History of the St . Louis Rams The following is a detailed history of the St . Louis Rams a professional American football team and member of the National Football League ( NFL ) . AFL Cleveland Rams ( 1936 ) . When the second ever American Football League was founded in 1936 , Cleveland attorney Homer Marshman was awarded a charter franchise . Marshman ' s team was named the Cleveland Rams and it finished with a 5 - 2 - 2 record during its inaugural season , second best in the league . After the completion of the Rams first season , Marshman learned that the National Football League wished to expand . He placed a bid along with representatives from Houston and Los Angeles . The NFL decided to go with the Cleveland Rams in order to keep the teams in the East and Midwest . Marshman paid a $ 10 , 000 entrance fee and the Rams were part of the NFL . Ironically , the Rams ' replacement in the AFL , the Los Angeles Bulldogs , won the 1937 AFL championship while being the first professional football team to play its home games on the West Coast . Only four of the Rams players who were on the team ' s roster in 1936 ( William " Bud " Cooper , Harry " The Horse " Mattos , Stan Pincura , Mike Sebastian ) were on the roster in 1937 for their inaugural season in the NFL . Because none of the team personnel followed Marshman into the league , the NFL Rams are considered a separate entity from the 1936 AFL Rams . NFL Cleveland Rams ( 1937 - 1945 ) . 1937 - 1944 : Beginnings . On February 13 , 1937 , the Rams were placed in the Western division to replace the Cincinnati Reds , who had folded in the middle of the 1934 season ( the independent St . Louis Gunners had filled in for the Reds for the rest of the 1934 season ) . Marshman soon hired Hugo Bezdek to be the head coach and Buzz Wetzel as the General Manager of the new franchise , and home games were played in both Cleveland Municipal Stadium and League Park . The 1937 NFL Draft was held on December 12 , 1936 , two months before the Rams joined the league . It was agreed by the league owners that the players would be drafted by them for the future team . They picked fullback Johnny " Zero " Drake out of Purdue in the first round , tenth pick overall . Although the Rams finished their first season at 1 - 10 , Drake was named the 1937 NFL Rookie of the Year . During the 1938 season , the Rams played all of their home games at Shaw Stadium . Marshman fired Bezdek after losing the first three games and replaced him with assistant coach Art Lewis . The Rams won their next three games , but finished the season at 4 - 7 . Marshman hired Earl " Dutch " Clark as the head coach for the team during the 1939 season . Tailback Parker Hall was drafted during the 1939 NFL Draft in the first round , third pick overall . He won the NFL Most Valuable Player of the Year award during his rookie year . The Rams ended the season at 5 - 5 - 1 . The following season the Rams earn a 4 - 6 - 1 record . In 1941 , Daniel F . Reeves and partner Fred Levy , Jr . purchased the Rams for $ 135 , 000 . They kept Clark as the head coach , and hired Billy Evans as the General Manager for the Rams . They won their first two games , but lost their next nine . Before the start of the next season , Evans resigned as the General Manager after a new contract could not be reached . Before the start of the 1942 season , Reeves joined the US Army as a lieutenant to fight in World War II . The Rams played without their owner and ended the season at 5 - 6 . Clark resigned as coach soon after the close of the season , and Charles " Chile " Walsh was named the new head coach . Yet , the franchise suspended operations and sat out the entire 1943 season because of a shortage of players during World War II . Chile Walsh was named the new General Manager when the Rams resumed playing in 1944 . He named Aldo " Buff " Donelli the new head coach . Coach Donelli had to form a team among free agents and pickups . The newly made team finished the 1944 season at 4 - 6 . 1945 : First NFL Championship Team . After Donelli left to join the military , Chile Walsh named his brother Adam Walsh as the team ' s new head coach . The Rams drafted quarterback Bob Waterfield from UCLA in the fifth round of the 1945 draft , forty - second player picked overall . He would lead the team to their first NFL Championship Game and be named the NFL MVP and the NFL Rookie of the Year . Waterfield and fellow Ram Parker Hill are the only two NFL players to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year . Waterfield was also the first player to win the NFL MVP with a unanimous vote . On Thanksgiving Day , November 22 , 1945 , Jim Benton would make ten receptions for 303 yards against the Detroit Lions . This record would stand for forty - four years until it was broken by fellow Ram Willie " Flipper " Anderson . He ended the season with 45 receptions for 1067 yards and eight touchdowns . The Rams finished the 1945 season with the best record in the NFL at 9 - 1 with their only loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 28 at Shibe Park . Waterfield ended the season with 88 pass completions on 171 attempts for 1609 yards , 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions . He also kicked 31 extra points . The Rams also had a pair of running backs who put up good numbers during the 1945 season . Fred Gehrke ended the season with 467 yards on 74 attempts and seven touchdowns and Jim Gillette had 390 yards on 63 attempts and one touchdown . 1945 NFL Championship Game . The Rams hosted the Washington Redskins during an icy day on December 16 , 1945 for the NFL championship in front of 32 , 178 fans . In the first quarter of play , Sammy Baugh dropped back in his own end zone and hit the goal post with a pass . It bounced into the end zone for a safety ( under the rules of that time ) . Baugh later left the game with a bruised rib and was replaced by Frank Filchock . Filchock threw two touchdown passes in the game , one to Steve Bagarus in the second quarter and another to Bob Seymour in the third quarter . Waterfield also threw for two touchdowns during the game , one to Jim Benton in the second quarter and another to Jim Gillette in the third quarter . Waterfield missed an extra point attempt . The Redskins had the opportunity to win the game twice in the fourth quarter with a field goal , but Joe Aguirre missed both of them . The Rams managed to win the 1945 NFL Championship Game 15 - 14 . Los Angeles Rams ( 1946 – 1979 ) . 1946 – 1948 : Starting over in Los Angeles . On January 12 , 1946 , Reeves was denied a request by the other NFL owners to move his team to Los Angeles and its 92 , 000 seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . Reeves threatened to end his relationship with the NFL and get out of the professional football business altogether unless the Rams transfer to Los Angeles was permitted . A settlement was reached and , as a result , the Los Angeles Rams were created . and the NFL had become the first professional coast - to - coast sports entertainment industry . At the time , the NFL did not allow African - American s to play in the league . After the Rams had received approval to move to Los Angeles , the Rams entered into negotiations to lease the Los Angeles Coliseum . The Rams were advised that a precondition to them getting a lease was that they would have to integrate the team with at least one African American ; the Rams agreed to this condition . Subsequently , the Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21 , 1946 , and racial segregation in the NFL was completely ended . The Rams were the first team in the NFL to play in Los Angeles ( the 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers were strictly a road team ) , but they were not the only professional football team to play its home games in the Coliseum between 1946 and 1949 . The upstart All - America Football Conference had the Los Angeles Dons compete there as well . Reeves was taking a gamble that Los Angeles was ready for its own professional football team - and suddenly there were two in the City of Angels . Reeves was proved to be correct when the Rams played their first pre - season game against the Washington Redskins in front of a crowd of 95 , 000 fans . The team finished their first season in LA with a 6 – 4 – 1 record , second place behind the Chicago Bears . At the end of the season Walsh was fired as head coach . The Coliseum would be the home of the Rams for more than thirty years ( the Dons merged with them in late 1949 ) , but the facility was already over twenty years old on the day of the first kickoff . In 1948 , halfback Fred Gehrke painted horns on the Rams ' helmets , making the first modern helmet emblem in pro football . 1949 – 1955 : Three - end formation . The Rams ' first heyday in southern California was from 1949 to 1955 , when they played in the NFL Championship Game ( not yet called the Super Bowl ) four times , winning once in 1951 . During this period , they had the best offense in the NFL , even though there was a quarterback change from Bob Waterfield to Norm Van Brocklin in 1951 . The defining player of this period was wide receiver Elroy Hirsch . Teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Tom Fears , Hirsch helped create the style of Rams football as one of the first big play receivers . During the 1951 Championship season , Hirsch posted a then stunning 1 , 495 receiving yards with 17 touchdowns . The popularity of this wide - open offense enabled the Los Angeles Rams to become the first pro football team to have all their games televised in 1950 . 1956 – 1962 : Tanking out . The Rams suffered a down period on the field from 1956 until 1966 , posting losing records in every season . However , the business side of the franchise was nurtured by a visionary executive in Pete Rozelle . During his time with Rams , Rozelle learned the value of television for the sport of pro football . Through Rozelle ' s savvy use of television , the Rams remained a glamor NFL franchise despite their poor record . In a 1957 game against the San Francisco 49ers , the Rams set the all - time record for attendance for a regular season NFL game with 102 , 368 . The Rams would draw over 100 , 000 fans twice the following year . 1963 – 1969 : The Fearsome Foursome . The 1960s were defined by the Rams great defensive line of Rosey Grier , Merlin Olsen , Deacon Jones , and Lamar Lundy , dubbed the " Fearsome Foursome . " It was this group of players who restored the on - field luster of the franchise in 1967 when the Rams reached ( but lost ) the conference championship under legendary coach George Allen . That 1967 squad would become the first NFL team to surpass one million spectators in a season , a feat the Rams would repeat the following year . In each of those two years , the L . A . Rams drew roughly double the number of fans that could be accommodated by their current stadium for a full season . George Allen led the Rams from 1966 to 1970 and introduced many innovations , including the hiring of a young Dick Vermeil as one of the first special teams coaches . Though Allen would enjoy five straight winning seasons and win two divisional titles in his time with the Rams he never won a playoff game with the team , losing in 1967 to Green Bay 28 – 7 and in 1969 23 – 20 to Minnesota . Allen would leave after the 1970 season to take the head coaching job for the Washington Redskins . 1970 – 1972 : Changes . Quarterback Roman Gabriel played eleven seasons for the Rams dating from 1962 – 72 . From 1967 - 71 , Gabriel led the Rams to either a first - or second - place finish in their division every year . He was voted the MVP of the entire NFL in 1969 , for a season in which he threw for 2 , 549 yards and 24 TDs while leading the Rams to the playoffs . During the 1970 season , Gabriel combined with his primary receiver Jack Snow for 51 receptions totaling 859 yards . This would prove to be the best season of their eight seasons as teammates . In 1972 , Chicago industrialist Robert Irsay purchased the Rams for $ 19 million and then traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom for his Baltimore Colts and cash . The Rams remained solid contenders in the 1970s , winning seven straight NFC West championships between 1973 – 79 . Though they clearly were the class of the NFC in the 1970s along with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings , they lost the first four conference championship games they played in that decade , losing twice each to Minnesota ( 1974 , 1976 ) and Dallas ( 1975 , 1978 ) and failing to win a league championship . 1973 – 1979 : NFC West Champs . The Rams ' coach for this run was Chuck Knox , who led the team through 1977 . The Chuck Knox - coached Rams featured an unremarkable offense carried into the playoffs annually by an elite defensive unit . The defining player of the 1970s L . A . Rams was Jack Youngblood . Youngblood was called the ' Perfect Defensive End ' by fellow Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen . His toughness was legendary , notably playing on a broken leg during the Rams ' run to the 1980 Super Bowl . His blue - collar ethic stood in opposition to the perception that the Rams were a soft ' Hollywood ' team . However , several Rams players from this period took advantage of their proximity to Hollywood and crossed over into acting after their playing careers ended . Most notable of these was Fred Dryer , who starred in the TV series " Hunter " from 1984 to 1991 , as well as Merlin Olson , who retired after 1976 . During the 1977 offseason , the Rams , looking for a veteran quarterback , acquired Joe Namath from the Jets . In spite of a 2 - 1 start to the regular season , Namath ' s bad knees rendered him nearly immobile and after a Monday night defeat in Chicago , he never played again . With Pat Haden at the helm , the Rams won the division and advanced to the playoffs , but lost at home to Minnesota . Chuck Knox left for the Bills in 1978 , after which Ray Malavasi became head coach . Going 12 - 4 , the team won the NFC West for the sixth year in a row and defeated the Vikings , thus avenging their earlier playoff defeat . However , success eluded them again as they were shut out in the NFC Championship by the Cowboys . 1979 : First Super Bowl appearance . Ironically , it was the Rams ' weakest divisional winner ( an aging 1979 team that only achieved a 9 - 7 record ) that would achieve the team ' s greatest success in that period . Led by third - year quarterback Vince Ferragamo , the Rams shocked the heavily favored and two - time defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys 21 - 19 in the Divisional Playoffs , then shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 - 0 in the conference championship game to win the NFC and reach their first Super Bowl . Along with Ferragamo , key players for the Rams were halfback Wendell Tyler , offensive lineman Jackie Slater , and Pro Bowl defenders Jack Youngblood and Jack " Hacksaw " Reynolds . The Rams ' opponent in their first Super Bowl was the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers . The game would be a virtual home game for the Rams as it was played in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl . Although some oddsmakers set the Rams as a 10½ point underdog , the Rams played Pittsburgh very tough , leading at halftime 13 - 10 and at the end of the third quarter 19 - 17 . In the end , however , the Steelers finally asserted themselves , scoring two touchdowns in the 4th quarter and completely shutting down the Rams offense to win their fourth Super Bowl , 31 - 19 . Los Angeles Rams : Anaheim era ( 1980 - 94 ) . 1980 – 1982 : Starting over in Anaheim . Prior to the 1979 Super Bowl season , owner Carroll Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident , and his widow , Georgia Frontiere , inherited 70 % 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 Coliseum seated 100 , 000 people , it was rarely possible to sell that many tickets , 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 young people to live in a warmer climate cause 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 1965 to be the home of the California Angels . To accommodate the Rams ' move , the ballpark was reconfigured and enclosed to accommodate crowds of almost 70 , 000 in 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 worst record in the NFC . In 1982 , the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles and made their home in the Coliseum . The combined effect of these two moves was to divide the Rams ' traditional fanbase in two . This was coupled with the early 1980s being rebuilding years for the club , while the Raiders were winners of Super Bowl XVIII in the 1983 season . Meanwhile , the Los Angeles Lakers won championships in 1980 and 1982 en route to winning five titles in that decade , the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 1981 and 1988 , and even the Los Angeles Kings made a deep run in the playoffs in 1982 . As a result , the Rams declined sharply in popularity during the 1980s . 1983 – 1991 : Robinson takes over the Rams . Therefore , the hiring of coach John Robinson in 1983 provided a needed boost for pro football in Orange County . The former USC coach began by cutting the aged veterans left over from the 1970s teams . His rebuilding program began to show results when the team rebounded to 9 - 7 in 1983 and defeated Dallas in the playoffs . However , the season ended after a rout at the hands of the soon - to - be champion Redskins . Another trip to the playoffs in 1984 saw them lose to the Giants . They made the NFC Championship Game in 1985 after winning the division , where they would be shut out by the eventual champion Chicago Bears . The most notable player for the Rams during that period was running back Eric Dickerson , who was drafted in 1983 out of SMU and won Rookie of the Year . In 1984 , Dickerson rushed for 2 , 105 yards , setting a new NFL record . Dickerson would end his five hugely successful years for the Rams in 1987 by being traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a number of players and draft picks after a bitter contract dispute , shortly after the players ' strike that year ended . Dickerson remains the Rams career rushing leader with 7 , 245 yards . After a 10 - 6 season in 1986 , the Rams were booted from the playoffs by Washington . After one game of the 1987 season was lost to the players ' strike , the NFL employed substitutes , most of which were given derogatory nicknames ( in this case the Los Angeles Shams ) . After a 2 - 1 record , the Rams ' regulars returned , but the team only went 6 - 9 and did not qualify for the postseason . The Rams managed to return in 1988 with a 10 - 6 record , but then were defeated by Minnesota . Los Angeles won the first five games of 1989 , including a sensational defeat of the defending champion 49ers . After eliminating the Eagles in the playoffs , they beat the Giants in overtime . In the NFC Championship , the Rams faced the 49ers again and were crushed 30 - 3 . After that , the team crumbled to 5 - 11 in 1990 , followed by a 3 - 13 season in 1991 . Despite this trade , the Rams remained contenders due to the arrival of the innovative offensive leadership of Ernie Zampese . Zampese brought the intricate timing routes he had used in making the San Diego Chargers a state - of - the - art offense . Under Zampese , the Rams rose steadily from 28th rated offense in 1986 to 3rd in 1990 . The late 1980s Rams featured a gifted young QB in Jim Everett , a solid rushing attack and a fleet of talented WRs led by Henry Ellard . After an 11 – 5 record during the 1989 regular season , it was a team that seemed destined for greater things , until a ' phantom sack ' in the 1989 NFC Championship derailed those ambitions . This occurred during a humiliating 30 – 3 defeat by division - rival San Francisco , when Everett collapsed to the turf untouched by San Francisco defenders . From then on he was perceived to shy away from hits by Rams fans . As a result of this reputation , Southern California sports talk host , Jim Rome , would refer to Everett as " Chris Everett , " referring to the female tennis player Chris Evert , on his radio and television show . During a live interview on Rome ' s ESPN2 show , Talk2 , Everett challenged Rome to call him " Chris " to his face . When Rome responded by calling him " Chris , " the seated Everett abruptly stood up , overturned a table , and pushed the startled host to the floor . Everett then walked off the set . 1992 – 94 : The Demise of the LA Rams . The Rams never recovered from the humiliation . The first half of the 1990s featured losing records , no playoff appearances for the Rams and waning fan interest . The return of Chuck Knox as head coach , after Knox ' s successful stints as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks , would not boost the Rams ' fortunes . His run - oriented offense marked the end of the Zampese tenure in 1993 . The strategy was for the offense to be steady , if unspectacular . Unfortunately for the Rams , Knox ' s offense was not only aesthetically unpleasing , but dull as well , especially by 1990s standards . The continued losing and uninspired play of the Rams further reduced the Rams fan base , which by 1994 had withered to the point where they were barely part of the Los Angeles sports landscape . The NFL black - out rule , which prevented the broadcast of home games that were not sold out , also worked against the Rams as their frequent non - sellouts denied the team a chance to be shown on local broadcast TV . One of the few bright spots during this time was Jerome Bettis , a bruising running back from Notre Dame . Bettis flourished in Knox ' offense , running for 1 , 400 yards in each of his first two seasons . As became increasingly common with sports franchises , the Rams began to blame much of their misfortune on their stadium situation . With Orange County mired in a deep recession resulting largely from defense sector layoffs , the Rams were unable to secure a new or improved stadium in the Los Angeles area , which ultimately cast their future in Southern California into doubt . St . Louis Rams ( 1995 – present ) . 1995 – 98 : Starting over in Saint Louis . While the Rams dealt with stadium concerns in Los Angeles , efforts were underway to regain an NFL franchise in St . Louis to play in a new domed stadium slated to open in 1995 . First , Anheuser - Busch scion Jim Orthwein tried , and ultimately failed , to move the New England Patriots to St . Louis . Then , despite being heavily favored along with Charlotte to win an expansion team , St . Louis lost to a group from Jacksonville , 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 available for sale , albeit very briefly , at a number of St . Louis area sports shops . ) Despite these failures , it was proven to many that St . Louis was a market with a state - of - the - art football stadium on the way and a passionate and football - starved fan base ready to embrace a return of the NFL . As such , owner Georgia Frontiere early in 1995 committed to move the franchise to St . Louis , her hometown . The move left many in the Los Angeles area embittered toward the NFL . That sentiment was best expressed by Fred Dryer , who at the time said " I hate these people [ the Rams and their owner , Georgia Frontiere ] for what they did , taking the Rams logo with them when they moved to St . Louis . That logo belonged to Southern California . " Due to a number of factors , the NFL has repeatedly failed in its efforts to return NFL football to Los Angeles . Following the 1995 season , the Seattle Seahawks announced that they would move the team to Southern California . However the NFL , which had taken control of the Los Angeles market , did not approve of the move and thus forced the Seahawks to move back to Seattle , after Microsoft co - founder Paul Allen came in with a financial bail out package . In the late 1990s a number of Los Angeles - based groups attempted to land the NFL ' s 32nd franchise ; however Houston was awarded the franchise , largely because Houston had a solid commitment for a stadium ( and was very aggressive in its attempts to obtain the franchise ) while none of the Los Angeles - based groups had a solid stadium commitment ( nor the aggressiveness of the Houston group ) . Despite the NFL ' s extensive effort to return the NFL to Los Angeles , in general the Los Angeles market has been ambivalent about the absence of the NFL . Currently the likeliest venue for a return to the NFL in Los Angeles is a refurbished Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . Just before moving to St . Louis the Rams fired Knox and hired Rich Brooks , longtime successful football coach at the University of Oregon , to replace him . The team played its first several games in St . Louis at Busch Stadium as work was finished on their new home , the Trans World Dome ( now known as the Edward Jones Dome ) . Brooks jettisoned Knox ' run - oriented scheme in favor of a powerful air attack . Bettis all but disappeared from the offense , rushing for only 634 yards . Despite this , the Rams started off well , getting off to a 5 - 1 start . However , a 44 - 10 thumping by the 49ers in the last game at Busch Stadium sent the team into a downward spiral , and they ultimately finished 7 - 9 - - still the closest they came to contention since 1989 . The biggest highlight of the season was longtime offensive lineman Jackie Slater , in his 20th season , staying around just long enough to play his final NFL game as a Ram in St . Louis . The next three years would largely be a repeat of the Rams ' last five years in Los Angeles . After regressing to 6 - 10 in 1996 , Brooks was replaced by Dick Vermeil . Vermeil had enjoyed success as the head coach of UCLA ( where he won a Rose Bowl ) and the Philadelphia Eagles , where he led the Eagles to Super Bowl XV . However , Vermeil left the Eagles after an unsuccessful 1982 season , claiming burnout , and proceeded to spend much of the next decade and a half as a college football commentator for ABC Sports . Vermeil ' s first two seasons as Rams coach were as unsuccessful as many of the seasons that preceded it . Through the 1998 season this futility made the Rams through the decade of the 1990s the worst team , record - wise , in the NFL . 1999 - 2002 : The Greatest Show on Turf . 1999 : Second Super Bowl appearance . Finally in 1999 , there appeared to be reason for hope as the Rams obtained quarterback Trent Green and running back Marshall Faulk in two separate trades . Unfortunately in the preseason Green would blow out his ACL and miss the entire season . A tearful Vermeil vowed that the Rams would " play good football " behind Green ' s backup , a 28 - year - old former Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers and NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals player named Kurt Warner . However , most observers believed Green ' s injury set up the Rams for another long season of failure . Warner was , without question , the biggest story of the 1999 NFL season . He proved to be the catalyst that would spark an explosive offense nicknamed " The Greatest Show on Turf " , and furthermore also give the Rams a number of dramatic victories often won on desperate late drives that enabled him to win the NFL MVP award . However , Green went on to become one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league in his own right after being acquired by Kansas City in 2001 . This and Warner ' s career after 1999 , which includes leading the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2001 season and leading the NFL ' s # 1 passing attack with the Arizona Cardinals in 2005 , proved that his 1999 season wasn ' t a fluke . The 1999 Rams were also noted for a colorful celebration conducted by their offensive players in the end zone after scoring a touchdown . 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 celebration , and other such " premeditated and prolonged " celebrations , were shortly thereafter effectively banned by the NFL in that any such celebrations would now result in " excessive celebration " penalties . After finishing the 1999 season 13 - 3 ( the franchise ' s second - best regular season record ) , the Rams started out the 1999 playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 49 - 37 to achieve their first NFC Championship Game since 1989 . The opponent would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Buccaneers were successful in shutting down the Rams ' vaunted offense . Still , the Rams managed to win the game 11 - 6 , with the one touchdown coming on a Kurt Warner 30 - yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl , who made an amazing 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 would be the Tennessee Titans , who like the Rams had recently relocated from a major metropolis ( Houston ) to a mid - sized city ( Nashville , Tennessee ) . 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 an Al Del Greco field goal . On the next drive , Warner , who had been clutch all season long , came through once again , connecting with Isaac Bruce for a 73 - yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive that gave 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 . Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair threw to Kevin Dyson on a slant . Dyson caught the pass at the 3 but was stopped by The Tackle by Mike Jones eighteen inches shy of the goal line , ending the game and giving the Rams , and Dick Vermeil ( who had told his coaches to begin preparing for overtime ) their first Super Bowl victory . Warner , in the performance of his life , was named Super Bowl MVP . Following the Rams ' Super Bowl victory , coach Vermeil retired from football ( though he came back to the game in 2001 as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs ) and was replaced by offensive coordinator ( and apprentice ) Mike Martz . 2000 . In Mike Martz ' s first year as Rams head coach , the defending - champion Rams started off the season by winning their first six games as they went 7 – 1 in the first 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 skid . They still managed to get into the playoffs with a 10 – 6 record and the NFC ' s # 6 seed , but now they had to face the NFC West champion , which were the # 3 New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round . Playing at the Louisiana Superdome , the Rams # 1 offense didn ' t prove much , as their 24th - ranked defense gave up a 7 – 0 first quarter lead and they trailed 17 – 7 going into the fourth quarter . After the Saints had a 31 – 7 lead , the Rams valiantly tried to fight back . Despite three straight touchdowns , the Rams couldn ' t pull off a comeback and fell 31 – 28 in the Saints ' first playoff win in franchise history . 2001 : Third Super Bowl Appearance . In 2001 , the " Max Q " Rams went 14 – 2 ( including a spectacular 8 – 0 on the road ) , led not only by a sensational offense ( their third straight year of scoring 500 or more points ) , but a lights out defense as well , coached by Lovie Smith and led by Adam Archuleta . After easily handling Green Bay in the divisional playoffs , they fought off a pesky and determined Philadelphia Eagles team 29 – 24 to achieve their second Super Bowl in three seasons . Their opponents in Super Bowl XXXVI would be the New England Patriots who , much as the Rams had had two years previous , had enjoyed a Cinderella playoff run , highlighted by a dramatic and controversial 16 – 13 divisional playoff win against the Oakland Raiders . The talent - laden Rams appeared to be primed to become the first pro football dynasty of the 21st century . However , despite being a 14 - point favorite , the Rams lost to the Patriots . From the beginning the Rams were dominated by the Patriots . 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 an interception to Ty Law that resulted in a 47 - yard return for a score . Finally , in the fourth quarter , the Rams mounted a come back attempt . Two plays after an apparent game - clinching 95 yard fumble return by the Patriots on 4th down was reversed on a penalty , Kurt Warner scored on a 2 - yard keeper to bring the Rams to within 7 points , 17 - 10 . After holding the Patriots on the next drive , the Rams were in much the same situation as they had been two years previous 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 time outs and the Rams having seized the momentum , overtime seemed assured . Even John Madden on the Fox broadcast of the game , opined that the Patriots should play for overtime . However , on this day it was not meant to be for the Rams . This time it was Tom Brady leading the Patriots down the field against the Ram defense , completing all but one pass ( an intentional spike to stop the clock ) before Adam Vinatieri ' s last - second 48 yard field goal defeated the Rams 20 - 17 . 2002 . In 2002 , the Rams had a very disappointing 7 - 9 final record ( after starting out 0 - 5 ) . The silver lining was the emergence of young quarterback Marc Bulger , from West Virginia University , who , after Kurt Warner was injured , won every game in which he both started and finished . Though not as intriguing a story as Warner ' s emergence in 1999 ( the season in which Trent Green was injured and Warner became the star quarterback ) Bulger ' s emergence was a highlight of the Rams ' 2002 NFL season , demonstrating Martz ' s knack of developing lightly regarded or overlooked individuals into top - quality , productive quarterbacks . The once - magical Warner lost the starter ' s job to Bulger after suffering six fumbles in the season opener against the Giants early in 2003 season . ( Although it should be noted that he was sacked and diagnosed with a concussion on the second play of the game , and yet heroically kept himself in the game ) . Warner was released by the Rams in June 2004 and quickly signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants , ending his career with the Rams . The departure of Warner proved to be the end of the " Greatest Show on Turf " era . 2003 . The 2003 season saw the Rams go 12 - 4 , win the Western Division again . However , the Rams lost a crushing Divisional defeat to the Carolina Panthers ( 29 - 23 in double overtime ) , who went on to become NFC Champions . 2004 . During the 2004 NFL Draft , the Rams used their first pick ( 24th overall ) to select RB Steven Jackson from Oregon State . They then used their second pick ( 91 ) , in the third round on DE Anthony Hargrove from Georgia Tech . Their third selection was LB Brandon Chillar from UCLA ( 130 ) . The Rams following picks were as follows : The Rams began their 10th year in St . Louis at home winning their Week 1 home - opener against the Arizona Cardinals 17 – 10 . They lost their next two games of the season . They lost on the road to eventual NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons 34 – 17 , then lost to the New Orleans Saints at home 28 - 25 in overtime . The Rams got to 2 – 2 on the season with a 24 – 14 road victory over their historic divisional rival , the San Francisco 49ers . In Week 5 , they traveled to Qwest Field and took on another division rival , the Seattle Seahawks . They trailed 27 – 24 late in the fourth quarter when the Rams managed to get a 36 - yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins to send the game into overtime . Eventually , the Rams won the game 33 – 27 on a 52 - yard pass from Marc Bulger to Shaun McDonald . Afterwards , they went home and got a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28 – 21 . The Rams lost a week later on the road to the hapless Miami Dolphins 31 – 14 . Not even their Week 8 Bye Week could save them , as they lost to the defending champion New England Patriots at home 40 – 22 . The Rams redeemed themselves as they won regular - season bragging rights at home against the Seahawks with a final score of 23 – 12 . Their playoff hopes decreased as they lost their next two road games , to the Buffalo Bills ( 37 – 17 ) and to the eventual NFC North champion Green Bay Packers ( 45 – 17 ) . At home , they managed to sweep their much - hated rival , the 49ers , at home 16 – 6 . Their playoff hopes continued to shrink as they lost their next two road games to the Carolina Panthers ( 20 – 7 ) and to the Cardinals ( 31 – 7 ) . At 6 – 8 , the Rams had to win their last two games to have any hope for the playoffs . Fortunately , their last two games were at home . They easily won against the Philadelphia Eagles 20 – 7 , since their opponent already had the NFC ' s # 1 seed and they were resting their good players for the playoffs . Afterwards , they faced the New York Jets for their final regular season game . Both sides played hard and fierce , but in the end , the Rams were able to get a victory in overtime with a 31 - yard field goal by Wilkins . Not only did the Rams win 32 – 29 , but they also got the NFC ' s # 5 seed , despite having an 8 – 8 record . For the wild card round , they flew to Seattle and took on the Seahawks for the third time in the season . The Rams managed to lead for most of the game , until the early part of the fourth quarter , when the Seahawks got a 23 - yard touchdown pass from QB Matt Hasselbeck to WR Darrell Jackson . The Rams took the lead again with a 27 - yard field goal by Wilkens . Then , Bulger threw a 17 - yard TD pass to Cam Cleeland . The Seahawks tried to respond and tie the game . At 4th and goal with 27 seconds remaining , Hasselbeck threw a pass to WR Bobby Engram but he couldn ' t hold on , and the Rams won . The Rams made NFL history by becoming the first team to go . 500 ( 8 – 8 ) in the regular season and win a playoff game . Unfortunately , the Rams ' tenth season in St . Louis , came to a very sour end as they were thrashed in the divisional round by the Atlanta Falcons 47 – 17 . 2005 . During the 2005 NFL Draft , the Rams used their first pick on OT Alex Barron from Florida State . Their second pick was CB Ronald Bartell from Howard . The rest of their choices were Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe from Stanford , Center Richie Incognito from Nebraska , Safety Jerome Carter from Florida State , TE Jerome Collins from Notre Dame , WR Dante Ridgeway from Ball State , QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from Harvard , and Fullback Madison Hedgecock from North Carolina . The Rams started the 2005 campaign off on the wrong foot . They lost their Week 1 road game to their historic rival the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 28 – 25 . After week 2 they evened the record to 1 – 1 with a 17 – 12 win at Sun Devil Stadium against a division rival , the Arizona Cardinals , in which former teammate Kurt Warner was the Cardinals ' QB . Then , they won their Week 3 home - opener against the Tennessee Titans 31 – 27 . Things started to get out of hand , as they lost their next three games . First , they got soundly beaten by the eventual NFC East champion New York Giants 44 – 24 . Then , not only did they lose at home to their divisional rival , the Seattle Seahawks 37 – 31 , but head coach Mike Martz was diagnosed with an infection in his heart . Joe Vitt was named interim head coach . During Vitt ' s first game as interim head coach , the Rams not only lost a Monday Night game to then - undefeated Indianapolis Colts 45 – 28 , but starting QB Marc Bulger sprained an AC joint in the second quarter . Fortunately , the Rams would win their next two home games as Jamie Martin led hard - earned victories against the New Orleans Saints ( 28 - 17 ) and the Jacksonville Jaguars ( 24 – 21 ) . After a Week 9 Bye , despite Marc Bulger returning to the line - up , the Rams were swept in Seattle by the Seahawks 31 – 16 . The Rams went home and lost a rematch to the Cardinals , in which Kurt Warner got revenge against his former team , by a score of 38 – 28 . Also , Bulger went down with another shoulder injury . This time , it would end his season as his right shoulder got bruised . Against the Houston Texans Jamie Martin was knocked out of the game with a concussion , leaving rookie QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to play his first game in the NFL . At first , it looked like the Texans would finally get their second win of the season , as they led 24 – 3 at halftime . But the Rams were able to expose the Texans ' ineffectiveness as they managed to tie at 27 going into overtime . The Rams won 33 – 27 thanks to a 56 - yard pass from Fitzpatrick to WR Kevin Curtis . Unfortunately , Fitzpatrick didn ' t hold up , as they lost the next four games . They lost to the Washington Redskins at home 24 – 9 . Then they lost on the road to the recovering Minnesota Vikings 27 – 13 . Afterwards , they lost to the struggling Philadelphia Eagles 17 – 16 . Not even fellow back - up Jamie Martin could help the Rams against the Eagles . Despite getting the start for their last home game of the season , Jamie Martin and the Rams failed to stop the 49ers from sweeping them by a final score of 24 – 20 . Jamie and the Rams managed to end their disastrous season on a positive note . They went on the road and won against the Dallas Cowboys on ESPN ' s final Sunday Night game with a score of 20 – 10 . Afterwards , Mike Martz was fired from the Rams , ending his reign as Rams head coach . 2006 - 08 . Front office chaos . Despite having a talent - laden roster , the Rams front office dysfunction had traveled from California to Missouri . Team President John Shaw chose to remain in Los Angeles after the re - location . This enabled President of Football Operations Jay Zygmunt and former head coach Mike Martz to carve out rival fiefdoms within the Rams front office . As poor draft choices and mediocre records began to pile up for the once budding dynasty , the rivalries within the Rams organization began to flare . This culminated when Martz was forced to sit out with an infection in his heart . Martz attempted to phone a play in to his offensive coordinator , but was forbidden from doing so by Zygmunt . For all intents and purposes , this ended the Martz era and tossed the Rams into chaos . Hoping to regain control within the franchise , Scott Linehan was named head coach of the St . Louis Rams on January 19 , 2006 . He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins . On January 24 , Jim Haslett , the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints , signed a three - year deal to become the Rams new defensive coordinator . Death of Georgia Frontiere and possible sale of the team . After having been hospitalized for several months with breast cancer , owner Georgia Frontiere died on January 18 , 2008 . Ownership of the team passed to her son Dale " Chip " Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez . They each split her 60 % share of the Rams . Chip Rosenbloom was named the new Rams majority owner . On May 31 , 2009 , the " St . Louis Post - Dispatch " reported that the majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez officially offered the Rams for sale . They have retained the services of Goldman Sachs , a prominent investment banking firm , to help facilitate the sale of the Rams by evaluating bids and soliciting potential buyers . The sale price is unknown , but " Forbes magazine " ′ s most recent estimate listed the Rams ' value at $ 929 million . 2009 : New Lows . As the 2009 season began , conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh put in an offer to buy the Rams ; however he had created controversy during his 2003 stint as a sportscaster with comments he made about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb which were interpreted by many to be racially disparaging . All of the African - American players on the Rams squad threatened to quit if Limbaugh bought the team . The NFL was uncomfortable with the idea of politics being mixed in with football , and he was forced to drop his plans . 2009 began on an ill omen when the Rams were shut out by Seattle . Afterwards , the season would see the team reach its lowest ebb , finishing 1 - 15 with their lone victory coming in Week 8 when they traveled to Ford Field and defeated the Lions 17 - 10 . 2010 : Sam Bradford & The Dawn of a New Era . Having the worst record at 1 - 15 in the NFL , the Rams obtained the # 1 overall draft pick for 2010 and used it to acquire University of Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford . Bradford was the main focus of the 2010 off - season , although the team also found a new owner in businessman Stan Kroenke . In order to make room for the new QB , Keith Null and several other unproductive players were cut from the roster . The Rams lost their season opener against the Cardinals 17 - 13 . Sam Bradford threw three interceptions , including one on the last play of the game . Then followed a road game in Oakland and a second loss before beating Washington and ending a 17 - game home losing streak in Week 3 . In Week 4 , the Rams ended an 8 - game losing streak against Seattle by beating them 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 . The Rams were 7 - 8 by Week 16 and would have been eliminated from playoff contention but for the fact that the NFC West proved so weak that a division title was still within reach . The NFL then surprised nearly everyone by flexing their season ender with 6 - 9 Seattle into prime time , on the grounds that the winner would claim the division title ( the 49ers and Cardinals had been removed from playoff contention by this time ) . However , the Seahawks ( playing at home in Qwest Field ) proved a more aggressive , experienced opponent and won the game and the NFC West title easily with a score of 16 - 6 . Sam Bradford won the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season . The Rams ' return to relevance was signaled when the 2011 schedule was released in April and the team received two Monday Night Football games . However , injuries began accumulating in the preseason and St . Louis collapsed to a 0 - 7 start . They got their first win in a surprise upset of the Saints in Week 8 , a game Sam Bradford missed due to an ankle injury .