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Louis James Kelcher (born August 23, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), spending most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. He was a four-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Kelcher was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and is a member of their 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
Kelcher played college football with the SMU Mustangs and earned consensus All-American honors as a senior in 1974. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 1975 NFL draft. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975 through 1983. He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1984 and helped them win Super Bowl XIX that season.
in 1979, Kelcher was sidelined for all but three minutes after a knee operation. On November 18, 1979, against the Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Stadium, he asked Chargers coach Don Coryell to make Rolf Benirschke a captain for the day. The placekicker was suffering from ulcerative colitis, and his weight had dropped from about . In a pre-game ceremony on the field, Kelcher assisted his weakened teammate, captured in an iconic photo of the lineman, about then, holding Benirschke's hand as they walked together.
Kelcher returned in 1980, teaming with fellow 1975 Chargers' draftees Fred Dean and Gary "Big Hands" Johnson as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks (60). Johnson and Dean were named first-team All-Pro, with Kelcher being named second-team All-Pro. The trio, along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive frontline that was nicknamed the Bruise Brothers. In the 1980 AFC Championship Game against the Oakland Raiders, Kelcher had 20 tackles, 10 solo and 10 assisted, and also one sack. In the Epic in Miami, the 1981 divisional playoff which became one of the greatest football games ever, the Dolphins were leading 38–31 in the fourth quarter and threatening to score again at the Chargers' 20 when Kelcher stripped the ball from Miami's Andra Franklin and San Diego's Pete Shaw recovered the fumble. The Chargers rallied to force overtime and won 41–38. The Chargers teams of that era are mostly remembered for its high-scoring, pass-oriented, Air Coryell offense. San Diego made four consecutive playoffs (1979–1982), winning three straight AFC West titles (1979–1981) and advancing to back-to-back AFC championship games.
Kelcher retired in November 1983, but remained on the Chargers reserve list. The Chargers traded him to the San Francisco 49ers in March 1984. Kelcher had wanted to play again, but not with San Diego. The trade reunited him with former Charger teammates Johnson, Dean and offensive lineman Billy Shields. In his final NFL season that year, the 49ers won Super Bowl XIX.
Kelcher received first-team honors on the All-Southwest Conference football team of the 1970s, and he was inducted into the Southern Methodist University Hall of Fame in 2012.
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