Finally, a happy day for Rams fans at Legends game

Finally, a happy day for Rams fans at Legends game
Jose de Jesus Ortiz

[www.stltoday.com]

Still bitter about the Rams’ move to Los Angeles, Greg Gebert initially didn’t want to attend the Legends of the Dome game. The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized he couldn’t pass up a chance to see the superstars who brought him so much joy.

Gebert eventually bought a pair of tickets and made the drive east from Wentzville with his 4-year-old son, Tyler. Then as the clock ticked closer to kickoff for the flag football game Saturday afternoon, he saw Kurt Warner on the surface where the legendary quarterback once led the Greatest Show on Turf.

Gebert cradled his son, rushed toward Warner and asked if he would take a selfie with him.

“Sure,” Warner said with a gentle, patient smile as fans crowded him even though he had already signed hundreds of autographs during a VIP reception.

The Geberts were like most of the 10,600 fans who attended the Legends of the Dome charity flag football game, which benefited the Isaac Bruce Foundation.

Many of the greatest names from the Rams’ 21 years in St. Louis — including several of the men who won Super Bowl XXXIV — returned to the Dome at America’s Center. Warner, Bruce, Hall of Famers Aeneas Williams and Orlando Pace, wide receiver Torry Holt and former coaches Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz were among the biggest names in town for the flag football game.

“In 1999 I was just graduating high school and we went from a team that wasn’t that exciting to all of a sudden just exploding on the scene and completely dominating every game,” Gebert said. “I think it was an uplift for the city. You got football back after the Cardinals left and you kind of do something that’s magical that probably had not been done before and probably will never be done again.”

It’s unclear if the NFL will ever return to St. Louis. If the NFL does put another franchise in the Gateway to the West it won’t be anytime soon.

But even despised Rams owner Stan Kroenke cannot rob the St. Louis fans of their fond memories.

Fittingly, Warner connected with Bruce on a beautiful long touchdown pass to open the scoring for the Blue squad, which eventually lost 56-49 to the White squad led by Pace and Vermeil.

“It was awesome,” Bruce said. “We came out with the mindset of just making the fans happy and having them come out and having a good time. Mission accomplished.

“In two words, thank you. That’s basically what we wanted to come out here and say.”

Mission accomplished indeed.

“Hopefully we gave that love back out tonight to the fans,” Pace said. “And hopefully some of those guys that may be a little bitter (about the Rams’ departure) got a chance to smile a little bit and reminisce on the old times of when we played in here for real.

“To give this Dome its proper shutdown is really special also. We had a great time here. Hopefully they loved the time we spent here. The special thing about it is we gave this city a championship. That’s something nobody could ever take away.”

The intimate crowd had such a good time they didn’t offer the familiar “Kroenke Sucks” chant until the third quarter.

Cancer survivor Gail Johnson, 53, wore a faded blue Rams hat and a white T-shirt honoring her late cousin Steve Willis, who was a fixture at Rams home games.

With a small portable oxygen tank hanging from her shoulder and feeding her oxygen through a nasal tube, Johnson once again cheered on her Rams.

“My cousin died three years ago of heart disease,” Johnson said. “Man, right there on 7th and Cole streets he and my sister faithfully tailgated through all kind of weather. I love this team because to me personally I saw they had big hearts.

“People like Isaac Bruce and Aeneas Williams have big hearts. It was more than just about winning Super Bowls or playoffs. They also gave back to the community. ... Those things mean something.”

The players and coaches also enjoyed the opportunity to see each other again. Vermeil even wore his Super Bowl championship ring.

Many of the players got their teammates to sign their jerseys before, during and after the game.

“I don’t wear it very often; it’s so big,” Vermeil said of his championship ring. “But it was nice to be able to put it on with the people who put it on for me. They’re the people that won it and earned it. To be able to share a day like this with them is really fun.”

The players were asked to autograph several pieces of memorabilia.

Gerard Oscko, 58, arrived at the game with a framed copy of the special section the Post-Dispatch put out after Warner led the Rams to the Super Bowl title.

“I’m getting signatures on the back side (of the frame)” Oscko said. “It’s been hanging on the wall for 16 years. It brings back memories of how special this team was and how great they were and what it meant to the city and the enthusiasm that they brought to it.”

Many fans are still bitter that Kroenke moved the Rams back to Los Angeles, but it’s clear they don’t hold the move against the former players.

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if nobody showed up being a little bit vindictive or a little mad with the Rams organization,” Vermeil said. “But in knowing the St. Louis people like I got to know them over three years, this is really what I expected for them to come and support and show class. I think they enjoyed seeing all these guys again, too.”