TABLE OF CONTENTS Living Up to Their Name 9 Irresistible Offense Immovable Defense 17 Continually Contending 24 The Greatest Show on Turf 33 Back to La-La Land 39 GRIDIRON GREATS Helmet History 11 Running Crazy 14 Respect and Responsibility 21 The Rams in Hollywood 28 An Alternate Route to Stardom 34 Moving Up 40 Team Stats 47 Websites 47 Index 48
Los Angeles Rams 1945 Cleveland Rams LIVING UP TO THEIR NAME In the 1930s Fordham University in New York produce produce some of the best football teams in the country The Fordham Rams were noted for their strong offensive line These players were called the Seven Blocks of Granite Buzz Wetzel admired Fordham Wetzel was general general manager of a new National Football League NFL team It was located in Cleveland Ohio He called his team the Rams The name implied speed and power Unfortunately those qualities were lacking when the team began play in 1937 Their college namesake went 7 0 1 that season The Fordham Rams were ranked third in the country But Cleveland finished at a woeful 1 10 9
