St. Louis Rams
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The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team has won two NFL Championships and one Super Bowl.
The Rams began playing in 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio as a second incarnation of the previous Cleveland Rams team that was a charter member of the 1936-37 American Football League. Although the NFL granted membership to the same owner, this new NFL franchise technically became a separate entity since none of the players or the team's personnel joined the new NFL team.
The team then became known as the Los Angeles Rams after the club moved to Los Angeles, California in 1946. The Rams then moved to Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California in 1980, keeping the Los Angeles name. The club relocated to St. Louis in 1995.
Franchise history
The 1936 AFL Cleveland Rams
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 season, the NFL accepted Marshman and his Rams to join the older, more established league. However, none of the Rams players or team personnel followed Marshman, and thus the NFL Rams technically became a separate entity from the 1936 AFL Rams.
The NFL Cleveland Rams (1937-1945)
The Rams were placed in the Western division to replace the St. Louis Gunners, who disbanded after the 1934 season. From the beginning, they were a team marked by frequent moves playing in three stadiums over several losing seasons. The franchise suspended operations and sat out the 1943 season because of a shortage of players during World War II and resumed playing in 1944. The team finally achieved victory in 1945, which proved to be their last season in Ohio, achieving a 9-1 record and winning their first NFL Championship.
L.A. Rams Part 1: Los Angeles Era (1946-1979)
The Rams moved to Los Angeles and its 92,000 seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1946. The Coliseum would be the home of the Rams for more than thirty years, but the facility was already over twenty years old on the day of the first kick-off having been built in 1922 and used for the Olympics over a decade earlier. In 1948, Halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams' helmets, making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football.
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 Bowl) 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.
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 exectutive in Pete Rozelle. During his time with Rams, Rozelle learned the value of television for the sport of pro football. Through Rozelle's savy 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 1966-70 and introduced many innovations. These included hiring 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.
Quarterback Roman Gabriel 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 4 conference championship games they played in that decade, losing twice each to Minnesota (1974, 1976) and Dallas (1975, 1978).
The Rams' coach for this run was Chuck Knox, who led the team through the 1977 season. 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 1984-1991.
Ironically, it was the Rams' weakest divisional winner (an aging 1979 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 3rd 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 4th Super Bowl, 31-19.
L.A. Rams Part 2: Anaheim Era (1980-1994)
1979: Frontiere Takes Over
Prior to the 1979 Super Bowl season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident and his widow, Georgia Frontiere, 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 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was exceedingly difficult to sell out with a capacity of 100,000 (no current NFL stadium is nearly as large). Former Rams executive Pete Rozelle had since become NFL commissioner, creating a 'black-out rule' preventing any unsold-out game from being broadcast in its local market. Secondly, this move was following the population pattern in Southern California, which was causing rapid growth of affluent suburbs in greater Orange County. 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 for football.
1982: Fan Base Divided
In 1982, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was occupied by the erstwhile Oakland Raiders. The combined effect of these two moves was to divide the Rams' traditional fanbase in two. This was coupled witth the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club, while the Raiders were winners of Super Bowl XVII in 1983. 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 fell from being perhaps the most popular pro sports team in the Southern California market to a veritable also-ran.
1983-1985: Robinson hired as coach
Therefore, the hiring of coach John Robinson in 1983 provided a needed boost for pro football in Orange County. The former Southern Cal coach led the Rams to the playoffs seven times in his nine seasons. They made the NFC Championship Game in 1985, where they would lose to 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.
1986-1990: Zampese Runs the Offense
Despite this trade, the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese. Zampese used 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 80's Rams featured a gifted young QB in Jim Everett, a solid rushing attack and a fleet of talented WRs. 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 30-3 defeat by the rival San Francisco 49ers, when Everett collapsed to the turf untouched by San Francisco defenders. (Largely as a result of this play, Jim Rome would refer to Everett as "Chris Evert", which when Rome did it on a televised talk show resulted in Everett attacking Rome on camera.)
1990-1994: End 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 Bills 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.
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.
St. Louis Era (1995-Present)
At the same time, 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-Busch 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.
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. 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.
1995:Rich Brooks as coach
The Rams' first few years in Saint Louis were as shaky as their final years in Los Angeles. 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). A highlight of an otherwise difficult 1995 season was longtime Rams 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.
1997-1998:Vermeil comes out of retirement
After two subpar seasons, Rich Brooks was fired after the 1996 season and 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 prior 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. Finally in 1999 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 tear his knee up and miss the entire season, thus apparently setting up the Rams for another long season of failure.
1999:Greatest Show on Turf
However, Green's replacement would be Kurt Warner, a 28-year-old former Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers and NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals quarterback who had one of the best offensive seasons in NFL history in 1999. 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 MVP award. The 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.
Playoffs
After finishing the 1999 season 13-3, the Rams started out the 1999 playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 49-37 to achieve their first NFC Championship Game since 1985. The opponent, as it had been 20 years previously, would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and indeed 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."
Super Bowl
The Rams' opponent in 2000Super Bowl XXXIV would be the Tennessee Titans, who like the Rams had recently relocated from a major metropolis (Houston, Texas) 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 tackled 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 wunderkind offensive coordinator (and Zampese apprentice) Mike Martz.
2001:Return to the Super Bowl
In 2001, the "Max Q" Rams went 14-2 (including a spectacular 8-0 on the road), led not only by a sensational offense 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.
Super Bowl
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 came back. 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, if not an outright Rams win in regulation. 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.
2002-2003: Warner OUT
In 2002, 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, Bulger's emergence was a highlight of the Rams' 2002 NFL season, and demonstrated, once again, 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. 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.
2004 Season
During the 2004 NFL Draft, the Rams used their first pick on selecting RB Steven Jackson from Oregon State. They then used their next pick on DE Anthony Hargrove from Georgia Tech. Their last selection was LB Brandon Chillar from UCLA.
The Rams began their 10th year in St. Louis at home winning their Week 1 home-opener against the Arizona Cardinals 17-10. Unfortunately, they lost their next two games of the season. They lost on the road the eventual NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons 34-17 and then, they lost at home to the New Orleans Saints at home 28-25 in overtime. Fortunately, the Rams would get 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. Unfortunately, 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. Fortunately, the Rams would redeem themselves as they won regular-season bragging rights at home against the Seahawks with a final score of 23-12. However, the playoffs hopes decreased as they lost their next two road games to the Buffalo Bills (37-17) and 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. However, 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.
Playoffs
For the Wild Card Round, they flew to Seattle, Washington and took on the Seahawks for the third time this 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 opposing QB Matt Hasselbeck to WR Darrell Jackson. Fortunately, the Rams took the lead again with a 27-yard field goal by Wilkens and then, Buldger threw a 17-yard TD pass to Cam Cleeland. The Seahawks tried to respond and tie the game and it almost worked. At 4th & Goal with 27 seconds, Hasselbeck threw a pass to WR Bobby Engram, but he couldn't hold on and the Rams would end up winning. Also, the Rams made NFL history by becoming the very first team to go .500 (8-8) in the regular season and win a playoff game.
Unfortuately, the Rams 10th season in St. Louis, Missouri came to a very sour end as they were thrashed in the Divisional Round by the Atlanta Falcons 47-17.
2005 Season: The year of Chaos
Duing the 2005 NFL Draft, the Rams used their first pick on OT Alex Barron from Florida State. Their second pick was CB Ronald Bartell from Howard University. The rest of their choices were Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe from Stanford University, Center Richie Incognito from Nebraska University, Safety Jerome Carter from Florida State, TE Jerome Collins from Notre Dame, WR Dante Ridgeway from Ball State, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from Harvard University, and Fullback Madison Hedgecock from North Carolina University.
The Rams got their 2005 campaign off on the wrong foot, losing their Week 1 road game to their historic rival, the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 28-25. Fortunately, they would get a win as they won 17-12 at Sun Devil Stadium against another division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, in which former teammate Kurt Warner was the Cardinals' QB. Then, they would finally get to play at home, as they won their Week 3 home-opener against the Tennessee Titans 31-27. Unfortunately, things started to get out of hand, as they lost their next three games. First, they got spanked 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 diagnosied with an infection in his heart and Joe Vitt was named interim head coach. On Vitt's first game as interim head coach, not only did the Rams lose a Monday Night match-up to the formerly-undefeated Indianapolis Colts 45-28, but head QB Marc Bulger got a sprained 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). Unfortunately, after their Week 9 Bye, despite Marc Bulger returning to the line-up, the Rams got swept in Seattle against the Seahawks 31-16 and then, 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. With back-up Jamie Martin being a bit in-effective, rookie QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got the start as they faced the Houston Texans. At first, it looked like the Texans would finally get their second win of the season, as they led 24-3 at halftime. Fortunately for the Rams, they were able to expose the Texans' ineffectiveness as they managed to tie at 27 going into overtime. Then, the Rams won 33-27 thanks to a 56-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to WR Kevin Curtis. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick couldn't hold up, as they lost their next four games. First, 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 stuggling 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. At least Jaime and the Rams managed to end their disastrous season on a positive note, as their 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.
Front Office Dysfunction
Despite having a talent laden roster, the Rams front office dysfunction had travelled 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 medicore records began to pile up for the once budding dynasty, the rivalries within the Rams 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 utter chaos. Hoping to regain control within the franchise, Scott Linehan was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams on January 19, 2006. He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. Also, 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. [1][2] On March 17, 2006, the Rams signed former Miami Dolphins QB Gus Frerotte to a three-year deal.
Logo and uniforms
As previously mentioned, the Rams became the first professional American football team to have some sort of logo on their helmets. Ever since halfback Fred Gehrke painted ram horns on the team's helmets in 1948, the logo has become the club's trademark.
When the team debuted in 1937, the Rams' colors were red and black, featuring red helmets and black uniforms with red shoulders and sleeves. One year later they would switch their team colors to yellow and blue, with yellow helmets, white pants and blue uniforms. The Rams swtiched to gold uniforms in the mid 1940s. When Gehrke introduced the horns, they were painted gold on blue helmets. By the late 1950s, the team wore blue jerseys again.
In 1965, the colors were changed to blue and white. The helmets became blue with white rams horns, while the uniform design was changed to white pants and either blue or white jerseys.
The colors reverted back to yellow and blue in 1973. The new uniform design consisted of white pants and curling rams horns were added to the sleeves – yellow horns on the blue jerseys and blue horns on the white jerseys. The white jerseys also had yellow sleeves.
The team's colors where changed from yellow and blue to gold and navy blue in 2000. A new logo of a ram head was added to the sleeves and gold stripes were added to the sides of the jerseys. The helmet design essentially remains the same as it was in 1948, except it is navy blue with gold horns.
Season-by-season records
Template:Start NFL SBS
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Cleveland Rams (AFL)
|-
|1936 || 5 || 2 || 2 || 2nd AFL || --
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Joined NFL
|-
|1937 || 1 || 10 || 0 || 5th NFL West || --
|-
|1938 || 4 || 7 || 0 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1939 || 5 || 5 || 1 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1940 || 4 || 6 || 1|| 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1941 || 2 || 9 || 0 || 5th NFL West || --
|-
|1942 || 5 || 6 || 0 || 3rd NFL West || --
|-
|1943 || colspan="5" align="center" | Did Not Play
|-
|1944 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1945 || 9 || 1 || 0 || 1st NFL West || Won NFL Championship (Redskins)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Los Angeles Rams
|-
|1946 || 6 || 4 || 1 || 2nd NFL West || --
|-
|1947 || 6 || 6 || 0 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1948 || 6 || 5 || 1 || 3rd NFL West || --
|-
|1949 || 8 || 2 || 2 || 1st NFL West || Lost NFL Championship (Eagles)
|-
|1950 || 9 || 3 || 0 || 1st NFL NFC || Won National Conference Playoff (Bears)
Lost NFL Championship (Browns)
|-
|1951 || 8 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFL NFC || Won NFL Championship (Browns)
|-
|1952 || 9 || 3 || 0 || 2nd NFL NFC || Lost National Conference Playoff (Lions)
|-
|1953 || 8 || 3 || 1 || 3rd NFL West || --
|-
|1954 || 6 || 5 || 1 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1955 || 8 || 3 || 1 || 1st NFL West || Lost NFL Championship (Browns)
|-
|1956 || 4 || 8 || 0 || T-5th NFL West || --
|-
|1957 || 6 || 6 || 0 || 4th NFL West || --
|-
|1958 || 8 || 4 || 0 || T-2nd NFL West || --
|-
|1959 || 2 || 10 || 0 || 6th NFL West || --
|-
|1960 || 4 || 7 || 1 || 6th NFL West || --
|-
|1961 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 6th NFL West || --
|-
|1962 || 1 || 12 || 1 || 7th NFL West || --
|-
|1963 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 6th NFL West || --
|-
|1964 || 5 || 7 || 2 || 5th NFL West || --
|-
|1965 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 7th NFL West || --
|-
|1966 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 3rd NFL West || --
|-
|1967 || 11 || 1 || 2 || 1st NFL Coastal || Lost Conference Playoff Game (Packers)
|-
|1968 || 10 || 3 || 1 || 2nd NFL Coastal || --
|-
|1969 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st NFL Coastal || Lost Conference Playoff Game (Vikings)
|-
|1970 || 9 || 4 || 1 || 2nd NFC West || --
|-
|1971 || 8 || 5 || 1 || 2nd NFC West || --
|-
|1972 || 6 || 7 || 1 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1973 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
|-
|1974 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Redskins)
Lost Conference Championship (Vikings)
|-
|1975 || 12 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Cardinals)
Lost Conference Championship (Cowboys)
|-
|1976 || 10 || 3 || 1 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
Lost Conference Championship (Vikings)
|-
|1977 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
|-
|1978 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Lost Conference Championship (Cowboys)
|-
|1979 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
Won Conference Championship (Buccaneers)
Lost Super Bowl XIV (Steelers)
|-
|1980 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Cowboys)
|-
|1981 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1982 || 2 || 7 || 0 || 14th NFC Conf. || --
|-
|1983 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Cowboys)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Redskins)
|-
|1984 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Giants)
|-
|1985 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys)
Lost Conference Championship (Bears)
|-
|1986 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Redskins)
|-
|1987 || 6 || 9 || 0 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1988 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings)
|-
|1989 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Giants)
Lost Conference Championship (49ers)
|-
|1990 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1991 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 4th NFC West || --
|-
|1992 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 4th NFC West || --
|-
|1993 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th NFC West || --
|-
|1994 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 4th NFC West || --
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | St. Louis Rams
|-
|1995 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1996 ||6 || 10 || 0 || 3rd NFC West || --
|-
|1997 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 5th NFC West || --
|-
|1998 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 5th NFC West || --
|-
|1999 || 13 || 3 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (Buccaneers)
Won Super Bowl XXXIV (Titans)
|-
|2000 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Saints)
|-
|2001 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Won Conference Championship (Eagles)
Lost Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots)
|-
|2002 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || --
|-
|2003 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC West || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers)
|-
|2004 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Seahawks)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
|-
|2005 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 2nd NFC West || --
|-
!Totals || 509 || 457 || 20
|colspan="2"| (including NFL playoffs and excluding 1936 AFL Team)
Template:End box
Players of note
Current players
Template:St. Louis Rams roster
Pro Football Hall of Famers
- 76 Bob Brown
- 29 Eric Dickerson
- 40 Elroy Hirsch
- 75 Deacon Jones
- 65 Tom Mack
- 74 Merlin Olsen
- 78 Jackie Slater
- 25 Norm Van Brocklin
- 7 Bob Waterfield
- 85 Jack Youngblood
These Rams, and St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famers Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Larry Wilson, are honored in the Ring of Honor at the Edward Jones Dome. Only Slater, however, played for the Rams in St. Louis, and then only for the inaugural 1995 season.
Rams founder Dan Reeves (not to be confused with the later NFL coach), Ollie Matson (33), Andy Robustelli (81), Dick "Night Train" Lane (also 81), coach Dutch Clark, general manager Tex Schramm, GM and later NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, and coach Sid Gillman are also members of the Hall of Fame, but were elected on the basis of their performances with other teams or (in the case of Rozelle) NFL administration. Dick Vermeil has become the first and still only St. Louis Rams figure inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Cardinals inducted into it include Dierdorf, Smith, Wilson, Conrad Dobler, Jim Hart and coach Jim Hanifan.
Retired numbers
- 7 Bob Waterfield
- 29 Eric Dickerson
- 74 Merlin Olsen
- 78 Jackie Slater
- 85 Jack Youngblood
Not to be forgotten
- Flipper Anderson
- Jerome Bettis
- Nolan Cromwell
- Henry Ellard
- Jim Everett
- Vince Ferragamo
- Jerry Gray
- Kevin Greene
- Pat Haden
- Leroy Irvin
- Todd Lyght
- Lawrence McCutcheon
- Rod Perry
- Pat Thomas
- Charles White
- Grant Wistrom
- Kurt Warner
- John Cappeletti
- Cullen Bryant
- Dennis Harrah
- Preston Dennard
- Doug France
- Roman Gabriel
- Jack Snow
- Jack Reynolds
- Johnnie Johnson
- Larry Brooks
- Mike Jones
- Les Richter (Former LA Rams player later turned President of the Riverside International Raceway)
Head Coaches
- Hugo Bezdek (1937-1938)
- Dutch Clark (1939-1942)
- Buff Donelli (1944)
- Adam Walsh (1945-1946)
- Bob Snyder (1947)
- Clark Shaughnessy (1948-1949)
- Joe Stydahar (1950-1952)
- Hamp Pool (1952-1954)
- Sid Gillman (1955-1959)
- Bob Waterfield (1960-1962)
- Harland Svare (1962-1965)
- George Allen (1966-1970)
- Tommy Prothro (1971-1972)
- Chuck Knox (1973-1977)
- Ray Malavasi (1978-1982)
- John Robinson (1983-1991)
- Chuck Knox (1992-1994)
- Rich Brooks (1995-1996)
- Dick Vermeil (1997-1999)
- Mike Martz (2000-2005)
- Joe Vitt (interim) (2005)
- Scott Linehan (2006-present)
Current Staff
- Head Coach - Scott Linehan
- Offensive Coordinator - Greg Olson
- Defensive Coordinator - Jim Haslett
- Special Teams Coach - Bob Ligashesky
- Quarterbacks Coach - Doug Nussmeier
- Running Backs Coach - Wayne Moses
- Wide Receivers Coach - Henry Ellard
- Tight Ends Coach - Judd Garrett
- Offensive Line Coach - Paul Boudreau
- Offensive Assistant - TBA
- Defensive Line Coach - TBA
- Linebackers Coach - Rick Venturi
- Defensive Backs Coach - Willt Robinson
- Defensive Assistant - TBA
- Strength and Conditioning - Dana LeDuc
See also
External links
- St. Louis Rams official web site
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pro Football Reference Rams index
- the Georgia Frontiere story
- Planet Rams
- Rams Re-Locate
- the "Greatest Show on Turf" ends
- http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/stlrams/stlrams.html Sports E-Cyclopedia.com]
fr:Rams de Saint-Louis it:Saint Louis Rams ja:セントルイス・ラムズ pt:St. Louis Rams sv:St. Louis Rams