St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a National Football League (NFL) franchise located in St. Louis Missouri. They are a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West Division. The Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV, and three National Football Conference (NFC) championships.
History
The Rams team began as the Cleveland Rams in 1936 as part of the American Football League (AFL). They joined the National Football League(NFL) in 1937. In 1946 the Rams franchise moved to Los Angeles, California in 1946, and were renamed the Los Angeles Rams. In 1995, the Rams moved to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Rams.
Los Angeles Rams of the 40’s- 50’s
In 1941, Dan Reeves bought the Cleveland Rams with his inheritance money from the sale of a family grocery-chain business, with business partner Fred Levy Jr.. The Rams won their first National Football League Championship in 1945 with rookie sensation Quarterback Bob Waterfield from UCLA. That season the Rams were 9-1.
In 1946, The Rams moved to Los Angeles to become the Los Angeles Rams and play in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Between 1949 and 1995, the Rams enjoyed success as a team. They reached the National Football League (NFL) championship four times and won once in 1951. The Rams had an excellent passing attack, led by Hall of fame wide receivers Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch. Hirsch scored 17 touchdowns that season.
Despite having a losing record every season from 1956 to 1966, the Rams were a popular team to watch on television. The all-time record for attendance at a National Football League (NFL) was set at a Los Angeles Rams game against the San Francisco 49ers with 102,368 in attendance.
Los Angeles Rams of the 60’s- 70’s
In the 1960’s the Rams were known for their “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line. The stars included Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy. Under Coach George Allen, the Rams had five straight winning seasons and two western division titles from 19966-1970. Coach Allen was a pioneer in hiring Dick Vermeil as a special teams coach.
From 1962-1972, Quarterback Roman Gabriel led the Rams franchise to a first or second place finish every year. Roman Gabriel was named MVP of the National Football League (NFL) in 1969 after throwing 24 touchdowns and for over 2,500 yards.
Legendary head Coach Chuck Knox led the Rams team to the 1980 Super Bowl after the 1979 season. Jack Youngblood was a star Defensive end known for his heroic act of playing with a broken leg during the playoffs. The 1979 Rams were underdogs throughout the playoffs, but managed to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional playoffs, and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football Conference (NFC) championship. Despite being heavy underdogs in the Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams played hard, losing 31-19.
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams of the 80’s- 90’s
Eric Dickerson was drafted by the Rams in 1983, and won the Rookie of the Year. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for over 2,105 yards, setting a new National Football League (NFL) record. In 1987,the Rams traded running back Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts after a contract dispute. During the period of Dickerson and head coach John Robinson (1983-1991) the Los Angeles Rams reached palyoffs six times.
The early 90’s were a tough period scarred by multiple losing seasons. The Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, and became known as the St. Louis Rams. Success began to reach the Rams when Dick Vermeil was hired as head coach in 1997. By 1999, the Rams had a potent offense with high profile names like Isaac Bruce at wide receiver, Orlando Pace starting at offensive tackle and future Hall of fame running back Marshall Faulk. Quarterback Kurt Warner stepped in for an injured quarterback Trent Green to take the Rams to win Super Bowl XXXIV.
St. Louis Rams of the 2000’s
Head Coach Dick Vermeil retired after his Super Bowl win in 1999, and offensive coordinator Mike Martz took over as coach. In 2001, the Rams, nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Turf”, for their prolific offense on their home turf, reached the Super Bowl to lose to the New England Patriots. Since then, the St. Louis Rams have struggled. One bright spot was 2004 draft pick Stephen Jackson out of Oregon State. Jackson may be the most well known player on the current St. Louis Rams franchise.
In 2006 the Rams fired coach Mike Martz and hired Scott Linehan to be the new head coach. Under Linehan, the Rams went 8-8 in 2006, and 3-13 in 2007. Many star players such as wide receiver Torry Holt, and running back Stephen Jackson, voiced resentment about Linehan as coach. Linehan was fired on September 28, 2008, and replaced by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett as interim head coach.
2009 St. Louis Rams
Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was hired as new head coach on January 17, 2009. In addition to the new coach, the Rams acquired former Baltimore Ravens center Jason Brown to play on the rams offensive line. In the 2009 Draft, with the second pick overall in the first round, the Rams chose offensive lineman Jason Smith from Baylor to fill in for the departure of offensive tackle, Orlando Pace. Their second round pick linebacker James Laurinitis from Ohio State was drafted to replace their leading tackler from last year, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa. In 2009, the Rams are led by runningback Stephen Jackson. Due to injury, veteran quarterback Marc Bulger will be replaced by new starter quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller will be looking to pass to wide receiver Donnie Avery.
St. Louis Rams 2009 National Football League (NFL) Draft Picks
*Round 1 Jason Smith, Offensive Tackle -Baylor
*Round 2 James Laurinitis, Linebacker -Ohio State
*Round 3 Bradley Fletcher, Defensive back -Iowa
*Round 4 Dorell Scott, Defensive tackle -Clemson
*Round 5 Brooks Foster, Wide receiver -North Carolina
*Round 6 Keith Null, Quarterback -West Texas AM
*Round 7 Chris Ogbonnaya , Running back -Texas
Hall of Fame
• George Allen
• Bob Brown
• Eric Dickerson
• Tom Fears
• Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch
• Deacon Jones
• Tom Mack
• Merlin Olsen
• Dan Reeves
• Jackie Slater Norm Van Brocklin
• Bob Waterfield
• Jack Youngblood
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