Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Too long to post the whole thing but it is a great read! Enjoy...
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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It is a long road with many stops before we get to the modern incarnation of the Los Angeles Rams and we have to begin by going to Lake Erie and the North Shore where the organization first took shape in Cleveland.
Formed in 1936, the Cleveland Rams were the fourth attempt to put together a professional football team in the city and the team was mediocre year after year bouncing from one stadium to another. Due to a shortage of players, the Rams suspended play in the 1943 season and returned the following year. With rookie Quarterback, Bob Waterfield, the Rams won the NFL Championship in 1945, which would be their last in Cleveland. Owner, Dan Reeves sought a larger venue, namely Los Angeles, which had the 100,000 seat plus Memorial Coliseum and they would become the first major team to switch coasts.
Football was a hit in Los Angeles and in the 1950’s they were amongst the best in the National Football League. With a team of stars like Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch the Rams went to the NFL Championship three times in the decade and would win their second NFL Title in 1951. The team went into the 60’s still exceeding popular, but now boasted defensive stars, specifically the “Fearsome Foursome”, who were such a draw that the team became the first in the NFL to draw more than a million fans.
The Rams continued to do well in the 1970s and they went to their first Super Bowl for the 1979 season but they would fall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ’80s again saw some success but they would change locations and play their home games in Anaheim and the Oakland Raiders relocated south moving to the Coliseum. This split the L.A. fanbase and the once popular Rams lost the favor of Southern California. Citing a need for a new stadium, Rams ownership (Georgia Frontiere) moved the team to St. Louis prior to the 1995 season and it was certainly not without controversy as many of the other NFL owners opposed it initially but it did bring football back to St. Louis who used to have the Arizona Cardinals.
The St. Louis Rams in the late ’90s would become one of the most exciting teams in Pro Football with “The Greatest Show on Turf”, a loaded offensive squad featuring Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Orlando Pace and they won Super Bowl XXXIV, the first in franchise history. They went to Super Bowl XXXVI but lost to the New England Patriots. After that, the Rams regressed and due to a clause in their lease they were able to leave if their facility was not considered top tier. Negotiations broke down between the Rams and the city of St. Louis and new owner Stan Kroenke moved the team back to Los Angeles where they are again an elite team and appeared (and lost) Super Bowl LIII.
We are hoping the team stays in L.A. and continues to build on what at times has been a decorated franchise.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
This list is up to the end of the 2020 Season.
1. Merlin Olsen
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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With the vast amount of players who suited up for the Rams (regardless of the city) that it would be difficult to narrow it down to one player, and it certainly was. There were other Pro Football Hall of Famer with whom we easily could have slid into the top spot, but we elected to go with Merlin Olsen, the…
merlin olsen
2. Aaron Donald
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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As of this writing, Aaron Donald has completed five seasons with the Rams where without question he has cemented himself as one of the top defensive players in the game.
aaron donald
3. Deacon Jones
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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If we were to have made this list based on their iconic stature, Deacon Jones would have been #1 and not #2.
deacon jones
4. Jack Youngblood
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Jack Youngblood came from the University of Florida, and the 1st Round Pick would be asked to fill the shoes of possibly the most iconic defensive force in Rams history, Deacon Jones. Considering the pressure he had to feel that he was under, it is more than safe to say that he did one hell of a job!
jack youngblood
5. Orlando Pace
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Every great team needs a steady presence and for “The Greatest Show on Turf” that was Left Tackle, Orlando Pace.
Orlando Pace
6. Marshall Faulk
6. Marshall Faulk
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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When we are speaking about the St. Louis Rams and the “Greatest Show on Turf” an engine needs to be referenced. That engine was Marshall Faulk, the Hall of Fame Running Back for the Rams.
marshall faulk
7. Jackie Slater
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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In terms of tenure, there are none in higher standing than Jackie Slater, who played 259 Games in the NFL (plus 18 more in the playoffs) for the Rams in a 20-year career that spanned from 1976 to 1995. Earning the starting Right Tackle job to commence the 1979 season, Slater would be a fixture there starting 211 of the…
jackie slater
8. Bob Waterfield
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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The passing statistics of Bob Waterfield may look poor by today's standards, but when he debuted for the Cleveland Rams after a great career at UCLA, he would take the Cleveland Rams to an NFL Championship as a rookie in 1945. Waterfield was not just the teams Quarterback as he was also their Kicker and Punter, and defensively, he had…
bob waterfield
9. Isaac Bruce
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Isaac Bruce starred as the top Wide Receiver for the "Greatest Show on Turf," which is no small statement. A Second Round pick from the University of Memphis, Bruce exploded with a 1,781 Yard season with 13 Touchdowns. Amazingly, he was not a Pro Bowl selection that year but would be the next season when his 1,338 Yards led the…
Isaac Bruce
10. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Dubbed "Crazy Legs" for the unique way he ran, Elroy Hirsch is one of the most well-known players of his era. An exceptional athlete at the University of Michigan, Hirsch served as a Marine (like many did back then) and upon his return from duty, he led a College All-Star team to a 16-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams,…
elroy hirsch crazy legs
11. Kurt Warner
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Like so many on the all-time Rams list, Kurt Warner was a hard one to place mainly due to the long existence of the franchise and the number of great players that they had. So when you have a player regardless of the caliber who was only there six seasons but when three of those campaigns were as spectacular as…
Kurt Warner
12. Tom Mack
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Selected second overall in the 1966 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan, Tom Mack would become the teams starting Left Guard midway through the 1966 season, and in his sophomore season he would be named to the Pro Bowl. That year would be the first of eleven trips to the annual game honor showcasing the best players in…
tom mack
13. Eric Dickerson
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Drafted second overall from SMU in 1983, Eric Dickerson would become the most explosive Running Back in the National Football League. As a rookie, Dickerson would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year in a season where he led the league in Rushing Yards with 1,808 Yards and 18 Touchdowns, the former being good enough to finish first. That was…
eric dickerson
14. Norm Van Brocklin
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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The Rams arguably landed quite a deal when they drafted Norm Van Brocklin in the fourth round of the 1950 NFL Draft as the QB fell not because he wasn't good but because it was speculated by many that he would stay at the University of Oregon for his senior year. He didn't, and the Rams would be the beneficiary…
norm van brocklin
15. Torry Holt
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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A member of the St. Louis Rams for all but his final season (which was in Jacksonville) the 6th Overall Pick from North Carolina State, Torry Holt had a really good rookie season where he joined the famed (yes we are saying it again) "Greatest Show on Turf" and would be a Super Bowl Champion as a rookie. Holt would…
Torry Holt
16. Les Richter
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Drafted by the New York Yanks second overall Les Richter never suited up for them as they folded. His rights went to the new Dallas Texans (who pretty much took most of the Yanks), but he never played for them either as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. While this may look lopsided, it was…
les richter
17. Eddie Meador
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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Eddie Meador is one of the greatest Defensive Backs in Rams history, and he would spend all of his twelve seasons there. Meador was a real ball hawk who recorded 46 Interceptions, which is the most in Rams history. The "Fearsome Foursome" may have gotten most of the defensive attention for the Los Angeles Rams, but Meador should not be…
eddie meador
18. Henry Ellard
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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One of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Fresno State, Henry Ellard was used as both a Wide Receiver and Punt Returner in his first few seasons in the NFL. Ellard was still catching his fair share of passes, but he was good enough as a Punt Returner to be named a First Team All-Pro and a Pro…
Henry Ellard
19. Isiah Robertson
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
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A member of the Los Angeles Rams for eight seasons, Isiah Robertson got off to an incredible start as the 10th overall pick in 1971 would promptly win the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Robertson, who was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, went on a spectacular run in the mid-'70s would earn Pro Bowl honors annually from 1973 to…
isiah robertson
#HelmetHornsMatter
“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.
“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Full Article Link
It is a long road with many stops before we get to the modern incarnation of the Los Angeles Rams and we have to begin by going to Lake Erie and the North Shore where the organization first took shape in Cleveland.
Formed in 1936, the Cleveland Rams were the fourth attempt to put together a professional football team in the city and the team was mediocre year after year bouncing from one stadium to another. Due to a shortage of players, the Rams suspended play in the 1943 season and returned the following year. With rookie Quarterback, Bob Waterfield, the Rams won the NFL Championship in 1945, which would be their last in Cleveland. Owner, Dan Reeves sought a larger venue, namely Los Angeles, which had the 100,000 seat plus Memorial Coliseum and they would become the first major team to switch coasts.
Football was a hit in Los Angeles and in the 1950’s they were amongst the best in the National Football League. With a team of stars like Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch the Rams went to the NFL Championship three times in the decade and would win their second NFL Title in 1951. The team went into the 60’s still exceeding popular, but now boasted defensive stars, specifically the “Fearsome Foursome”, who were such a draw that the team became the first in the NFL to draw more than a million fans.
The Rams continued to do well in the 1970s and they went to their first Super Bowl for the 1979 season but they would fall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ’80s again saw some success but they would change locations and play their home games in Anaheim and the Oakland Raiders relocated south moving to the Coliseum. This split the L.A. fanbase and the once popular Rams lost the favor of Southern California. Citing a need for a new stadium, Rams ownership (Georgia Frontiere) moved the team to St. Louis prior to the 1995 season and it was certainly not without controversy as many of the other NFL owners opposed it initially but it did bring football back to St. Louis who used to have the Arizona Cardinals.
The St. Louis Rams in the late ’90s would become one of the most exciting teams in Pro Football with “The Greatest Show on Turf”, a loaded offensive squad featuring Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Orlando Pace and they won Super Bowl XXXIV, the first in franchise history. They went to Super Bowl XXXVI but lost to the New England Patriots. After that, the Rams regressed and due to a clause in their lease they were able to leave if their facility was not considered top tier. Negotiations broke down between the Rams and the city of St. Louis and new owner Stan Kroenke moved the team back to Los Angeles where they are again an elite team and appeared (and lost) Super Bowl LIII.
We are hoping the team stays in L.A. and continues to build on what at times has been a decorated franchise.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
This list is up to the end of the 2020 Season.
1. Merlin Olsen
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
With the vast amount of players who suited up for the Rams (regardless of the city) that it would be difficult to narrow it down to one player, and it certainly was. There were other Pro Football Hall of Famer with whom we easily could have slid into the top spot, but we elected to go with Merlin Olsen, the…
merlin olsen
2. Aaron Donald
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
As of this writing, Aaron Donald has completed five seasons with the Rams where without question he has cemented himself as one of the top defensive players in the game.
aaron donald
3. Deacon Jones
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
If we were to have made this list based on their iconic stature, Deacon Jones would have been #1 and not #2.
deacon jones
4. Jack Youngblood
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Jack Youngblood came from the University of Florida, and the 1st Round Pick would be asked to fill the shoes of possibly the most iconic defensive force in Rams history, Deacon Jones. Considering the pressure he had to feel that he was under, it is more than safe to say that he did one hell of a job!
jack youngblood
5. Orlando Pace
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Every great team needs a steady presence and for “The Greatest Show on Turf” that was Left Tackle, Orlando Pace.
Orlando Pace
6. Marshall Faulk
6. Marshall Faulk
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
When we are speaking about the St. Louis Rams and the “Greatest Show on Turf” an engine needs to be referenced. That engine was Marshall Faulk, the Hall of Fame Running Back for the Rams.
marshall faulk
7. Jackie Slater
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
In terms of tenure, there are none in higher standing than Jackie Slater, who played 259 Games in the NFL (plus 18 more in the playoffs) for the Rams in a 20-year career that spanned from 1976 to 1995. Earning the starting Right Tackle job to commence the 1979 season, Slater would be a fixture there starting 211 of the…
jackie slater
8. Bob Waterfield
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
The passing statistics of Bob Waterfield may look poor by today's standards, but when he debuted for the Cleveland Rams after a great career at UCLA, he would take the Cleveland Rams to an NFL Championship as a rookie in 1945. Waterfield was not just the teams Quarterback as he was also their Kicker and Punter, and defensively, he had…
bob waterfield
9. Isaac Bruce
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Isaac Bruce starred as the top Wide Receiver for the "Greatest Show on Turf," which is no small statement. A Second Round pick from the University of Memphis, Bruce exploded with a 1,781 Yard season with 13 Touchdowns. Amazingly, he was not a Pro Bowl selection that year but would be the next season when his 1,338 Yards led the…
Isaac Bruce
10. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Dubbed "Crazy Legs" for the unique way he ran, Elroy Hirsch is one of the most well-known players of his era. An exceptional athlete at the University of Michigan, Hirsch served as a Marine (like many did back then) and upon his return from duty, he led a College All-Star team to a 16-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams,…
elroy hirsch crazy legs
11. Kurt Warner
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Like so many on the all-time Rams list, Kurt Warner was a hard one to place mainly due to the long existence of the franchise and the number of great players that they had. So when you have a player regardless of the caliber who was only there six seasons but when three of those campaigns were as spectacular as…
Kurt Warner
12. Tom Mack
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Selected second overall in the 1966 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan, Tom Mack would become the teams starting Left Guard midway through the 1966 season, and in his sophomore season he would be named to the Pro Bowl. That year would be the first of eleven trips to the annual game honor showcasing the best players in…
tom mack
13. Eric Dickerson
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Drafted second overall from SMU in 1983, Eric Dickerson would become the most explosive Running Back in the National Football League. As a rookie, Dickerson would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year in a season where he led the league in Rushing Yards with 1,808 Yards and 18 Touchdowns, the former being good enough to finish first. That was…
eric dickerson
14. Norm Van Brocklin
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
The Rams arguably landed quite a deal when they drafted Norm Van Brocklin in the fourth round of the 1950 NFL Draft as the QB fell not because he wasn't good but because it was speculated by many that he would stay at the University of Oregon for his senior year. He didn't, and the Rams would be the beneficiary…
norm van brocklin
15. Torry Holt
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
A member of the St. Louis Rams for all but his final season (which was in Jacksonville) the 6th Overall Pick from North Carolina State, Torry Holt had a really good rookie season where he joined the famed (yes we are saying it again) "Greatest Show on Turf" and would be a Super Bowl Champion as a rookie. Holt would…
Torry Holt
16. Les Richter
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Drafted by the New York Yanks second overall Les Richter never suited up for them as they folded. His rights went to the new Dallas Texans (who pretty much took most of the Yanks), but he never played for them either as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. While this may look lopsided, it was…
les richter
17. Eddie Meador
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
Eddie Meador is one of the greatest Defensive Backs in Rams history, and he would spend all of his twelve seasons there. Meador was a real ball hawk who recorded 46 Interceptions, which is the most in Rams history. The "Fearsome Foursome" may have gotten most of the defensive attention for the Los Angeles Rams, but Meador should not be…
eddie meador
18. Henry Ellard
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
One of the greatest athletes ever to come out of Fresno State, Henry Ellard was used as both a Wide Receiver and Punt Returner in his first few seasons in the NFL. Ellard was still catching his fair share of passes, but he was good enough as a Punt Returner to be named a First Team All-Pro and a Pro…
Henry Ellard
19. Isiah Robertson
Top 50 Los Angeles Rams
Add new comment
A member of the Los Angeles Rams for eight seasons, Isiah Robertson got off to an incredible start as the 10th overall pick in 1971 would promptly win the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Robertson, who was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, went on a spectacular run in the mid-'70s would earn Pro Bowl honors annually from 1973 to…
isiah robertson
#HelmetHornsMatter
“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.
“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ramsdude | 161 | July 12, 2022 05:30AM |
