
As the San Diego Chargers were busily putting the squeeze on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, 54-year-old Bolts fan Victor Willard tooted his horns on the rooftop of his Muir Avenue home in Ocean Beach. “[I toot them] ten times when we win, three times for every touchdown and once for every fieldgoal,” Willard said. “And at the end of the game, I play the ‘San Diego Super Charger song.’ People come out and dance … Everybody’s happy.” He is surrounded by a crowd of friends and fellow Chargers loyalists. “People dig the house,” Willard said. “They dig the big bolts, the horns, the lights. Even when they’re not fans of our team or football in general, they love the house. Here, everybody is happy.” Three yacht horns are mounted 40 feet in the air and give a 360-degree blast at decibels that seem to be only slightly quieter than the airplanes taking off from Lindbergh Field, “so all of Ocean Beach can hear it.” He has two dive tanks he attaches to a 40-foot hose that is then bolted into the outlet of the three yacht horns on top of the highest pole on the roof. Willard also added a few outboard speakers on the roof. Kathryn Garcia from the local NBC-TV affiliate and her crew usually come out twice a year. They call it the “Chargersville of OB.” With over 14.000 single-watt lightbulbs, Willard’s decoration is quite a spectacle during the football season and draws people from out of town to the unique scene. The best viewing is off Abbott and Voltaire streets. Willard proudly adds that he has even had a few Chargers players come by to look at the display. He often gets VIP invitations to games and is acquainted with some of players on a first-name basis. He said he generally likes to watch the games at his house. “I have more fun watching from home these days,” Willard said. “I have to let everybody know how we’re doing, Dad and I had season tickets for 27 years, but since he’s passed away, it’s not the same anymore.” And that’s how it all started. In the early 1960s, Willard’s grandparents used to play bridge with a couple of Chargers players. Willard’s father, William J. Willard (known in OB as “Coach Willy”) who was involved with the Ocean Beach Rangers, had to become a Chargers fan. Naturally, the younger Willard was destined to follow into his dad’s footsteps. “I was born into it. No choice,” he laughed. “When I was a kid, we lived in a community called Casa Vista on the hillside above Sunset Cliffs. One night, in 1976, after we came home, he said, ‘This house is darn boring.’ He grabbed his powertools, a few brewskies and ten of his friends and that same night put together a 12- foot-by-4-foot yellow and blue lightning bolt with lightbulbs and attached it to our roof. “My buddy and I had to go to the bottom of the hill to report the effect. It was the best lit-up house of all [the holiday-lighting season had started].” When Willard moved into his own place, he and his dad decided to light up both ends of the town: dad on the south side, the son on the north side of Ocean Beach. They competed with each other for 14 years, Willard said. “Since Dad passed, I willingly inherited the sole duty and when I die, I have friends with kids who will gladly take over for me,” Willard said. “When I was born, Dad said, ‘Whether you like it or not, Victor, you’re going to be a Charger fan!’ But that worked out great.” “Even if the Chargers hadn’t won a single game in 10 years, it wouldn’t matter,” he continued. “I’d still put the stuff up and “









