1969 Los Angeles Rams season
Encyclopedia
The 1969
Los Angeles Rams
season was the team's 32nd year with the National Football League
and the 24th season in Los Angeles
.
In the opener in Baltimore, the Rams, aided by 4 Colts' turnovers, came back from a 20-17 deficit to win 27-20 and immediately get the upper hand in the division race.
Week after week, the Rams continued to win, although they got a scare in a 27-21 week 4 win in San Francisco and a 9-7 week 6 win in Chicago vs. the Bears. After 8 weeks the Rams were 8-0-0. Meanwhile, the Colts, affected by age and injuries, were 5-3, including a 52-14 loss in week 2 vs. Minnesota.
In week 9, the Rams survived a comeback attempt by the Eagles in a 23-17 win, while the Colts lost for the 2nd time in the season to the San Francisco 49ers (who won only 4 games all year).
Week 10 featured a showdown between the 9-0 Rams and the 8-1 Dallas Cowboys. The Rams won a thriller 24-23, aided in part by a Bob Hayes fumble while he was running untouched in the clear and seemingly headed for a touchdown (the Cowboys recovered but had to settle for a field goal).The following week the Rams clinched the division title with a 24-13 win in Washington vs. the Redskins. With 3 games left, the Rams were 11-0 and the Colts were 7-4.
Week 12 was another showdown, this time between the 11-0 Rams and the 10-1 Vikings, who had lost their opener and then won 10 straight. The Rams dream of an undefeated season was dashed in a 20-13 loss to Minnesota, in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. Coach George Allen decided to rest a lot of his older veterans in weeks 13 and 14 (back then home field advantage in the playoffs was rotated and not determined by best record, so the Rams knew they would open the playoffs in Minnesota regardles of their record) and the Rams lost in a Detroit snowstorm to the Lions, 28-0, and then they dropped a 13-7 game to the Colts in the final game.
, the Vikings took the lead 21-20, and then sacked Gabriel in the end zone for a safety and a 23-20 lead late in the 4th quarter. The Rams forced a Viking punt and began to March down filed in the final minute when Gabriel was intercepted near midfield, ensuring the Vikings win.
1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.As per the...
Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
season was the team's 32nd year with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and the 24th season in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Regular season
- In 1969, the Rams opened the season with an 11-game winning streak, still a team record, before losing 4 straight at the end of the year. Roman Gabriel threw 24 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions and was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player by the AP and NEA and the Player of the Year by the UPI and we was voted All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl.
Summary
In 1967 and 1968, the Rams and Colts waged season long battles for the Coastal Division title, with the Rams winning on the season's final day in 1967 and the Colts clinching on the next to last week of the season in 1968. 1969 was expected to be no different, thus the opening game in Baltimore vs. the Colts would be a big one. The Colts were coming off a 13-1 season but had been upset in Super Bowl III by the Jets.In the opener in Baltimore, the Rams, aided by 4 Colts' turnovers, came back from a 20-17 deficit to win 27-20 and immediately get the upper hand in the division race.
Week after week, the Rams continued to win, although they got a scare in a 27-21 week 4 win in San Francisco and a 9-7 week 6 win in Chicago vs. the Bears. After 8 weeks the Rams were 8-0-0. Meanwhile, the Colts, affected by age and injuries, were 5-3, including a 52-14 loss in week 2 vs. Minnesota.
In week 9, the Rams survived a comeback attempt by the Eagles in a 23-17 win, while the Colts lost for the 2nd time in the season to the San Francisco 49ers (who won only 4 games all year).
Week 10 featured a showdown between the 9-0 Rams and the 8-1 Dallas Cowboys. The Rams won a thriller 24-23, aided in part by a Bob Hayes fumble while he was running untouched in the clear and seemingly headed for a touchdown (the Cowboys recovered but had to settle for a field goal).The following week the Rams clinched the division title with a 24-13 win in Washington vs. the Redskins. With 3 games left, the Rams were 11-0 and the Colts were 7-4.
Week 12 was another showdown, this time between the 11-0 Rams and the 10-1 Vikings, who had lost their opener and then won 10 straight. The Rams dream of an undefeated season was dashed in a 20-13 loss to Minnesota, in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. Coach George Allen decided to rest a lot of his older veterans in weeks 13 and 14 (back then home field advantage in the playoffs was rotated and not determined by best record, so the Rams knew they would open the playoffs in Minnesota regardles of their record) and the Rams lost in a Detroit snowstorm to the Lions, 28-0, and then they dropped a 13-7 game to the Colts in the final game.
Playoffs
The Rams vetured into a cold weather city (Bloomington, MN) just as they had in 1967 when they dropped a 28-7 game to the Packers. This time they would be facing the 12-2 Vikings who had beaten the Rams in L.A. in week 12. But the Rams started off well and led 17-7 at halftime. However, they were stopped inside the 5 yard line and had to settle for a field goal; otherwise the lead would have been 21-7. The Vikings cut the lead to 17-14 but the Rams mounted a responding drive of their own but again were stopped inside the 5 yard line and had to settle for a field goal to lead 20-14. Led by the passing and running of Joe KappJoe Kapp
Joseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
, the Vikings took the lead 21-20, and then sacked Gabriel in the end zone for a safety and a 23-20 lead late in the 4th quarter. The Rams forced a Viking punt and began to March down filed in the final minute when Gabriel was intercepted near midfield, ensuring the Vikings win.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21, 1969 | at Baltimore Colts | W 27-20 |
| 2 | September 28, 1969 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 17-7 |
| 3 | October 5, 1969 | New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
W 36-17 |
| 4 | October 12, 1969 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 27-21 |
| 5 | October 19, 1969 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 34-21 |
| 6 | October 26, 1969 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 9-7 |
| 7 | November 2, 1969 | at Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 38-6 |
| 8 | November 9, 1969 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 41-30 |
| 9 | November 16, 1969 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 23-17 |
| 10 | November 23, 1969 | Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
W 24-23 |
| 11 | November 30, 1969 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 24-13 |
| 12 | December 7, 1969 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
L 20-13 |
| 13 | December 14, 1969 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
L 28-0 |
| 14 | December 21, 1969 | Baltimore Colts | L 13-7 |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Conference | December 27, 1969 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
L 23-20 |
Standings
| NFL Coastal | |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 320 | 243 | L-3 |
| Baltimore Colts 1969 Baltimore Colts season The 1969 Baltimore Colts season was the 17th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1969 season with a record of 8 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie... |
8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 279 | 268 | W-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons 1969 Atlanta Falcons season The 1969 Atlanta Falcons season was their 4th in the league. The team improved on their previous season's output of 2-12, winning six games. They failed to reach the playoffs for the fourth straight season.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 276 | 268 | W-3 |
| San Francisco 49ers 1969 San Francisco 49ers season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *... |
4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 277 | 319 | W-1 |
Pro Bowl Honorees
- Roman GabrielRoman GabrielRoman Ildonzo Gabriel, Jr. is a former American football player. The son of a Filipino immigrant, he was the first Asian-American to start as an NFL quarterback and is considered by many to have been one of the best players at that position during the late 1960s and early 70s.Gabriel attended and...
, Quarterback - Deacon JonesDeacon JonesDavid D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him...
, Defensive End - Merlin OlsenMerlin OlsenMerlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
, Defensive Tackle - Charley Cowan, Offensive Tackle
- Tom MackTom MackThomas Lee Mack is a former left guard for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, spending all 13-years with them from 1966 to 1978...
, Offensive Guard - Bob Brown, Offensive Tackle
- Maxie BaughanMaxie Baughan-Honors:In addition to being a member of the Georgia Tech and College Football Halls of Fame, Baughan has also been inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame , the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame. However, he has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of...
, Linebacker - Ed Meador, Safety