From among the 28 head coaches throughout the team's history,Sid Gillman,George Allen, andDick Vermeil were inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of their contributions as coaches.Joe Stydahar andBob Waterfield were also inducted into the Hall of Fame, although they were recognized for their contributions as players, not coaches.[7] Five coaches have been recognized as coach of the year by major news organizations:Adam Walsh in 1945,Hamp Pool in 1952, Allen in 1967,Chuck Knox in 1973, Vermeil in 1999, andSean McVay in 2017.[a]
Damon Wetzel was the Rams' first head coach in 1936. Although the team was scheduled to play against theBoston Shamrocks in the AFL's Championship Game, the Shamrocks were forced to forfeit the game after unpaid players on that team declined to participate in it.[1] The Rams then moved to the NFL the following year and hiredHugo Bezdek as their new head coach. During his tenure, however, he coached the team to only a single win in his first year.[12] Bezdek was later fired after three games to start the 1938 NFL season and was replaced by assistant coachArt Lewis for the remainder of the year.[13] The Rams continued to struggle under subsequent head coachesDutch Clark andAldo Donelli, none of whom had a winning percentage of over .400.[12] The team finally found success underAdam Walsh, who guided the Rams to the franchise's firstNFL Championship in1945. Walsh remained head coach during the team's relocation to Los Angeles in 1946 before being replaced byBob Snyder in 1947. Snyder's tenure turned out to be short due to then-ownerDan Reeves firing him prior to the start of the1949 NFL season and replacing him with newly-minted advisorClark Shaughnessy.[14] For the next three seasons, Shaughnessy and his successorJoe Stydahar, who was previously the team's line coach, led the team to three consecutive playoff berths, including the franchise's second NFL Championship in1951.[12][15] The following season, however, tensions between Stydahar and backfield coachHamp Pool led the former to resign and the latter succeeding him as head coach.[16] Pool led the Rams to a playoff berth as did his successorSid Gillman.[12]
For the Rams' first two seasons in St. Louis,Rich Brooks served as head coach before being replaced byDick Vermeil in 1997.[22] Despite two consecutive seasons where the team finished last in its division, Vermeil alongside a rejuvenated offense nicknamedThe Greatest Show on Turf led the Rams to victory inSuper Bowl XXXIV at the end of the1999 NFL season, marking the franchise's first Super Bowl title.[23] Upon Vermeil's retirement at the conclusion of the aforementioned season, offensive coordinatorMike Martz was named his replacement, leading the Rams to four playoff berths in five seasons, including an NFC Championship and an appearance inSuper Bowl XXXVI.[24][12] After Martz took a medical leave of absence five games into the2005 NFL season, assistant coachJoe Vitt was hired as his replacement for the remainder of the season.[25] From that point on through 2016, the Rams entered a 12-year period of poor results under the leadership of head coachesScott Linehan,Steve Spagnuolo, andJeff Fisher, with the latter's tenure occurring during the team's return to Los Angeles. Linehan, Spagnuolo, and Fisher were each fired in midseason, with Vitt,Jim Haslett andJohn Fassel serving as interim head coaches during that period.[12] The Rams franchise's fortunes turned around with the hiring ofSean McVay as the 28th and current head coach of the team. Upon his hiring in 2017 at the age of 30, he became the youngest head coach in league history.[26] In eight seasons, McVay has led the Rams to six playoff berths, fourNFC West Division titles, two NFC Championships, including a loss inSuper Bowl LIII in2018 and a victory inSuper Bowl LVI in2021.[27] Already the youngest coach to reach the Super Bowl three years earlier, McVay became the youngest head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl championship.[28] In 2024, McVay became the Rams franchise leader in regular season and overall coaching victories.[29]
^A running total of the number of coaches of the Rams. Thus any coach who has two terms as head coach is only counted once.
^abHugo Bezdek was fired after three games were played in the 1938 season; assistant coachArt Lewis handled interim head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.[13]
^The team suspended operations during the 1943 season due to a shortage of available players stemming fromWorld War II.[34]
^abJoe Stydahar resigned after the first game was played in the 1952 season; backfield coachHamp Pool assumed head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.[39]
^abBob Waterfield resigned with six games left in the 1962 season;Harland Svare assumed the role of head coach for the remainder of that season.[43]
^abMike Martz took a medical leave of absence after five games were played in the 2005 season; assistant coachJoe Vitt handled interim head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.[25]
^abScott Linehan was fired after four games were played in the 2008 season; defensive coordinatorJim Haslett handled interim head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.[57]
^abJeff Fisher was fired with three games remaining in the 2016 season; special teams coordinatorJohn Fassel handled interim head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.[61]
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