| St. Louis Rams | |||||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||||
| Established | 1995 | ||||||||||||
| Ended | 2015 | ||||||||||||
| Colors | Millennium blue, New Century gold, white | ||||||||||||
| Mascot | Ramster (1995) Rampage (2010–2015) | ||||||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||||||
| Owners | Georgia Frontiere (1995–2008) Chip Rosenbloom (2008–2010) Lucia Rodriguez (2008–2010) Stan Kroenke (2010–2015) | ||||||||||||
| Chairman | Stan Kroenke (1995–2010) Chip Rosenbloom (2010–2015) | ||||||||||||
| General manager | Steve Ortmayer (1995–1996) Dick Vermeil (1997–1999) Charley Armey (2000–2005) Jay Zygmunt (2006–2008) Billy Devaney (2009–2011) Les Snead (2012–2015) | ||||||||||||
| Head coach | Rich Brooks (1995–1996) Dick Vermeil (1997–1999) Mike Martz (2000–2005) Joe Vitt (2005) Scott Linehan (2006–2008) Jim Haslett (2008) Steve Spagnuolo (2009–2011) Jeff Fisher (2012–2015) | ||||||||||||
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| Team history | |||||||||||||
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| Home fields | |||||||||||||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||||||||||||
National Football League (1995–2015)
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| Championships | |||||||||||||
| League championships: 1 | |||||||||||||
| Conference championships: 2 | |||||||||||||
| Division championships: 3 | |||||||||||||
| Playoff appearances (5) | |||||||||||||
| This article is part of series of |
| Los Angeles Rams history |
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| Cleveland Rams (1936–1945) |
| Los Angeles Rams (1946–1994) |
| St. Louis Rams (1995–2015) |
| Los Angeles Rams (2016–present) |
| List of seasons |
TheSt. Louis Rams were a professionalAmerican football team of theNational Football League (NFL). They played inSt. Louis, Missouri, from1995 through the2015 season, before moving back toLos Angeles, California, where the team had played from1946 to1994. The team is now known as theLos Angeles Rams.
The arrival of the Rams, which originated inCleveland before moving to Los Angeles in 1946, gave St. Louis a professional football team for the first time since theSt. Louis Cardinals left to become theArizona Cardinals in 1987.
The St. Louis Rams played their home games at what is now known asThe Dome at America's Center in downtown St. Louis, which the city had been building for a few years in the hopes of gaining an NFL team. Dubbed theTrans World Dome, the stadium was unready when the team arrived, so it temporarily sharedBusch Memorial Stadium with theSt. Louis Cardinals ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). The Rams played their first game in St. Louis on September 10, 1995, defeating theNew Orleans Saints, 17–13. The Trans World Dome opened on November 12, 1995, when the Rams defeated theCarolina Panthers 28–17.
The franchise notched its first winning season and playoff appearance as a St. Louis, Missouri team in1999, and went on to win its first and only championship inSuper Bowl XXXIV. That season began a three-year run of success withThe Greatest Show on Turf offense, which included a franchise-best 14–2 record in2001 en route to aSuper Bowl XXXVI appearance.
Following their 2002 Super Bowl defeat to theNew England Patriots, the Rams struggled for their remaining years in St. Louis. By the time they moved back to Los Angeles, the Rams had gone 12 seasons without a winning record, and 11 seasons without qualifying for the postseason.
The St. Louis Rams played their last game in St. Louis, Missouri on December 17, 2015, defeating theTampa Bay Buccaneers 31–23 in a home stadium that had been renamed the Edward Jones Dome. Their last game as a St. Louis–based franchise was on January 3, 2016, against theSan Francisco 49ers atLevi's Stadium, which they lost 19–16. After the 2015 NFL season, the team returned to Los Angeles.
The Rams franchise, founded in 1936 by attorney/businessmanHomer Marshman and player-coachDamon "Buzz" Wetzel, was named for the then-powerhouseFordham Rams and because the name was short and would fit easily into a newspaper headline.[1]
Coached by Wetzel, and featuring future Hall-of-Fame coachSid Gillman as a receiver, the team went 5–2–2 in its first season, finishing in second place, behind theBoston Shamrocks. The team might have hosted an AFL championship game at Cleveland'sLeague Park; however, the Boston team canceled because its unpaid players refused to participate.[2] The Rams then moved from the poorly managed AFL to the National Football League on February 12, 1937.[2] Marshman and the other Rams stockholders paid $10,000 for an NFL franchise, then put up $55,000 to capitalize the new club, and Wetzel became general manager.[3]
Under head coachHugo Bezdek and with sole starJohnny Drake, the team's first-round draft pick, the Rams struggled in an era of little league parity to a 1–10 record in 1937 under heavy competition from the NFL's "big four": theChicago Bears,Green Bay Packers,New York Giants, and theWashington Redskins. After the team dropped its first three games of 1938, Wetzel was fired, then Bezdek.Art Lewis became coach, and guided the team to four victories in its last eight games and a 4–7 record.
Future Hall-of-FamerDutch Clark was named head coach for the 1939 season, and with Lewis as his assistant and with star backParker Hall on the squad, the Rams improved to 5–5–1 in 1939 and 4–6–1 in 1940 before falling back to 2–9 in 1941, the year thatDan Reeves, a New Yorker with family wealth in the grocery business, acquired the team.
The Rams bounced back to 5–6 and a third-place finish in 1942, but in the heavy war year of 1943, when many NFL personnel, including Rams' majority owner Reeves, had been drafted into the military, they suspended play for one season.
The franchise began to rebound in 1944 under the direction of general managerChile Walsh and head coachAldo Donelli, the only man both to participate in aFIFA World Cup game and coach an NFL team. With servicemen beginning to return home, and with the makings of a championship team that included endsJim Benton andSteve Pritko, backsJim Gillette andTommy Colella, and linemenRiley Matheson andMike Scarry, the team improved to 4–6 in 1944, defeating the Bears in League Park and theDetroit Lions inBriggs Stadium.[4]
Before the Rams’1979 Super Bowl season, the team's ownerCarroll Rosenbloom drowned in an accident.[5] His widow,Georgia Frontiere, inherited 70% ownership of the team. Frontiere fired her stepson,Steve Rosenbloom, and assumed total control of the franchise. As had been planned before Carroll Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum toAnaheim Stadium in nearbyOrange County in 1980. The move was necessitated in part because the Coliseum's abnormally largeseating capacity of 100,000 was difficult to sell out,[6] which often subjected the team to the league's local-market TVblackout rule. At the same time, Southern California's population patterns were changing; there was rapid growth in L.A.’s affluent suburbs (e.g. greater Orange County) and a decline in the city of Los Angeles's population and income.[7] Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1966 as the home of theCalifornia Angels Major League Baseball franchise. To accommodate the Rams’ move, the ballpark was reconfigured with luxury suites and enclosed to accommodate crowds of about 65,000 for football.
From 1982, the Coliseum was also occupied by theLos Angeles Raiders. The combined effect of these two factors split the loyalties of the Rams’ traditional fan base between two teams. Making matters even worse, the Rams were unsuccessful on the field, while the Raiders were thriving, winningSuper Bowl XVIII in 1983.The Los Angeles Lakers won theNBA Finals in 1980, their first of five titles in that decade;the Los Angeles Dodgers won theWorld Series in 1981 and 1988; andthe Los Angeles Kings, buoyed by the acquisition ofWayne Gretzky in August 1988, advanced to the1993 Stanley Cup Finals.
Although it was not apparent at the time, the Rams’ loss in the1989 NFC Championship Game marked the end of an era. The Rams did not have another winning season in Los Angeles before their relocation. The first half of the 1990s featured four straight 10-loss (or worse) seasons, no playoff appearances and waning fan interest. The return ofChuck Knox as head coach after successful stints as head coach ofthe Buffalo Bills and theSeattle Seahawks did not boost the Rams’ fortunes. Knox's run-oriented offense brought about the end of offensive coordinatorErnie Zampese's tenure in 1993. General manager John Shaw was perceived by some to continually squanderNFL draft picks on sub-standard talent. The offensive scheme was dull by 1990s standards, further alienating fans. One bright spot for the offense during this time was running backJerome Bettis, a bruising running back from Notre Dame. Bettis flourished in Knox's offense, running for 1,429 yards as a rookie and 1,025 in his sophomore effort.
As early as the close of the1992 season, Georgia Frontiere announced she wanted to break the Rams’ lease at Anaheim Stadium.[8] After the 1993 season, Frontiere attempted to move the Rams to Baltimore,[9] but her fellow owners turned that proposal down. Frontiere then sought to relocate the team toSt. Louis, but was voted down again, with 21 opposed, three in favor (the Rams,Cincinnati Bengals andTampa Bay Buccaneers), and six abstaining.[10][11] The other owners (led by Buffalo'sRalph Wilson, the Jets’Leon Hess, the Giants’Wellington Mara, Washington'sJack Kent Cooke, Arizona'sBill Bidwill and Minnesota's John Skoglund) believed that the Rams’ financial problems were caused by the Frontieres’ mismanagement.[12] When Frontiere threatened to sue the league, commissioner Paul Tagliabue acquiesced to Frontiere's demands. As part of the relocation deal, the city of St. Louis agreed to build a taxpayer-financed stadium, theTrans World Dome, and guaranteed that the stadium's amenities would be maintained in the top 25% of all NFL stadiums. Frontiere waived the clause after a 10-year threshold period passed, as the city implemented a later plan to improve the stadium.[13]
The move left many in theLos Angeles area embittered toward the NFL. That sentiment was best expressed by actor and ex-RamFred Dryer, who at the time said “I hate these people [the organization and its owner] for what they did, taking the Rams logo with them when they moved to St. Louis. That logo belonged to Southern California.” Steve Rosenbloom, general manager of the team during his father's tenure as owner, opined that teams come and go, but for a team to leave Los Angeles — the second largest city in America — for St. Louis (approximately the 18th-largest) was simply irresponsible and foolish, despite the notoriously fickle support of Los Angeles fans.[citation needed] With the Raiders moving from L.A. back to Oakland only a few months later, the NFL would have no franchise in Los Angeles for two decades, with the Coliseum used for professional football only in 2001, by theLos Angeles Xtreme of the now-defunctXFL.
While the Rams dealt with stadium concerns in Los Angeles, efforts were under way to regain an NFL franchise in St. Louis to play in a new domed stadium slated to open in 1995. First,Anheuser-Busch scionJim Orthwein tried, and failed, to movethe New England Patriots to St. Louis. Then, despite being heavily favored along withCharlotte to win an expansion team, St. Louis lost to a group fromJacksonville, Florida. So certain, in fact, did it appear that St. Louis would gain an expansion franchise, that the team had a name selected –the Stallions – and T-shirts with the team's logo were made very briefly available for sale at a number of area sports shops.
Just before moving to St. Louis, the Rams fired Knox and hiredRich Brooks, longtime successful coach atthe University of Oregon, to replace him. The team played its first several games in St. Louis atBusch Stadium, the home of the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 until 1987, as work finished on their new home, the Trans World Dome. Brooks jettisoned Knox's run-oriented scheme in favor of a powerful air attack. Bettis all but disappeared from the offense, rushing for only 637 yards. Despite this, the Rams started off well, getting off to a 5–1 start, until a 44–10 loss to the 49ers in the last game at Busch Stadium sent the team into a downward spiral, and they finished 7–9 — still the franchise's closest to contention since 1989. Perhaps the most memorable aspect was that veteran offensive lineman and futureHall of FamerJackie Slater played his 20th and final season with the team in its new St. Louis location.
The next three seasons were largely a repeat of the Rams’ final five seasons in Los Angeles. The team drafted highly toutedNebraska running backLawrence Phillips with the sixth overall pick in the1996 NFL draft. Now expendable, Bettis wastraded to thePittsburgh Steelers in exchange for draft picks, a move now seen as one of the most lopsided trades in professional sports history, strongly favoring the Steelers.[14] After regressing to 6–10 in 1996, Brooks was replaced byDick Vermeil. Vermeil had enjoyed success as the head coach ofUCLA, where he won aRose Bowl, andthe Philadelphia Eagles, who he led toSuper Bowl XV. However, he had left the Eagles after an unsuccessful1982 season, claiming burnout, and spent much of the next decade and a half as a college football commentator forABC Sports.
Vermeil's first two seasons as Rams coach were as unsuccessful as many of the preceding seasons. Phillips was cut from the team mid-season in 1997 after showing up for a game with alcohol on his breath, cementing his status as adraft bust.
At the close of the1998 season, the franchise's combined record over nine seasons was 45–99, the worst in the NFL for the period and rivalled by onlythe Cincinnati Bengals, who went 49–97 over the same span.
Finally, in1999, there appeared to be reason for hope. The Rams obtained running backMarshall Faulk from Indianapolis in a trade. The Rams also signed former-Redskin quarterback Trent Green as a free agent in February 1999 to a 4-year $17.5 million contract that included a $4.5 million signing bonus.[15] Additionally, the Rams drafted wide receiverTorry Holt with the sixth overall pick in the1999 NFL draft.
However, in a preseason game against theSan Diego Chargers, Green blew out hisanterior cruciate ligament and missed the entire season, prompting Green's backup, a 28-year-old formerArena Football LeagueIowa Barnstormers andNFL EuropeAmsterdam Admirals player namedKurt Warner, to enter the game. During postgame press conferences, a tearful Vermeil vowed that the Rams would "rally around" Warner and “play good football” with him. Most observers believed Green's injury set up the Rams for another long season of failure; in fact,ESPN Magazine predicted that the Rams would finish with the worst record in the league (even below that of the recently reactivatedCleveland Browns).
However, Warner would have one of the most explosive starts to a career in football history, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 41 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 109.2 was the highest in the NFL that year.[16] He proved to be the catalyst that sparked an explosive offense nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Turf”, which would lead the NFL in points. Warner captured theNFL MVP award at season's end, while the 1999NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award went to Faulk.
The Rams were also noted for a colorful celebration conducted by their offensive players in theend zone after scoring atouchdown. The celebration, which involved a group of players standing in a circle and swaying their arms as a football spun like a top in the center of the circle, was known as the “Bob 'N Weave.” This type of “premeditated and prolonged” display was shortly thereafter subject to “excessive celebration” penalties installed by the league.
After finishing the 1999 season 13–3 (the franchise's second-best regular season record to date), the Rams started out the playoffs by defeatingthe Minnesota Vikings 49–37 to achieve their first NFC championship game since1989. Their opponent was theTampa Bay Buccaneers, who proved successful in shutting down the Rams’ vaunted offense. Still, the Rams managed to win the game 11–6, with the one touchdown coming on Warner's 30-yard touchdown pass toRicky Proehl, who made a one-handed catch. Proehl, a 10-year NFL veteran who was in the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career, said after the game “There are a lot of people who say there are 500 Ricky Proehls out there. I beg to differ.”
The Rams’ opponent in Super Bowl XXXIV wasthe Tennessee Titans, who, like the Rams, had recently relocated cities. In a game that many consider the best Super Bowl ever, Tennessee played the Rams tough throughout, achieving a 16–16 tie with 2:12 left on anAl Del Greco field goal. On the next drive, Warner, who had been a clutch performer all season long, came through once again, connecting withIsaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive to give the Rams a 23–16 lead with 1:53 to play.
Tennessee then mounted a desperate, last-minute drive, reaching the St. Louis 10-yard line with six seconds left and no timeouts. Titans quarterbackSteve McNair threw toKevin Dyson on a slant. Dyson caught the pass at the 3-yard line but was stopped in a play known as “The Tackle”; Rams linebacker Mike Jones brought Dyson down just 18 inches, or half a yard, shy of the goal line, ending the game and giving the Rams and coach Dick Vermeil their first Super Bowl victory. Warner was named Super Bowl MVP.
Following the Rams’ Super Bowl victory, Vermeil retired from football (though he came back in 2001 as head coach ofthe Kansas City Chiefs) and was replaced by offensive coordinator (and apprentice)Mike Martz.
In Mike Martz’ first year as Rams head coach, the defending-championRams started the season by winning their first six games as they went 7–1 in thefirst half of the season. However, their season started getting ugly. They went 3–5 during the last half of the season, including a three-game losing streak. They still managed to get into theplayoffs with a 10–6 record and the NFC's #6 seed, and faced the NFC West championNew Orleans Saints, the #3 seed, in the Wild Card round. Playing at theLouisiana Superdome, the Rams’ 24th-ranked defense yielded New Orleans a 31–7 lead, but the Rams fought back, scoring three straight touchdowns. However, the comeback fell short as the Saints triumphed 31–28, the first playoff win in New Orleans franchise history.
In2001, the“Max Q” Rams went 14–2 (8–0 on the road), led not only by a strong offense (their third straight year of scoring 500 or more points), but a good defense as well, coached byLovie Smith and led byAdam Archuleta. After handling theGreen Bay Packers in the divisional playoffs, the Rams fought off thePhiladelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game 29–24 to reach their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Their opponents inSuper Bowl XXXVI would be theNew England Patriots who, much as the Rams had had two years previous, had enjoyed a Cinderella playoff run, highlighted bya dramatic and controversial 16–13 divisional playoff win against theOakland Raiders.
The talent-laden Rams appeared to be primed to become the first professional football dynasty of the 21st century. It was however, the Patriots who began their dynasty that night. They went on to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span, and have played in nine since the 2001 season as of 2020. Despite being a 14-point favorite, the Rams were dominated by the Patriots for most of the game. The Patriots chipped the Rams wideouts and running backs, disrupting their precision passing patterns. They also beat up Kurt Warner, forcing him into uncharacteristic mistakes, including a 47-yard touchdown interception return byTy Law.
In the fourth quarter, the Rams mounted a comeback attempt. Two plays after an apparent game-clinching 95-yard fumble return by the Patriots was reversed on a penalty, Kurt Warner scored on a two-yard keeper to bring the Rams to within seven points, 17–10. After holding the Patriots on the next drive, the Rams were in much the same situation as they had been against Tennessee. Warner came through once again, quickly leading the Rams on a dramatic drive culminating in a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. The extra point by Jeff Wilkins tied the game at 17 with 90 seconds left.
With the Patriots holding no timeouts and the Rams having seized the momentum, overtime seemed assured.Fox Sports commentatorJohn Madden opined that the Patriots should run out the clock to end regulation time. Nevertheless, quarterbackTom Brady led the Patriots down the field, completing all but one pass (an intentional spike to stop the clock) beforeAdam Vinatieri's last-second 48-yardfield goal defeated the Rams 20–17.
Super Bowl XXXVI later became part of the wider2007 National Football League videotaping controversy, also known as “Spygate". TheBoston Herald reported, citing an unnamed source, that the Patriots had taped the Rams’ walkthrough practice prior to the game.[17] After further investigation, the league determined that no tape of the Rams’ Super Bowl walkthrough was made,[18] and theHerald later issued an apology in 2008 for the article.[19]
In2002, theRams had a very disappointing 7–9 final record (after starting out 0–5). The silver lining was the emergence of young quarterbackMarc Bulger, fromWest Virginia University, who, after Kurt Warner was injured, won every game in which he both started and finished. Bulger's emergence was a highlight of the Rams’ 2002 NFL season, demonstrating Martz's knack for developing lightly regarded or overlooked players into top-quality, productive quarterbacks. The Rams also gained two new divisional rivals in the NFC West thanks to a league-wide realignment that created eight new divisions of four teams each. One of these new rivals,the Arizona Cardinals, played in St. Louisfrom 1960 until the end of the 1987 season, and the other,the Seattle Seahawks, returned to the NFC for the first time sincetheir inaugural 1976 season.
In 2003, Warner lost the starting job to Bulger after suffering six fumbles in the season opener againstthe New York Giants.[clarification needed] Warner was released by the Rams in June 2004 and quickly signed afree agent contract with the Giants, effectively ending the “Greatest Show on Turf” era.
The 2003 season saw the Rams go 12–4, winning the NFC West again. However, the Rams were defeated in the divisional round bythe Carolina Panthers (29–23 in double overtime), who went on to become NFC champions.
During the2004 NFL draft, the Rams used their first pick (24th overall) to select running backSteven Jackson fromOregon State.
The Rams began their 10th year in St. Louis at home, winning their home opener overthe Arizona Cardinals 17–10. They then lost the next two games: to the eventualNFC South championAtlanta Falcons 34–17, and tothe New Orleans Saints at home 28–25 in overtime. The Rams got to 2–2 start on the season with a 24–14 road victory overthe San Francisco 49ers. In Week 5, they defeatedthe Seattle Seahawks 33–27 on the road, as Bulger connected withShaun McDonald for the 52-yard winning score in overtime. Next came a home win over Tampa Bay, 28–21 before a road loss to the haplessMiami Dolphins, 31–14. Following a Week 8 bye, the Rams lost to the defending champion Patriots at home 40–22. The Rams then downed the Seahawks 23–12 but then lost their next games on the road, losing to theBuffalo Bills 37–17 and to the eventual NFC North championGreen Bay Packers 45–17. The team rebounded with a 16–6 home win over the 49ers, but their playoff hopes continued to shrink with two more road losses, falling tothe Carolina Panthers 20–7 and to the Cardinals 31–7. At 6–8, the Rams rallied for home wins againstthe Philadelphia Eagles (20–7) andthe New York Jets (32–29 in overtime), snatching the NFC's #5 seed despite finishing with an 8–8 record.
For the Wild Card round, the Rams faced the Seahawks for the third time. The visiting Rams took the lead on a 17-yard Bulger touchdown pass toCam Cleeland with just 2:11 left in regulation time and then held off the Seahawks on 4th and goal to earn a 27–20 victory. The Rams made NFL history by becoming the first team to go .500 (8–8) in the regular season and then win a playoff game. However, St. Louis was thrashed in the divisional round by theAtlanta Falcons 47–17.
During the2005 NFL draft, the Rams used their first pick on offensive tackleAlex Barron from Florida State. The Rams started the2005 season by losing on the road in Week 1 to theSan Francisco 49ers, 28–25, but rebounded with a 17–12 road win over theArizona Cardinals and former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner. The Rams won their Week 3 home opener against theTennessee Titans 31–27 before dropping three straight games. In Week 5, Martz was diagnosed with an infection in his heart, andJoe Vitt was named interim head coach. In Vitt's first game at the helm, Bulger sprained anAC joint in a loss to theIndianapolis Colts. Replacement quarterbackJamie Martin then led the team to home victories against theNew Orleans Saints (28–17) andJacksonville Jaguars (24–21). After a Week 9 bye, Bulger returned but the Rams fell to theSeattle Seahawks 31–16. The Rams next lost a rematch to the Cardinals, with Bulger suffering another shoulder injury. Against theHouston Texans, Martin was knocked out of the game with a concussion, giving rookieRyan Fitzpatrick his first playing time in the NFL. Fitzpatrick would become a long-time journeyman playing for teams like the Bills, Jets, Buccaneers, and Dolphins. The Rams won 33–27 in overtime on a 56-yard touchdown strike from Fitzpatrick to receiverKevin Curtis. However, they lost their next four games. Martin and the Rams managed to end their disastrous season on a positive note, beating theDallas Cowboys on the road inESPN'sfinal Sunday night game. Martz was fired at season's end.
Despite having a talent-laden roster, the Rams’ front-office dysfunction had traveled fromCalifornia toMissouri. With team president John Shaw remaining in Los Angeles after the relocation, president of football operations Jay Zygmunt clashed with head coach Martz, including an incident in which Zygmunt prevented the ill Martz from phoning in a play to his offensive coordinator. Poor draft choices and mediocre records began to pile up for the once-budding dynasty as the post-Martz era found the Rams in chaos. Hoping to regain control within the franchise, the Rams hired former Dolphins offensive coordinatorScott Linehan as head coach on January 19, 2006.[20] On January 24,Jim Haslett, the former head coach of the Saints, signed a three-year deal as defensive coordinator.[21][22]
Following the 2007 season,Georgia Frontiere died on January 18, 2008, after having owned the team for 28 years.[23] Ownership of the team passed to her sonDale “Chip” Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez.[24] Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner.[25] Linehan was fired on September 29, 2008, after the team started the 0–4, and Haslett took over as interim head coach for the rest of the season. In late December, Shaw and Zygmunt both resigned and Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager.[26]
Steve Spagnuolo was named head coach in January 2009. Spagnuolo had masterminded the Giants’ defensive scheme that shut down the previously undefeatedNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XLII. As the2009 season began, conservative talk show hostRush Limbaugh put in an offer to buy the Rams, but his controversial televised comments about Eagles quarterbackDonovan McNabb in 2003 led the league to force Limbaugh to drop his plans. Despite his success with the Giants, Spagnuolo's first season as Rams head coach saw the team go 1–15, beginning with a shutout at the hands of the Seahawks. The team's lone victory came in Week 8 over the 2–14 Detroit Lions. However, Spagnuolo was not fired after this season, and from 2007 to 2009, the Rams lost 42 of 48 games.
On May 31, 2009, theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that majority owners Rosenbloom and Rodriguez officially offered their majority share of Rams for sale. They retained the services ofGoldman Sachs, a prominent investment banking firm, to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers.[27] The sale price was unknown, but at the timeForbes estimated the team's value at $929 million.[28] On the final day to do so, then-minority ownerStan Kroenke invoked hisright of first refusal to buy the 60% of the team that he did not already own. The original intended buyer,Shahid Khan, would later acquire the Jaguars after the 2011 season. Pursuant to NFL rules, owners are prohibited from owning other sports teams in the same market. At the time of purchase, Kroenke, a real estate and sports mogul married to a Walmart heir (d/b/a Kroenke Sports Enterprises), owned theDenver Nuggets, theColorado Avalanche, theColorado Rapids, thePepsi Center (home to the Nuggets and Avalanche) andAltitude Sports and Entertainment.[29] These interests violated the NFL's cross-ownership rule. Nevertheless, on August 25, 2010, NFL owners unanimously approved Kroenke as the owner of the franchise contingent upon his eventual divestment of his Colorado sports interests. Kroenke complied with the rule when he transferred ownership of the Nuggets, the Avalanche, the Pepsi Center and the Altitude to his son Josh.
For having the NFL's worst record at 1–15 in 2009, the Rams earned the #1 overall pick in the2010 NFL draft and used it to acquireUniversity of Oklahoma quarterbackSam Bradford.
Bradford was the main focus of the 2010 offseason. In order to make room for the new quarterback,Keith Null and several other unproductive players were cut from the roster. The Rams lost their season opener against the Cardinals with Bradford throwing three interceptions, including one on the last play of the game. They recorded their first win by beating Washington and ending a 14-game home-losing streak in Week 3. In Week 4, the Rams ended a 10-game losing streak against Seattle, 20–3. After being trounced 44–6 by Detroit, they returned home in Week 6 to beat San Diego 20–17. Bradford continued to show promise through the season despite struggling from his inexperience. Despite a 7–8 record, the Rams had a chance to win the NFC West when they traveled to 6–9 Seattle for aprime-time matchup. However, the Seahawks won the game and the division, 16–6. Bradford went on to win the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The 2011 season started disastrously, with the Rams opening 0–6, finally winning in an improbable victory over the Saints in Week 8. The team finished 2–14, with their only other win being a Week 10 victory over Cleveland. Bradford missed half the season with an ankle injury, and the Rams’ offense was rated the worst in the league.
At the conclusion of a poor 2011,Spagnuolo and nearly all of the coaching staff were fired except offensive coordinatorJosh McDaniels, who was asked by theNew England Patriots to return during the playoffs (he had been an assistant coach there prior to his disastrous stint asDenver Broncos head coach in 2009). The Rams then hired head coachJeff Fisher, who had led the Tennessee Titans in theirSuper Bowl XXXIV loss to the Rams 12 years earlier. Fisher would then influence the hiring of new general manager Les Snead and an all-new coaching staff including offensive coordinatorBrian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinatorGregg Williams. Williams was eventually suspended for the entire 2012 season for his part in theSaints bounty scandal.
Despite the 2011 fiasco, the Rams continued with their plans to rebuild the team around Bradford and convinced the Redskins to give up two first-round draft picks and one second-round draft pick in exchange for the Rams’ #2 overall pick. This moved the Rams down to the #6 pick in the2012 NFL draft, which they in turn traded to Dallas, but were left with an abundance of others for future use. Following the draft, they signed undrafted Oregon State punterJohnny Hekker, who would become aPro Bowl-caliber player.
The Rams started 2012 with low hopes, but the draft trade with Washington confirmed Bradford would be their quarterback of the future. The team then surprised some by starting off 3–2, their first winning record since 2006. They then lost three straight, but rebounded with a solid 4–4–1 finish, including a 24–24 road tie with eventual NFC champion San Francisco, to finish 7–8–1, a five-game improvement over 2011 and an impressive 4–1–1 record in the very competitive NFC West.
In 2013, the Rams finished with a 7–9 record. In the 2014 season, their 20th in St. Louis, the team would again miss the playoffs with a 6–10 record. Bradford missed the entire 2014 season with an injury, allowingShaun Hill andAustin Davis opportunities at quarterback.
On March 10, 2015, the Rams were involved in a rare trade of starting quarterbacks as they traded Bradford along with a fifth-round pick in 2015 tothe Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the Eagles'Nick Foles along with a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016. Foles had a 14–4 record as starter and a TD–INT ratio of 46–17, while Bradford had an 18–30–1 record. On the day of the 2015 draft the Rams tradedZac Stacy, the Rams’ 2013 rushing leader, for a seventh-round pick to the Jets.
The Rams opened their 2015 season at home against Seattle. In Foles’ Rams debut, he threw for 297 yards and a touchdown. Following the dramatic win, Foles struggled against his former divisional rival, the Redskins as the Rams lost 24–10. Foles' accuracy improved the following week but he threw no touchdowns and his first interception as a Ram against the Steelers, dropping the team to 1–2. Following the two losses Foles bounced back, handing the unbeaten Cardinals their first loss of the season. After that game, Foles’ problems with turnovers from 2014 started to show, as he completed 11 passes out of 30 for 141 yards, 1 touchdown, and a career-high 4 interceptions against the Green Bay Packers. On November 16, Foles was benched in favor ofCase Keenum, who would start the remainder of the season.
Leading the team through their turbulence was rookie running backTodd Gurley. Gurley was drafted 10th overall in the2015 NFL draft.[30] Gurley, who tore his ACL in November 2014, saw his rehabilitation go ahead of schedule and during the team's preseason, while he did not play, he practiced without pads on. Soon after, Gurley was medically cleared for full contact by St. Louis team physicians. On September 27, 2015, he made his NFL debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was eased into action and finished the game with 6 rushes for 9 yards. The following week, the Rams visited undefeated Arizona for an NFC west divisional matchup. Again Gurley started slow with just 2 yards at halftime, but rushed for 144 yards in the second half as the Rams edged the Cardinals 24–22. The next three games against the Packers, Browns, and 49ers would see Gurley rush for at least 128 rushing yards per game. He scored his first NFL touchdown on October 25, 2015, against the Cleveland Browns. With 566 yards in his first four NFL starts, Gurley became the most prolific rusher in his first four NFL games since theAFL–NFL merger.[31] In Week 15, Gurley became the third rookie in Rams history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season afterJerome Bettis andEric Dickerson in the Rams 31–23 victory over the Buccaneers. and in their 23–17 victory over theSeattle Seahawks and becoming the second Rams rookie to rush for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns since Eric Dickerson in 1983.
The Rams played their final home game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, on December 17, 2015. While the Edward Jones Dome was not at sell out capacity, a sizeable group of Rams fans attended the game, holding signs that read “Keep the Rams in St. Louis.” Enthusiastic chants of “Keep the Rams” and “Kroenke Sucks” were heard during and after the game. Despite offensive production from Tampa Bay, the Rams still managed a 31–23 victory withCase Keenum throwing for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns, Todd Gurley rushing 48 yards,Tavon Austin rushing 32 yards and a touchdown,Kenny Britt receiving for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, andJared Cook receiving for 64 yards. The Rams offense dominated this game as well the defense also put pressure on the Buccaneers quarterbackJameis Winston.
On December 22, 2015,Todd Gurley, along with fellow Rams playersAaron Donald andJohnny Hekker were selected to be part of the2016 Pro Bowl. Gurley was one of three rookies to be selected to the Pro Bowl, along withChiefscornerbackMarcus Peters andSeahawkswide receiver andkick returnerTyler Lockett.The Rams concluded their season with two road games in the West, winning 23–17 against the Seahawks and losing 19–16 in overtime against the 49ers. Overall, the team finished their final season in St. Louis with a 7–9 record.
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In an effort to try to keep the team in St. Louis, a multipurpose stadium,National Car Rental Field, was proposed in 2015, estimated to cost $1.1 billion. The initial proposal called for the stadium to be paid for by a combination of $250 million from Rams, a $200 million loan from the NFL, $130 million from personal seat license sales, $55 million in tax credits and other public incentives, $350 million from extending the state bonds originally issued for the construction of the Edward Jones Dome.[32]
On January 9, 2016, the NFL distributed a report to team owners calling the St. Louis stadium plan "unsatisfactory and inadequate" to keep the Rams in St. Louis.[33]
On January 31, 2014, both theLos Angeles Times and theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased approximately 60 acres (24 ha) of land adjacent to theForum inInglewood, California for a purchase price rumored to be between $90 million and $100 million. Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Mr. Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league. Kroenke subsequently announced plans to build an NFL stadium on the site, in connection with the owners of the adjacent 238-acre (96 ha) Hollywood Park site, Stockbridge Capital Group.[34]
On January 5, 2015, theLos Angeles Times reported that Stan Kroenke andStockbridge Capital Group were partnering up to develop a new NFL stadium on theInglewood property owned by Kroenke. The project includes a stadium of 80,000 seats, and a performance venue of 6,000 seats, while reconfiguring the previously approvedHollywood Park plan for up to 890,000 square feet (83,000 m2) of retail, 780,000 square feet (72,000 m2) of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300-room hotel and 25 acres (10 ha) of public parks, playgrounds, open space and pedestrian and bicycle access. The stadium was projected to be ready by 2018.[34]
On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium plan and the initiative, and construction began on the new stadium on December 21, 2015, on the former Hollywood Park site.[35][36][37]
The Chargers organization was given the first option to join the Rams after a year (if they failed to reach a new stadium deal with the city of San Diego); the Chargers exercised this option on January 12, 2017, making Los Angeles home to two NFL franchises again. (Had the Chargers declined to exercise this option, then the Raiders would have had this option.)[38][39]
St. Louis lost two of its NFL teams to cities in theWestern United States (Los Angeles and Phoenix). In 2017, the city filed a lawsuit regarding the loss of the Rams, stating issues like the continued payments on the Edward Jones Dome, the breach on contract, and the failure to release financial files. The lawsuit was settled in 2021 for $790 million.[40]
Stan Kroenke became extremely unpopular in St. Louis after the Rams left; the move was seen as the ultimate betrayal for aCole Camp, Missouri, native who was named after twoSt. Louis Cardinals players (his full name, "Enos Stanley Kroenke", referencesEnos Slaughter andStan Musial). Two other teams owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, theColorado Avalanche andColorado Rapids, are in the same division or conference as theSt. Louis Blues andSt. Louis City SC and it is not uncommon to hear fans chant "Kroenke Sucks" or "Fuck You, Kroenke" at St. Louis sporting events such asSt. Louis BattleHawks games or when the Avalanche and Rapids visit St. Louis.[41] During the2022 Stanley Cup Finals, thenTampa Bay Lightning player and St. Louis nativePatrick Maroon stated that part of his motivation for wanting to beat the Avalanche was to get back at Kroenke for moving the Rams.[42]
In 2020, St. Louis was one of the cities to receive a football team from the rebrandedXFL, dubbed theSt. Louis BattleHawks. They played several games inThe Dome at America's Center, and notably led the league in fan attendance.[43]
| NFL Champions (1920–1969) | Super Bowl Champions (1970–present) | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Wild Card Berth | One-Game Playoff Berth |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||||
| St. Louis Rams[note 1] | |||||||||||
| 1995 | 1995 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 1996 | 1996 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 1997 | 1997 | NFL | NFC | West | 5th | 5 | 11 | 0 | |||
| 1998 | 1998 | NFL | NFC | West | 5th | 4 | 12 | 0 | |||
| 1999 | 1999 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | WonDivisional Playoffs (Vikings) 49–37 WonConference Championship (Buccaneers) 11–6 WonSuper Bowl XXXIV[note 2](3) (vs.Titans) 23–16 | Dick Vermeil (COY) Kurt Warner (MVP)/(SB MVP) Marshall Faulk (OPOY) | |
| 2000 | 2000 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 0 | LostWild Card Playoffs (atSaints) 28–31 | Marshall Faulk (MVP)/(OPOY) | |
| 2001 | 2001 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 14 | 2 | 0 | WonDivisional Playoffs (Packers) 45–17 WonConference Championship (Eagles) 29–24 LostSuper Bowl XXXVI (vs.Patriots) 17–20 | Kurt Warner (MVP) Marshall Faulk (OPOY) | |
| 2002 | 2002 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2003 | 2003 | NFL | NFC | West | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | LostDivisional Playoffs (Panthers) 23–29(2OT) | ||
| 2004 | 2004 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | WonWild Card Playoffs (atSeahawks) 27–20 LostDivisional Playoffs (atFalcons) 17–47 | ||
| 2005 | 2005 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 6 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 2006 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2007 | 2007 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 3 | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2008 | 2008 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 2 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2009 | 2009 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 1 | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2010 | 2010 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | Sam Bradford (OROY) | ||
| 2011 | 2011 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 2 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | 2012 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2013 | 2013 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 7 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | 2014 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | Aaron Donald (DROY) | ||
| 2015 | 2015 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | Todd Gurley (OROY) | ||
| Total 3 Division Titles 2 Conference Titles Super Bowl XXXIV win | 142 | 193 | 1 | (regular season)[note 3] | |||||||
| 6 | 4 | 0 | (playoffs) | ||||||||
| 148 | 197 | 1 | (regular season and playoffs)[note 3] | ||||||||
Numbers of players who played in St. Louis that have been retired by the Rams:
| St. Louis Rams retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Position | Tenure | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Marshall Faulk | RB | 1999–2005 | December 21, 2007 |
| 78 | Jackie Slater | OT | 1976-1995 | 1996 |
| 80 | Isaac Bruce | WR | 1995–2007 | October 31, 2010 |
| St. Louis Rams Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Player | Class | Position(s) | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | Jackie Slater | 2001 | OT | 1976-1995 |
| 36 | Jerome Bettis | 2015 | RB | 1993-1995 |
| 35 | Aeneas Williams | 2014 | FS | 2001-2004 |
| 28 | Marshall Faulk | 2011 | RB | 1999–2006 |
| 76 | Orlando Pace | 2016 | OT | 1997–2008 |
| 13 | Kurt Warner | 2017 | QB | 1998-2003 |
| 80 | Isaac Bruce | 2020 | WR | 1995-2007 |
| St. Louis Rams Pro Bowl selections | |||
| No. | Player | Position | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | Orlando Pace | OT | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| 81, 88 | Torry Holt | WR | 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| 80 | Isaac Bruce | WR | 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 |
| 28 | Marshall Faulk | RB | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| 13 | Kurt Warner | QB | 1999, 2000, 2001 |
| 39 | Steven Jackson | RB | 2006, 2009, 2010 |
| 35 | Aeneas Williams | DB | 2001, 2003 |
| 10 | Marc Bulger | QB | 2003, 2006 |
| 94 | Robert Quinn | DE | 2013, 2014 |
| 6 | Johnny Hekker | P | 2013, 2015 |
| 99 | Aaron Donald | DT | 2014, 2015 |
| 30 | Todd Gurley | RB | 2015 |
| 93 | Kevin Carter | DE | 1999 |
| 41 | Todd Lyght | CB | 1999 |
| 62 | Adam Timmerman | OG | 2001 |
| 91 | Leonard Little | DE | 2003 |
| 14 | Jeff Wilkins | K | 2003 |
| 75 | D'Marco Farr | DT | 1999 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
