FUN FACTS



The Rams Name
The franchise was originated in Cleveland in 1936 as a member of the American Football League. In 1937 the team joined the NFL. Principal owner 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. The original uniform colors were red and black, also the colors of Fordham U.

The Rams Horn
Halfback Fred Gehrke, an art major in college, made a pen-and-ink sketch of a ram's horn in 1947 and showed the rendering to Bob Snyder, the team's head coach. Gehrke suggested the design would make an eye-catching addition to the team's helmets. Snyder could not visualize the artwork, so Gehrke painted the design on the leather headgear. The following season, the Rams became the first pro team with a helmet insignia. Today, the Cleveland Browns are the only NFL team without a helmet logo.


Gehrke's effort required considerable maintenance. The paint would chip off the helmets from the numerous player collisions during games. Gehrke would take many helmets home after games and retouch the horn. The problem was lessened in 1949, when the Rams went to a plastic helmet, and disappeared in 1972, when decals with strong adhesive backing were used on the helmets.



- Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame-

Rams Facts, Firsts, & Records

  • Original Franchise Location:
    The team was originally located in Cleveland, Ohio (1937-45).
  • First Draft Choice:
    Johnny Drake, B, Purdue, 1937.
  • First Regular-Season Game:
    A 28-0 loss to the Detroit Lions, 9/10/37.
  • First Regular-Season Win:
    A 21-3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, 9/17/37.
  • Original Team Colors:
    Red and black
  • First Winning Season:
    1945 (9-1).
  • First Playoff Appearance:
    A 15-14 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1945 NFL Championship game, 12/16/45.
  • First Super Bowl Appearance:
    A 31-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV, 1/20/80.
  • First Player Elected to the Hall of Fame:
    QB Bob Waterfield, 1965.
  • First All-League Selection:
    Johnny Drake, 1940.
  • First to Rush 200 Yards in a Game:
    Dan Towler, 205 yards vs. the Baltimore Colts, 11/22/53.
  • First to Gain 300 Yards Receiving in a Game:
    Jim Benton's 303 yards receiving vs. the Detroit Lions on 11/22/45, was a Rams and NFL first.
  • First 1,000-Yard Rusher:
    Dick Bass, 1,033 yards (1962).
  • Most Rushing Yards, Career:
    Eric Dickerson, 7,245 yards (1983-87).
  • Most Passing Yards, Career:
    Jim Everett, 23,758 yards (1986-93).
  • Most Receptions, Career:
    Isaac Bruce, 619 receptions (1994-2002).
  • All-Time Leading Scorer:
    Jeff Wilkins, 1,223 points (1997-2007).
  • Most Points Scored in a Game:
    On 10/22/50, the Rams defeated the Baltimore Colts 70-27. By contrast, in 1937 the Rams scored just 75 points the entire season.

Rams Famous Firsts
The long history of the Rams is rich with firsts. Among them are:

  • The first professional sports team to move West of the Mississippi.
  • The first NFL team in the post-WWII era to employ black players.
  • The first to use an insignia or logo on the helmet.
  • The first to play before one million spectators in a season.
  • Participated in the first game to use sudden-death in overtime.
  • The first to employ a full-time scouting staff.
  • The first to employ a full-time special teams coach (Dick Vermeil - 1969).
  • The first to regularly televise away games.
  • First team to have a player selected to 14 consecutive Pro-Bowls (Merlin Olsen).
  • The first team to win seven consecutive division titles (1973-79)
  • The first team with more than six defeats to play in the Super Bowl (9-7 in1979).
  • The first NFL team to move back East (To St. Louis in 1995).
  • The first NFL team to loose all 8 divisional games one year, then win all 8 divisional games the next.
  • The first franchise to win a NFL championship in 3 different cities (Cleveland 1945; Los Angeles 1951; St. Louis 1999).
  • The first NFL team to score at least 500 points in 3 consecutive seasons.