St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams | |||||
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Established 1995 Ended 2015 Played in St. Louis, Missouri Headquartered in Earth City, Missouri | |||||
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League/conference affiliations | |||||
National Football League (1995–2015)
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Uniform | |||||
Mascot Ramster (1995) | Rampage (2010–2015) | ||||
Personnel | |||||
Owner(s) | Georgia Frontiere (1995–2008) Chip Rosenbloom (2008–2010) Lucia Rodriguez (2008–2010) Stan Kroenke (2010–2015) | ||||
Chairman | Stan Kroenke (1995–2010) Chip Rosenbloom (2010–2015) | ||||
General manager | Steve Ortmayer (1995–1996) Dick Vermeil (1997–1999) Charley Armey (2000–2005) Jay Zygmunt (2006–2008) Billy Devaney (2009–2011) Les Snead (2012–2015) | ||||
Head coach | Rich Brooks (1995–1996) Dick Vermeil (1997–1999) Mike Martz (2000–2005) Joe Vitt (2005) Scott Linehan (2006–2008) Jim Haslett (2008) Steve Spagnuolo (2009–2011) Jeff Fisher (2012–2015) | ||||
Team history | |||||
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Team nicknames | |||||
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Championships | |||||
League championships (1) | |||||
Conference championships (2)
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Division championships (3)
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Playoff appearances (5) | |||||
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Home fields | |||||
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This article is part of series of |
Rams NFL franchise history |
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Cleveland Rams (1936–1945) |
Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994) |
St. Louis Rams (1995–2015) |
Los Angeles Rams (2016–present) |
List of seasons |
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arrival of the Rams, which originated in Cleveland before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1946, gave St. Louis, Missouri a professional football team for the first time since the St. Louis Cardinals left for Arizona in 1987.
The St. Louis Rams played their home games at what is now known as The Dome at America's Center in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, which the city had been building for a few years in the hopes of gaining an NFL team. Dubbed the Trans World Dome, the stadium was unready when the team arrived, so it temporarily shared Busch Memorial Stadium with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Rams played their first game in St. Louis on September 10, 1995, defeating the New Orleans Saints, 17–13. The Trans World Dome opened on November 12, 1995, when the Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers 28–17.
The franchise notched its first winning season and playoff appearance as a St. Louis, Missouri team in 1999, and went on to win its first and only championship in Super Bowl XXXIV. That season began a three-year run of success with The Greatest Show on Turf offense, which included a franchise-best 14–2 record in 2001 en route to a Super Bowl XXXVI appearance.
Following their 2002 Super Bowl defeat to the New England Patriots, the Rams struggled for their remaining years in St. Louis. By the time they moved back to Los Angeles, the Rams had gone 12 seasons without a winning record, and 11 seasons without qualifying for the postseason.
The St. Louis Rams played their last game in St. Louis, Missouri on December 17, 2015, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–23 in a home stadium that had been renamed the Edward Jones Dome. Their last game as a St. Louis–based franchise was on January 3, 2016, against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium, which they lost 19–16. After the 2015 NFL season, the team returned to Los Angeles.
Origins
Early days
1936: Founding in the AFL
The Rams franchise, founded in 1936 by attorney/businessman Homer Marshman and player-coach Damon "Buzz" Wetzel, was named for the then-powerhouse Fordham Rams and because the name was short and would fit easily into a newspaper headline.[1]
Coached by Wetzel, and featuring future Hall-of-Fame coach Sid Gillman as a receiver, the team went 5–2–2 in its first season, finishing in second place, behind the Boston Shamrocks. The team might have hosted an AFL championship game at Cleveland's League Park; however, the Boston team canceled because its unpaid players refused to participate.[2] The Rams then moved from the poorly managed AFL to the National Football League on February 12, 1937.[2] Marshman and the other Rams stockholders paid $10,000 for an NFL franchise, then put up $55,000 to capitalize the new club, and Wetzel became general manager.[3]
1937–1943: Struggles
Under head coach
Future Hall-of-Famer Dutch Clark was named head coach for the 1939 season, and with Lewis as his assistant and with star back Parker Hall on the squad, the Rams improved to 5–5–1 in 1939 and 4–6–1 in 1940 before falling back to 2–9 in 1941, the year that Dan Reeves, a New Yorker with family wealth in the grocery business, acquired the team.
The Rams bounced back to 5–6 and a third-place finish in 1942, but in the heavy war year of 1943, when many NFL personnel, including Rams' majority owner Reeves, had been drafted into the military, they suspended play for one season.
1944: Rebound
The franchise began to rebound in 1944 under the direction of general manager
The move to Anaheim
Before the Rams’
From 1982, the Coliseum was also occupied by the
1990–94: Frontiere's endgame for the L.A. Rams
Although it was not apparent at the time, the Rams’ loss in the
As early as the close of the 1992 season, Georgia Frontiere announced she wanted to break the Rams’ lease at Anaheim Stadium.[8] After the 1993 season, Frontiere attempted to move the Rams to Baltimore,[9] but her fellow owners turned that proposal down. Frontiere then sought to relocate the team to St. Louis, but was voted down again, with 21 opposed, three in favor (the Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and six abstaining.[10][11] The other owners (led by Buffalo's Ralph Wilson, the Jets’ Leon Hess, the Giants’ Wellington Mara, Washington's Jack Kent Cooke, Arizona's Bill Bidwill and Minnesota's John Skoglund) believed that the Rams’ financial problems were caused by the Frontieres’ mismanagement.[12] When Frontiere threatened to sue the league, commissioner Paul Tagliabue acquiesced to Frontiere's demands. As part of the relocation deal, the city of St. Louis agreed to build a taxpayer-financed stadium, the Trans World Dome, and guaranteed that the stadium's amenities would be maintained in the top 25% of all NFL stadiums. Frontiere waived the clause after a 10-year threshold period passed, as the city implemented a later plan to improve the stadium.[13]
The move left many in the
First years (1995–1998)
While the Rams dealt with stadium concerns in Los Angeles, efforts were under way 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 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 very briefly available for sale at a number of area sports shops.
Just before moving to St. Louis, the Rams fired Knox and hired Rich Brooks, longtime successful coach at the University of Oregon, to replace him. The team played its first several games in St. Louis at Busch Stadium, the home of the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 until 1987, as work finished on their new home, the Trans World Dome. Brooks jettisoned Knox's run-oriented scheme in favor of a powerful air attack. Bettis all but disappeared from the offense, rushing for only 637 yards. Despite this, the Rams started off well, getting off to a 5–1 start, until a 44–10 loss to the 49ers in the last game at Busch Stadium sent the team into a downward spiral, and they finished 7–9 — still the franchise's closest to contention since 1989. Perhaps the most memorable aspect was that veteran offensive lineman and future Hall of Famer Jackie Slater played his 20th and final season with the team in its new St. Louis location.
Vermeil era
The next three seasons were largely a repeat of the Rams’ final five seasons in Los Angeles. The team drafted highly touted
Vermeil's first two seasons as Rams coach were as unsuccessful as many of the preceding seasons. Phillips was cut from the team mid-season in 1997 after showing up for a game with alcohol on his breath, cementing his status as a draft bust.
At the close of the 1998 season, the franchise's combined record over nine seasons was 45–99, the worst in the NFL for the period and rivalled by only the Cincinnati Bengals, who went 49–97 over the same span.
1999–2001: The Greatest Show on Turf
1999: Super Bowl champions
Finally, in
However, in a preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, Green blew out his anterior cruciate ligament and missed the entire season, prompting Green's backup, a 28-year-old former Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers and NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals player named Kurt Warner, to enter the game. During postgame press conferences, a tearful Vermeil vowed that the Rams would "rally around" Warner and “play good football” with him. Most observers believed Green's injury set up the Rams for another long season of failure; in fact, ESPN Magazine predicted that the Rams would finish with the worst record in the league (even below that of the recently reactivated Cleveland Browns).
However, Warner would have one of the most explosive starts to a career in football history, throwing for over 4000 yards and 41 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 109.2 was the highest in the NFL that year.
The 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 type of “premeditated and prolonged” display was shortly thereafter subject to “excessive celebration” penalties installed by the league.
After finishing the 1999 season 13–3 (the franchise's second-best regular season record to date), the Rams started out the playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 49–37 to achieve their first NFC championship game since 1989. Their opponent was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who proved successful in shutting down the Rams’ vaunted offense. Still, the Rams managed to win the game 11–6, with the one touchdown coming on Warner's 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.”
The Rams’ opponent in Super Bowl XXXIV was the Tennessee Titans, who, like the Rams, had recently relocated cities. 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 a clutch performer all season long, came through once again, connecting with Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive to give 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. Titans quarterback
Following the Rams’ Super Bowl victory, Vermeil retired from football (though he came back in 2001 as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs) and was replaced by offensive coordinator (and apprentice) Mike Martz.
2000: Wild card loss
In Mike Martz’ first year as Rams head coach, the defending-champion
2001: Third Super Bowl and loss to the Patriots
In 2001, the “Max Q” Rams went 14–2 (including a spectacular 8–0 on the road), led not only by a sensational offense (their third straight year of scoring 500 or more points), but a good defense as well, coached by Lovie Smith and led by Adam Archuleta. After handling the Green Bay Packers in the divisional playoffs, the Rams fought off the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game 29–24 to reach 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.
The talent-laden Rams appeared to be primed to become the first professional football dynasty of the 21st century. It was however, the Patriots who began their dynasty that night. They went on to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span, and have played in nine since the 2001 season as of 2020. Despite being a 14-point favorite, the Rams were dominated by the Patriots for most of the game. 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 a 47-yard touchdown interception return by Ty Law.
In the fourth quarter, the Rams mounted a comeback attempt. Two plays after an apparent game-clinching 95-yard fumble return by the Patriots was reversed on a penalty, Kurt Warner scored on a two-yard keeper to bring the Rams to within seven points, 17–10. After holding the Patriots on the next drive, the Rams were in much the same situation as they had been 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 timeouts and the Rams having seized the momentum, overtime seemed assured.
Super Bowl XXXVI later became part of the wider
2002–2014: Struggles
In
In 2003, Warner lost the starting job to Bulger after suffering six fumbles in the season opener against the New York Giants.[clarification needed] Warner was released by the Rams in June 2004 and quickly signed a free agent contract with the Giants, effectively ending the “Greatest Show on Turf” era.
The 2003 season saw the Rams go 12–4, winning the NFC West again. However, the Rams lost a crushing divisional-round defeat to the Carolina Panthers (29–23 in double overtime), who went on to become NFC champions.
During the
The Rams began their 10th year in St. Louis at home, winning their home opener over the Arizona Cardinals 17–10. They then lost the next two games: to the eventual NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons 34–17, and to the New Orleans Saints at home 28–25 in overtime. The Rams got to 2–2 start on the season with a 24–14 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 5, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 33–27 on the road, as Bulger connected with Shaun McDonald for the 52-yard winning score in overtime. Next came a home win over Tampa Bay, 28–21 before a road loss to the hapless Miami Dolphins, 31–14. Following a Week 8 bye, the Rams lost to the defending champion Patriots at home 40–22. The Rams then downed the Seahawks 23–12 but then lost their next games on the road, losing to the Buffalo Bills 37–17 and to the eventual NFC North champion Green Bay Packers 45–17. The team rebounded with a 16–6 home win over the 49ers, but their playoff hopes continued to shrink with two more road losses, falling to the Carolina Panthers 20–7 and to the Cardinals 31–7. At 6–8, the Rams rallied for home wins against the Philadelphia Eagles (20–7) and the New York Jets (32–29 in overtime), snatching the NFC's #5 seed despite finishing with an 8–8 record.
For the Wild Card round, the Rams faced the Seahawks for the third time. The visiting Rams took the lead on a 17-yard Bulger touchdown pass to Cam Cleeland with just 2:11 left in regulation time and then held off the Seahawks on 4th and goal to earn a 27–20 victory. The Rams made NFL history by becoming the first team to go .500 (8–8) in the regular season and then win a playoff game. However, St. Louis was thrashed in the divisional round by the Atlanta Falcons 47–17.
2005–2015: Playoff drought
During the
Despite having a talent-laden roster, the Rams’ front-office dysfunction had traveled from California to Missouri. With team president John Shaw remaining in Los Angeles after the relocation, president of football operations Jay Zygmunt clashed with head coach Martz, including an incident in which Zygmunt prevented the ill Martz from phoning in a play to his offensive coordinator. Poor draft choices and mediocre records began to pile up for the once-budding dynasty as the post-Martz era found the Rams in chaos. Hoping to regain control within the franchise, the Rams hired former Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan as head coach on January 19, 2006.[20] On January 24, Jim Haslett, the former head coach of the Saints, signed a three-year deal as defensive coordinator.[21][22]
Following the 2007 season, Georgia Frontiere died on January 18, 2008, after having owned the team for 28 years.[23] Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale “Chip” Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez.[24] Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.[25] Linehan was fired on September 29, 2008, after the team started the 0–4, and Haslett took over as interim head coach for the rest of the season. In late December, Shaw and Zygmunt both resigned and Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager.[26]
Steve Spagnuolo was named head coach in January 2009. Spagnuolo had masterminded the Giants’ defensive scheme that shut down the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. As the 2009 season began, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh put in an offer to buy the Rams, but his controversial televised comments about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2003 led the league to force Limbaugh to drop his plans. In spite of his success with the Giants, Spagnuolo's first season as Rams head coach was terribly disappointing as the team went 1–15, beginning with a shutout at the hands of the Seahawks. The team's lone victory came in Week 8 over the 2–14 Detroit Lions. However, Spagnuolo was not fired after his poor first season. From 2007 to 2009, the Rams lost 42 of 48 games.
2010: Stan Kroenke takes over
On May 31, 2009, the
2010–14: Sam Bradford & Jeff Fisher
For having the NFL's worst record at 1–15 in 2009, the Rams earned the #1 overall pick in the
Bradford was the main focus of the 2010 offseason. In order to make room for the new quarterback, Keith Null and several other unproductive players were cut from the roster. The Rams lost their season opener against the Cardinals with Bradford throwing three interceptions, including one on the last play of the game. They recorded their first win by beating Washington and ending a 14-game home-losing streak in Week 3. In Week 4, the Rams ended a 10-game losing streak against Seattle, 20–3. After being trounced 44–6 by Detroit, they returned home in Week 6 to beat San Diego 20–17. Bradford continued to show promise through the season despite struggling from his inexperience. Despite a 7–8 record, the Rams had a chance to win the NFC West when they traveled to 6–9 Seattle for a prime-time matchup. However, the Seahawks won the game and the division, 16–6. Bradford went on to win the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The 2011 season started disastrously, with the Rams opening 0–6, finally winning in an improbable victory over the Saints in Week 8. The team finished 2–14, with their only other win being a Week 10 victory over Cleveland. Bradford missed half the season with an ankle injury, and the Rams’ offense was rated the worst in the league.
At the conclusion of a poor 2011, Spagnuolo and nearly all of the coaching staff were fired except offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was asked by the New England Patriots to return during the playoffs (he had been an assistant coach there prior to his disastrous stint as Denver Broncos head coach in 2009). The Rams then hired head coach Jeff Fisher, who had led the Tennessee Titans in their Super Bowl XXXIV loss to the Rams 12 years earlier. Fisher would then influence the hiring of new general manager Les Snead and an all-new coaching staff including offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams was eventually suspended for the entire 2012 season for his part in the Saints bounty scandal.
Despite the 2011 fiasco, the Rams continued with their plans to rebuild the team around Bradford and convinced the Redskins to give up two first-round draft picks and one second-round draft pick in exchange for the Rams’ #2 overall pick. This moved the Rams down to the #6 pick in the
The Rams started 2012 with low hopes, but the draft trade with Washington confirmed Bradford would be their quarterback of the future. The team then surprised some by starting off 3–2, their first winning record since 2006. They then lost three straight, but rebounded with a solid 4–4–1 finish, including a 24–24 road tie with eventual NFC champion San Francisco, to finish 7–8–1, a five-game improvement over 2011 and an impressive 4–1–1 record in the very competitive NFC West.
In 2013, the Rams finished with a 7–9 record. In the 2014 season, their 20th in St. Louis, the team would again miss the playoffs with a 6–10 record. Bradford missed the entire 2014 season with an injury, allowing Shaun Hill and Austin Davis opportunities at quarterback.
2015: Nick Foles and the final season in St. Louis
On March 10, 2015, the Rams were involved in a rare trade of starting quarterbacks as they traded Bradford along with a fifth-round pick in 2015 to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the Eagles' Nick Foles along with a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second round pick in 2016. Foles had a 14–4 record as starter and an impressive TD–INT ratio of 46–17, while Bradford had an 18–30–1 record. On the day of the 2015 draft the Rams traded Zac Stacy, the Rams’ 2013 rushing leader, for a 7th round pick to the Jets.
The Rams opened their 2015 season at home against Seattle. In Foles’ Rams debut, he threw for 297 yards and a touchdown. Following the dramatic win, Foles struggled against his former divisional rival, the Redskins as the Rams lost 24–10. Foles' accuracy improved the following week but he threw no touchdowns and his first interception as a Ram against the Steelers, dropping the team to 1–2. Following the two losses Foles bounced back, handing the unbeaten Cardinals their first loss of the season. After that game, Foles’ problems with turnovers from 2014 started to show, as he completed 11 passes out of 30 for 141 yards, 1 touchdown, and a career-high 4 interceptions against the Green Bay Packers. On November 16, Foles was benched in favor of Case Keenum, who would start the remainder of the season.
Todd Gurley's arrival and the beginning of Jared Goff
Leading the team through their turbulence was rookie running back
The Rams played their final home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on December 17, 2015. While the Edward Jones Dome was not at sell out capacity, a sizeable group of Rams fans attended the game, holding signs that read “Keep the Rams in St. Louis.” Enthusiastic chants of “Keep the Rams” and “Kroenke Sucks” were heard during and after the game. Despite offensive production from Tampa Bay, the Rams still managed a 31–23 victory with Case Keenum throwing for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns, Todd Gurley rushing 48 yards, Tavon Austin rushing 32 yards and a touchdown, Kenny Britt receiving for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, and Jared Cook receiving for 64 yards. The Rams offense dominated this game as well the defense also put pressure on the Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
On December 22, 2015,
Stadium problems; return to Los Angeles
This article is part of series of |
Rams NFL franchise history |
---|
Cleveland Rams (1936–1945) |
Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994) |
St. Louis Rams (1995–2015) |
Los Angeles Rams (2016–present) |
List of seasons |
Stadium issues in St. Louis
The Rams and the St. Louis CVC began negotiating a deal to get the Rams’ home stadium, the
Publicly, no interest was expressed by city, county and state officials in providing further funding to the Edward Jones Dome, in light of those entities (and taxpayers) continuing to owe approximately $300 million on the facility. A resolution was not reached by the end of the 2014 NFL season; therefore, with the City of St. Louis remaining in non-compliance with its obligations under the lease agreement, the Rams were free to nullify the lease and change to a year-to-year lease. Months later, the Rams scheduled a game to be played in London, violating the Edward Jones Dome's terms of lease.[citation needed]
National Car Rental Field proposal
In an effort to try to keep the team in St. Louis, a multipurpose stadium, National Car Rental Field, was proposed in 2015, estimated to cost $1.1 billion. The initial proposal called for the stadium to be paid for by a combination of $250 million from Rams, a $200 million loan from the NFL, $130 million from personal seat license sales, $55 million in tax credits and other public incentives, $350 million from extending the state bonds originally issued for the construction of the Edward Jones Dome.[32]
On January 9, 2016, the NFL distributed a report to team owners calling the St. Louis stadium plan "unsatisfactory and inadequate" to keep the Rams in St. Louis.[33]
Kroenke purchase of land for L.A. stadium
On January 31, 2014, both the Los Angeles Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased approximately 60 acres (24 ha) of land adjacent to the Forum in Inglewood, California for a purchase price rumored to be between $90 million and $100 million. Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Mr. Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league. Kroenke subsequently announced plans to build an NFL stadium on the site, in connection with the owners of the adjacent 238-acre (96 ha) Hollywood Park site, Stockbridge Capital Group.[34] This development further fueled rumors that the Rams intended to return its management and football operations to Southern California. The land had been originally intended for a Walmart Supercenter, but Walmart could not get the necessary permits to build it. Kroenke is married to Ann Walton Kroenke, who is a member of the Walton family, and many of Kroenke's real estate deals have involved Walmart properties.
On January 5, 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Stan Kroenke and Stockbridge Capital Group were partnering up to develop a new NFL stadium on the Inglewood property owned by Kroenke. The project includes a stadium of 80,000 seats, and a performance venue of 6,000 seats, while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 890,000 square feet (83,000 m2) of retail, 780,000 square feet (72,000 m2) of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300-room hotel and 25 acres (10 ha) of public parks, playgrounds, open space and pedestrian and bicycle access. The stadium was projected to be ready by 2018.[34] In lieu of this, St. Louis countered with a stadium plan for the north riverfront area of downtown, with the hope of keeping the Rams in the city.[citation needed]
On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium plan and the initiative, and construction began on the new stadium on December 21, 2015, on the former Hollywood Park site.[35][36][37]
Filing for relocation; Houston meetings
On January 4, 2016, the St. Louis Rams filed for relocation to move to the Los Angeles area for the
A few days before the scheduled owners meeting, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested that the Rams and Chargers share Stan Kroenke's Los Angeles Entertainment Center. This suggestion was taken as a possible option discussed in the Houston meetings. During the Los Angeles meeting, the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, which consists of six NFL owners, favored the Carson project over the Rams’ Inglewood project. However, in the first round of voting, the Inglewood proposal got the greater number of votes (21) while the Carson project received far fewer (11). This, however, did not meet the required threshold of 24 votes. In the second round of voting, the Inglewood proposal got 20 votes while the Carson proposal got 12. After hours of trying to reach a compromise, the Rams succeeded and announced their relocation to Los Angeles, effectively ending the team's 21-year tenure in St. Louis.
The Chargers organization was given the first option to join the Rams after a year (if they failed to reach a new stadium deal with the city of San Diego); the Chargers exercised this option on January 12, 2017, making Los Angeles home to two NFL franchises again. (Had the Chargers declined to exercise this option, then the Raiders would have had this option.)
Aftermath in St. Louis
St. Louis lost two of its NFL teams to cities in the Western United States (Los Angeles and Phoenix). In 2017, the city filed a lawsuit regarding the loss of the Rams, stating issues like the continued payments on the Edward Jones Dome, the breach on contract, and the failure to release financial files. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for $790 million.[40]
Stan Kroenke became extremely unpopular in St. Louis after the Rams left, with fans often chanting "Kroenke Sucks" or "Fuck Stan Kroenke" at unrelated St. Louis sporting events.[41]
In 2020, St. Louis was one of the cities to receive a football team from the rebranded
As of the 2024 NFL season, offensive tackle Rob Havenstein is the last remaining player on the Rams who played in St. Louis following the retirement of longtime defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Season results
Key
- The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only at the bottom of the list.
NFL Champions (1920–1969)
|
Super Bowl Champions (1970–present) | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Wild Card Berth | One-Game Playoff Berth |
Seasons
Season | Team | League
|
Conference | Division | Regular season
|
Postseason results
|
Awards | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||||
St. Louis Rams[note 1] | |||||||||||
1995 | 1995 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
1996 | 1996 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | |||
1997 | 1997 | NFL | NFC | West | 5th | 5 | 11 | 0 | |||
1998 | 1998 | NFL | NFC | West | 5th | 4 | 12 | 0 | |||
1999 | 1999 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | Won ) 23–16 | SB MVP) (OPOY)
Marshall Faulk | |
2000 | 2000 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Saints ) 28–31
|
Marshall Faulk (MVP)/(OPOY) | |
2001 | 2001 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 14 | 2 | 0 | Won ) 17–20 | Kurt Warner (MVP) Marshall Faulk (OPOY) | |
2002 | 2002 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
2003 | 2003 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers ) 23–29 (2OT)
|
||
2004 | 2004 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Falcons ) 17–47
|
||
2005 | 2005 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 6 | 10 | 0 | |||
2006 | 2006 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | |||
2007 | 2007 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 3 | 13 | 0 | |||
2008 | 2008 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 2 | 14 | 0 | |||
2009 | 2009 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 1 | 15 | 0 | |||
2010 | 2010 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | OROY )
| ||
2011 | 2011 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 2 | 14 | 0 | |||
2012 | 2012 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 8 | 1 | |||
2013 | 2013 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
2014 | 2014 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | DROY )
| ||
2015 | 2015 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | OROY )
| ||
Total 3 Division Titles 2 Conference Titles Super Bowl XXXIV win |
142 | 193 | 1 | (regular season)[note 3] | |||||||
6 | 4 | 0 | (playoffs) | ||||||||
148 | 197 | 1 | (regular season and playoffs)[note 3] |
- The St. Louis Rams played a total of 336 Regular Season Games and 10 Playoff Games (346 Games)
Notable players
Retired numbers
Numbers of players who played in St. Louis that have been retired by the Rams:
St. Louis Rams retired numbers | ||||
No. | Player | Position | Tenure | Retired |
---|---|---|---|---|
28 | Marshall Faulk | RB | 1999–2005 | December 21, 2007 |
78 | Jackie Slater | OT |
1995 | 1996 |
80 | Isaac Bruce | WR | 1995–2007 | October 31, 2010 |
Pro Football Hall of Famers
St. Louis Rams Hall of Famers | ||||
No. | Player | Class | Position(s) | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
78 | Jackie Slater | 2001 | OT |
1976-1995 |
36 | Jerome Bettis | 2015 | RB | 1993-1995 |
35 | Aeneas Williams | 2014 | FS |
2001-2004 |
28 | Marshall Faulk | 2011 | RB | 1999–2006 |
76 | Orlando Pace | 2016 | OT |
1997–2008 |
13 | Kurt Warner | 2017 | QB | 1998-2003 |
80 | Isaac Bruce | 2020 | WR | 1995-2007 |
Pro Bowl selections
St. Louis Rams Pro Bowl selections | |||
No. | Player | Position | Years |
---|---|---|---|
76 | Orlando Pace | OT | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
81, 88 | Torry Holt | WR | 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
80 | Isaac Bruce | WR | 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 |
28 | Marshall Faulk | RB | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
13 | Kurt Warner | QB | 1999, 2000, 2001 |
39 | Steven Jackson | RB | 2006, 2009, 2010 |
35 | Aeneas Williams | DB | 2001, 2003 |
10 | Marc Bulger | QB | 2003, 2006 |
94 | Robert Quinn | DE | 2013, 2014 |
6 | Johnny Hekker | P | 2013, 2015 |
99 | Aaron Donald | DT | 2014, 2015 |
30 | Todd Gurley | RB | 2015 |
93 | Kevin Carter | DE | 1999 |
41 | Todd Lyght | CB | 1999 |
62 | Adam Timmerman | OG | 2001 |
91 | Leonard Little | DE | 2003 |
14 | Jeff Wilkins | K | 2003 |
75 | D'Marco Farr | DT | 1999 |
See also
- History of the Cleveland Rams
- History of the Los Angeles Rams
- History of the St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)
- St. Louis Gunners
- St. Louis All-Stars
Notes
- ^ The team had new logo featuring the Gateway Arch National Park, which was known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial at the time, for this season to honor the move to St. Louis
- ^ This game featured The Tackle.
- ^ a b 1995-2015
References
- ^ Hal Lebovitz, "Remember the Cleveland Rams?", Coffin Corner 7 (1985), Professional Football Researchers Association.
- ^ a b "Cleveland Rams". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
- ^ Joe F. Carr, ed. (1937). Official Guide of the National Football League: 1937. New York: American Sports Publishing Co. 43.
- ^ "Cleveland/St. Louis/LA Rams Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ISBN 1317459474
- Baltimore Sun, November 25, 1993, p. 1D
- Orange County Register, January 11, 1933, p. B08
- ^ ‘Frontiere Might Move Rams to Baltimore’; Austin American-Statesman, December 25, 1993, p. E3
- ^ George, Thomas (March 16, 1995). "PRO FOOTBALL; N.F.L. Owners Reject Rams' Bid to Move To St. Louis". The New York Times.
- ^ Simers, T.J.; Plaschke, Bill (March 16, 1995). "League Owners Reject Rams' Move to St. Louis". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Hamelin, Joe; ‘Rams off to St. Louis after all’; The Press-Enterprise [Riverside, California]; April 13, 1995, p. 1
- ^ T.J. Simers (April 13, 1995). "NFL Owners OK Rams' Move to St. Louis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Top 15 trades in NFL history". NFL.com. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Thomas, Jim (February 16, 1999). "Green is in, and Banks is out". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. C1. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ "Kurt Warner Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Tomase, John (2008-02-02). "Source: Pats Employee Filmed Rams". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ Reiss, Mike (2008-05-13). "Goodell: Walsh says Pats didn't have Super Bowl walk-through tape". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Apology". Boston Herald. 2008-05-14. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len (Jan. 19, 2006). Rams to hire Miami coordinator Linehan as coach. ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 September 2006
- ^ Wagoner, Nick (Jan. 23, 2006). Linehan led the Rams to a 3–13 record the following year.Haslett Hired as Defensive Coordinator, Olson Offensive Coordinator Archived 2006-06-21 at the Wayback Machine. The Official Website of the St. Louis Rams. Retrieved 13 September 2006
- ^ Clayton, John (Jan 24, 2006). Haslett signs on as Rams defensive coordinator. ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 September 2006
- ^ "Former Rams owner Frontiere dies". MSNBC.com Sports. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
- ^ "Future ownership of Rams in doubt". Archived from the original on 22 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
- ^ Gordon, Jeff (March 25, 2008). "Core must carry Rams through season of change". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ Coats, Bill (2008-12-24). "Shaw steps down, Devaney is promoted by St. Louis Rams". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03.
- ^ Miklasz, Bernie (May 31, 2009). "St. Louis Rams soon will be put up for sale". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009.
- ^ "NFL Team Valuations: #23 St Louis Rams". Forbes. September 10, 2008. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008.
- ^ "Kroenke opts to try to buy Rams". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ Burke, Chris (April 30, 2015). "St. Louis Rams select Todd Gurley No. 10 in 2015 NFL draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ Wagoner, Nick (November 2, 2015). "Todd Gurley sets mark for most yards in first four starts". ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ Bryant, Tim. "Edward Jones Dome authority to seek state tax credits". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Farmer, Sam; Fenno, Nathan. "Roger Goodell says NFL stadium proposals are not viable in Oakland, St. Louis and San Diego". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ a b Farmer, Sam; Vincent, Roger (5 January 2015). "Owner of St. Louis Rams plans to build NFL stadium in Inglewood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ Wagoner, Nick (February 1, 2014). "Stan Kroenke buys 60 acres in L.A." ESPN. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Piper, Brandie (January 31, 2014). "Report: Rams owner bought 60 acres of land in Calif". KSDK. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Farmer, Sam (January 30, 2014). "A return of L.A. Rams? Owner is said to buy possible stadium site". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Rams to Return to Los Angeles". St. Louis Rams. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "St. Louis receives $790 million settlement payout from Rams lawsuit". ksdk.com. 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ St. Louis Blues fans chant "Kroenke Sucks!", retrieved 2022-02-16
- ^ Barrabi, Thomas (2020-02-24). "XFL attendance on the rise through 3 weeks". FOXBusiness. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
Bibliography
- Everson, Linda (1995). St. Louis Rams Facts & Trivia. South Bend: The E.B. Houchin Company. ISBN 0-938313-13-4
- Hession, Joseph (1987). The Rams: Five Decades of Football. San Francisco: Foghorn Press.
- Hunstein, Jim (2000). How 'Bout Them Rams; A Guide to Rams Football History. St. Louis: Palmerston & Reed. ISBN 0-911921-62-1
- LaBlanc, Michael L.; with Ruby, Mary K. (1994). Professional Sports Team Histories: Football. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. ISBN 0-8103-8861-8
- Levy, Alan H. (2003). Tackling Jim Crow, Racial Segregation in Professional Football. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Co., Inc. ISBN 0-7864-1597-5
- Littlewood, Thomas B. (1990). Arch: A Promoter, not a Poet: The Story of Arch Ward. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-0277-6
- Lyons, Robert S. (2010). On Any Given Sunday, A Life of Bert Bell. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-731-2
- MacCambridge, Michael (2005). America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation. New York: Anchor Books ISBN 978-0-307-48143-6
- McDonough, Will (1994). 75 Seasons: The Complete Story of the National Football League. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, Inc. ISBN 1-57036-056-1
- Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507607-9
- Ross, Charles K. (1999). Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League. New York: New York Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8147-7495-4
- Strode, Woody; with Young, Sam (1990). Goal Dust. Lanham, Maryland: Madison Books. ISBN 0-8191-7680-X
- Sullivan, George (1968). Pro Football's All Time Greats. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 23–28.
- Willis, Chris (2010). The Man Who Built the National Football League: Joe F. Carr. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-7669-9
External links
- stlouisrams.com (2013 archive)
- Media related to St. Louis Rams at Wikimedia Commons