Los Angeles Rams
On the 11th of April 1936, Ohio attorney Homer Marshman and player-coach Damon Wetzel established the Cleveland Rams in Cleveland, Ohio. The team joined the newly formed American Football League and finished the 1936 regular season with a 5, 2, 2 record. They placed second behind the Boston Shamrocks who held an 8, 3 record. Key players included William "Bud" Cooper, Harry "The Horse" Mattos, Stan Pincura, and Mike Sebastian. The franchise became part of the National Football League on the 12th of February 1937. It was assigned to the Western Division as the fourth short-lived team based in Cleveland following the Tigers, Bulldogs, and Indians. The team featured Parker Hall, the Most Valuable Player of the 1939 season. In June 1941, Dan Reeves and Fred Levy Jr. purchased the club. Reeves used inheritance from his family's grocery chain business to buy his share while Levy owned part of the team alongside Bob Hope. The franchise suspended operations for the 1943 season due to World War II player shortages. Adam Walsh took over as head coach in 1945. Rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield won the Joe F. Carr Trophy that year. He helped the Rams achieve a 9, 1 record and win their first NFL Championship. The final score was 15, 14 against the Washington Redskins on December 16. A safety provided the margin when Sammy Baugh's pass bounced off the goal post and through the end zone.
On the 12th of January 1946, owner Dan Reeves received approval to move the Cleveland Rams to Los Angeles after threatening to leave professional football entirely. The team entered negotiations to lease the 103,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. League owners required integration as a precondition for the lease agreement. The Rams signed Kenny Washington on the 21st of March 1946 according to some sources or the 4th of May 1946 according to others. They added Woody Strode on the 7th of May 1946 making them the first NFL team with two black players entering the 1946 season. This signing caused "all hell to break loose" among other franchise owners. The team played its first preseason game in front of 95,000 fans against the Washington Redskins. Bob Snyder coached the team for one season leading them to a 6, 6 record. In 1948 halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the helmets creating the first helmet emblem in pro football. Clark Shaughnessy took over coaching duties that same year. The Rams' heyday in Southern California spanned from 1949 to 1955 when they won four conference championships including one in 1951. Elroy Hirsch posted 1,495 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns during the 1951 championship season. The team became the first professional football squad to televise all their games starting in 1950. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted the Rams for more than 30 years despite being over 20 years old at kickoff.
In 1999 quarterback Kurt Warner emerged as starter after Trent Green suffered a leg injury in preseason play. Warner had previously played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. He synced up with Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce to lead one of history's most prolific offenses. The team scored 526 points that season marking the beginning of "The Greatest Show on Turf" era. Warner threw 41 touchdowns leading the Rams to Super Bowl XXXIV where they defeated the Tennessee Titans 23, 16. Warner was named Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl. Head coach Dick Vermeil retired following the win while offensive coordinator Mike Martz took over as head coach. The Rams reached Super Bowl XXXVI but lost 20, 17 to the New England Patriots. Martz established a pass-first identity posting an NFL record number of points from 1999 through 2001. In the 2004 draft the Rams selected Oregon State running back Steven Jackson as the 24th pick. Team president John Shaw did not allow Martz to return to coaching after he fell ill in 2005. Scott Linehan took control of an 8, 8 team in 2006 before being fired in September 2008 after starting 0, 4. Steve Spagnuolo became head coach in January 2009 but won only once in his first season. On the 31st of May 2009 owners Stan Kroenke and Lucia Rodriguez offered their majority share for sale. Kroenke invoked his right of first refusal to buy 60% of the team on the 25th of August 2010.
On the 17th of December 2015 the Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, 23 in their final home game in St. Louis. Fans claimed owner Stan Kroenke and Kevin Demoff lied about keeping the franchise there. The Edward Jones Dome lease required ranking in the top tier by 2015 which failed to produce a solution. Time magazine ranked the dome seventh worst major sports stadium in the United States in May 2012. On the 5th of January 2015 the Los Angeles Times reported Kroenke and Stockbridge Capital Group were developing a new NFL stadium on Inglewood property owned by Kroenke. The Inglewood City Council approved the initiative on the 24th of February 2015 with construction planned to begin in December 2015. The NFL announced any moving franchise would pay a $550 million fee on the day the Raiders and Chargers filed to move. Owners voted 30, 2 on the 12th of January 2016 allowing the Rams return to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. The team held a press conference at The Forum in Inglewood on the 15th of January 2016 resulting in over 56,000 season ticket deposits. SoFi Stadium opened for the 2020 season after serving as the world's costliest stadium at over $5 billion. The pandemic kept fans out of the 70,000-seat venue during its first year. The Rams played their first regular-season game back in Los Angeles on the 18th of September 1994 against the San Francisco 49ers before returning to St. Louis.
On the 12th of January 2017 Sean McVay became head coach at age 30 making him the youngest in modern NFL history. He surpassed Lane Kiffin who was 31 when hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007. The Rams led the league with 478 points scored in 2017 after scoring only 224 points in 2016. They finished 11, 5 and won their first NFC West title since 2003. On the 4th of February 2016 the team selected Oxnard as minicamp site while Jared Goff went first overall in the draft. In 2018 the Rams signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a six-year, $135 million contract making him the highest-paid defensive player until Khalil Mack broke the record the next day. The team defeated the Dallas Cowboys 30, 22 in the divisional round of playoffs. They lost Super Bowl LIII 13, 3 to the New England Patriots in Atlanta on the 3rd of February 2019. Before Super Bowl LV the Rams traded Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford giving up a third-round pick and two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. Stafford threw three touchdowns and 321 yards in his Los Angeles debut against the Chicago Bears on the 9th of September 2021. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23, 20 to win Super Bowl LVI becoming the second NFL team to win the championship in their home stadium.
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Common questions
When was the Los Angeles Rams franchise originally established?
The Cleveland Rams were established on the 11th of April 1936 by Ohio attorney Homer Marshman and player-coach Damon Wetzel. The team joined the American Football League and finished its first regular season with a 5, 2, 2 record.
Who purchased the Los Angeles Rams in June 1941?
Dan Reeves and Fred Levy Jr. purchased the club in June 1941. Reeves used inheritance from his family's grocery chain business to buy his share while Levy owned part of the team alongside Bob Hope.
What year did the Los Angeles Rams move from Cleveland to Los Angeles?
Owner Dan Reeves received approval to move the Cleveland Rams to Los Angeles on the 12th of January 1946 after threatening to leave professional football entirely. The team entered negotiations to lease the 103,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Which players made the Los Angeles Rams the first NFL team with two black players?
The Rams signed Kenny Washington on the 21st of March 1946 or the 4th of May 1946 according to some sources. They added Woody Strode on the 7th of May 1946 making them the first NFL team with two black players entering the 1946 season.
When did SoFi Stadium open for the Los Angeles Rams?
SoFi Stadium opened for the 2020 season after serving as the world's costliest stadium at over $5 billion. The pandemic kept fans out of the 70,000-seat venue during its first year.
Who became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in January 2017?
Sean McVay became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams on the 12th of January 2017 at age 30. He surpassed Lane Kiffin who was 31 when hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007 to become the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.