History of the St. Louis Rams
Encyclopedia
The following is a detailed history of the St. Louis Rams a professional American football
team and member of the National Football League
(NFL).
When the second ever American Football League
was founded in 1936
, Cleveland attorney Homer Marshman was awarded a charter franchise. Marshman's team was named the Cleveland Rams and it finished with a 5-2-2 record during its inaugural season, second best in the league.
After the completion of the Rams first season, Marshman learned that the National Football League
wished to expand. He placed a bid along with representatives from Houston and Los Angeles
. The NFL decided to go with the Cleveland Rams in order to keep the teams in the East and Midwest. Marshman paid a $10,000 entrance fee and the Rams were part of the NFL. Ironically, the Rams' replacement in the AFL, the Los Angeles Bulldogs
, won the 1937 AFL championship while being the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast.
Only four of the Rams players who were on the team's roster in 1936 (William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, Mike Sebastian) were on the roster in 1937 for their inaugural season in the NFL. Because none of the team personnel followed Marshman into the league, the NFL Rams are considered a separate entity from the 1936 AFL Rams.
, who had folded in the middle of the 1934 season
(the independent St. Louis Gunners
had filled in for the Reds for the rest of the 1934 season). Marshman soon hired Hugo Bezdek
to be the head coach and Buzz Wetzel as the General Manager of the new franchise, and home games were played in both Cleveland Municipal Stadium
and League Park
. The 1937 NFL Draft
was held on December 12, 1936, two months before the Rams joined the league. It was agreed by the league owners that the players would be drafted by them for the future team. They picked fullback Johnny "Zero" Drake
out of Purdue
in the first round, tenth pick overall. Although the Rams
finished their first season
at 1-10, Drake was named the 1937 NFL Rookie of the Year.
During the 1938 season
, the Rams
played all of their home games at Shaw Stadium
. Marshman fired Bezdek after losing the first three games and replaced him with assistant coach Art Lewis
. The Rams won their next three games, but finished the season at 4-7.
Marshman hired Earl "Dutch" Clark as the head coach for the team during the 1939 season
. Tailback Parker Hall was drafted during the 1939 NFL Draft
in the first round, third pick overall. He won the NFL Most Valuable Player of the Year award during his rookie year. The Rams ended the season at 5-5-1. The following season the Rams earn a 4-6-1 record.
In 1941
, Daniel F. Reeves
and partner Fred Levy, Jr. purchased the Rams for $135,000. They kept Clark as the head coach, and hired Billy Evans as the General Manager for the Rams. They won their first two games, but lost their next nine. Before the start of the next season, Evans resigned as the General Manager after a new contract could not be reached.
Before the start of the 1942 season
, Reeves joined the US Army as a lieutenant to fight in World War II
. The Rams
played without their owner and ended the season at 5-6. Clark resigned as coach soon after the close of the season, and Charles "Chile" Walsh was named the new head coach. Yet, the franchise suspended operations and sat out the entire 1943 season
because of a shortage of players during World War II. Chile Walsh was named the new General Manager when the Rams resumed playing in 1944. He named Aldo "Buff" Donelli
the new head coach. Coach Donelli had to form a team among free agents and pickups. The newly made team
finished the 1944 season
at 4-6.
After Donelli left to join the military, Chile Walsh named his brother Adam Walsh
as the team's new head coach. The Rams drafted quarterback Bob Waterfield
from UCLA
in the fifth round of the 1945 draft
, forty-second player picked overall. He would lead the team to their first NFL Championship Game
and be named the NFL MVP and the NFL Rookie of the Year. Waterfield and fellow Ram Parker Hill are the only two NFL players to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year. Waterfield was also the first player to win the NFL MVP with a unanimous vote.
On Thanksgiving Day
, November 22, 1945, Jim Benton
would make ten receptions for 303 yards against the Detroit Lions
. This record would stand for forty-four years until it was broken by fellow Ram Willie "Flipper" Anderson
. He ended the season with 45 receptions for 1067 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Rams finished the 1945 season
with the best record in the NFL at 9-1 with their only loss against the Philadelphia Eagles
on October 28 at Shibe Park. Waterfield ended the season with 88 pass completions on 171 attempts for 1609 yards, 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also kicked 31 extra points. The Rams also had a pair of running backs who put up good numbers during the 1945 season. Fred Gehrke ended the season with 467 yards on 74 attempts and seven touchdowns and Jim Gillette had 390 yards on 63 attempts and one touchdown.
during an icy day on December 16, 1945 for the NFL championship in front of 32,178 fans. In the first quarter of play, Sammy Baugh
dropped back in his own end zone and hit the goal post with a pass. It bounced into the end zone for a safety (under the rules of that time). Baugh later left the game with a bruised rib and was replaced by Frank Filchock
. Filchock threw two touchdown passes in the game, one to Steve Bagarus in the second quarter and another to Bob Seymour in the third quarter. Waterfield also threw for two touchdowns during the game, one to Jim Benton in the second quarter and another to Jim Gillette in the third quarter. Waterfield missed an extra point attempt. The Redskins had the opportunity to win the game twice in the fourth quarter with a field goal, but Joe Aguirre missed both of them. The Rams managed to win the 1945 NFL Championship Game 15-14.
and its 92,000 seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
. Reeves threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the Rams transfer to Los Angeles was permitted. A settlement was reached and, as a result, the Los Angeles Rams were created. and the NFL had become the first professional coast-to-coast sports entertainment industry. At the time, the NFL did not allow African-Americans to play in the league
.After the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles, the Rams entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African American; the Rams agreed to this condition. Subsequently, the Rams signed Kenny Washington
on March 21, 1946, and racial segregation in the NFL was completely ended.
The Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles (the 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers
were strictly a road team), but they were not the only professional football team to play its home games in the Coliseum between 1946 and 1949. The upstart All-America Football Conference
had the Los Angeles Dons
compete there as well. Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own professional football team - and suddenly there were two in the City of Angels. Reeves was proved to be correct when the Rams played their first pre-season game against the Washington Redskins
in front of a crowd of 95,000 fans. The team finished their first season in LA with a 6–4–1 record, second place behind the Chicago Bears
. At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach. The Coliseum would be the home of the Rams for more than thirty years (the Dons merged with them in late 1949), but the facility was already over twenty years old on the day of the first kickoff. In 1948, halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams' helmets, making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football.
) four times, winning once in 1951
. During this period, they had the best offense in the NFL, even though there was a quarterback change from Bob Waterfield
to Norm Van Brocklin
in 1951
. The defining player of this period was wide receiver Elroy Hirsch
. Teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Tom Fears
, Hirsch helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers. During the 1951 Championship season, Hirsch posted a then stunning 1,495 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns. The popularity of this wide-open offense enabled the Los Angeles Rams
to become the first pro football team to have all their games televised in 1950
.
. During his time with Rams, Rozelle learned the value of television for the sport of pro football. Through Rozelle's savvy use of television, the Rams remained a glamor NFL franchise despite their poor record. In a 1957 game against the San Francisco 49ers
, the Rams
set the all-time record for attendance for a regular season NFL game with 102,368. The Rams would draw over 100,000 fans twice the following year.
The 1960s were defined by the Rams great defensive line of Rosey Grier
, Merlin Olsen
, Deacon Jones
, and Lamar Lundy
, dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome
." It was this group of players who restored the on-field luster of the franchise in 1967
when the Rams reached (but lost) the conference championship under legendary coach George Allen
. That 1967 squad
would become the first NFL team to surpass one million spectators in a season, a feat the Rams
would repeat the following year
. In each of those two years, the L.A. Rams drew roughly double the number of fans that could be accommodated by their current stadium for a full season.
George Allen led the Rams from 1966 to 1970 and introduced many innovations, including the hiring of a young Dick Vermeil
as one of the first special teams coaches. Though Allen would enjoy five straight winning seasons and win two divisional titles in his time with the Rams he never won a playoff game with the team, losing in 1967 to Green Bay
28–7 and in 1969
23–20 to Minnesota
. Allen would leave after the 1970 season to take the head coaching job for the Washington Redskins.
played eleven seasons for the Rams dating from 1962–72. From 1967-71, Gabriel led the Rams to either a first- or second-place finish in their division every year. He was voted the MVP of the entire NFL in 1969, for a season in which he threw for 2,549 yards and 24 TDs while leading the Rams to the playoffs. During the 1970 season
, Gabriel combined with his primary receiver Jack Snow for 51 receptions totaling 859 yards. This would prove to be the best season of their eight seasons as teammates.
In 1972
, Chicago industrialist Robert Irsay
purchased the Rams for $19 million and then traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom
for his Baltimore Colts
and cash. The Rams remained solid contenders in the 1970s, winning seven straight NFC West
championships between 1973–79. Though they clearly were the class of the NFC in the 1970s along with the Dallas Cowboys
and Minnesota Vikings
, they lost the first four conference championship games they played in that decade, losing twice each to Minnesota (1974, 1976) and Dallas (1975, 1978) and failing to win a league championship.
, who led the team through 1977. The Chuck Knox-coached Rams featured an unremarkable offense carried into the playoffs annually by an elite defensive unit. The defining player of the 1970s L.A. Rams was Jack Youngblood
. Youngblood was called the 'Perfect Defensive End' by fellow Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. His toughness was legendary, notably playing on a broken leg during the Rams' run to the 1980 Super Bowl. His blue-collar ethic stood in opposition to the perception that the Rams were a soft 'Hollywood' team. However, several Rams players from this period took advantage of their proximity to Hollywood and crossed over into acting after their playing careers ended. Most notable of these was Fred Dryer
, who starred in the TV series Hunter from 1984 to 1991, as well as Merlin Olson, who retired after 1976. During the 1977 offseason, the Rams, looking for a veteran quarterback, acquired Joe Namath
from the Jets. In spite of a 2-1 start to the regular season
, Namath's bad knees rendered him nearly immobile and after a Monday night
defeat in Chicago, he never played again. With Pat Haden
at the helm, the Rams
won the division and advanced to the playoffs
, but lost at home to Minnesota. Chuck Knox left for the Bills in 1978
, after which Ray Malavasi
became head coach. Going 12-4, the team
won the NFC West for the sixth year in a row and defeated the Vikings
, thus avenging their earlier playoff defeat. However, success eluded them again as they were shut out in the NFC Championship by the Cowboys
.
team that only achieved a 9-7 record) that would achieve the team's greatest success in that period. Led by third-year quarterback Vince Ferragamo
, the Rams shocked the heavily favored and two-time defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys
21-19 in the Divisional Playoffs, then shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9-0 in the conference championship game to win the NFC and reach their first Super Bowl. Along with Ferragamo, key players for the Rams were halfback Wendell Tyler
, offensive lineman Jackie Slater, and Pro Bowl defenders Jack Youngblood
and Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds.
The Rams' opponent in their first Super Bowl
was the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers
. The game would be a virtual home game for the Rams as it was played in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl
. Although some oddsmakers set the Rams as a 10½ point underdog, the Rams played Pittsburgh very tough, leading at halftime 13-10 and at the end of the third quarter 19-17. In the end, however, the Steelers finally asserted themselves, scoring two touchdowns in the 4th quarter and completely shutting down the Rams offense to win their fourth Super Bowl, 31-19.
, inherited 70% ownership of the team. Frontiere then fired stepson Steve Rosenbloom and assumed total control of Rams operations. As had been planned prior to Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at the Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium
in nearby Orange County in 1980. The reason for the move was twofold. First, the NFL's blackout rule forbade games from being shown on local television if they did not sell out within 72 hours of the opening kickoff. As the Los Angeles Coliseum seated 100,000 people, it was rarely possible to sell that many tickets, and so most Rams home games were blacked out. Second, this move was following the population pattern in Southern California. During the 1970s and 1980s, the decline of manufacturing industries in the northeastern United States combined with the desire of many young people to live in a warmer climate cause a large-scale population shift to the southern and western states. As a result, many affluent new suburbs were built in the Los Angeles area. Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1965 to be the home of the California Angels
. To accommodate the Rams' move, the ballpark was reconfigured and enclosed to accommodate crowds of almost 70,000 in football configuration. With their new, smaller home, the Rams had no problem selling out games.
In 1980
, the team
posted an 11-5 record, but only managed a wild card spot and were sent packing after a loss to the Cowboys
. Age and injuries finally caught up with the Rams
in 1981
, as they only won six games and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. After the 1982 season
was shortened to nine games by a strike, the Rams
went 2-7, the worst record in the NFC.
In 1982
, the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles and made their home in the Coliseum. The combined effect of these two moves was to divide the Rams' traditional fanbase in two. This was coupled with the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club, while the Raiders
were winners of Super Bowl XVIII
in the 1983 season
. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers
won championships
in 1980
and 1982
en route to winning five titles in that decade, the Los Angeles Dodgers
won the World Series
in 1981
and 1988
, and even the Los Angeles Kings
made a deep run in the playoffs in 1982. As a result, the Rams declined sharply in popularity during the 1980s.
rebounded to 9-7 in 1983
and defeated Dallas
in the playoffs
. However, the season ended after a rout at the hands of the soon-to-be champion Redskins. Another trip to the playoffs in 1984
saw them lose to the Giants
. They made the NFC Championship Game in 1985
after winning the division, where they would be shut out by the eventual champion Chicago Bears
.
The most notable player for the Rams during that period was running back Eric Dickerson
, who was drafted in 1983 out of SMU
and won Rookie of the Year. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, setting a new NFL record. Dickerson would end his five hugely successful years for the Rams in 1987 by being traded to the Indianapolis Colts
for a number of players and draft picks after a bitter contract dispute, shortly after the players' strike that year ended. Dickerson remains the Rams career rushing leader with 7,245 yards. After a 10-6 season in 1986
, the Rams
were booted from the playoffs
by Washington
. After one game of the 1987 season
was lost to the players' strike, the NFL employed substitutes, most of which were given derogatory nicknames (in this case the Los Angeles Shams). After a 2-1 record, the Rams'
regulars returned, but the team only went 6-9 and did not qualify for the postseason
.
The Rams
managed to return in 1988
with a 10-6 record, but then were defeated by Minnesota
. Los Angeles
won the first five games of 1989
, including a sensational defeat of the defending champion 49ers
. After eliminating the Eagles
in the playoffs
, they beat the Giants
in overtime. In the NFC Championship, the Rams faced the 49ers again and were crushed 30-3. After that, the team crumbled to 5-11 in 1990
, followed by a 3-13 season in 1991
.
Despite this trade, the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese
. Zampese brought the intricate timing routes he had used in making the San Diego Chargers
a state-of-the-art offense. Under Zampese, the Rams rose steadily from 28th rated offense in 1986 to 3rd in 1990. The late 1980s Rams featured a gifted young QB in Jim Everett
, a solid rushing attack and a fleet of talented WRs led by Henry Ellard
. After an 11–5 record during the 1989 regular season, it was a team that seemed destined for greater things, until a 'phantom sack' in the 1989 NFC Championship derailed those ambitions. This occurred during a humiliating 30–3 defeat by division-rival San Francisco, when Everett collapsed to the turf untouched by San Francisco defenders. From then on he was perceived to shy away from hits by Rams fans. As a result of this reputation, Southern California sports talk host, Jim Rome
, would refer to Everett as "Chris Everett," referring to the female tennis player Chris Evert
, on his radio and television show. During a live interview on Rome's ESPN2
show, Talk2
, Everett challenged Rome to call him "Chris" to his face. When Rome responded by calling him "Chris," the seated Everett abruptly stood up, overturned a table, and pushed the startled host to the floor. Everett then walked off the set.
and Seattle Seahawks
, would not boost the Rams' fortunes. His run-oriented offense marked the end of the Zampese tenure in 1993. The strategy was for the offense to be steady, if unspectacular. Unfortunately for the Rams, Knox's offense was not only aesthetically unpleasing, but dull as well, especially by 1990s standards. The continued losing and uninspired play of the Rams further reduced the Rams fan base, which by 1994 had withered to the point where they were barely part of the Los Angeles sports landscape. The NFL black-out rule, which prevented the broadcast of home games that were not sold out, also worked against the Rams as their frequent non-sellouts denied the team a chance to be shown on local broadcast TV. One of the few bright spots during this time was Jerome Bettis
, a bruising running back from Notre Dame. Bettis flourished in Knox' offense, running for 1,400 yards in each of his first two seasons.
As became increasingly common with sports franchises, the Rams began to blame much of their misfortune on their stadium situation. With Orange County mired in a deep recession resulting largely from defense sector layoffs, the Rams were unable to secure a new or improved stadium in the Los Angeles area, which ultimately cast their future in Southern California into doubt.
scion Jim Orthwein
tried, and ultimately failed, to move the New England Patriots
to St. Louis. Then, despite being heavily favored along with Charlotte
to win an expansion team, St. Louis lost to a group from Jacksonville, Florida
. (So certain, in fact, did it appear that St. Louis would gain an expansion franchise, that the team had a name selected - the Stallions - and t-shirts with the team's logo were made available for sale, albeit very briefly, at a number of St. Louis area sports shops.) Despite these failures, it was proven to many that St. Louis was a market with a state-of-the-art football stadium on the way and a passionate and football-starved fan base ready to embrace a return of the NFL. As such, owner Georgia Frontiere early in 1995 committed to move the franchise to St. Louis, her hometown.
The move left many in the Los Angeles area embittered toward the NFL. That sentiment was best expressed by Fred Dryer, who at the time said "I hate these people [the Rams and their owner, Georgia Frontiere] for what they did, taking the Rams logo with them when they moved to St. Louis. That logo belonged to Southern California."
Due to a number of factors, the NFL has repeatedly failed in its efforts to return NFL football to Los Angeles
. Following the 1995 season
, the Seattle Seahawks
announced that they would move the team to Southern California. However the NFL, which had taken control of the Los Angeles market, did not approve of the move and thus forced the Seahawks to move back to Seattle, after Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen
came in with a financial bail out package. In the late 1990s a number of Los Angeles-based groups attempted to land the NFL's 32nd franchise; however Houston was awarded the franchise, largely because Houston had a solid commitment for a stadium (and was very aggressive in its attempts to obtain the franchise) while none of the Los Angeles-based groups had a solid stadium commitment (nor the aggressiveness of the Houston group). Despite the NFL's extensive effort to return the NFL to Los Angeles, in general the Los Angeles market has been ambivalent about the absence of the NFL. Currently the likeliest venue for a return to the NFL in Los Angeles is a refurbished Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
.
Just before moving to St. Louis the Rams fired Knox and hired Rich Brooks
, longtime successful football coach at the University of Oregon
, to replace him. The team played its first several games in St. Louis at Busch Stadium
as work was finished on their new home, the Trans World Dome (now known as the Edward Jones Dome
). Brooks jettisoned Knox' run-oriented scheme in favor of a powerful air attack. Bettis all but disappeared from the offense, rushing for only 634 yards. Despite this, the Rams started off well, getting off to a 5-1 start. However, a 44-10 thumping by the 49ers in the last game at Busch Stadium sent the team into a downward spiral, and they ultimately finished 7-9--still the closest they came to contention since 1989. The biggest highlight of the season was longtime offensive lineman Jackie Slater, in his 20th season, staying around just long enough to play his final NFL game as a Ram in St. Louis.
The next three years would largely be a repeat of the Rams' last five years in Los Angeles. After regressing to 6-10 in 1996, Brooks was replaced by Dick Vermeil
. Vermeil had enjoyed success as the head coach of UCLA
(where he won a Rose Bowl) and the Philadelphia Eagles
, where he led the Eagles to Super Bowl XV
. However, Vermeil left the Eagles after an unsuccessful 1982 season
, claiming burnout, and proceeded to spend much of the next decade and a half as a college football commentator for ABC Sports
.
Vermeil's first two seasons as Rams coach were as unsuccessful as many of the seasons that preceded it. Through the 1998 season
this futility made the Rams through the decade of the 1990s the worst team, record-wise, in the NFL.
, there appeared to be reason for hope as the Rams obtained quarterback Trent Green
and running back Marshall Faulk
in two separate trades. Unfortunately in the preseason Green would blow out his ACL and miss the entire season. A tearful Vermeil vowed that the Rams would "play good football" behind Green's backup, a 28-year-old former Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers
and NFL Europe
Amsterdam Admirals
player named Kurt Warner
. However, most observers believed Green's injury set up the Rams for another long season of failure.
Warner was, without question, the biggest story of the 1999 NFL season. He proved to be the catalyst that would spark an explosive offense nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf
", and furthermore also give the Rams a number of dramatic victories often won on desperate late drives that enabled him to win the NFL MVP
award. However, Green went on to become one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league in his own right after being acquired by Kansas City in 2001. This and Warner's career after 1999, which includes leading the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2001 season and leading the NFL's #1 passing attack with the Arizona Cardinals
in 2005, proved that his 1999 season wasn't a fluke.
The 1999 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
would go to Rams RB Marshall Faulk
.
The 1999 Rams
were also noted for a colorful celebration conducted by their offensive players in the end zone
after scoring a touchdown
. The celebration, which involved a group of players standing in a circle and swaying their arms as a football spun like a top in the center of the circle, was known as the "Bob 'N Weave." This celebration, and other such "premeditated and prolonged" celebrations, were shortly thereafter effectively banned by the NFL in that any such celebrations would now result in "excessive celebration" penalties.
After finishing the 1999 season 13-3 (the franchise's second-best regular season record), the Rams started out the 1999 playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings
49-37 to achieve their first NFC Championship Game since 1989. The opponent would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. The Buccaneers were successful in shutting down the Rams' vaunted offense. Still, the Rams managed to win the game 11-6, with the one touchdown coming on a Kurt Warner 30-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl
, who made an amazing one-handed catch. Proehl, a 10-year NFL veteran who was in the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career, said after the game "There are a lot of people who say there are 500 Ricky Proehls out there. I beg to differ."
The Rams' opponent in Super Bowl XXXIV would be the Tennessee Titans
, who like the Rams had recently relocated from a major metropolis (Houston) to a mid-sized city (Nashville, Tennessee
). In a game that many consider the best Super Bowl ever, Tennessee played the Rams tough throughout, achieving a 16-16 tie with 2:12 left on an Al Del Greco
field goal. On the next drive, Warner, who had been clutch all season long, came through once again, connecting with Isaac Bruce
for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive that gave the Rams a 23-16 lead with 1:53 to play.
Tennessee then mounted a desperate, last-minute drive, reaching the St. Louis 10-yard line with six seconds left and no timeouts. Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair
threw to Kevin Dyson
on a slant. Dyson caught the pass at the 3 but was stopped by The Tackle
by Mike Jones eighteen inches shy of the goal line, ending the game and giving the Rams, and Dick Vermeil (who had told his coaches to begin preparing for overtime) their first Super Bowl victory. Warner, in the performance of his life, was named Super Bowl MVP. Following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, coach Vermeil retired from football (though he came back to the game in 2001 as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
) and was replaced by offensive coordinator (and apprentice) Mike Martz
.
started off the season by winning their first six games as they went 7–1 in the first half of the season
. However, their season started getting ugly. They went 3–5 during the last half of the season, including a three-game skid. They still managed to get into the playoffs
with a 10–6 record and the NFC's #6 seed, but now they had to face the NFC West champion, which were the #3 New Orleans Saints
in the Wild Card Round. Playing at the Louisiana Superdome
, the Rams #1 offense didn't prove much, as their 24th-ranked defense gave up a 7–0 first quarter lead and they trailed 17–7 going into the fourth quarter. After the Saints had a 31–7 lead, the Rams valiantly tried to fight back. Despite three straight touchdowns, the Rams couldn't pull off a comeback and fell 31–28 in the Saints' first playoff win in franchise history.
, the "Max Q" Rams
went 14–2 (including a spectacular 8–0 on the road), led not only by a sensational offense (their third straight year of scoring 500 or more points), but a lights out defense as well, coached by Lovie Smith
and led by Adam Archuleta
. After easily handling Green Bay
in the divisional playoffs, they fought off a pesky and determined Philadelphia Eagles team 29–24 to achieve their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Their opponents in Super Bowl XXXVI
would be the New England Patriots
who, much as the Rams had had two years previous, had enjoyed a Cinderella playoff run, highlighted by a dramatic and controversial 16–13 divisional playoff win against the Oakland Raiders
.
The talent-laden Rams appeared to be primed to become the first pro football dynasty of the 21st century. However, despite being a 14-point favorite, the Rams lost to the Patriots. From the beginning the Rams were dominated by the Patriots. The Patriots chipped the Rams wideouts and running backs, disrupting their precision passing patterns. They also beat up Kurt Warner, forcing him into uncharacteristic mistakes, including an interception to Ty Law that resulted in a 47-yard return for a score.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Rams mounted a come back attempt. Two plays after an apparent game-clinching 95 yard fumble return by the Patriots on 4th down was reversed on a penalty, Kurt Warner scored on a 2-yard keeper to bring the Rams to within 7 points, 17-10. After holding the Patriots on the next drive, the Rams were in much the same situation as they had been two years previous against Tennessee. Warner came through once again, quickly leading the Rams on a dramatic drive culminating in a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. The extra point by Jeff Wilkins tied the game at 17 with 90 seconds left.
With the Patriots holding no time outs and the Rams having seized the momentum, overtime seemed assured. Even John Madden
on the Fox
broadcast of the game, opined that the Patriots should play for overtime. However, on this day it was not meant to be for the Rams. This time it was Tom Brady leading the Patriots down the field against the Ram defense, completing all but one pass (an intentional spike to stop the clock) before Adam Vinatieri
's last-second 48 yard field goal
defeated the Rams 20-17.
, the Rams
had a very disappointing 7-9 final record (after starting out 0-5). The silver lining was the emergence of young quarterback Marc Bulger
, from West Virginia University
, who, after Kurt Warner was injured, won every game in which he both started and finished. Though not as intriguing a story as Warner's emergence in 1999 (the season in which Trent Green was injured and Warner became the star quarterback) Bulger's emergence was a highlight of the Rams' 2002 NFL season, demonstrating Martz's knack of developing lightly regarded or overlooked individuals into top-quality, productive quarterbacks.
The once-magical Warner lost the starter's job to Bulger after suffering six fumbles in the season opener against the Giants
early in 2003 season
. (Although it should be noted that he was sacked and diagnosed with a concussion on the second play of the game, and yet heroically kept himself in the game). Warner was released by the Rams in June 2004 and quickly signed a free agent
contract with the New York Giants
, ending his career with the Rams. The departure of Warner proved to be the end of the "Greatest Show on Turf" era.
saw the Rams go 12-4, win the Western Division again. However, the Rams lost a crushing Divisional defeat to the Carolina Panthers
(29-23 in double overtime), who went on to become NFC Champions.
, the Rams used their first pick (24th overall) to select RB Steven Jackson
from Oregon State
. They then used their second pick (91), in the third round on DE Anthony Hargrove from Georgia Tech. Their third selection was LB Brandon Chillar
from UCLA(130). The Rams following picks were as follows:
The Rams began their 10th year in St. Louis at home winning their Week 1 home-opener against the Arizona Cardinals
17–10. They lost their next two games of the season. They lost on the road to eventual NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons
34–17, then lost to the New Orleans Saints
at home 28-25 in overtime. The Rams got to 2–2 on the season with a 24–14 road victory over their historic divisional rival, the San Francisco 49ers
. In Week 5, they traveled to Qwest Field
and took on another division rival, the Seattle Seahawks
. They trailed 27–24 late in the fourth quarter when the Rams managed to get a 36-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins
to send the game into overtime. Eventually, the Rams won the game 33–27 on a 52-yard pass from Marc Bulger
to Shaun McDonald
. Afterwards, they went home and got a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28–21. The Rams lost a week later on the road to the hapless Miami Dolphins
31–14.
Not even their Week 8 Bye Week could save them, as they lost to the defending champion New England Patriots
at home 40–22. The Rams redeemed themselves as they won regular-season bragging rights at home against the Seahawks with a final score of 23–12. Their playoff hopes decreased as they lost their next two road games, to the Buffalo Bills
(37–17) and to the eventual NFC North champion Green Bay Packers
(45–17). At home, they managed to sweep their much-hated rival, the 49ers, at home 16–6. Their playoff hopes continued to shrink as they lost their next two road games to the Carolina Panthers
(20–7) and to the Cardinals (31–7). At 6–8, the Rams had to win their last two games to have any hope for the playoffs. Fortunately, their last two games were at home. They easily won against the Philadelphia Eagles
20–7, since their opponent already had the NFC's #1 seed and they were resting their good players for the playoffs. Afterwards, they faced the New York Jets
for their final regular season game. Both sides played hard and fierce, but in the end, the Rams were able to get a victory in overtime with a 31-yard field goal by Wilkins. Not only did the Rams win 32–29, but they also got the NFC's #5 seed, despite having an 8–8 record.
For the wild card round, they flew to Seattle and took on the Seahawks for the third time in the season. The Rams managed to lead for most of the game, until the early part of the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks got a 23-yard touchdown pass from QB Matt Hasselbeck
to WR Darrell Jackson
. The Rams took the lead again with a 27-yard field goal by Wilkens. Then, Bulger threw a 17-yard TD pass to Cam Cleeland
. The Seahawks tried to respond and tie the game. At 4th and goal with 27 seconds remaining, Hasselbeck threw a pass to WR Bobby Engram
but he couldn't hold on, and the Rams won. The Rams made NFL history by becoming the first team to go .500 (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game.
Unfortunately, the Rams' tenth season in St. Louis, came to a very sour end as they were thrashed in the divisional round by the Atlanta Falcons
47–17.
, the Rams used their first pick on OT Alex Barron
from Florida State. Their second pick was CB Ronald Bartell
from Howard. The rest of their choices were Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe
from Stanford, Center Richie Incognito
from Nebraska, Safety Jerome Carter
from Florida State, TE Jerome Collins
from Notre Dame, WR Dante Ridgeway
from Ball State, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
from Harvard, and Fullback Madison Hedgecock
from North Carolina.
The Rams started the 2005 campaign
off on the wrong foot. They lost their Week 1 road game to their historic rival the San Francisco 49ers
by a score of 28–25. After week 2 they evened the record to 1–1 with a 17–12 win at Sun Devil Stadium
against a division rival, the Arizona Cardinals
, in which former teammate Kurt Warner
was the Cardinals' QB. Then, they won their Week 3 home-opener against the Tennessee Titans
31–27. Things started to get out of hand, as they lost their next three games. First, they got soundly beaten by the eventual NFC East champion New York Giants
44–24. Then, not only did they lose at home to their divisional rival, the Seattle Seahawks
37–31, but head coach Mike Martz was diagnosed with an infection in his heart. Joe Vitt
was named interim head coach. During Vitt's first game as interim head coach, the Rams not only lost a Monday Night game to then-undefeated Indianapolis Colts
45–28, but starting QB Marc Bulger
sprained an AC joint in the second quarter. Fortunately, the Rams would win their next two home games as Jamie Martin led hard-earned victories against the New Orleans Saints
(28-17) and the Jacksonville Jaguars
(24–21).
After a Week 9 Bye, despite Marc Bulger returning to the line-up, the Rams were swept in Seattle by the Seahawks 31–16. The Rams went home and lost a rematch to the Cardinals, in which Kurt Warner got revenge against his former team, by a score of 38–28. Also, Bulger went down with another shoulder injury. This time, it would end his season as his right shoulder got bruised. Against the Houston Texans
Jamie Martin was knocked out of the game with a concussion, leaving rookie QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to play his first game in the NFL. At first, it looked like the Texans would finally get their second win of the season, as they led 24–3 at halftime. But the Rams were able to expose the Texans' ineffectiveness as they managed to tie at 27 going into overtime. The Rams won 33–27 thanks to a 56-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to WR Kevin Curtis
. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick didn't hold up, as they lost the next four games. They lost to the Washington Redskins
at home 24–9. Then they lost on the road to the recovering Minnesota Vikings
27–13. Afterwards, they lost to the struggling Philadelphia Eagles
17–16. Not even fellow back-up Jamie Martin could help the Rams against the Eagles. Despite getting the start for their last home game of the season, Jamie Martin and the Rams failed to stop the 49ers from sweeping them by a final score of 24–20. Jamie and the Rams managed to end their disastrous season on a positive note. They went on the road and won against the Dallas Cowboys
on ESPN
's final Sunday Night game
with a score of 20–10. Afterwards, Mike Martz was fired from the Rams, ending his reign as Rams head coach.
was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams on January 19, 2006. He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins
. On January 24, Jim Haslett
, the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints
, signed a three-year deal to become the Rams new defensive coordinator.
, owner Georgia Frontiere
died on January 18, 2008. Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom
and daughter Lucia Rodriguez. They each split her 60% share of the Rams. Chip Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.
On May 31, 2009, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that the majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez officially offered the Rams for sale. They have retained the services of Goldman Sachs
, a prominent investment banking firm, to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers. The sale price is unknown, but Forbes magazine′s most recent estimate listed the Rams' value at $929 million.
began, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh
put in an offer to buy the Rams; however he had created controversy during his 2003 stint as a sportscaster with comments he made about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb
which were interpreted by many to be racially disparaging. All of the African-American players on the Rams squad threatened to quit if Limbaugh bought the team. The NFL was uncomfortable with the idea of politics being mixed in with football, and he was forced to drop his plans.
2009 began on an ill omen when the Rams were shut out by Seattle. Afterwards, the season would see the team reach its lowest ebb, finishing 1-15 with their lone victory coming in Week 8 when they traveled to Ford Field
and defeated the Lions
17-10.
Bradford was the main focus of the 2010 off-season, although the team also found a new owner in businessman Stan Kroenke. In order to make room for the new QB, Keith Null and several other unproductive players were cut from the roster. The Rams lost their season opener against the Cardinals 17-13. Sam Bradford threw three interceptions, including one on the last play of the game. Then followed a road game in Oakland and a second loss before beating Washington and ending a 17-game home losing streak in Week 3. In Week 4, the Rams ended an 8-game losing streak against Seattle by beating them 20-3. After being trounced 44-6 by Detroit, they returned home in Week 6 to beat San Diego 20-17. Bradford continued to show promise through the season despite struggling from his inexperience. The Rams were 7-8 by Week 16 and would have been eliminated from playoff contention but for the fact that the NFC West proved so weak that a division title was still within reach. The NFL then surprised nearly everyone by flexing their season ender with 6-9 Seattle into prime time, on the grounds that the winner would claim the division title (the 49ers and Cardinals had been removed from playoff contention by this time). However, the Seahawks (playing at home in Qwest Field) proved a more aggressive, experienced opponent and won the game and the NFC West title easily with a score of 16-6. Sam Bradford won the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season.
The Rams' return to relevance was signaled when the 2011 schedule was released in April and the team received two Monday Night Football games. However, injuries began accumulating in the preseason and St. Louis collapsed to a 0-7 start. They got their first win in a surprise upset of the Saints in Week 8, a game Sam Bradford missed due to an ankle injury.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and member of 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...
(NFL).
AFL Cleveland Rams (1936)
American Football League (1936)
Sometimes called AFL II, the second American Football League was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League throughout its existence...
was founded in 1936
1936 American Football League season
The 1936 American Football League season is the first season of the second American Football League, the formation of which was announced by Harry March, former personnel director of the NFL's New York Giants, on December 15, 1935...
, Cleveland attorney Homer Marshman was awarded a charter franchise. Marshman's team was named the Cleveland Rams and it finished with a 5-2-2 record during its inaugural season, second best in the league.
After the completion of the Rams first season, Marshman learned that 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...
wished to expand. He placed a bid along with representatives from Houston and 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...
. The NFL decided to go with the Cleveland Rams in order to keep the teams in the East and Midwest. Marshman paid a $10,000 entrance fee and the Rams were part of the NFL. Ironically, the Rams' replacement in the AFL, the Los Angeles Bulldogs
Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...
, won the 1937 AFL championship while being the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast.
Only four of the Rams players who were on the team's roster in 1936 (William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, Mike Sebastian) were on the roster in 1937 for their inaugural season in the NFL. Because none of the team personnel followed Marshman into the league, the NFL Rams are considered a separate entity from the 1936 AFL Rams.
1937-1944: Beginnings
On February 13, 1937, the Rams were placed in the Western division to replace the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds (NFL)
The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...
, who had folded in the middle of the 1934 season
1934 NFL season
The 1934 NFL season was the 15th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit, Michigan and were renamed the Detroit Lions....
(the independent St. Louis Gunners
St. Louis Gunners
The St. Louis Gunners, were an independent professional football team based in St. Louis, Missouri, who played the last three games of the 1934 National Football League season, replacing the Cincinnati Reds on the league schedule after the Reds' league membership was suspended...
had filled in for the Reds for the rest of the 1934 season). Marshman soon hired Hugo Bezdek
Hugo Bezdek
Hugo Francis Bezdek was a Czech-American sports figure who played American football and was a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He was the head football coach at the University of Oregon , the University of Arkansas , Penn State University , and Delaware Valley College...
to be the head coach and Buzz Wetzel as the General Manager of the new franchise, and home games were played in both Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
and League Park
League Park
League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th Street in the Hough neighborhood. It was home to the National League Cleveland Spiders, the American League Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland...
. The 1937 NFL Draft
1937 NFL Draft
The 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the NFL. The draft took place December 12, 1936, consisting of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame...
was held on December 12, 1936, two months before the Rams joined the league. It was agreed by the league owners that the players would be drafted by them for the future team. They picked fullback Johnny "Zero" Drake
Johnny Drake
John W. "Zero" Drake was an American football player. He was the first round pick by the Cleveland Rams, their first ever draft pick, in the 1937 NFL Draft.-External links:...
out of Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
in the first round, tenth pick overall. Although the Rams
1937 Cleveland Rams season
The 1937 Cleveland Rams season was the team's first year with the National Football League and the second season in Cleveland.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:*...
finished their first season
1937 NFL season
The 1937 NFL season was the 18th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Rams joined the league as an expansion team. Meanwhile, the Redskins relocated from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C....
at 1-10, Drake was named the 1937 NFL Rookie of the Year.
During the 1938 season
1938 NFL season
The 1938 NFL season was the 19th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game.-Major rule changes:...
, the Rams
1938 Cleveland Rams season
The 1938 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's second year with the National Football League and the third season in Cleveland.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:*...
played all of their home games at Shaw Stadium
Shaw Stadium
Shaw Stadium is a high school stadium in East Cleveland, Ohio. In 1938, the NFL's Cleveland Rams played there and finished the season with a 4-7 record.Currently, the Shaw High School Cardinals football team plays its home games there....
. Marshman fired Bezdek after losing the first three games and replaced him with assistant coach Art Lewis
Art Lewis
Arthur Everett "Pappy" Lewis was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a lineman at Ohio University from 1932 to 1935 and then in the National Football League with the New York Giants in 1936 and the Cleveland Rams from 1938 to 1939...
. The Rams won their next three games, but finished the season at 4-7.
Marshman hired Earl "Dutch" Clark as the head coach for the team during the 1939 season
1939 NFL season
The 1939 NFL season was the 20th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL president Joseph Carr died, and Carl Storck was named to replace him....
. Tailback Parker Hall was drafted during the 1939 NFL Draft
1939 NFL Draft
The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
in the first round, third pick overall. He won the NFL Most Valuable Player of the Year award during his rookie year. The Rams ended the season at 5-5-1. The following season the Rams earn a 4-6-1 record.
In 1941
1941 NFL season
The 1941 NFL season was the 22nd regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, Elmer Layden was named the first Commissioner of the NFL, while Carl Storck resigned as league president....
, Daniel F. Reeves
Dan Reeves (NFL owner)
Daniel "Dan" Reeves was the owner of the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams from 1941 to his death in 1971.In addition to the controversial move of the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Reeves is remembered for being the first NFL owner to sign an African-American player in the post World War II era...
and partner Fred Levy, Jr. purchased the Rams for $135,000. They kept Clark as the head coach, and hired Billy Evans as the General Manager for the Rams. They won their first two games, but lost their next nine. Before the start of the next season, Evans resigned as the General Manager after a new contract could not be reached.
Before the start of the 1942 season
1942 NFL season
The 1942 NFL season was the 23rd regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, many players left for service in World War II, thus depleting the rosters of all the teams....
, Reeves joined the US Army as a lieutenant to fight in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Rams
1942 Cleveland Rams season
The 1942 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's sixth year with the National Football League and seventh season in Cleveland.-Schedule:-Standings:...
played without their owner and ended the season at 5-6. Clark resigned as coach soon after the close of the season, and Charles "Chile" Walsh was named the new head coach. Yet, the franchise suspended operations and sat out the entire 1943 season
1943 NFL season
The 1943 NFL season was the 24th regular season of the National Football League. As more players left to serve in World War II, three teams were affected by the depleted rosters. The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to suspend operations for this season. The Philadelphia Eagles and the...
because of a shortage of players during World War II. Chile Walsh was named the new General Manager when the Rams resumed playing in 1944. He named Aldo "Buff" Donelli
Aldo Donelli
Aldo "Buff" Teo Donelli was an American football and soccer player. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.-Club:...
the new head coach. Coach Donelli had to form a team among free agents and pickups. The newly made team
1944 Cleveland Rams season
The 1944 Cleveland Rams season was the team's seventh year with the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:...
finished the 1944 season
1944 NFL season
The 1944 NFL season was the 25th regular season of the United States National Football League. The Boston Yanks joined the league as an expansion team. Also, the Brooklyn Dodgers changed their name to Brooklyn Tigers. Meanwhile, both the Cleveland Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their...
at 4-6.
1945: First NFL Championship Team
Adam Walsh (football coach)
Adam Walsh was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a center at the University of Notre Dame where he was an All-American and captain of the 1924 team under Knute Rockne...
as the team's new head coach. The Rams drafted quarterback Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield
Robert "Bob" Stanton Waterfield was an American football player.Waterfield attended Van Nuys High School, in Van Nuys, California and went on to play college football for UCLA. In 1943 he led the Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship...
from UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
in the fifth round of the 1945 draft
1945 NFL Draft
The 1945 National Football League Draft was held on April 8, 1945. It was the last draft held in Chicago; later in the year the league moved its offices to Philadelphia.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
, forty-second player picked overall. He would lead the team to their first NFL Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1945
In the 1945 National Football League Championship Game, the Cleveland Rams defeated the Washington Redskins, 15–14, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on December 16, 1945. This was the last game before the Rams moved to Los Angeles, California and was the 13th annual NFL...
and be named the NFL MVP and the NFL Rookie of the Year. Waterfield and fellow Ram Parker Hill are the only two NFL players to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year. Waterfield was also the first player to win the NFL MVP with a unanimous vote.
On Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Classic
The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
, November 22, 1945, Jim Benton
Jim Benton (football player)
James Warren Benton was a record setting Arkansas, Southwest Conference, NCAA and National Football League pass receiver who was selected for the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team...
would make ten receptions for 303 yards against the 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...
. This record would stand for forty-four years until it was broken by fellow Ram Willie "Flipper" Anderson
Flipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , the Indianapolis Colts , the Washington Redskins , and the Denver Broncos...
. He ended the season with 45 receptions for 1067 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Rams finished the 1945 season
1945 NFL season
The 1945 NFL season was the 26th regular season of the National Football League. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals resumed their traditional operations....
with the best record in the NFL at 9-1 with their only loss against the Philadelphia Eagles
1945 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1945 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 13th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 7–1–2, losing three games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season.-NFL Draft:...
on October 28 at Shibe Park. Waterfield ended the season with 88 pass completions on 171 attempts for 1609 yards, 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also kicked 31 extra points. The Rams also had a pair of running backs who put up good numbers during the 1945 season. Fred Gehrke ended the season with 467 yards on 74 attempts and seven touchdowns and Jim Gillette had 390 yards on 63 attempts and one touchdown.
1945 NFL Championship Game
The Rams hosted the Washington Redskins1945 Washington Redskins season
The 1945 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-3-1 record from 1944. They would end the season by losing the NFL Championship game to the Cleveland Rams, 15-14.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:...
during an icy day on December 16, 1945 for the NFL championship in front of 32,178 fans. In the first quarter of play, Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
dropped back in his own end zone and hit the goal post with a pass. It bounced into the end zone for a safety (under the rules of that time). Baugh later left the game with a bruised rib and was replaced by Frank Filchock
Frank Filchock
Frank Joseph Filchock was an American and Canadian football tailback/quarterback and coach. As a consequence of a famous scandal regarding the 1946 NFL Championship game, he was suspended by the National Football League from 1947 to 1950 for associating with gamblers.-Early career:Born in 1916 in...
. Filchock threw two touchdown passes in the game, one to Steve Bagarus in the second quarter and another to Bob Seymour in the third quarter. Waterfield also threw for two touchdowns during the game, one to Jim Benton in the second quarter and another to Jim Gillette in the third quarter. Waterfield missed an extra point attempt. The Redskins had the opportunity to win the game twice in the fourth quarter with a field goal, but Joe Aguirre missed both of them. The Rams managed to win the 1945 NFL Championship Game 15-14.
1946–1948: Starting over in Los Angeles
On January 12, 1946, Reeves was denied a request by the other NFL owners to move his team to Los AngelesLos 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...
and its 92,000 seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. Reeves threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the Rams transfer to Los Angeles was permitted. A settlement was reached and, as a result, the Los Angeles Rams were created. and the NFL had become the first professional coast-to-coast sports entertainment industry. At the time, the NFL did not allow African-Americans to play in the league
Black players in American professional football
Details of the history of black players in American professional football depend on the professional football league considered: the National Football League , which evolved from the first professional league, the American Professional Football Association, or the American Football League, , a...
.After the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles, the Rams entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African American; the Rams agreed to this condition. Subsequently, the Rams signed Kenny Washington
Kenny Washington (American football)
Kenneth S. "Kingfish" Washington was a professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League team in the modern era.-UCLA Bruins:...
on March 21, 1946, and racial segregation in the NFL was completely ended.
The Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles (the 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers
1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers season
The 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers season was their only season in the league. The team finished 6-3-1, tying for sixth place in the league.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...
were strictly a road team), but they were not the only professional football team to play its home games in the Coliseum between 1946 and 1949. The upstart All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
had the Los Angeles Dons
Los Angeles Dons
The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the now defunct All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949 that played in the Los Angeles Coliseum....
compete there as well. Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own professional football team - and suddenly there were two in the City of Angels. Reeves was proved to be correct when the Rams played their first pre-season game against the Washington Redskins
1946 Washington Redskins season
The 1946 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 8-2 record from 1945.-Schedule:-Standings:...
in front of a crowd of 95,000 fans. The team finished their first season in LA with a 6–4–1 record, second place behind the Chicago Bears
1946 Chicago Bears season
The 1946 Chicago Bears season was their 27th regular season and 9th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted an 8-2-1 record under head coach George Halas making his return from World War II en route to a Western Division title and an appearance in the NFL Championship...
. At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach. The Coliseum would be the home of the Rams for more than thirty years (the Dons merged with them in late 1949), but the facility was already over twenty years old on the day of the first kickoff. In 1948, halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams' helmets, making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football.
1949–1955: Three-end formation
The Rams' first heyday in southern California was from 1949 to 1955, when they played in the NFL Championship Game (not yet called the Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
) four times, winning once in 1951
NFL Championship Game, 1951
In the 1951 National Football League Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24–17, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on December 23, 1951. This Championship Game was the first one televised coast-to-coast. The DuMont Network purchased...
. During this period, they had the best offense in the NFL, even though there was a quarterback change from Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield
Robert "Bob" Stanton Waterfield was an American football player.Waterfield attended Van Nuys High School, in Van Nuys, California and went on to play college football for UCLA. In 1943 he led the Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship...
to Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack "Norm" Van Brocklin , nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football player and coach. He was also a first rate punter in college and in the NFL...
in 1951
1951 NFL season
The 1951 NFL season was the 32nd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Baltimore Colts owner Abraham Watner faced financial difficulties, and thus gave his team and its player contracts back to the league for $50,000. However, many Baltimore fans started to protest...
. The defining player of this period was wide receiver Elroy Hirsch
Elroy Hirsch
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.-Early life:...
. Teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Tom Fears
Tom Fears
Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.-Early life:...
, Hirsch helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers. During the 1951 Championship season, Hirsch posted a then stunning 1,495 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns. The popularity of this wide-open offense enabled the Los Angeles Rams
1950 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1950 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 13th year with the National Football League and the fifth season in Los Angeles.The 1950 Rams hold the NFL's all-time record for average points per game, scoring 38.8 points per game...
to become the first pro football team to have all their games televised in 1950
1950 NFL season
The 1950 NFL season was the 31st regular season of the National Football League. The merger with the All-America Football Conference expanded the league to 13 teams. Meanwhile, television brought a new era to the game. The Los Angeles Rams became the first NFL team to have all of its games – both...
.
1956–1962: Tanking out
The Rams suffered a down period on the field from 1956 until 1966, posting losing records in every season. However, the business side of the franchise was nurtured by a visionary executive in Pete RozellePete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
. During his time with Rams, Rozelle learned the value of television for the sport of pro football. Through Rozelle's savvy use of television, the Rams remained a glamor NFL franchise despite their poor record. In a 1957 game against the San Francisco 49ers
1957 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1957 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's eighth season in the NFL, and were coming off a 5-6-1 record in 1956, however, they ended the season with a 5 game unbeaten streak....
, the Rams
1957 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1957 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 20th year with the National Football League and the 12th season in Los Angeles.-Schedule:-Standings:...
set the all-time record for attendance for a regular season NFL game with 102,368. The Rams would draw over 100,000 fans twice the following year.
1963–1969: The Fearsome Foursome
Rosey Grier
Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American actor, singer, Christian minister, and former professional American football player. He was a notable college football player for Pennsylvania State University who earned a retrospective place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 100th anniversary...
, Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen
Merlin 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...
, Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones
David 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...
, and Lamar Lundy
Lamar Lundy
Lamar J. Lundy, Jr. was an American defensive end with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for 13 seasons, from 1957 to 1969. Along with Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and Rosey Grier, Lundy was a member of the Fearsome Foursome, often considered one of the best defensive lines in...
, dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome
Fearsome Foursome (football)
The "Fearsome Foursome" was a title first used in reporting American Professional Football, when referring to the dominating defensive lines of the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League in the early 1960s, the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and most widely, the Los Angeles Rams of the...
." It was this group of players who restored the on-field luster of the franchise in 1967
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
when the Rams reached (but lost) the conference championship under legendary coach George Allen
George Allen (football)
George Herbert Allen was an American football coach in the National Football League and the United States Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.-Early life:...
. That 1967 squad
1967 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1967 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 30th year with the National Football League and the 22nd season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: -Playoffs: -References:...
would become the first NFL team to surpass one million spectators in a season, a feat the Rams
1968 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1968 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 31st year with the National Football League and the 23rd season in Los Angeles.-Schedule:-Standings: -References:...
would repeat the following year
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
. In each of those two years, the L.A. Rams drew roughly double the number of fans that could be accommodated by their current stadium for a full season.
George Allen led the Rams from 1966 to 1970 and introduced many innovations, including the hiring of a young Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
as one of the first special teams coaches. Though Allen would enjoy five straight winning seasons and win two divisional titles in his time with the Rams he never won a playoff game with the team, losing in 1967 to Green Bay
1967 Green Bay Packers season
The 1967 Green Bay Packers season was their 47th season in the NFL and resulted in a 9-4-1 record and a victory in Super Bowl II. The team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1967 NFL Championship Game, a game commonly known as the "Ice Bowl," which marked the second time the Packers had won an...
28–7 and in 1969
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...
23–20 to Minnesota
1969 Minnesota Vikings season
1969 was the ninth year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 50th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings again won the NFL Central Division title, as finished with a record of 12 wins and two losses, plus playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams in the Western...
. Allen would leave after the 1970 season to take the head coaching job for the Washington Redskins.
1970–1972: Changes
Quarterback Roman GabrielRoman Gabriel
Roman 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...
played eleven seasons for the Rams dating from 1962–72. From 1967-71, Gabriel led the Rams to either a first- or second-place finish in their division every year. He was voted the MVP of the entire NFL in 1969, for a season in which he threw for 2,549 yards and 24 TDs while leading the Rams to the playoffs. During the 1970 season
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, Gabriel combined with his primary receiver Jack Snow for 51 receptions totaling 859 yards. This would prove to be the best season of their eight seasons as teammates.
In 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
, Chicago industrialist Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
purchased the Rams for $19 million and then traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
for his Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
and cash. The Rams remained solid contenders in the 1970s, winning seven straight NFC West
NFC West
The NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, St...
championships between 1973–79. Though they clearly were the class of the NFC in the 1970s along with the 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...
and 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...
, they lost the first four conference championship games they played in that decade, losing twice each to Minnesota (1974, 1976) and Dallas (1975, 1978) and failing to win a league championship.
1973–1979: NFC West Champs
The Rams' coach for this run was Chuck KnoxChuck Knox
Charles Robert "Chuck" Knox is a former American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League teams, the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Rams, serving two separate stints with...
, who led the team through 1977. The Chuck Knox-coached Rams featured an unremarkable offense carried into the playoffs annually by an elite defensive unit. The defining player of the 1970s L.A. Rams was Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
. Youngblood was called the 'Perfect Defensive End' by fellow Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. His toughness was legendary, notably playing on a broken leg during the Rams' run to the 1980 Super Bowl. His blue-collar ethic stood in opposition to the perception that the Rams were a soft 'Hollywood' team. However, several Rams players from this period took advantage of their proximity to Hollywood and crossed over into acting after their playing careers ended. Most notable of these was Fred Dryer
Fred Dryer
John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
, who starred in the TV series Hunter from 1984 to 1991, as well as Merlin Olson, who retired after 1976. During the 1977 offseason, the Rams, looking for a veteran quarterback, acquired Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
from the Jets. In spite of a 2-1 start to the regular season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
, Namath's bad knees rendered him nearly immobile and after a Monday night
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
defeat in Chicago, he never played again. With Pat Haden
Pat Haden
Patrick Capper "Pat" Haden is the athletic director at the University of Southern California. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981...
at the helm, the Rams
1977 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1977 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 40th year with the National Football League and the 32nd season in Los Angeles. Hobbled by chronic knee woes, Joe Namath was waived by the New York Jets, who were unable to trade him. Namath signed with the L.A. Rams in May 1977...
won the division and advanced to the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1977-78
The NFL playoffs following the 1977 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XII.Due to Christmas, the Divisional playoff games were held in a span of three days. The AFC playoff games were played on December 24 while the NFC games were held on December 26...
, but lost at home to Minnesota. Chuck Knox left for the Bills in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, after which Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi
Ray Malavasi was a former football coach who served as head coach of two National Football League teams: the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams....
became head coach. Going 12-4, the team
1978 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1978 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 41st year with the National Football League and the 33rd season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-NFC Divisional Playoff:*Los Angeles Rams 34, Minnesota Vikings 10...
won the NFC West for the sixth year in a row and defeated the Vikings
1978 Minnesota Vikings season
1978 was the 18th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of eight wins, seven losses, and one tie.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:...
, thus avenging their earlier playoff defeat. However, success eluded them again as they were shut out in the NFC Championship by the Cowboys
1978 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the NFL. For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while the defense only gave up 208 points. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night...
.
1979: First Super Bowl appearance
Ironically, it was the Rams' weakest divisional winner (an aging 19791979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
team that only achieved a 9-7 record) that would achieve the team's greatest success in that period. Led by third-year quarterback Vince Ferragamo
Vince Ferragamo
Vince Anthony Ferragamo is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League.-College career:...
, the Rams shocked the heavily favored and two-time defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys
1979 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1979 Dallas Cowboys season was their 20th in the league. The team was unable to improve on their previous output of 12–4, winning only eleven games...
21-19 in the Divisional Playoffs, then shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season saw the team make a dramatic leap from being a winless expansion franchise, perceived as mistake-prone and ridiculed by the rest of the league, to becoming a serious contender for the National Football League championship...
9-0 in the conference championship game to win the NFC and reach their first Super Bowl. Along with Ferragamo, key players for the Rams were halfback Wendell Tyler
Wendell Tyler
Wendell Avery Tyler , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 3rd round of the 1977 NFL Draft. A 5'10", 198 lbs...
, offensive lineman Jackie Slater, and Pro Bowl defenders Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
and Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds.
The Rams' opponent in their first Super Bowl
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
was the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers
1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season saw the Steelers successfully defend their Super Bowl Championship from the previous year as they achieved a 12–4 record and went on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV.-Roster:-Schedule:...
. The game would be a virtual home game for the Rams as it was played in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
. Although some oddsmakers set the Rams as a 10½ point underdog, the Rams played Pittsburgh very tough, leading at halftime 13-10 and at the end of the third quarter 19-17. In the end, however, the Steelers finally asserted themselves, scoring two touchdowns in the 4th quarter and completely shutting down the Rams offense to win their fourth Super Bowl, 31-19.
1980–1982: Starting over in Anaheim
Prior to the 1979 Super Bowl season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident, and his widow, Georgia FrontiereGeorgia Frontiere
Georgia Frontiere was the majority owner and chairman of the St. Louis Rams football team and the most prominent female owner in a league historically dominated by males....
, inherited 70% ownership of the team. Frontiere then fired stepson Steve Rosenbloom and assumed total control of Rams operations. As had been planned prior to Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at the Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...
in nearby Orange County in 1980. The reason for the move was twofold. First, the NFL's blackout rule forbade games from being shown on local television if they did not sell out within 72 hours of the opening kickoff. As the Los Angeles Coliseum seated 100,000 people, it was rarely possible to sell that many tickets, and so most Rams home games were blacked out. Second, this move was following the population pattern in Southern California. During the 1970s and 1980s, the decline of manufacturing industries in the northeastern United States combined with the desire of many young people to live in a warmer climate cause a large-scale population shift to the southern and western states. As a result, many affluent new suburbs were built in the Los Angeles area. Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1965 to be the home of the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. To accommodate the Rams' move, the ballpark was reconfigured and enclosed to accommodate crowds of almost 70,000 in football configuration. With their new, smaller home, the Rams had no problem selling out games.
In 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
, the team
1980 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1980 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 43rd year with the National Football League, the 35th season in Los Angeles, and the first season at Anaheim Stadium. The 1980 Los Angeles Rams ended thir season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses.-NFL Draft:...
posted an 11-5 record, but only managed a wild card spot and were sent packing after a loss to the Cowboys
1980 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1980 Dallas Cowboys season was their 21st in the league. The team improved their previous output of 11–5, winning twelve games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Conference Championship....
. Age and injuries finally caught up with the Rams
1981 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1981 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 44th year with the National Football League and the 36th season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-External links:*...
in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, as they only won six games and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. After the 1982 season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
was shortened to nine games by a strike, the Rams
1982 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1982 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 45th year with the National Football League and the 37th season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-See also:Other Anaheim–based teams in 1982* California Angels ...
went 2-7, the worst record in the NFC.
In 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles and made their home in the Coliseum. The combined effect of these two moves was to divide the Rams' traditional fanbase in two. This was coupled with the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club, while the Raiders
1983 Los Angeles Raiders season
-Schedule:-Los Angeles Raiders 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 10:The Raiders scored 3 touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 38–10 win over the Steelers. In the first quarter, Pittsburgh advanced on a 78-yard drive, but when faced with fourth down and inches near the goal line, they opted for...
were winners of Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
in the 1983 season
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
won championships
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
in 1980
1980 NBA Finals
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory...
and 1982
1982 NBA Finals
The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981-82 NBA season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers....
en route to winning five titles in that decade, the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
won the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1981
1981 World Series
The 1981 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking their third meeting in the Series in five years as well as a record eleventh Series meeting overall and last Series meeting to date...
and 1988
1988 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaBecause of using ace Orel Hershiser in Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers had to open with rookie Tim Belcher in Game 1. Meanwhile, Oakland sent a well-rested Dave Stewart to the mound. Both pitchers, however, would have...
, and even the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
made a deep run in the playoffs in 1982. As a result, the Rams declined sharply in popularity during the 1980s.
1983–1991: Robinson takes over the Rams
Therefore, the hiring of coach John Robinson in 1983 provided a needed boost for pro football in Orange County. The former USC coach began by cutting the aged veterans left over from the 1970s teams. His rebuilding program began to show results when the team1983 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1983 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 46th year with the National Football League and the 38th season in the city of Los Angeles. The franchise drafted a future Hall of Fame Running Back in Eric Dickerson.-NFL Draft:-Eric Dickerson:...
rebounded to 9-7 in 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
and defeated Dallas
1983 Dallas Cowboys season
The Dallas Cowboys completed the 1983 season with a record of 12 wins and 4 losses, finishing second in the NFC East. The team started the season with seven straight victories, including a memorable Monday night win over the Washington Redskins in which the team erased a 20 point halftime deficit...
in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1983-84
The NFL playoffs following the 1983 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVIII.Due to Christmas, the two wild card playoff games were played in a span of three days....
. However, the season ended after a rout at the hands of the soon-to-be champion Redskins. Another trip to the playoffs in 1984
NFL playoffs, 1984-85
The NFL playoffs following the 1984 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIX.The two wild card games were held on different days because both venues were in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. The NFL did not schedule prime time playoff games on the east coast until 2002. Normally, playoff games started at...
saw them lose to the Giants
1984 New York Giants season
The 1984 New York Giants season was the 60th season for the club in the National Football League. With a 9–7 record, the Giants finished in a tie for second in the National Football Conference East Division and qualified for the playoffs. In the Wild Card round, New York traveled to Anaheim Stadium...
. They made the NFC Championship Game in 1985
1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
after winning the division, where they would be shut out by the eventual champion Chicago Bears
1985 Chicago Bears season
The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Bears defeated their three post season opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en...
.
The most notable player for the Rams during that period was running back Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
, who was drafted in 1983 out of SMU
SMU Mustangs football
The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA...
and won Rookie of the Year. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, setting a new NFL record. Dickerson would end his five hugely successful years for the Rams in 1987 by being traded to the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
for a number of players and draft picks after a bitter contract dispute, shortly after the players' strike that year ended. Dickerson remains the Rams career rushing leader with 7,245 yards. After a 10-6 season in 1986
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
, the Rams
1986 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1986 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 49th year with the National Football League and the 41st season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:* Eric Dickerson, NFC Pro Bowl selection...
were booted from the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1986-87
The NFL playoffs following the 1986 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXI.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the New York Giants did not play the Washington Redskins in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: New York Jets...
by Washington
1986 Washington Redskins season
The 1986 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-6 record from 1985.-Schedule:-Standings:-NFC Wild Card Game:-NFC Divisional Playoff:-NFC Championship Game:-References:...
. After one game of the 1987 season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
was lost to the players' strike, the NFL employed substitutes, most of which were given derogatory nicknames (in this case the Los Angeles Shams). After a 2-1 record, the Rams'
1987 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1987 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 50th year with the National Football League and the 42nd season in Los Angeles.-Regular season:...
regulars returned, but the team only went 6-9 and did not qualify for the postseason
NFL playoffs, 1987-88
The NFL playoffs following the 1987 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXII.-NFC: Minnesota Vikings 44, New Orleans Saints 10:In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording 2 sacks, forcing 4 turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards...
.
The Rams
1988 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1988 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 51st year with the National Football League and the 43rd season in Los Angeles.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Awards and records:*Greg Bell, NFL Leader, Touchdowns, 18 TD's...
managed to return in 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
with a 10-6 record, but then were defeated by Minnesota
1988 Minnesota Vikings season
-Schedule:-Postseason:*12/26 LA Rams W 28-17 *1/1 at San Francisco L 9-34 -Standings:-NFC Divisional Playoff:-References:* *...
. Los Angeles
1989 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1989 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 52nd year with the National Football League and the 44th season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:In week 16, Jerry Gray returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown...
won the first five games of 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
, including a sensational defeat of the defending champion 49ers
1989 San Francisco 49ers season
The San Francisco 49ers 1989 season was their 44th season in the National Football League. Joe Montana and the 49ers franchise cemented their reputation as the best team of the decade...
. After eliminating the Eagles
1989 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1989 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in an appearance in the postseason.-Player Selections:The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick...
in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1989-90
The NFL playoffs following the 1989 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIV.This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season....
, they beat the Giants
1989 New York Giants season
The 1989 New York Giants season was the 65th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Playoffs:...
in overtime. In the NFC Championship, the Rams faced the 49ers again and were crushed 30-3. After that, the team crumbled to 5-11 in 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, followed by a 3-13 season in 1991
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
.
Despite this trade, the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese
Ernie Zampese
Ernie Zampese is a former American football player and coach. Playing for Santa Barbara High School, he was selected as the CIS Player of the Year in 1953 and went on to play at the halfback position for the USC Trojans in 1955 and 1956...
. Zampese brought the intricate timing routes he had used in making the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
a state-of-the-art offense. Under Zampese, the Rams rose steadily from 28th rated offense in 1986 to 3rd in 1990. The late 1980s Rams featured a gifted young QB in Jim Everett
Jim Everett
James Samuel Everett III is a retired professional American football quarterback who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League ....
, a solid rushing attack and a fleet of talented WRs led by Henry Ellard
Henry Ellard
Henry Austin Ellard is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , Washington Redskins , and the New England Patriots . Ellard qualified for Olympic trials in 1992 with his 54.1 foot triple jump.-High school and college:Ellard attended Hoover High School in...
. After an 11–5 record during the 1989 regular season, it was a team that seemed destined for greater things, until a 'phantom sack' in the 1989 NFC Championship derailed those ambitions. This occurred during a humiliating 30–3 defeat by division-rival San Francisco, when Everett collapsed to the turf untouched by San Francisco defenders. From then on he was perceived to shy away from hits by Rams fans. As a result of this reputation, Southern California sports talk host, Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
, would refer to Everett as "Chris Everett," referring to the female tennis player Chris Evert
Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
, on his radio and television show. During a live interview on Rome's ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
show, Talk2
Talk2
Talk2 was a talk show hosted by Jim Rome on ESPN2 from 1993 to 1998.-The Everett incident:Jim Rome's show achieved the ultimate in notoriety when he welcomed Jim Everett onto the show in 1994. Jim Everett claimed for the past few years Rome had been calling him "Chris"...
, Everett challenged Rome to call him "Chris" to his face. When Rome responded by calling him "Chris," the seated Everett abruptly stood up, overturned a table, and pushed the startled host to the floor. Everett then walked off the set.
1992–94: The Demise of the LA Rams
The Rams never recovered from the humiliation. The first half of the 1990s featured losing records, no playoff appearances for the Rams and waning fan interest. The return of Chuck Knox as head coach, after Knox's successful stints as head coach of the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, would not boost the Rams' fortunes. His run-oriented offense marked the end of the Zampese tenure in 1993. The strategy was for the offense to be steady, if unspectacular. Unfortunately for the Rams, Knox's offense was not only aesthetically unpleasing, but dull as well, especially by 1990s standards. The continued losing and uninspired play of the Rams further reduced the Rams fan base, which by 1994 had withered to the point where they were barely part of the Los Angeles sports landscape. The NFL black-out rule, which prevented the broadcast of home games that were not sold out, also worked against the Rams as their frequent non-sellouts denied the team a chance to be shown on local broadcast TV. One of the few bright spots during this time was Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
, a bruising running back from Notre Dame. Bettis flourished in Knox' offense, running for 1,400 yards in each of his first two seasons.
As became increasingly common with sports franchises, the Rams began to blame much of their misfortune on their stadium situation. With Orange County mired in a deep recession resulting largely from defense sector layoffs, the Rams were unable to secure a new or improved stadium in the Los Angeles area, which ultimately cast their future in Southern California into doubt.
1995–98: Starting over in Saint Louis
While the Rams dealt with stadium concerns in Los Angeles, efforts were underway to regain an NFL franchise in St. Louis to play in a new domed stadium slated to open in 1995. First, Anheuser-BuschAnheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
scion Jim Orthwein
James Orthwein
James Busch Orthwein was an American advertising executive and great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch. Orthwein owned the New England Patriots from 1992-1993.-Life and career:...
tried, and ultimately failed, to move the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
to St. Louis. Then, despite being heavily favored along with Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
to win an expansion team, St. Louis lost to a group from Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. (So certain, in fact, did it appear that St. Louis would gain an expansion franchise, that the team had a name selected - the Stallions - and t-shirts with the team's logo were made available for sale, albeit very briefly, at a number of St. Louis area sports shops.) Despite these failures, it was proven to many that St. Louis was a market with a state-of-the-art football stadium on the way and a passionate and football-starved fan base ready to embrace a return of the NFL. As such, owner Georgia Frontiere early in 1995 committed to move the franchise to St. Louis, her hometown.
The move left many in the Los Angeles area embittered toward the NFL. That sentiment was best expressed by Fred Dryer, who at the time said "I hate these people [the Rams and their owner, Georgia Frontiere] for what they did, taking the Rams logo with them when they moved to St. Louis. That logo belonged to Southern California."
Due to a number of factors, the NFL has repeatedly failed in its efforts to return NFL football to Los Angeles
History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
Professional American football, especially its established top level, the National Football League, has had a long history in Los Angeles, the center of the second-largest media market in the United States. Since 1995, Los Angeles has been by far the largest U.S. market without an NFL team...
. Following the 1995 season
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
announced that they would move the team to Southern California. However the NFL, which had taken control of the Los Angeles market, did not approve of the move and thus forced the Seahawks to move back to Seattle, after Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
co-founder Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
came in with a financial bail out package. In the late 1990s a number of Los Angeles-based groups attempted to land the NFL's 32nd franchise; however Houston was awarded the franchise, largely because Houston had a solid commitment for a stadium (and was very aggressive in its attempts to obtain the franchise) while none of the Los Angeles-based groups had a solid stadium commitment (nor the aggressiveness of the Houston group). Despite the NFL's extensive effort to return the NFL to Los Angeles, in general the Los Angeles market has been ambivalent about the absence of the NFL. Currently the likeliest venue for a return to the NFL in Los Angeles is a refurbished Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
.
Just before moving to St. Louis the Rams fired Knox and hired Rich Brooks
Rich Brooks
Rich Brooks is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Oregon from 1977 to 1994 and at the University of Kentucky from 2003 to 2009, compiling a career college football record of 128–154–4. Brooks was also the head coach of the...
, longtime successful football coach at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, to replace him. The team played its first several games in St. Louis at Busch Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
as work was finished on their new home, the Trans World Dome (now known as the Edward Jones Dome
Edward Jones Dome
The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...
). Brooks jettisoned Knox' run-oriented scheme in favor of a powerful air attack. Bettis all but disappeared from the offense, rushing for only 634 yards. Despite this, the Rams started off well, getting off to a 5-1 start. However, a 44-10 thumping by the 49ers in the last game at Busch Stadium sent the team into a downward spiral, and they ultimately finished 7-9--still the closest they came to contention since 1989. The biggest highlight of the season was longtime offensive lineman Jackie Slater, in his 20th season, staying around just long enough to play his final NFL game as a Ram in St. Louis.
The next three years would largely be a repeat of the Rams' last five years in Los Angeles. After regressing to 6-10 in 1996, Brooks was replaced by Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
. Vermeil had enjoyed success as the head coach of UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
(where he won a Rose Bowl) and the 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...
, where he led the Eagles to Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
. However, Vermeil left the Eagles after an unsuccessful 1982 season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, claiming burnout, and proceeded to spend much of the next decade and a half as a college football commentator for ABC Sports
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
.
Vermeil's first two seasons as Rams coach were as unsuccessful as many of the seasons that preceded it. Through the 1998 season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
this futility made the Rams through the decade of the 1990s the worst team, record-wise, in the NFL.
1999: Second Super Bowl appearance
Finally in 19991999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, there appeared to be reason for hope as the Rams obtained quarterback Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
and running back Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
in two separate trades. Unfortunately in the preseason Green would blow out his ACL and miss the entire season. A tearful Vermeil vowed that the Rams would "play good football" behind Green's backup, a 28-year-old former Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
and NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
player named Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
. However, most observers believed Green's injury set up the Rams for another long season of failure.
Warner was, without question, the biggest story of the 1999 NFL season. He proved to be the catalyst that would spark an explosive offense nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf
The Greatest Show on Turf
"The Greatest Show on Turf" was the nickname for the St. Louis Rams' considerably talented and famous record-breaking offense during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League seasons. The offense was designed by attack oriented offensive coordinator Mike Martz who advocated an unrelenting...
", and furthermore also give the Rams a number of dramatic victories often won on desperate late drives that enabled him to win the NFL MVP
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
award. However, Green went on to become one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league in his own right after being acquired by Kansas City in 2001. This and Warner's career after 1999, which includes leading the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2001 season and leading the NFL's #1 passing attack with the Arizona Cardinals
2005 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2005 Arizona Cardinals season was the team's 86th in the NFL. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 6-10, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season....
in 2005, proved that his 1999 season wasn't a fluke.
The 1999 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
would go to Rams RB Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
.
The 1999 Rams
1999 St. Louis Rams season
The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13-3, and the NFC West Championship. The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973. On the...
were also noted for a colorful celebration conducted by their offensive players in the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
after scoring a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. The celebration, which involved a group of players standing in a circle and swaying their arms as a football spun like a top in the center of the circle, was known as the "Bob 'N Weave." This celebration, and other such "premeditated and prolonged" celebrations, were shortly thereafter effectively banned by the NFL in that any such celebrations would now result in "excessive celebration" penalties.
After finishing the 1999 season 13-3 (the franchise's second-best regular season record), the Rams started out the 1999 playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings
1999 Minnesota Vikings season
1999 was the 39th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 80th regular season of the National Football League.After going 15-1 in 1998 the Vikings began the 1999 season with high hopes of another great season. Randall Cunningham resumed duties again in 1999, but after a lukewarm 2-4...
49-37 to achieve their first NFC Championship Game since 1989. The opponent would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 8-8 season. Rookie Shaun King replaced the injured and inconsistent Trent Dilfer late in the season...
. The Buccaneers were successful in shutting down the Rams' vaunted offense. Still, the Rams managed to win the game 11-6, with the one touchdown coming on a Kurt Warner 30-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl
Ricky Proehl
Richard Scott Proehl is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Proehl played 17 seasons with the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts...
, who made an amazing one-handed catch. Proehl, a 10-year NFL veteran who was in the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career, said after the game "There are a lot of people who say there are 500 Ricky Proehls out there. I beg to differ."
The Rams' opponent in Super Bowl XXXIV would be the Tennessee Titans
1999 Tennessee Titans season
The 1999 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 40th season and their 30th in the National Football League. It was the first season for the club under the moniker "Titans," while the nickname "Oilers" was retired by the NFL...
, who like the Rams had recently relocated from a major metropolis (Houston) to a mid-sized city (Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
). In a game that many consider the best Super Bowl ever, Tennessee played the Rams tough throughout, achieving a 16-16 tie with 2:12 left on an Al Del Greco
Al Del Greco
Albert Louis Del Greco is a former American football placekicker and a current sports radio personality and high school coach in Birmingham, Alabama.-Biography:...
field goal. On the next drive, Warner, who had been clutch all season long, came through once again, connecting with Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Isidore Bruce is a retired American football wide receiver. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Memphis....
for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive that gave the Rams a 23-16 lead with 1:53 to play.
Tennessee then mounted a desperate, last-minute drive, reaching the St. Louis 10-yard line with six seconds left and no timeouts. Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
threw to Kevin Dyson
Kevin Dyson
Kevin Tyree Dyson is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 16th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
on a slant. Dyson caught the pass at the 3 but was stopped by The Tackle
The Tackle
The final play of Super Bowl XXXIV happened in a game played between the St. Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans on January 30, 2000. It resulted in Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson being tackled by Rams linebacker Mike Jones at the one-yard line, preserving a 23–16 Rams victory...
by Mike Jones eighteen inches shy of the goal line, ending the game and giving the Rams, and Dick Vermeil (who had told his coaches to begin preparing for overtime) their first Super Bowl victory. Warner, in the performance of his life, was named Super Bowl MVP. Following the Rams' Super Bowl victory, coach Vermeil retired from football (though he came back to the game in 2001 as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
) and was replaced by offensive coordinator (and apprentice) Mike Martz
Mike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
.
2000
In Mike Martz's first year as Rams head coach, the defending-champion Rams2000 St. Louis Rams season
The 2000 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 63rd year with the National Football League and the sixth season in St. Louis. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10-6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They led the NFL in...
started off the season by winning their first six games as they went 7–1 in the first half of the season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
. However, their season started getting ugly. They went 3–5 during the last half of the season, including a three-game skid. They still managed to get into the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2000-01
The NFL playoffs following the 2000 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXV.This would be the last time that playoff games would be played at the accustomed times of 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST...
with a 10–6 record and the NFC's #6 seed, but now they had to face the NFC West champion, which were the #3 New Orleans Saints
2000 New Orleans Saints season
The 2000 New Orleans Saints season saw the Saints win their first ever playoff game. On February 3, Jim Haslett was named the thirteenth head coach in franchise history.-Staff:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Rushing: -Receiving: -Sacks: -Interceptions:...
in the Wild Card Round. Playing at the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
, the Rams #1 offense didn't prove much, as their 24th-ranked defense gave up a 7–0 first quarter lead and they trailed 17–7 going into the fourth quarter. After the Saints had a 31–7 lead, the Rams valiantly tried to fight back. Despite three straight touchdowns, the Rams couldn't pull off a comeback and fell 31–28 in the Saints' first playoff win in franchise history.
2001: Third Super Bowl Appearance
In 20012001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, the "Max Q" Rams
2001 St. Louis Rams season
The 2001 St. Louis Rams season was the 64th season for the team in the National Football League and seventh season in St. Louis. The Rams set a franchise record for wins in a season , while also going a perfect 8-0 on the road. Quarterback Kurt Warner would go on to win his second league M.V.P....
went 14–2 (including a spectacular 8–0 on the road), led not only by a sensational offense (their third straight year of scoring 500 or more points), but a lights out defense as well, coached by Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
and led by Adam Archuleta
Adam Archuleta
Adam Jason Archuleta is a former American football safety. He played college football at Arizona State, and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams 20th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft....
. After easily handling Green Bay
2001 Green Bay Packers season
The 2001 Green Bay Packers season ended with a loss to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game, where Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw a career high 6 interceptions.-2001 NFL draft:...
in the divisional playoffs, they fought off a pesky and determined Philadelphia Eagles team 29–24 to achieve their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Their opponents in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
would be the New England Patriots
2001 New England Patriots season
The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI....
who, much as the Rams had had two years previous, had enjoyed a Cinderella playoff run, highlighted by a dramatic and controversial 16–13 divisional playoff win against the Oakland Raiders
2001 Oakland Raiders season
-AFC Divisional Playoff:-References:...
.
The talent-laden Rams appeared to be primed to become the first pro football dynasty of the 21st century. However, despite being a 14-point favorite, the Rams lost to the Patriots. From the beginning the Rams were dominated by the Patriots. The Patriots chipped the Rams wideouts and running backs, disrupting their precision passing patterns. They also beat up Kurt Warner, forcing him into uncharacteristic mistakes, including an interception to Ty Law that resulted in a 47-yard return for a score.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Rams mounted a come back attempt. Two plays after an apparent game-clinching 95 yard fumble return by the Patriots on 4th down was reversed on a penalty, Kurt Warner scored on a 2-yard keeper to bring the Rams to within 7 points, 17-10. After holding the Patriots on the next drive, the Rams were in much the same situation as they had been two years previous against Tennessee. Warner came through once again, quickly leading the Rams on a dramatic drive culminating in a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. The extra point by Jeff Wilkins tied the game at 17 with 90 seconds left.
With the Patriots holding no time outs and the Rams having seized the momentum, overtime seemed assured. Even John Madden
John Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
on the Fox
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
broadcast of the game, opined that the Patriots should play for overtime. However, on this day it was not meant to be for the Rams. This time it was Tom Brady leading the Patriots down the field against the Ram defense, completing all but one pass (an intentional spike to stop the clock) before Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...
's last-second 48 yard field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
defeated the Rams 20-17.
2002
In 20022002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, the Rams
2002 St. Louis Rams season
The 2002 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 65th year with the National Football League and the eighth season in St. Louis.-Schedule:This season marked the decline of Kurt Warner and The Greatest Show On Turf-Standings:...
had a very disappointing 7-9 final record (after starting out 0-5). The silver lining was the emergence of young quarterback Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
, from West Virginia University
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
, who, after Kurt Warner was injured, won every game in which he both started and finished. Though not as intriguing a story as Warner's emergence in 1999 (the season in which Trent Green was injured and Warner became the star quarterback) Bulger's emergence was a highlight of the Rams' 2002 NFL season, demonstrating Martz's knack of developing lightly regarded or overlooked individuals into top-quality, productive quarterbacks.
The once-magical Warner lost the starter's job to Bulger after suffering six fumbles in the season opener against the Giants
2003 New York Giants season
The 2003 New York Giants season was the team's 79th season in the National Football League. The team was unable to duplicate their 2002 season's playoff appearance, instead only winning four games and finishing the season on an eight game losing streak which cost head coach Jim Fassel his...
early in 2003 season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
. (Although it should be noted that he was sacked and diagnosed with a concussion on the second play of the game, and yet heroically kept himself in the game). Warner was released by the Rams in June 2004 and quickly signed a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
contract with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, ending his career with the Rams. The departure of Warner proved to be the end of the "Greatest Show on Turf" era.
2003
The 2003 season2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
saw the Rams go 12-4, win the Western Division again. However, the Rams lost a crushing Divisional defeat to the Carolina Panthers
2003 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-Postseason:-NFC Wild Card playoff:The Cowboys' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt. The Panthers outgained the Cowboys in total yards 380-204 and held the ball for 34:23. Dallas Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an...
(29-23 in double overtime), who went on to become NFC Champions.
2004
During the 2004 NFL Draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
, the Rams used their first pick (24th overall) to select RB Steven Jackson
Steven Jackson
Steven Rashad Jackson is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State University....
from Oregon State
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
. They then used their second pick (91), in the third round on DE Anthony Hargrove from Georgia Tech. Their third selection was LB Brandon Chillar
Brandon Chillar
-St. Louis Rams:Chillar joined the St. Louis Rams as a fourth-round draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. On July 26, 2004, Chillar signed a four-year $2.1 million contract with the Rams. Having a father, Ram Chillar, of East Indian descent, Chillar became one of the handful of Indian Americans in the...
from UCLA(130). The Rams following picks were as follows:
- 5th Round (158) - Jason Shivers, S Arizona StateArizona State Sun Devils footballThe Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
- 6th Round (201) - Jeff Smoker, QB Michigan StateMichigan State Spartans footballThe Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
- 7th Round (237) - Erik Jensen, TE IowaIowa Hawkeyes footballThe Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
- 7th Round (238) - Larry Turner, OT Eastern KentuckyEastern Kentucky UniversityEastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
The Rams began their 10th year in St. Louis at home winning their Week 1 home-opener against the Arizona Cardinals
2004 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2004 Arizona Cardinals season was the 85th season the team was in the National Football League. The team managed to improve upon their previous output of 4-12. However, the team failed to make the playoffs for the sixth straight season.-NFL Draft:...
17–10. They lost their next two games of the season. They lost on the road to eventual NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons
2004 Atlanta Falcons season
-Roster:-Schedule:-Week 1:The Falcons began their season by traveling to San Francisco, where Falcons head coach Jim L. Mora had coached the last five years as the 49ers defensive coordinator, to play the San Francisco 49ers...
34–17, then lost to the New Orleans Saints
2004 New Orleans Saints season
The 2004 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 38th as a member of the National Football League. They matched their previous season's output of 8–8, and the team finished the season on a four game winning streak.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:...
at home 28-25 in overtime. The Rams got to 2–2 on the season with a 24–14 road victory over their historic divisional rival, the 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...
. In Week 5, they traveled to Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
and took on another division rival, the Seattle Seahawks
2004 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2004 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 29th season with the National Football League. Seahawks Stadium was renamed Qwest Field when Qwest bought the naming rights on June 2, 2004.-2004 NFL Draft:-Regular season:-Playoffs:-External links:...
. They trailed 27–24 late in the fourth quarter when the Rams managed to get a 36-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins
Jeff Wilkins
For the American basketball player, see Jeff Wilkins .Jeffrey Allen Wilkins nicknamed "Money" is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St Louis Rams. He played college football at Youngstown State University...
to send the game into overtime. Eventually, the Rams won the game 33–27 on a 52-yard pass from Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
to Shaun McDonald
Shaun McDonald
Shaun Terrance McDonald is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
. Afterwards, they went home and got a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on their 7-9 record in 2003. Brian Griese set a number of franchise records for passing. Michael Clayton set a rookie record for receiving.-Offseason:...
28–21. The Rams lost a week later on the road to the hapless Miami Dolphins
2004 Miami Dolphins season
The 2004 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 39th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins were unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 10–6, instead only going 4–12 after starting the season 0–6...
31–14.
Not even their Week 8 Bye Week could save them, as they lost to the defending champion New England Patriots
2004 New England Patriots season
The 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
at home 40–22. The Rams redeemed themselves as they won regular-season bragging rights at home against the Seahawks with a final score of 23–12. Their playoff hopes decreased as they lost their next two road games, to the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(37–17) and to the eventual NFC North champion Green Bay Packers
2004 Green Bay Packers season
The 2004 Green Bay Packers season started with the Packers losing four of their first five games, then winning their next six games, and finally ending in a Wild Card playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They finished with an overall record of 10-7....
(45–17). At home, they managed to sweep their much-hated rival, the 49ers, at home 16–6. Their playoff hopes continued to shrink as they lost their next two road games to the Carolina Panthers
2004 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-References:...
(20–7) and to the Cardinals (31–7). At 6–8, the Rams had to win their last two games to have any hope for the playoffs. Fortunately, their last two games were at home. They easily won against the Philadelphia Eagles
2004 Philadelphia Eagles season
-Regular season:-Playoffs:-Week 1: vs. New York Giants:The highly-anticipated Eagles' season began with a convincing rout of the division-rival New York Giants in a game that was not as close as the 31–17 score. New York scored the first points when Ron Dayne finished a first quarter drive with a...
20–7, since their opponent already had the NFC's #1 seed and they were resting their good players for the playoffs. Afterwards, they faced the New York Jets
2004 New York Jets season
The 2004 New York Jets season saw the team try to improve on its 6–10 2003 record. The Jets started the season by winning their first five games, which was a franchise record. They ultimately finished 10–6, and clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs, reaching the postseason for the third time in...
for their final regular season game. Both sides played hard and fierce, but in the end, the Rams were able to get a victory in overtime with a 31-yard field goal by Wilkins. Not only did the Rams win 32–29, but they also got the NFC's #5 seed, despite having an 8–8 record.
For the wild card round, they flew to Seattle and took on the Seahawks for the third time in the season. The Rams managed to lead for most of the game, until the early part of the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks got a 23-yard touchdown pass from QB Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
to WR Darrell Jackson
Darrell Jackson
Darrell Lamont Jackson is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for nine seasons...
. The Rams took the lead again with a 27-yard field goal by Wilkens. Then, Bulger threw a 17-yard TD pass to Cam Cleeland
Cam Cleeland
Cameron Ross Cleeland is an American football tight end who last played for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. Previously he had played for the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots and went to the University of Washington....
. The Seahawks tried to respond and tie the game. At 4th and goal with 27 seconds remaining, Hasselbeck threw a pass to WR Bobby Engram
Bobby Engram
Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
but he couldn't hold on, and the Rams won. The Rams made NFL history by becoming the first team to go .500 (8–8) in the regular season and win a playoff game.
Unfortunately, the Rams' tenth season in St. Louis, came to a very sour end as they were thrashed in the divisional round by the Atlanta Falcons
2004 Atlanta Falcons season
-Roster:-Schedule:-Week 1:The Falcons began their season by traveling to San Francisco, where Falcons head coach Jim L. Mora had coached the last five years as the 49ers defensive coordinator, to play the San Francisco 49ers...
47–17.
2005
During the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
, the Rams used their first pick on OT Alex Barron
Alex Barron (football player)
-St. Louis Rams:Barron was the nineteenth pick overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2005 NFL Draft. On August 14, 2005, Barron signed a five-year, $9.2 million contract with the Rams with escalators that could take the value to over $11 million. The contract featured $5.5 million in guaranteed...
from Florida State. Their second pick was CB Ronald Bartell
Ronald Bartell
Ronald Bartell is an American football cornerback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football atHoward....
from Howard. The rest of their choices were Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe
Oshiomogho Atogwe
Oshiomogho Isaac "O.J." Atogwe is a Canadian safety of American football for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford.-Early years:He attended high school at W.F....
from Stanford, Center Richie Incognito
Richie Incognito
Richard Dominick Incognito, Jr. Richard Dominick Incognito, Jr. Richard Dominick Incognito, Jr. (born July 5, 1983 in Englewood, New Jersey is an American football guard for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL...
from Nebraska, Safety Jerome Carter
Jerome Carter
Jerome Carter is an American football safety for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
from Florida State, TE Jerome Collins
Jerome Collins
-St. Louis Rams:Collins was the 144th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams from the University of Notre Dame. He was on the Rams practice squad and also the 53-man roster before beging released.-Dallas Cowboys:...
from Notre Dame, WR Dante Ridgeway
Dante Ridgeway
-National Football League:Ridgeway was selected in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and on July 27, 2005, he signed a three-year contract with the Rams. However, on August 30, he was waived by the Rams. He was claimed off of waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals the next...
from Ball State, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Harvard....
from Harvard, and Fullback Madison Hedgecock
Madison Hedgecock
Madison Smith Hedgecock is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina....
from North Carolina.
The Rams started the 2005 campaign
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
off on the wrong foot. They lost their Week 1 road game to their historic rival the San Francisco 49ers
2005 San Francisco 49ers season
The 2005 season was the 60th for the Niners overall, and 56th in the NFL. They were trying to improve on their 2-14 record from 2004. Head Coach Dennis Erickson had been fired just after the end of the 2004 season, and Mike Nolan, son of former head coach Dick Nolan, was at the reins.-Week 1: vs. St...
by a score of 28–25. After week 2 they evened the record to 1–1 with a 17–12 win at Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
against a division rival, the Arizona Cardinals
2005 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2005 Arizona Cardinals season was the team's 86th in the NFL. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 6-10, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season....
, in which former teammate Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...
was the Cardinals' QB. Then, they won their Week 3 home-opener against the Tennessee Titans
2005 Tennessee Titans season
The 2005 Tennessee Titans season was the 46th season the team was with the league. The team attempted to improve upon their previous output of 5–11, but was only able to win four games in 2005. The Titans' games were often high-scoring, with 8 of their 16 games accumulating in excess of 50 points...
31–27. Things started to get out of hand, as they lost their next three games. First, they got soundly beaten by the eventual NFC East champion New York Giants
2005 New York Giants season
-Offseason:In the 2005 off–season the Giants acquired former Steelers' wide receiver Plaxico Burress as a free agent. Also, during the 2005 Draft, the Giants used their first pick on Louisiana St. Cornerback Corey Webster. They then used their next pick on Notre Dame Defensive End Justin Tuck. ...
44–24. Then, not only did they lose at home to their divisional rival, the Seattle Seahawks
2005 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season saw them advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history. They were the NFC representative in Super Bowl XL, a game they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks compiled a 13-3 record in the regular season, easily winning the NFC West and...
37–31, but head coach Mike Martz was diagnosed with an infection in his heart. Joe Vitt
Joe Vitt
Joe Vitt is the linebackers coach and assistant head coach of the New Orleans Saints.Vitt played four seasons as a linebacker for Towson State near Baltimore, even though he was an undersized 5'10" and smallish 190 pounds...
was named interim head coach. During Vitt's first game as interim head coach, the Rams not only lost a Monday Night game to then-undefeated Indianapolis Colts
2005 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2005 Indianapolis Colts season was the 53rd season for the team in the National Football League and 22nd in Indianapolis. The 2005 Colts season began with the team trying to improve on their 12–4 record from 2004 and to advance further into the playoffs...
45–28, but starting QB Marc Bulger
Marc Bulger
Marc Robert Bulger [] is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
sprained an AC joint in the second quarter. Fortunately, the Rams would win their next two home games as Jamie Martin led hard-earned victories against the New Orleans Saints
2005 New Orleans Saints season
The 2005 New Orleans Saints season began with the team trying to improve from their 8–8 record from 2004. The Saints played two preseason games in the Louisiana Superdome before being forced to evacuate New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina...
(28-17) and the Jacksonville Jaguars
2005 Jacksonville Jaguars season
After a 9–7 season in 2004 the Jaguars came out of the gates prepared to become a dominant force in the AFC. They achieved that task, going 12–4 in the regular season, but did not manage to win their own division, getting swept by the Indianapolis Colts as they went 14–2...
(24–21).
After a Week 9 Bye, despite Marc Bulger returning to the line-up, the Rams were swept in Seattle by the Seahawks 31–16. The Rams went home and lost a rematch to the Cardinals, in which Kurt Warner got revenge against his former team, by a score of 38–28. Also, Bulger went down with another shoulder injury. This time, it would end his season as his right shoulder got bruised. Against the Houston Texans
2005 Houston Texans season
The 2005 Houston Texans season was the fourth season in franchise history. The Texans completed the season with the worst record in both the NFL and in franchise history...
Jamie Martin was knocked out of the game with a concussion, leaving rookie QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to play his first game in the NFL. At first, it looked like the Texans would finally get their second win of the season, as they led 24–3 at halftime. But the Rams were able to expose the Texans' ineffectiveness as they managed to tie at 27 going into overtime. The Rams won 33–27 thanks to a 56-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to WR Kevin Curtis
Kevin Curtis
-St. Louis Rams:Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis was inactive for the first five games of 2003 after suffering a broken fibula in the final preseason game at Buffalo. In 2004, Curtis played in all but one game, totaling 32 catches for 421...
. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick didn't hold up, as they lost the next four games. They lost to the Washington Redskins
2005 Washington Redskins season
The 2005 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-10 record from 2004. The Redskins placed 2nd in the NFC East. Washington earned their first playoff berth since 1999.-Offseason:...
at home 24–9. Then they lost on the road to the recovering Minnesota Vikings
2005 Minnesota Vikings season
2005 was the 45th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 86th regular season of the National Football League.-Offseason:Red McCombs sold the Minnesota Vikings to a group led by Zygi Wilf in May 2005. Wilf was originally going to be a limited partner to Reggie Fowler. However Fowler...
27–13. Afterwards, they lost to the struggling Philadelphia Eagles
2005 Philadelphia Eagles season
-Schedule:-Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons:at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Eagles' 2005 season-opener on Monday Night Football was more famous for what happened before the game, when Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was ejected for a scuffle near mid-field during pre-game warmups...
17–16. Not even fellow back-up Jamie Martin could help the Rams against the Eagles. Despite getting the start for their last home game of the season, Jamie Martin and the Rams failed to stop the 49ers from sweeping them by a final score of 24–20. Jamie and the Rams managed to end their disastrous season on a positive note. They went on the road and won against the Dallas Cowboys
2005 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2005 Dallas Cowboys season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 2004. Despite a 7–3 start, the Cowboys ended the season with a 9–7 record and narrowly missed the playoffs.-Offseason:...
on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's final Sunday Night game
ESPN Sunday Night Football
ESPN Sunday Night Football is the ESPN cable network's weekly television broadcasts of Sunday evening National Football League games. The first ESPN Sunday night broadcast occurred on November 8, 1987, while the last one aired on January 1, 2006....
with a score of 20–10. Afterwards, Mike Martz was fired from the Rams, ending his reign as Rams head coach.
Front office chaos
Despite having a talent-laden roster, the Rams front office dysfunction had traveled from California to Missouri. Team President John Shaw chose to remain in Los Angeles after the re-location. This enabled President of Football Operations Jay Zygmunt and former head coach Mike Martz to carve out rival fiefdoms within the Rams front office. As poor draft choices and mediocre records began to pile up for the once budding dynasty, the rivalries within the Rams organization began to flare. This culminated when Martz was forced to sit out with an infection in his heart. Martz attempted to phone a play in to his offensive coordinator, but was forbidden from doing so by Zygmunt. For all intents and purposes, this ended the Martz era and tossed the Rams into chaos. Hoping to regain control within the franchise, Scott LinehanScott Linehan
Scott Thomas Linehan is an American football coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the St...
was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams on January 19, 2006. He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On January 24, Jim Haslett
Jim Haslett
James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St...
, the former head coach of the 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 ....
, signed a three-year deal to become the Rams new defensive coordinator.
Death of Georgia Frontiere and possible sale of the team
After having been hospitalized for several months with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, owner Georgia Frontiere
Georgia Frontiere
Georgia Frontiere was the majority owner and chairman of the St. Louis Rams football team and the most prominent female owner in a league historically dominated by males....
died on January 18, 2008. Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom
Chip Rosenbloom
Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom, the son of Carroll Rosenbloom and Georgia Frontiere, is part owner of the St. Louis Rams alongside his sister Lucia Rodriguez, which they inherited from their mother...
and daughter Lucia Rodriguez. They each split her 60% share of the Rams. Chip Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.
On May 31, 2009, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
reported that the majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez officially offered the Rams for sale. They have retained the services of Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
, a prominent investment banking firm, to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers. The sale price is unknown, but Forbes magazine′s most recent estimate listed the Rams' value at $929 million.
2009: New Lows
As the 2009 season2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
began, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
put in an offer to buy the Rams; however he had created controversy during his 2003 stint as a sportscaster with comments he made about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
which were interpreted by many to be racially disparaging. All of the African-American players on the Rams squad threatened to quit if Limbaugh bought the team. The NFL was uncomfortable with the idea of politics being mixed in with football, and he was forced to drop his plans.
2009 began on an ill omen when the Rams were shut out by Seattle. Afterwards, the season would see the team reach its lowest ebb, finishing 1-15 with their lone victory coming in Week 8 when they traveled to Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
and defeated the Lions
2009 Detroit Lions season
The 2009 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 80th season overall in the National Football League. The Lions spent the whole season at the bottom of their division and finished at 2–14. The 2009 season was the first season with the Lions for new head coach Jim Schwartz, and most of his new...
17-10.
2010: Sam Bradford & The Dawn of a New Era
Having the worst record at 1-15 in the NFL, the Rams obtained the #1 overall draft pick for 2010 and used it to acquire University of Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford.Bradford was the main focus of the 2010 off-season, although the team also found a new owner in businessman Stan Kroenke. In order to make room for the new QB, Keith Null and several other unproductive players were cut from the roster. The Rams lost their season opener against the Cardinals 17-13. Sam Bradford threw three interceptions, including one on the last play of the game. Then followed a road game in Oakland and a second loss before beating Washington and ending a 17-game home losing streak in Week 3. In Week 4, the Rams ended an 8-game losing streak against Seattle by beating them 20-3. After being trounced 44-6 by Detroit, they returned home in Week 6 to beat San Diego 20-17. Bradford continued to show promise through the season despite struggling from his inexperience. The Rams were 7-8 by Week 16 and would have been eliminated from playoff contention but for the fact that the NFC West proved so weak that a division title was still within reach. The NFL then surprised nearly everyone by flexing their season ender with 6-9 Seattle into prime time, on the grounds that the winner would claim the division title (the 49ers and Cardinals had been removed from playoff contention by this time). However, the Seahawks (playing at home in Qwest Field) proved a more aggressive, experienced opponent and won the game and the NFC West title easily with a score of 16-6. Sam Bradford won the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season.
The Rams' return to relevance was signaled when the 2011 schedule was released in April and the team received two Monday Night Football games. However, injuries began accumulating in the preseason and St. Louis collapsed to a 0-7 start. They got their first win in a surprise upset of the Saints in Week 8, a game Sam Bradford missed due to an ankle injury.