St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Rams have won three NFL Championships (two pre-merger, and one Super Bowl).

The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio. The NFL considers the franchise as a second incarnation of the previous Cleveland Rams team that was a charter member of the second American Football League. Although the NFL granted membership to the same owner, the NFL considers it a separate entity since only four of the players (William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, and Mike Sebastian) and none of the team's management joined the new NFL team.^[1]

The team then became known as the Los Angeles Rams after the club moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1946, opting not to compete with Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference. Following the 1979 season, the Rams moved south to the suburbs in nearby Orange County, playing their home games at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim for fifteen seasons (1980–94), keeping the Los Angeles name. The club moved east to St. Louis prior to the 1995 season.

Franchise history

Cleveland Rams (1936–1945)

The Cleveland Rams were founded by attorney Homer Marshman in 1936. Their name, the Rams, comes from the nickname of Fordham University. "Rams" was selected to honor the hard work of the football players that came out of that university. They were part of the newly formed American Football League and finished the 1936 regular season in second place with a 5–2–2 record, trailing only the 8–3 record of league champion Boston Shamrocks.

The following year the Rams joined the National Football League on February 13, 1937, and were assigned to the Western division to replace the St. Louis Gunners, who had left the league after a three-game stint in the 1934 season. From the beginning, they were a team marked by frequent moves, playing in three stadiums over several losing seasons.

In June 1941, the Rams were bought by Dan Reeves and Fred Levy, Jr.; Reeves, the principal owner, was an heir to his family's grocery-chain business; when the company was purchased by A&P, he used some of his inheritance to buy the team. In April 1943, Reeves bought out Levy (who later rejoined Reeves in the ownership of the Rams).^[2] 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.^[3] The team finally achieved success in 1945, which proved to be their last season in Ohio. Quarterback Bob Waterfield, a rookie from UCLA, passed, ran, and place-kicked his way to the league's Most Valuable Player award and helped the Rams achieve a 9–1 record and winning their first NFL Championship, a 15–14 home field victory over the Washington Redskins on December 16. The victory was provided by a safety; Redskins great Sammy Baugh's pass caromed off the goal post and bounded through his own end zone. The next year rules were changed that made this a mere incomplete pass.^[4]

Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994)

Los Angeles Rams: Los Angeles Era (1946-1979)

1946-1948: Starting over in Los Angeles

On January 11, 1946, Reeves pressured the NFL to allow his team to relocate to Los Angeles and its 92,000 seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1946, despite the fact that the closest NFL city was over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) away in Chicago. At the time, the NFL did not allow African-Americans to play in the league. The commissioners of the Los Angeles Coliseum stipulated as part of the agreement that the team be integrated, and the team signed UCLA players Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, who became the first two Black men to play in the NFL, post World War II.^[5]

The Rams were the second NFL team to represent Los Angeles but the first to actually play there; the Los Angeles Buccaneers, a traveling team stocked with Southern California natives, played in 1926. 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, built in 1922 and used in the 1932 Summer Olympics, was the home of the Rams for more than thirty years. In 1948, halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams' helmets, making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football.^[6] The next year, the Rams merged with fellow Coliseum tenants, the Los Angeles Dons.

1949-1955: Three-end formation

Between 1949 and 1955, the Rams played in the NFL championship game four times, winning once (in 1951). During this period, they had the best offense in the NFL, led by quarterbacks Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin (from 1951). Wide receiver Elroy Hirsch, teamed with fellow Hall-of-Famer Tom Fears, helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers. During the 1951 Championship season, Hirsch posted 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 its games televised (in 1950). ^[7]

1956-1962: Tanking out

The Rams posted losing records in all but two seasons between 1956 and 1966. In those two seasons, the club finished with a 6 and 6 record in 1957 followed by an 8 and 4 mark and a strong second place showing the next year. Led by business executive Pete Rozelle and his use of television, the Rams remained a business success despite the team's poor record. In a 1957 game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams set a record for attendance for a regular season NFL game with 102,368. The Rams drew over 100,000 fans twice the following year.

1963-1969: The Fearsome Foursome

The 1960s were defined by the Rams great defensive line of Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones, and Lamar Lundy, dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome". This group was put together by then head coach Harland Svare. 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. 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.

1970-1972: Changes

Quarterback Roman Gabriel played eleven seasons for the Rams dating from 1962 to 1972. From 1967 to 1971, 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 and 1979. 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).

1973-1979: NFC West Champs

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 to 1991.

Ironically, it was the Rams' weakest divisional winner (an aging 1979 team that achieved only 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.

Los Angeles Rams: Anaheim Era (1980-1994)

1979-1981: Starting over in Anaheim

Prior to the 1979 Super Bowl season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom drowned in an accident and his widow, Georgia Frontiere, inherited 70% ownership of the team. Frontiere then fired stepson Steve Rosenbloom and assumed total control of the 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 and 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. Second, the 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 with luxury suites and enclosed to accommodate crowds of about 65,000 for football.

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 with the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club, while the Raiders were winners of Super Bowl XVIII 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.

1983-1991: Robinson takes over the Rams

The hiring of coach John Robinson in 1983 provided a needed boost for pro football in Orange County. The former USC coach led the Rams to the playoffs six 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, which still stands to this day. 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 would remain as the Rams' career rushing leader with 7,245 yards until the 2010 season.

Despite the Dickerson trade, the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese. Zampese employed the intricate timing routes he had used to turn the San Diego Chargers into a state-of-the-art offense. Under Zampese, the Rams rose steadily from 28th-rated offense in 1986 to 3rd in 1990. In the late 1980s the 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 30-3 crushing defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1989 NFC Championship game.

1990-1994: Georgia's Endgame for 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. Georgia Frontiere's strategy was to hire Knox whose offensive philosophy of "Ground Chuck" had long since become ineffective; especially in light of the fact that John Shaw, the team's general manager, continued to waste draft picks on substandard talent. The offensive scheme was unsteady and unspectacular. This porous offense continued to alienate fans. One bright spot for the offense during this time would be running back Jerome Bettis, though he would later be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers after he became expendable when the team drafted Lawrence Phillips; this would ultimately become one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history, strongly favoring the Steelers.

In the years preceding the relocation, management traded Jim Everett and released Kevin Greene, an all-pro defensive linebacker. This furthered the chasm between success and the Rams organization. The losing seasons increased. At this point, Georgia Frontiere blamed poor front office decisions on their stadium situation. Neither Orange County, nor the city of Los Angeles was prepared to build a publicly financed stadium for the team in light of the fact that there were at least 3 perfectly suitable stadiums at the time.

Georgia Frontiere attempted to relocate the Rams to Baltimore, Maryland. That deal was eventually nixed. Mrs. Frontiere then sought to relocate the team to the city of St. Louis. NFL owners initially voted to oppose the move. Owners of the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Giants, the Washington Redskins, the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings opposed the move and argued that Mrs. Frontiere, who pleaded poverty as a basis for relocation, had "horribly mismanaged" the team. Nevertheless, she threatened legal action and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue acquiesced to Frontiere's demands.

The team eventually bolted for St. Louis. As part of the agreement, the city agreed to build a publicly financed stadium and guaranteed that the stadium would be in the top 25% of all stadiums in the National Football League. Georgia Frontiere waived the clause after the 10 year threshold, as the city implemented a later plan to improve the stadium.

Nevertheless, the move left many in the Los Angeles area and many of those indifferent to the situation to be 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." Steve Rosenbloom, formerly the general manager of the team during Carroll Rosenbloom's tenure, opined that teams come and go, but for a team to leave Los Angeles (the second largest market in the country) for St. Louis (approximately the eighteenth largest market in the country) was simply irresponsible and foolish. With the Raiders moving back to Oakland a few months later, the NFL would quickly be devoid of football in Los Angeles; the league has yet to return.

St. Louis Rams (1995–present)

1995–1999: Starting over in St. Louis

The 1995 and 1996 seasons the Rams were under the direction of head coach Rich Brooks. Their most prolific player from their first two seasons was the fan-favorite Isaac Bruce. Then in 1997, Dick Vermeil was hired as the head coach. In 1997, the Rams traded up in the draft to select future All-Pro offensive tackle Orlando Pace. The Rams were very well known for their high powered offense in 1999. Prior to the season, the Rams traded a second and a fourth round draft pick for future league MVP, Marshall Faulk. The season started with Trent Green injuring his leg in preseason that would sideline him for the entire season. Vermeil told the public that the Rams would "Rally around Kurt Warner, and play good football." Kurt Warner, who had played QB for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League just a few years prior, synced up with Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce to lead the Rams to one of the most historic Super Bowl offenses in history, posting 526 points for the season. This was the beginning of what would later become known around the league as "The Greatest Show On Turf."

1999–2005: Greatest Show on Turf

Following the Rams win in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans, Dick Vermeil retired and Vermeil's Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz was hired. He managed to take the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI, losing to the New England Patriots. Mike Martz helped the Rams establish a pass-first identity that would post an NFL record amount of points forged over the course of 3 seasons (1999–2001). However, in the first round in the 2004 draft, the Rams chose Oregon State running back Steven Jackson as the 24th pick of the draft. Jackson has been one of the Rams' most successful running backs since the Rams' arrival in St. Louis.

Martz was criticized by many as careless with game management. He often feuded with several players as well as team president and general manager, Jay Zygmunt. However, most of his players respected him and went on record saying they enjoyed him as a coach. In 2005, Mike Martz was ill and hospitalized for several games, allowing assistant head coach Joe Vitt to coach the remainder of the season, although Martz was cleared later in the season, team president John Shaw would not allow him to come back to coach the team.

2006–2008: Struggles

After the Rams fired Martz, former Minnesota offensive coordinator Scott Linehan took control of an 8–8 team in 2006. In 2007, Linehan led the Rams to 3–13. Following the 2007 season, Georgia Frontiere died January 18, 2008 after a 28-year ownership commencing in 1979.^[8] Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez.^[9] Chip Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.^[10] Linehan was already faced with scrutiny from several players in the locker room, including Torry Holt and Steven Jackson. Linehan was then fired on September 29, 2008, after the team started the season 0–4. Jim Haslett, Defensive Coordinator under Linehan, was interim head coach for the rest of the 2008 season.

John Shaw then resigned as president, and personnel chief Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager on December 24, 2008, after the resignation of former president of football operations and general manager Jay Zygmunt on December 22.^[11]

2009–Present: The Spagnuolo & Sam Bradford Era

On January 17, 2009 Steve Spagnuolo was named the new head coach of the franchise. In his previous post as Defensive Coordinator with the New York Giants, Spagnuolo masterminded a defensive scheme that shut down the potent offense of the previously undefeated and untied New England Patriots, the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl that year. In one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14. In spite of his success as Defensive Coordinator with the New York Giants, Spagnuolo's first season as Head Coach of the Rams was terribly disappointing as the team won only once in 16 attempts.

On May 31, 2009, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez officially offered their majority share of Rams for sale. They 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.^[12] The sale price was unknown, but at the time Forbes magazine's most recent estimate listed the Rams' value at $929 million.^[13] In February 2010 it was reported that Shahid Khan, a businessman from Urbana, Illinois, had signed an agreement to acquire the 60% ownership interest of Rosenbloom and Rodriguez, subject to approval by NFL owners.^[14] However, a month later, on the final day to do so, then-minority owner Stan Kroenke invoke his right of first refusal to buy the 60 percent of the team that he did not already own.

Pursuant to NFL rules, owners are prohibited from owning other sports teams in markets where there is already an NFL team. At the time of purchase, Kroenke (d/b/a Kroenke Sports Enterprises), owned the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Pepsi Center, home to the Nuggets and the Avalanche. Kroenke, a real estate and sports mogul as well as married to a Wal-Mart heir, also owned Altitude Sports and Entertainment.^[15] These interests violated the NFL's cross-ownership rule.

Nevertheless, on August 25, 2010, NFL owners unanimously approved Stan Kroenke as the owner of the franchise contingent upon his eventual divestment of his Colorado sports interests. Kroenke complied with the rule when he transferred ownership of the Nuggets, Avalanche, the Pepsi Center, and the Altitude to his son Josh Kroenke.

The Rams received the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft after finishing the 2009 season with a 1-15 record. The team used the pick to select quarterback Sam Bradford from the University of Oklahoma. The Rams finished the 2010 season second in the NFC West with a record of 7-9. Bradford started all 16 games for the Rams after earning the starting QB position during the preseason. On October 24, 2010, running back Steven Jackson passed Eric Dickerson as the franchise's career rushing leader.

On January 18, 2011 the Rams hired Josh McDaniels, former head coach of the Denver Broncos. Coincidentally, McDaniels was the Offensive Coordinator of the New England Patriots team that went undefeated and untied until it faced the stout defense led by Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants. McDaniels replaced Pat Shurmur as Offensive Coordinator.

On February 4, 2011, Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sam Bradford received 44 of the 50 possible from the nationwide panel of media members. Bradford finished the 2010 season off with a 60% completion percentage, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. The last three quarterbacks to win this award were Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2004), Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans (2006), and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons (2008).

On January 2, 2012, one day after the Rams finished 2-14, head coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney were fired. ^[16]

Season-by-season records

Logo and uniforms

The Rams were the first professional American football team to have a logo on their helmets. Ever since halfback Fred Gehrke, who worked as a commercial artist in off-seasons, painted ram horns on the team's leather helmets in 1948, the logo has been the club's trademark.

When the team debuted in 1937, the Rams' colors were red and black, featuring red helmets, black uniforms with red shoulders and sleeves, tan pants, and red socks with black and white stripes. One year later they would switch their team colors to gold and royal blue, with gold helmets, white pants, royal blue uniforms with gold numbers and gold shoulders, white pants with a royal stripe, and solid royal blue socks. By the mid-1940s the Rams had adopted gold jerseys (with navy blue serif numerals, navy blue shoulders, gold helmets, white pants with a gold-navy-gold stripe, and gold socks with two navy stripes). The uniforms were unchanged as the team moved to Los Angeles. The helmets were changed to navy in 1947. When Gehrke introduced the horns, they were painted yellow-gold on navy blue helmets. In 1949 the team adopted plastic helmets, and the Rams' horns were rendered by the Riddell company of Des Plaines, Illinois, which baked a painted design into the helmet at its factory. Also in 1949 the serif jersey numerals gave way to more standard block numbers. Wider, bolder horns joined at the helmet center front and curving around the earhole appeared in 1950; this design was somewhat tapered in 1954–1955. Also in 1950 a blue-gold-blue tri-stripe appeared on the pants and "Northwestern University-style" royal blue stripes were added to jersey sleeves. A white border was added to the blue jersey numerals in 1953. So-called "TV numbers" were added on jersey sleeves in 1956. In accordance with a 1957 NFL rule dictating that the home team wear dark, primary-colored jerseys and the road team light shirts, the Rams hurriedly readied for the regular season new royal-blue home jerseys with golden striping and golden front and back numerals with a white border. The white border was removed in 1958. The Rams continued to wear their golden jerseys for 1957 road games, but the following year adopted a white jersey with blue numerals and stripes. In 1962–63 the team's road white jersey featured a UCLA-style blue-gold-blue crescent shoulder tri-stripe.

In 1964, concurrent with a major remodeling of the team's Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home, the colors were changed to a simpler blue and white. The new helmet horns were white, wider, and separated at the helmet center front. The blue jersey had white numerals with two white sleeve stripes. The white jersey featured blue numerals and a wide blue crescent shoulder stripe. A 1964 league rule allowed teams to wear white jerseys for home games and the Rams were among several teams to do so (the Dallas Cowboys, who introduced their blue-white-silverblue uniform that season, have worn white at home ever since), as owner Dan Reeves felt it would be more enjoyable for fans to see the various colors of the rest of the league as opposed to always having the Rams in blue and the visiting team in white. ^[17] The pants were white with a thick blue stripe. In 1970, in keeping with the standards of the fully merged NFL and AFL, names appeared on the jersey backs for the first time. The sleeve "TV numbers," quite large compared to those of other teams, were made smaller in 1965. From 1964 to early 1972 the Rams wore white jerseys for every home league game and exhibition, at one point not wearing their blue jerseys at all from 1967 to 1971;^[18] it was a tradition that continued under coaches Harland Svare, George Allen, and Tommy Prothro. But new owner Carroll Rosenbloom did not particularly like the Rams' uniforms, so in pursuit of a new look the team wore its seldom-used blue jerseys for most home games in 1972. During that season Rosenbloom's Rams also announced an intention to revive the old blue-and gold colors for 1973, and asked fans to send in design ideas.

The colors returned to yellow-gold and blue in 1973. The new uniform design consisted of yellow- gold pants and curling rams horns on the sleeves – yellow gold horns curving from the shoulders to the arms on the blue jerseys, which featured golden numerals (a white border around the numerals, similar to the 1957 style, appeared for two exhibitions and was then removed). Players' names were in contrasting white. The white jersey had similarly shaped blue horns, blue numerals and names. The white jerseys also had yellow gold sleeves. The gold pants included a blue-white-blue tri-stripe, which was gradually widened through the 1970s and early 1980s. The blue socks initially featured two thin golden stripes, but these were rarely visible. From 1973 to 1976 the Rams were the only team to wear white cleats on the road and royal blue cleats at home. The new golden helmet horns were of identical shape, but for the first time the horn was not factory-painted but instead a decal applied to the helmet. The decal was cut in sections and affixed to accommodate spaces for face-mask and chin-strap attachments, and so the horn curved farther around the ear hole. Jersey numerals were made thicker and blunter in 1975. The Rams primarily wore blue at home with this combination, but after 1977 would wear white on occasion at home, notably for games against the Dallas Cowboys (who usually do not wear their blue jerseys due to a superstition that the Cowboys' blue jerseys are jinxed) and selected AFC teams. The team wore its white jerseys for most of its 1978 home dates, including its post-season games with the Minnesota Vikings and Cowboys - though the latter is the only postseason game Dallas has ever won while outfitted in their blue jerseys. Standard gray face masks became dark blue in 1981. The Rams wore white jerseys exclusively in the 1982 and 1993 seasons, as well as other selected occasions throughout their 15 seasons in Anaheim.

The team's colors were changed from yellow gold and blue to New Century Gold (old gold) and Millennium (navy) blue in 2000 following the Super Bowl win. A new logo of a ram's head was added to the sleeves and gold stripes were added to the sides of the jerseys. The new gold pants no longer featured any stripes. Blue pants and White pants with a small gold stripe (an extension off the jersey stripe that ended in a point) were also an option with the Rams only electing to wear the white set in a pre-season game in San Diego in 2001. The helmet design essentially remains the same as it was in 1948, except for updates to the coloring, navy blue field with gold horns. The 2000 rams'-horn design features a slightly wider separation at the helmet's center. Both home and away jerseys had a gold stripe that ran down each side, but that only lasted for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

In 2003, the Rams wore blue pants with their white jerseys for a pair of early-season games, but after losses to the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks, the Rams reverted to gold pants with their white jerseys. In 2005, the Rams wore the blue pants again at home against Arizona and on the road against Dallas. In 2007, the Rams wore all possible combinations of their uniforms. They wore the Blue Tops and Gold Pants at home against Carolina, San Francisco, Cleveland, Seattle, and on the road against Dallas. They wore the Blue Tops and Blue Pants at home against Arizona, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh on Marshall Faulk night. They wore the Blue Tops and White Pants on the road in Tampa Bay and at home against Green Bay. They wore White Tops and Gold Pants at New Orleans and San Francisco. They wore White Tops and White Pants at Seattle and Arizona. And they wore White Tops and Blue Pants at Baltimore and Cincinnati. In 2008, the Rams went away with the gold pants. The gold pants were used for only one regular season game at Seattle. The blue jerseys with white pants and white jerseys with blue pants combination were used most of the time. For the 2009 season, the Rams elected to wear the white pants with both jerseys for the majority of the time except the games against the Vikings and Texans (see below) where they wore the throwback jerseys from the 1999 season, week 2 in Washington when they wore gold pants with the blue jersey, and week 12 against Seattle when the wore blue pants with the blue jersey.

Since moving to St. Louis, the Rams have always worn blue at home. Like most other teams playing in a dome, the Rams do not need to wear white to gain an advantage with the heat despite the team's midwestern geographic location. The Rams wore their white jerseys and blue pants in St. Louis against the Dallas Cowboys, on October 19, 2008, forcing the Cowboys to wear their "unlucky" blue uniforms, and won the game 34-14.^[19]

The NFL approved the use of throwback uniforms for the club during the 2009 season to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Super Bowl Championship Team. The Rams wore the throwback uniforms for two home games in 2009 - October 11 against the Minnesota Vikings and December 20 against the Houston Texans. The Rams wore their 1999 throwbacks again on October 31, 2010, when they beat the Carolina Panthers 20-10. In 1994, the team's last season in Southern California, the Rams wore jerseys and pants replicating those of their 1951 championship season for their September games with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.^[20]

Players of note

Current roster

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Former Rams in the Pro Football Hall of Fame include Joe Namath (12), Ollie Matson (33), Andy Robustelli (81), Dick "Night Train" Lane (also 81), coach Earl "Dutch" Clark, and 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.

St. Louis Football Ring Of Fame

Former Rams are included in the Ring Of Fame in the Edward Jones Dome. All players included are Hall of Famers, but there have been a few exceptions for team executives and coaches.

Retired numbers

Numbers that have been retired by the Rams.

• 7 Bob Waterfield
• 28 Marshall Faulk
• 29 Eric Dickerson
• 74 Merlin Olsen
• 75 Deacon Jones
• 78 Jackie Slater
• 80 Isaac Bruce
• 85 Jack Youngblood

Awards

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Current staff

Radio and television

The Rams were the first NFL team to televise their home games; in a sponsorship arrangement with Admiral television, all home games of the 1950 NFL season were shown locally. The Rams also televised games in the early 1950s. The 1951 NFL Championship Game was the first championship game televised coast-to-coast (via the DuMont Network). During the team's years in Los Angeles all games were broadcast on KMPC radio (710 AM); play-by-play announcers were Bob Kelley (who accompanied the team from Cleveland and worked until his death in 1965), Dick Enberg (1966–77), Al Wisk (1978–79), Bob Starr (1980–89, 1993), Eddie Doucette (1990), Paul Olden (1991–92), and Steve Physioc (1994). Analysts included Gil Stratton, Steve Bailey, Dave Niehaus (1968–72), Don Drysdale (1973–76), Dick Bass (1977–86), Jack Youngblood (1987–91), Jack Snow (1992–94), and Deacon Jones (1994).

The Rams' flagship radio station is 101.1 FM WXOS, a sports station in St. Louis with ESPN Radio Affiliation. Steve Savard, is the play-by-play man with D'Marco Farr in the color spot and Brian Stull reporting from the field. From 2000 to 2008 KLOU FM 103.3 was the Rams' flagship station with Savard as the play-by-play announcer. Until October 2005, Jack Snow had been the color analyst since 1993, dating back to the team's days in the Los Angeles area. Snow left the booth after suffering an illness and died in January 2006. Former Rams offensive line coach Jim Hanifan joined KLOU as the color analyst the year after Jack Snow's departure. Before the Rams moved to KLOU, from 1995 to 1999 the Rams games were broadcast on KSD 93.7 FM. On Television, games are either broadcast on Fox, CBS, ESPN, or NFL Network. Preseason games not shown on a national broadcast network are seen on KTVI, FOX 2 St. Louis, and are also seen in Los Angeles on KCOP, "MyNetworkTV Channel 13."

Radio Affiliates

Rams Radio Affiliates

Missouri

Illinois

Indiana

See also

• History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
• The Greatest Show on Turf

References

External links

• St. Louis Rams official web site
• St. Louis Rams news from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper
• Los Angeles Rams
• Pro Football Reference Rams index
• Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
• St. Louis Rams on Twitter
• St. Louis Rams at Facebook