By Craig Anderson

This story has been updated

MIDDLETOWN — His son is the new general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers, who Joe Hortiz III believes will be the “team to beat” within a couple seasons.

“Of course I’m his dad too,” he acknowledged with a chuckle.

While the Chargers’ success under Joe Hortiz IV’s leadership is to be determined, there’s no doubt his father is proud of where he’s at. Hortiz IV was named the franchise’s general manager on Jan. 30.

“I don’t think it has hit us yet,” said Hortiz III. “We put a little thing out on Facebook that was just to our friends.

“We just don’t brag about it.

“He’s doing what God wanted him to do.”

The future Chargers executive moved with his family to Middletown from the Philadelphia area in 1990, and soon became involved in playing baseball, football, lacrosse and soccer in his new home.

“Once we got here I realized Middletown had really great sports programs, which fit in well with what he liked to do,” said Hortiz III, who worked as a charter director for Summit Aviation.

Hortiz IV thrived as a quarterback in the local football program, guiding the MOT Midget Cavaliers to a spot in the Pop Warner national championship tournament as a 13-year-old in 1990.

The Pennsylvania transplant and his kin continued to root for the Eagles and Phillies following his arrival in Delaware.

“Those were his teams, those were my wife and I’s teams and all the rest of the family’s teams,” Hortiz III said.

The families rooting interests changed when Hortiz IV took a job with the Baltimore Ravens as a personnel assistant in 1998. He advanced and ultimately became director of player personnel before taking the Chargers job.

“We became Ravens fans when he came to the Ravens,” Hortiz III said. “They’re good people down there.”

Now, the family will certainly pull for the Chargers. The dad plans to order a season television package to watch all their games and may visit once a month or so “unless he gets tired of us,” he said with a grin.

The son reached the National Football League after first graduating from Salesianum High School and Auburn University with a degree in accounting.

He had connected with then-Auburn football coach Terry Bowden, becoming a student assistant coach and running youth summer camps.

Through that, Hortiz IV met Ravens Director of College Scouting Phil Savage and eventually joined the franchise.

While the Chargers GM was unavailable for comment, his dad said “He’s very excited. He’s laid back so he doesn’t like to talk about himself.

“He’s been a good kid all the way through ...”

Describing the relationship with his son as he grew up, Hortiz III said, “I was his father and I wasn’t his buddy. We’re buddies now but I wasn’t his buddy growing up.

“I was his father and I was fairly strict. He did tell me he appreciated that right around the time he was getting out of college.”