For those who like to watch old Rams games, you might be interested in where they come from. The networks were terrible about preserving games. The vast majority of broadcasts from before the dawn of the VCR age (around 1977) are lost forever. Some Rams games from before 1977 survive, but only a handful. So many treasures are missing, such as 1967 Packers and Colts, 1969 Vikings playoff, Willie Ellison's 247 yard game, and the list goes on an on. Many games that exist are from home recordings by fans who kept the tapes. Many have been obtained (with great difficulty) from network archives (which are missing lots of games even post 1977). Games from 1976 and earlier are very rare. The Dolphins game and games with the Vikings and Giants from that year were taped on a U-matic system that preceded VHS and Beta. We are able to watch those games only because someone originally recorded them and someone else found the tapes many years later and released them. Many fans have been tracking down old sports events for well over 20 years. Only a handful of Rams games are still missing since 1977. Hopefully, more will surface, but the obvious sources have been exhausted. Hopefully, there is a hoard out there still waiting to be discovered.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2023 10:20AM by L.A.Rams.
