Los Angeles Rams

My All Time Favorite Rams Players

The Rams have one of the longest legacies in professional football. Beginning in 1937 in Cleveland, the Rams have moved a total of four times. The team has had its fair share of outstanding players on its team as well. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1946 where it stayed until the end of the 1994 season. It was then based out of St. Louis until 2015. The Rams moved back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.

The Rams are known for having some of the best and most prolific offenses in the NFL. Those early Los Angeles teams had Hall of Famers like Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, Norm Van Brocklin and Tom Fears whose popularity allowed the team to become the first NFL team to have its games broadcasted on television. In the ’60s, the Rams had one of the most feared defensive lines in the league and some of the best defensive players in Rams history. Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen led the “Fearsome Foursome” and though the team was successful, it didn’t make much hay in the playoffs.

After the team moved to St. Louis in 1995, it took a while, but after a few years of great drafting, the Rams again had one of the best offenses in the league. Superstars like Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are considered some of the best Rams ever, and the best football players ever. The team won its first Super Bowl after the 1999 season, defeating the Tennessee Titans. A bunch of the greatest players in Rams history were on this team.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS

Bob Waterfield

Bob Waterfield - Los Angeles Rams

1948 Leaf #26 Rookie Card

 

 Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner - St. Louis Rams

1999 Collectors Edge #123 Rookie Card

 

RUNNING BACKS

Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk - Indianapolis Colts - St. Louis Rams

1994 Stadium Club #327 Rookie Card

 

Eric Dickerson

Eric Dickerson - St. Louis Rams

1984 Topps #280 Rookie Card

 

Dan Towler

Dan Towler - Los Angeles Rams

1956 Topps #90 Rookie Card

 

 

KR – Ollie Matson

Ollie Matson - St. Louis Cardinals
1952 Bowman #127 Rookie Card

Position:  Running Back-Flanker #33
Height:  6’2″          Weight:  220
Born:  May 1, 1930 in Trinity Texas
Died:  February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles California (80)
College:
  San Francisco
Drafted:  Chicago Cardinals picked in the 1st Round (3rd Overall) in 1952 Draft
Career:  1952 – 1966 – Chicago Cardinals (1952-1958), Los Angeles Rams (1959-1962), Detroit Lions (1963), Philadelphia Eagles (1964-1966)
Highlights:  6 time Pro Bowler and 5 time First Team All Pro.  Ollie Matson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1972.  Matson played in 171 games over his 14 year career.  He ran for 5,137 yards and scored 40 rushing touchdowns.  He also caught 222 passes for 3,285 yards and 23 touchdowns.  He was also an integral part of the Special Teams unit as a punt/kick return specialist.  Over his career he had 143 kick returns for 3,746 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 of those returns in excess of 100 yards and an average of 26.2 yards per return.  He also returned 65 punts for 595 yards and 3 touchdowns with the long return at 78 yards.  In 1955 he averaged 18.8 yards per punt return and scored 2 touchdowns.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

Elroy Hirsch

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch - Los Angeles Rams

1950 Bowman #52 Rookie Card

 

Henry Ellard

Henry Ellard - St. Louis Rams

1985 Topps #80 Rookie Card

 

Isaac Bruce

Isaac Bruce - St. Louis Rams

1994 Collectors Edge #13 Rookie Card

 

Torry Holt

Torry Holt - St. Louis Rams

1999 Tops #71 Gold Label Rookie Card

 

 

TIGHT ENDS

David Hill

David Hill - Detroit Lions - St. Louis Rams

1978 Topps #26 Rookie Card

 

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Jackie Slater

Jackie Slater - St. Louis Rams

1984 Topps #286 Rookie Card

 

Tom Mack

Tom Mack - Los Angeles Rams

1970 Topps #151 Rookie Card

 

Doug Smith

Doug Smith - Los Angeles Rams

1985 Topps #87 Pro Bowl Rookie Card

 

Dennis Harrah

Dennis Harrah - Los Angeles Rams

1980 Topps #60 All Pro Rookie Card

 

Orlando Pace

Orlando Pace - St. Louis Rams

1997 Donruss Preferred Bronze Rookie Card

 

 

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Dave “Deacon” Jones

Dave Jones - Deacon Jones - Los Angeles Rams - Hall of Fame - HOF

1963 Topps #44 Rookie Card

 

Merlin Olsen

Merlin Olsen - Los Angeles Rams

1964 Philadelphia #91 Rookie Card

 

Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks - Los Angeles Rams - Good Hair

1974 Topps #493 Rookie Card

 

Jack Youngblood

Jack Youngblood - Los Angeles Rams - Hall of Fame - HOF

1973 Topps #343 Rookie Card

 

LINEBACKERS

Isiah Robertson

Isiah Robertson - Los Angeles Rams

1972 Topps #215 Rookie Card

 

Jack Reynolds

Jack Reynolds - Los Angeles Rams

1974 Topps #25 Rookie Card

 

Kevin Greene

Kevin Greene - Los Angeles Rams - San Francisco 49ers

1988 Topps #300 Rookie Card

 

Les Richter

Les Richter - Los Angeles Rams - Hall of Fame - HOF

1952 Bowman #61 Rookie Card

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS

LeRoy Irvin

LeRoy Irvin - Los Angeles Rams

1982 Topps #3 Rookie Card

 

Aeneas Williams

Aeneas Williams - St. Louis Cardinals - St. Louis Rams

1991 Upper Deck #630 Rookie Card

 

Dick “Night Train” Lane

Richard Lane - Dick Lane - Night Train Lane - Dick "Night Train" Lane - Los Angeles Rams

1957 Topps #85 Rookie Card

Position:  Defensive End-Defensive Back #81
Height:  6’1″          Weight:  194
Born:  April 16, 1927 in Austin Texas
Died:  January 29, 2002 in Austin Texas (74)
College:
  Western Nebraska CC
Drafted:  Undrafted
Career:  1952 – 1965 – Los Angeles Rams (1953-1953), Chicago Cardinals (1954-1959), Detroit Lions (1960-1965)
Highlights:  7 time Pro Bowler and 3 time First Team All Pro.  Dick “Night Train” Lane was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1974.  He played in 157 games during his 14 year career and had 68 interceptions with 2 returned for touchdowns along with 11 fumble recoveries with 1 returned for a touchdown.

Ed Meador

Ed Meador - Los Angeles Rams

1963 Topps #47 Rookie Card

 

Nolan Cromwell

Nolan Cromwell - Los Angeles Rams

1980 Topps #423 Rookie Card

 

Jerry Gray

Jerry Gray - Los Angeles Rams

1987 Topps #157 Rookie Card

 

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – Norm Van Brocklin

Norm Van Brocklin - Los Angeles Rams

1951 Bowman #4 Rookie Card

 

P – Jeff Wilkins (1997-2007)

PR – LeRoy Irvin

LeRoy Irvin - Los Angeles Rams

1982 Topps #3 Rookie Card

 

KR – Ron Brown

Ron Brown - Los Angeles Rams

1986 Topps #80 Rookie Card

 

NICKNAME

  • Founder Homer Marshman and his general manager, Damon “Buzz” Wetzel picked the Rams name because Wetzel had said his favorite football team had always been the Fordham Rams and Marshman liked the sound of the name.

TEAM NAMES

  • Cleveland Rams (1937-1942, 1944-1945)
  • Los Angeles Rams (1946-1994)
  • St. Louis Rams (1995-2015)
  • Los Angeles Rams (2016-)

HEAD COACHES

  • George Allen (1966-1970)
  • 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 (2012-2016)
  • John Fassel (2016)
  • Sean McVay (2017-Present)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

  • Super Bowl XXXIV (1999) – St. Louis Rams defeat Tennessee Titans 23-16

SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES

  • Super Bowl XIV (1979) – Los Angeles Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Super Bowl XXXIV (1999) – St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans
  • Super Bowl XXXVI (2001) – St. Louis Rams vs. New England Patriots

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

  • 1999, 2001

DIVISION CHAMPIONS

  • 1999, 2001, 2003

PLAYOFF APPEARANCES

  • 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004

PLAYOFF RECORD

  • 19-24 .791

HALL OF FAME PLAYERS

  • Marshall Faulk RB (1999-2005)
  • Jackie Slater G (1995)
  • Ollie Matson RB (1959-1962)

RETIRED NUMBERS

  • 7 Bob Waterfield QB (1945-1952)
  • 28 Marshall Faulk RB (1999-2005)
  • 29 Eric Dickerson RB (1983-1987)
  • 74 Merlin Olsen DT (1962-1976)
  • 75 Decon Jones DE (1961-1971)
  • 78 Jackie Slater G (1976-1995)
  • 80 Isaac Bruce WR (1994-2007)
  • 85 Jack Youngblood DE (1971-1984)

PRO BOWL MVP

  • 2004 Marc Bulger QB

AWARDS

COACH OF THE YEAR

  • 1999 Dick Vermeil

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

  • None

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

  • 2010 Sam Bradford QB

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • None

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

  • 1999 Marshall Faulk RB
  • 2000 Marshall Faulk RB
  • 2001 Marshall Faulk RB

NFL MVP

  • 1999 Kurt Warner QB
  • 2000 Marshall Faulk QB
  • 2001 Kurt Warner QB

SUPER BOWL MVP

  •  Super Bowl XXXIV – Kurt Warner QB (1999)

The St. Louis Rams were founded in 1937 as the Cleveland Rams. The Rams won two NFL Championships in 1945 and 1951 and then had a long drought. They returned to prominence under the Marshall Plan and won Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans 23-16 behind an MVP performance by Kurt Warner.

 

©MMXIX My All Time Favorites, all pictures and logos, team names are property of the National Football League. This site is not affiliated with the NFL or St. Louis Rams.  All Football Cards are low resolution scans from a personal collection and each is credited with the production company name and year.  This site is maintained for research purposes only.

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