| 1945 Cleveland Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Adam Walsh |
| Home stadium | League Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–1 |
| Division place | 1stNFL Western |
| Playoffs | WonNFL Championship (vs.Redskins) 15–14 |
The1945 Cleveland Rams season was the team's eighth year with theNational Football League and the ninth and final season inCleveland. Led by the brother tandem of head coachAdam Walsh and general managerChile Walsh, and helmed by future Hall of Fame quarterbackBob Waterfield, the Rams franchise finished 9–1 before winning its firstNFL Championship by defeating theWashington Redskins, 15–14, atCleveland Stadium. Other stars on the team included receiverJim Benton and backJim Gillette, who gained more than 100 yards in the title game.
One month after winning the NFL Championship, the team's players and the franchise ownerDan Reeves, who had sustained five years of heavy financial losses (even during the team's championship season) because of poor home crowds, realized he had no prospect of the Rams competing in Cleveland with theAAFC'sBrowns, who were to commence play the next year, and relocated the Rams toLos Angeles.[1] The Rams' move to Los Angeles marked the first of only two occasions that a professional football champion has played the following season in another city.[2]
| =Hall of Famer |
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch | End | Michigan |
| 2 | 16 | Milan Lazetich | Tackle | Michigan |
| 3 | 21 | W.G. (Dub) Wooten | End | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 32 | Jack Zilly | End | Notre Dame |
| 5 | 37 | Roger Harding | Center | California |
| 6 | 48 | Jerry Cowhig | Back | Notre Dame |
| 7 | 59 | Fred Negus | Center | Wisconsin |
| 8 | 70 | Johnny August | Back | Alabama |
| 9 | 81 | Dick Huffman | Tackle | Tennessee |
| 10 | 92 | Vern Walters | Back | Alma |
| 11 | 103 | Tom Fears | End | UCLA |
| 12 | 114 | Joe Winkler | Center | Purdue |
| 13 | 125 | Jack Aland | Tackle | Alabama |
| 14 | 136 | Chuck Uknes | Back | Iowa |
| 15 | 147 | Bill Lund | Back | Case Western Reserve |
| 16 | 158 | Bob Barton | End | Holy Cross |
| 17 | 169 | Dick Hoerner | Back | Iowa |
| 18 | 180 | Lee Kennon | Tackle | Oklahoma |
| 19 | 191 | Eagle Matulich | Back | Mississippi State |
| 20 | 202 | Bill Griffin | Tackle | Kentucky |
| 21 | 213 | Leroy Erickson | Back | Oregon |
| 22 | 224 | Ray Evans | Tackle | Texas-El Paso |
| 23 | 235 | Luke Higgins | Tackle | Notre Dame |
| 24 | 246 | Stan Nowak | End | South Carolina |
| 25 | 257 | Gene Konopka | Guard | Villanova |
| 26 | 268 | Ray Florek | Back | Illinois |
| 27 | 279 | Russ Perry | Back | Wake Forest |
| 28 | 290 | Pat West | Back | USC |
| 29 | 301 | Bill Davis | Back | Oregon |
| 30 | 312 | Charley Compton | Tackle | Alabama |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 30 | Chicago Cardinals | W 21–0 | 1–0 | League Park | 10,872 | Recap | |
| 2 | October 7 | Chicago Bears | W 17–0 | 2–0 | League Park | 19,580 | Recap | |
| 3 | October 14 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 27–14 | 3–0 | City Stadium | 24,607 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 21 | atChicago Bears | W 41–21 | 4–0 | Wrigley Field | 28,273 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 28 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 14–28 | 4–1 | Shibe Park | 38,149 | Recap | |
| 6 | November 4 | atNew York Giants | W 21–17 | 5–1 | Polo Grounds | 46,219 | Recap | |
| 7 | November 11 | Green Bay Packers | W 20–7 | 6–1 | League Park | 28,686 | Recap | |
| 8 | November 18 | atChicago Cardinals | W 35–21 | 7–1 | Comiskey Park | 18,000 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 22 | atDetroit Lions | W 28–21 | 8–1 | Briggs Stadium | 40,017 | Recap | |
| 10 | December 2 | Boston Yanks | W 20–7 | 9–1 | League Park | 18,470 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | ||||||||
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Rams | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 7–0 | 244 | 136 | W5 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 5–2 | 195 | 194 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 3–4 | 258 | 173 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 2–6 | 192 | 235 | W2 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 1–6 | 98 | 228 | L6 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Rams | 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into theend zone,quarterbackSammy Baugh threw, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time was on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as asafety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.
In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced byFrank Filchock. Filchock threw a 38-yardtouchdown pass toSteve Bagarus to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. But the Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jim Benton. Waterfield's ensuingextra point was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.
In the third quarter, the Rams increased their lead when Jim Gillette scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception, but this time the extra point was missed. The Redskins then came back to cut their deficit to 15–14 withBob Seymour's 8-yard touchdown catch from Filchock. In the fourth quarter, Washington kickerJoe Aguirre missed two field goals attempts, of 46 and 31 yards, that could have won the game.
Bold denotes player on the official NFL roster at the end of the 1945 season.[3]