St. Louis Rams
Current season
Established 1936; 77 years ago Play in Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, Missouri Headquartered in Russell Athletic Training Center Earth City, Missouri
Logo
League/conference affiliations
American Football League (1936) National Football League (1937–present) Western Division (1937–1949) National Conference (1950–1952) Western Conference (1953–1969) Coastal Division (1967–1969) National Football Conference (1970–present) NFC West (1970–present)
Current uniform
Team colors	Millenium Blue, New Century Gold, White
Mascot	Rampage
Personnel
Owner(s)	Stan Kroenke
Chairman	Chip Rosenbloom
General manager	Les Snead
Head coach	Jeff Fisher
Team history
Cleveland Rams (1936–1945) Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994) St. Louis Rams (1995–present)
Championships
League championships (3) NFL Championships (pre-1970 AFL–NFL merger) (2) 1945, 1951 Super Bowl Championships (1) 1999 (XXXIV)
Conference championships (6) NFL National: 1950, 1951 NFL Western: 1955 NFC: 1979, 1999, 2001
Division championships (15) NFL West: 1945, 1949 NFL Coastal: 1967, 1969 NFC West: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1999, 2001, 2003
Playoff appearances (27)
NFL: 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004
Home fields
In Cleveland Cleveland Municipal Stadium (1936–1937, 1939–1941, 1945) League Park (1937, 1942, 1944–1945) Shaw Stadium (1938) In Los Angeles Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1946–1979) Anaheim Stadium (1980–1994) In St. Louis Busch Memorial Stadium (1995) Edward Jones Dome (1995–present) a.k.a. Trans World Dome (1995–2000) a.k.a. Dome at America's Center (2001)

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 theNational Football League (NFL). The Rams have won three NFL Championships (two pre-merger, and one Super Bowl), and are the only NFL team to win championships in three different cities (Cleveland, Los Angeles, and St. Louis).
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
For more details on this topic, see History of the St. Louis Rams.

Cleveland Rams (1937–1945)
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. However, the team did feature the MVP of the 1939 season, rookie halfback Parker Hall [2]
In June 1941, the Rams were bought by Dan Reeves and Fred Levy, Jr. Reeves, an heir to his family's grocery-chain business that had been purchased by A&P, used some of his inheritance to buy his share of the team. Levy's family owned the Levy Brothers department store chain in Kentucky and he also came to own the Riverside International Raceway. Levy owned part of the Rams, with Bob Hopeanother of the owners, until Reeves bought out his partners in 1962.[3]
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.[4] 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 (i.e., a mistake by the offensive team that automatically results in points scored on behalf of the defensive team): Redskins great Sammy Baugh's pass bounced off of the goal post, then backward, through his team's own end zone. The next season, NFL rules were changed to prevent this from ever again resulting in scoring; instead, it would result in merely an incomplete pass.[5]

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 the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,[citation needed] which had a seating capacity at the time of 105,000—far greater than their Cleveland venue's.[6] This placed the Rams more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) away from the nearest NFL team, at the time (in Chicago). At the time, the NFL did not allow African-Americans to play in the league. The commissioners of the Los Angeles Coliseum approved the deal on the condition that the team be racially integrated. As a result, the Rams signedUCLA players Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, who became the first two Black men to play in the NFL, post-World War II.[7]
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 there 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 L.A. with a 6-4-1 record (2nd place behind the Chicago Bears). At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach.
The L.A. 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.[8] The next year, the Rams merged with fellow Coliseum tenants, the Los Angeles Dons.

1949–1955: Three-end formation
 

Elroy Hirsch spent nine seasons with the Rams from 1949-1957.

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).[9]

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's shrewd understanding of how to use television as a revolutionary promotional device, the Rams remained a business success despite the team's poor record. In a 1957 game against the San Francisco 49'ers, the Rams set a record for attendance for a regular-season NFL game (102,368 people).[10] 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
 
 

Jack Youngblood giving his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech in 2001.

The Rams' coach for this run was Chuck Knox, who led the team through the 1977 season. The Chuck Knox-coached Rams featured an average offense, supported by an elite defense. 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 work ethic stood in stark contrast to the public perception that the Rams were a soft, "Hollywood" team. Coincidentally, though, several Rams players from this era took advantage of their proximity to Hollywood, dabbling in TV and/or film acting after their playing careers ended. Perhaps the most notable of these were Merlin Olsen (Little House On The Prairie, and, commercials for FTD florists), and, Fred Dryer (star of NBC's hit, "Dirty Harry"-inspired police drama Hunter).
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 andJack "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 were tightly competitive with Pittsburgh (forcing multiple turnovers; leading at halftime [13-10], and at the end of the 3rd quarter [19-17]). In the end, however, the Steelers scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter. Despite a valiant effort by the Rams defense that stifled long yardage gains, the Steelers offense managed to "run out the clock" on the Rams offense, winning their 4th Super Bowl, 31-19.

Los Angeles Rams: Anaheim Era (1980–1994)
1979–1981: Starting over in Anaheim 
Prior to their 1979 Super Bowl season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom] drowned in an accident; so, his widow, Georgia Frontiere, inherited 70% ownership of the team. Frontiere fired her step-son, Steve Rosenbloom, to assume total control of the franchise. As had been planned prior to Carroll Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at the L.A. Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium in nearby Orange County, in 1980. The reason for the move was twofold; firstly, attendance. L.A. Memorial Coliseum was more difficult to sell-out than stadiums in other NFL cities because of its abnormally large seating capacity (100,000); and, Pete Rozelle—who had since become NFL Commissioner—created a 'black-out rule' preventing any home game that wasn't sold-out from being broadcast in its local TV market. Secondly, the Southern California's population patterns were changing: there was rapid growth in L.A.'s affluent suburbs (e.g., greater Orange County), and a decline in the city of Los Angeles' citizenship and earning power. Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1965 as the home of the California Angels Major League Baseball franchise. To accommodate the Rams' move, the ballpark was re-configured with luxury suites, and enclosed to accommodate crowds of about 65,000 for football.
In 1982, L.A. Memorial Coliseum was occupied by the erstwhile Oakland Raiders. The combined effect of these two factors, was to force the Rams' traditional fanbase to be split between two teams. Making matters even worse, at this time the Rams were unsuccessful on the field, while the Raiders were thriving—even winning 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 1982 season's NHL playoffs. Suddenly, the Los Angeles Rams had too much competition off the field, too.

1983–1991: Robinson takes over the Rams
 

Eric Dickerson, one of the best running backs in history, was most famous for his time with the Rams. In 1984, Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards in the season, a record that still stands today.

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 ofSMU 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.