page_title: History of the Los Angeles Rams
section_title: 1980–1982: The move to Anaheim
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Los Angeles Rams / History / 1946–1994: Origins in  Los Angeles / 1980–1982: The move to Anaheim
caption_attribution_description: English: New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning attempting a pass during a November 2, 1980 away game against the Los Angeles Rams. The card is numbered #25 in the set. The back of the card reads: 1980: A Great Year for Manning Archie Manning, the leading passer in the history of the New Orleans Saints, eludes Rams defensive tackle Cody Jones to rifle one of his 309 pass completions in 1980. That figure led the NFC, as did his total of 3,716 yards. Manning was also second in the conference in passing percentage that season, hitting a dazzling 60.7 percent.
context_page_description: The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team that plays and competes in the National Football League. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in the short-lived second American Football League before joining the NFL the next year. In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Rams franchise remained in the metro area until 1994, when they moved to St. Louis, and were known as the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The Rams franchise returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
context_section_description: Prior to the 1979 NFL season, owner Carroll Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident, and his widow, Georgia Frontiere, inherited 70 percent ownership of the team. Frontiere then fired stepson Steve Rosenbloom and assumed total control of Rams operations. As had been planned prior to Rosenbloom's death, the Rams moved from their longtime home at the Coliseum to Anaheim Stadium in nearby Orange County in 1980.
  The reason for the move was twofold. First, the NFL's blackout rule forbade games from being shown on local television if they did not sell out within 72 hours of the opening kickoff. As the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seated 92,604 at the time, it was rarely possible to sell that many tickets even in the Rams' best years, and so most Rams home games were blacked out. Second, this move was following the population pattern in Southern California. During the 1970s and 1980s, the decline of manufacturing industries in the northeastern United States combined with the desire of many people to live in a warmer climate caused a large-scale population shift to the southern and western states. As a result, many affluent new suburbs were built in the Los Angeles area. Anaheim Stadium was originally built in 1966 to be the home of the California Angels. To accommodate the Rams' move, the ballpark was reconfigured and enclosed to accommodate a capacity of 69,008 in the football configuration. With their new, smaller home, the Rams had no problem selling out games.
  In 1980, the team posted an 11–5 record, but only managed a wild card spot and were sent packing after a loss to the Cowboys. Age and injuries finally caught up with the Rams in 1981, as they only won six games and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. After the 1982 season was shortened to nine games by a strike, the Rams went 2–7, the team's worst season since 1962, when they won only 1 game.
caption: The Rams playing in their inaugural season at Anaheim Stadium in 1980
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