tomlinson was a legend in his own time, dominating the sport from the running back position despite his less-than-ideal height and less-than-ideal speed. Similar to Barry Sanders, Tomlinson used his vision and his quickness to create big plays and lead the team to victory.

Chargers will retire LaDainian Tomlinson's No. 21 jersey. He will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame at halftime of KC game on Nov. 22

— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) June 10, 2015