Georgia Frontiere Georgia Frontiere ( November 21 , 1927 – January 18 , 2008 ) was the majority owner and chairman of the St . Louis Rams football team and the most prominent female owner in a league historically dominated by males . During her nearly three decades in charge ( 1979 – 2008 ) , the Rams made the playoffs 14 seasons , played in 25 postseason games , won 13 postseason games , reached the Super Bowl three times and won the championship game once in 2000 . Her commitment to the team earned her the nickname “ Madame Ram . " Also a philanthropist , Frontiere created the St . Louis Rams Foundation , sat on the board of the local United Way chapter , the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra , Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club , Crohn ' s and Colitis Foundation of America and the American Foundation for AIDS Research and made numerous charitable contributions both to the arts and to other organizations in St . Louis and elsewhere . Early life and education . Frontiere was born in St . Louis , Missouri , to Lucia Pamela , Miss St . Louis of 1926 , KMOX radio ’ s ‘ gal about town ’ , and the leader of America ’ s first all - girl orchestra ( Lucia Pamela and her band of musical pirates ) , and Reginald Irwin , an insurance salesman and businessman . Frontiere had early aspirations to work as an opera singer eventually travelling to Milan to train with the Milan Opera . By ten years old , she performed along with her mother and brother in the singing group , the Pamela Trio . The group traveled the state and entertained at ballrooms and state fairs . Frontiere attended Soldan High School in St . Louis . At fifteen , Frontiere ’ s parents divorced and she married a young U . S . marine who was heading to Europe during World War II , but the union was quickly annulled . A few years later , the family moved to Fresno , California , where Frontiere performed at dinner theatres alongside her mother in a duo , the Pamela Sisters . During this time , she married her second husband , who was killed in a car accident near San Francisco shortly after the couple had wed . Early career . In the early 1950s , Frontiere worked as a urologist ’ s secretary while acting in Fresno ’ s Garrick Little Theatre ( where she met her third husband ) . The couple divorced a short time later . She later married her fourth husband , a stage manager at the Sacramento Music Circus , but the couple split after five years . In the late 1950s , Frontiere moved to Miami and had her own TV interview show . During this time , Frontiere met her fifth husband , a Miami television producer . They were married for a short time . Later , she made appearances as part of NBC ’ s “ Today ” show cast . She also performed as a nightclub singer in Miami . While living in Miami , Frontiere was introduced to the then Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom ( who was separated from his first wife ) at a party hosted by Joseph Kennedy at his Palm Beach estate in 1957 . Kennedy was a fan of Georgia after seeing her on her morning show . Rosenbloom and Georgia were engaged in 1960 , but it took Rosenbloom ten years to divorce his first wife ( in a widely reported divorce negotiation ) . Rosenbloom and Frontiere married in 1966 , though they had been together for eight years and had two children by this point . In 1972 , Rosenbloom traded ownership of the Baltimore Colts for ownership of the Los Angeles Rams . During this time , the couple resided in Bel Air , California , and Frontiere became a part of the Los Angeles social scene , hosting numerous parties and philanthropic events . Frontiere was also known to entertain guests in a section near the owner ' s box at the Los Angeles Coliseum dubbed Georgia ' s Grandstand . In April 1979 , Carroll Rosenbloom drowned while swimming off a Florida beach from an apparent heart attack . Some suspected foul play , although medical examiners found no evidence that his death was not due to natural causes . National Football League . Upon her husband ’ s passing , Frontiere inherited a 70 % ownership stake in the Los Angeles Rams . Carroll ’ s five children inherited the other 30 % . Often dubbed the first female owner of an NFL franchise , the League reported that Frontiere was actually the second female majority owner . Violet Bidwill Wolfner inherited the Chicago Cardinals after her husband ’ s death in 1947 and owned the franchise until she died in 1962 . However , during Frontiere ’ s tenure , she was the only active female majority owner in the NFL . During her years as owner , Frontiere moved the Rams twice , first relocating from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1980 to Anaheim ( a deal Carroll made in 1978 ) , then to St . Louis in 1995 . Los Angeles Rams . Initially criticized and harassed for being a woman in a league dominated by men and for not being capable of running a football team , Frontiere quickly asserted control of the Rams and addressed her detractors during her first press conference saying , “ There are some who feel there are two different kinds of people — human beings and women . ” Her inheritance came as a surprise to many fans ( though not to close friends and family ) who thought Steve Rosenbloom , the former owner ’ s son from a previous marriage and the Rams ’ vice - president , would take a leadership role in the team ’ s management . However , Frontiere couldn ’ t navigate the conflicts between General Manager Don Klosterman and Steve and fired Steve after four months . During the 1970s , the Rams were a perennial contender , but a championship or a Super Bowl appearance eluded them . Yet , without Carroll , the team lacked organizational direction , which Frontiere sought to establish . During preseason , Frontiere drafted a position paper where she asserted her role as the team ’ s boss . Believing that a lack of direction was responsible for the Rams ' inability to win a championship ( despite fielding talented teams ) , she told Sports Illustrated , “ Right now , we don ' t have much leadership . Oh , they played well — they ' re trying to earn their positions — and I ' m not talking about the coaching . We have good coaching . I ' m talking about the top . There are some things that have to be ironed out . " That next season , the Rams finally reached Super Bowl XIV but lost to the three - time champion Pittsburgh Steelers 31 - 19 After the Super Bowl , Frontiere increased her national profile appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and in an American Express commercial with the Rams players . By the mid - 1980s , Frontiere had passed much of the Rams ’ daily financial and football management responsibilities on to key executives . According to ESPN , “ When it came to football matters , Mrs . Frontiere delegated to longtime team president John Shaw , to whom she granted considerable autonomy . ” As the decade began , the ' 70s Rams players gradually retired , but the team still reached the playoffs eight times between 1980 and 1989 . In 1981 , the team moved out of the Los Angeles Coliseum ( a severely outdated facility that was too big to sell out for most games and resulted in frequent blackouts ) into the Angels ' Anaheim Stadium . In the early 1990s , the Rams franchise suffered from poor attendance . Average attendance had fallen to 45 , 000 fans per game , well below a peak of 62 , 000 . Because of this , the Rams ’ finances suffered as well . In 1994 , the Rams claimed to have lost $ 6 million , and made only $ 7 . 6 million during the previous four seasons . As well , Frontiere attracted some negative publicity . In 1986 , Frontiere ’ s seventh and final husband , composer Dominic Frontiere , stirred controversy after being arrested and jailed for ten months for lying to a government agent as part of a federal investigation that came from allegedly scalping 1 , 000 Super Bowl tickets . ( Frontiere was not implicated and though the event brought unfavorable media attention , she stood by Dominic Frontiere during his trial and incarceration ) . The pair divorced in 1987 . As the 1990s began , the Rams ' fortunes had sunk very low . Most home games were blacked out , and the team hardly figured into the Los Angeles sports scene at all . Frontiere attempted to have a new stadium built in Los Angeles to improve ticket sales but local government officials were not interested due to unfavorable economic conditions ( the end of the Cold War resulted in large - scale layoffs by defense contractors in Southern California ) . This and the extreme lack of fan support prompted her to move the team to her hometown of St . Louis . St . Louis Rams . Lured by incentives like $ 20 million in annual profits from guaranteed season - ticket sales , personal seat licenses and a favorable lease at a $ 280 - million domed stadium that was already in the process of being built , Frontiere transplanted the team to St . Louis in 1995 . During the deal , Frontiere also agreed to give up 40 % of her ownership to Stan Kroenke , who became a minority owner in the team . ( She had bought the 30 % of the team she didn ’ t own from Carroll ’ s children in 1980 ) . The move to St . Louis resulted in a legal battle with the NFL , which had decided that the city was unsuitable as a football market and attempted to block the Rams ' move there . Frontiere sued the league under antitrust laws and won . Though fans in Southern California felt scorned , the city of St . Louis welcomed her after losing the Cardinals franchise to Phoenix , Arizona in 1988 . After the announced move , the city hosted a rally downtown and thousands of fans chanted “ Georgia , Georgia ! ” Later Frontiere said , “ St . Louis is my home , and I brought my team here to start a new dynasty . " The Rams struggled for the first few years in their new home , but in the 1999 season , the team led by coach Dick Vermeil , offensive coordinator Mike Martz and an undrafted ex - Arena Football League quarterback , Kurt Warner , defeated the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV . The team was dubbed “ the Greatest Show on Turf ” because of its high scoring offense . The victory served as vindication for Frontiere in the face of criticism from fellow NFL owners and bitter Los Angeles fans . On the night of the victory , Frontiere expressed her desire to succeed , “ From the time my late husband died , it has been a constant effort to do what he expected me to be able to do . He said : ‘ If anybody can , you can . You always stick to your ideas . And nobody pushes you around . ’ ” Two years after the Super Bowl XXXIV win , the Rams made it to the championship game again . In 2002 , the Rams competed against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI but lost a close game 20 - 17 . The Rams made the playoffs again in 2003 and ' 04 , but after Kurt Warner and other key players departed , the team again lapsed into stagnation . Upon her death in 2008 , Frontiere ’ s son Dale “ Chip ” Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriquez inherited the 60 % ownership stake in the team . In May 2010 , the owners expressed that they hoped the team would be sold to longtime minority owner Stan Kroenke . Then on August 25 , 2010 , Kroenke received unanimous approval from league owners as the new owner of Rams . Kroenke immediately bought 30 percent of the 60 percent share of the team held by Frontiere ’ s children and will purchase the remaining 30 percent at a later date at a reported valuation of $ 750 million . Philanthropy . Throughout her career , Frontiere was devoted to a range of philanthropic causes . Speaking of Frontiere ’ s endeavors , NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said , “ Her philanthropic work was legendary and wide ranging . " In 1991 , Frontiere made a $ 1 million donation to the Fulfillment Fund , which provides support systems to help underprivileged students pursue higher education . This help often includes mentoring , college / career counseling centers , paying for Scholastic Aptitude tests and support groups on college campuses . Frontiere was also an outspoken supporter of the NFL Alumni Association . She rallied for the " Pre - ' 59ers , " the 1 , 000 - plus NFL players who retired prior to 1959 and didn ' t qualify for the league ' s pension plan . She also started a " Dire Need Fund " for the Los Angeles chapter of the NFL Alumni Association , which spawned the league - led NFL Alumni Dire Need Fund for players . In 1997 , Frontiere spearheaded the formation of the St . Louis Rams Foundation , which has contributed more than $ 7 million to charities in the St . Louis area . Always a patron of the arts , in 2000 , Frontiere donated $ 1 million to help build a 5500 - seat amphitheater , the Frontiere Performing Arts Pavilion , located in the Sedona Cultural Park in Arizona . As well , she produced the Tony - nominated August Wilson play " Radio Golf " and Richard Dresser ’ s “ Below the Belt . ” Frontiere also sat on the boards of the United Way of Greater St . Louis , Crohn ' s and Colitis Foundation of America , Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club , Saint Louis Symphony , and the American Foundation for AIDS Research . Awards & recognition . After Frontiere ’ s passing in 2008 , the Rams renamed the Community Quarterback Awards the Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Awards . The program awards $ 20 , 000 to local non - profits in recognition of outstanding volunteer service . Since its inception , the Rams have donated more than $ 170 , 000 to community groups . Also in 2008 , the Rams partnered with St . Jude Children ' s Research Hospital to host " Georgia ' s Drive Fore the Kids , " a golf tournament to honor Frontiere and benefit the charity . Sixth Street , between Convention Plaza and Washington , outside of the Edward Jones Dome , is now known as “ Georgia ’ s Way ” to memorialize Frontiere . Frontiere was awarded an honorary doctor of philanthropy from Pepperdine University . Death . Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 , Frontiere spent the rest of the year undergoing treatment , but her condition rapidly deteriorated and she died in UCLA Medical Center on January 18 , 2008 . She was 80 years old . A statement put out by her children read , “ Our mom was dedicated to being more than the owner of a football team . She loved the Rams ' players , coaches and staff . The warmth and generosity she exuded will never be forgotten . ” She is survived by two children , six grandchildren and her companion of 19 years , Earle Weatherwax .