St. Louis Rams

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St. Louis Rams team logo.

St. Louis Rams team helmet

The St. Louis Rams are a professional football team based in St. Louis. 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 only four of the players (William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, Mike Sebastian) and none of 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 played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California in 1980, keeping the Los Angeles name. The club relocated to St. Louis in 1995.[1]

Franchise history

For more detail, click here.

Cleveland Rams (1936-1945)

The Cleveland Rams were founded by attorney Homer Marshman in 1936. They were part of the newly formed American Football League. The following year they joined the National Football League and 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.[2]. The team finally achieved success in 1945, which proved to be their last season in Ohio, achieving a 9-1 record and winning their first NFL Championship, a 15-14 home field victory over the Washington Redskins on December 16.[3]

Los Angeles Rams (1946-1994)

St Louis Rams (1995-present)

Logo and uniforms

The Rams became the first professional American football team to have a logo on their helmets. Ever since halfback Fred Gehrke painted ram horns on the team's 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 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 switched to yellow uniforms in the mid 1940s. When Gehrke introduced the horns, they were painted yellow on blue helmets. During 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, the uniform design was changed to white pants and either blue or white jerseys. When George Allen was named head coach in 1966, he had the Rams wear their white jerseys at home, a tradition that continued through the 1971 season under Tommy Prothro. Prothro switched the Rams to the blue jerseys at home in 1972, the final season of the blue and white combination.

The colors reverted back to yellow and blue in 1973. The new uniform design consisted of white pants and curling rams horns on the sleeves – yellow horns on the blue jerseys and blue horns on the white jerseys. The white jerseys 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 for updates to the coloring, navy blue field with gold horns.

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 an all-blue combination for games against the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.

Los Angeles Rams helmet logo used from 1964-1972; note the white and blue	Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams helmet logo used from 1973-1999; note the yellow and blue	St. Louis Rams helmet logo used from 2000-present; note the gold and navy blue	Cleveland Rams Logo.
Los Angeles Rams Logo.	St. Louis Rams script logo used from 1995-1999; note the representation of St. Louis' Gateway Arch.

Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff Results
Cleveland Rams (AFL)
1936	5	2	2	2nd AFL	--
Cleveland Rams (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	Season suspended due to World War II
1944	4	6	0	4th NFL West	--
1945	9	1	0	1st NFL West	Won NFL Championship (Redskins)
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	--
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	--
*2006	3	1	0	Tied for 1st West	--
Totals	509	457	20	(1937-2005, including NFL playoffs and excluding 1936 AFL Team)

* = Current Standing

Pro Football Hall of Famers

These Rams, and 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.

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.

No.	Player	Class	Position(s)	Years Played
Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams Hall of Famers
--	George Allen	2002	Coach	1966-1970
76	Bob Brown	2004	OT	1969-1970
29	Eric Dickerson	1999	RB	1983-1987
55	Tom Fears	1970	End	1948-1956
40	Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch	1968	RB, WR	1949-1957
75	Deacon Jones	1980	DE	1961-1971
65	Tom Mack	1999	G	1966-1978
74	Merlin Olsen	1982	DT	1962-1976
--	Dan Reeves	1967	Owner	1941-1971
78	Jackie Slater	2001	OT	1976-1995
78	Norm Van Brocklin	1971	QB, P	1949-1957
7	Bob Waterfield	1965	QB, DB, K, P	1945-1952
85	Jack Youngblood	2001	DE	1974-1984

Retired numbers

Staff

Head coaches

Name	From	To	Record				Titles Won
Name	From	To	W	L	T	%	Titles Won
?	1936	1936	5	2	2	.666	0
Hugo Bezdek	1937	1938	1	13	0	.071	0
Art Lewis	1938	1938	4	4	0	.500	0
Dutch Clark	1939	1942	16	26	2	.386	0
Buff Donelli	1944	1944	4	6	0	.400	0
Adam Walsh	1945	1946	16	5	1	.772	1
Bob Snyder	1947	1947	6	6	0	.500	0
Clark Shaughnessy	1948	1949	6	6	0	.500	0
Joe Stydahar	1950	1952	19	9	0	.678	1
Hamp Pool	1952	1954	23	11	2	.666	0
Sid Gillman	1955	1959	28	32	1	.467	0
Bob Waterfield	1960	1962	9	24	1	.288	0
Harland Svare	1962	1965	14	31	3	.322	0
George Allen	1966	1970	49	19	4	.708	0
Tommy Prothro	1971	1972	14	12	2	.835	0
Chuck Knox	1973	1977	57	20	1	.737	0
Ray Malavasi	1978	1982	43	36	0	.394	0
John Robinson	1983	1991	79	74	0	.516	0
Chuck Knox	1992	1994	15	33	0	.312	0
Rich Brooks	1995	1996	13	19	0	.406	0
Dick Vermeil	1997	1999	25	26	0	.490	1
Mike Martz	2000	2005	56	36	0	.608	0
Joe Vitt	2005	2005	4	7	0	.363	0
Scott Linehan	2006	2008	11	21	0	.344	0
Jim Haslett	October, 2008	present	2	8	0	.250	0