The 1970's LA Rams: The Dynasty that Never Was

In a decade that saw so many great teams reach the Super Bowl, perhaps the best organization to never win it all was the Los Angeles Rams. They were a roving door of talent along the defensive line and always seemed to find just the right quarterback/coach combination to make the organization click year after year. The Rams reached five conference championship games during the 1970s and ended a decade filled with so much promise and hope with a loss in the Super Bowl. This is their story.

The Dark Times

The Rams of the 1950's were very much like they are today. They were flashy and great, scoring at will while consistently contending for the NFL title. After winning it all twice, as the decade came to a close so did their window of opportunity. From 1959 through 1965, the Rams never enjoyed a winning season, bottoming out at 1-12-1 in 1962.

In 1963, Harland Svare took over as coach and although he had taken over admirably for Tom Landry as the New York Giants defensive coordinator, it was obvious to all that he was not the right man for the job. After going 14-26-2, he was fired in 1965. Once again, the Rams organization was left scrambling for answers.

But hope was not lost. That off-season, the Rams hired Chicago Bears defensive coordinator George Allen as their next head coach. From then on, the dark cloud that had hanged over the organization hardly ever beared its ugly head.

The Beginning of Something Special

George Allen was no stranger to the Los Angeles scene. In 1957, he was an assistant under Rams coach Sid Gillman who has widely been regarded as the father of the modern passing game. That was the last year that Allen ever saw that side of the ball. The very next year he was in Chicago, at once climbing the coaching ladder while molding its defense into one of the all-time greats.

By the time 1963 rolled around, George Allen was defensive coordinator and the Bears beat the New York Giants 14-10, cementing his status as one of the game's sharpest defensive minds. Two years later, they drafted Dick Butkus and after another failed run at the post season, George Allen was hired away to California.

The old defensive coach was in luck when he arrived in Los Angeles as the Rams already had a terrific defensive line that had a name. Merlin Olsen was in the middle of an incredible 14 year stretch that saw him get invited to the Pro Bowl each year. Deacon Jones was so good at getting to the quarterback (many times by using a now illegal head slap) that he invented a word that is still used to this day: the sack.

Rosey Grier was the only one of "the Fearsome Foursome" to win a championship (the 1956 Giants) and had participated in the Greatest Game Ever Played. And lastly, Lamar Lundy had already earned his lone Pro Bowl invite in 1959 and would eventually be named second team All Pro in 1967. Together, the Fearsome Foursome seemed unstoppable. All they needed was some firepower from the offense to really contend for the championship and a coach heady enough to truly lead them into battle.

That same year, longtime backup quarterback Roman Gabriel took over as the starter. He had waited years collecting splinters on the bench while getting spot duty and looked forward to proving his value to the city of Los Angeles. He turned out to be average that first year, completing just 54.7% of his passes for 2,540 yards along with ten touchdown passes against 16 interceptions in an era where that sort of statistic was starting to get phased out. Just a decade earlier, it had been acceptable that the best passers would cough up more interceptions than touchdowns. By the end of the 1960s, that sort of behavior was unacceptable.

Still, the team went 8-6, its first winning season since 1958. What's more, their defense gave up the second fewest points in the league. Already, George Allen's approach was starting to blossom.

The following year, the Rams went 11-1-2, with their only loss to the 49ers followed with back to back ties with the Colts and Redskins. By the end of regular season, they had won their division while finishing first in points scored (398) and points allowed (196). But while the regular season brings along its own challenges, the postseason is a whole other ballgame. Although Bernie Casey got the Rams on the scoreboard first with a 29 yard touchdown reception from Roman Gabriel in the first quarter, the grizzled Green Bay Packers scored the next 28 points to come out victorious in the Divisional Round at in Milwaukee County Stadium.

The Rams failed to repeat as Western Division champs in 1968 and yet they still managed to win ten games while allowing just 200 points which was third best in the NFL. They returned to their winning ways in 1969, going 11-3 and reclaiming the Western Division while ranking in the top five in points for (320) and against (243).

Meanwhile, Roman Gabriel was on another level. That year, he completed 54.4% of his passes for 2,549 yards while posting an 86.8 passer rating and leading the league with 24 touchdown passes against seven interceptions. For his efforts and fine play, he was named league MVP that year.

The Rams entered the playoffs on a mission to avenge their loss to the Vikings just weeks before. They had entered that game riding an 11 game winning streak and were left gasping for breath as the Vikings extended their own 12 game win streak. The Rams wound up dropping their final three games of the regular season and came to Minnesota determined to exorcize their Vikings demons.

The Rams started off strong, taking a 17-7 lead into the half thanks to two short touchdown throws by Gabriel. However, the Vikings were a resilient bunch and had no problem pounding the ball up the middle all day if it mean certain victory. As a result, all three Vikings touchdowns were shorts runs by either running back Dave Osborn (two) or quarterback Joe Kapp. A sack in the end zone by Vikings great Carl Eller put an explanation point on the contest as the Vikings prevailed in the 11 degree weather 23-20. It would be George Allen's last hurrah with the Rams.

A Decade of Greatness

Following a second place finish (9-4-1) in 1970, George Allen was lured away to Washington with the promise of not only the head coaching job but also the all the responsibilities of a general manager. So the Rams turned to Tommy Prothro. While they played respectably, By 1972, an offense and defense which had routinely ranked in the top five had fallen to the middle of the pack while their overall record had dipped to 6-7-1. It was their worst season since their disastrous 1-12-1 campaign in 1962

So the Rams turned to Chuck Knox. As a rookie head coach in 1973, he turned around an offense that had ranked 14th just the year before into the best in the NFL and a defense that had ranked 16th in 1972 to fourth, giving up just 178 points in a 14 game season. Unfortunately, the Rams miracle season ended in a 27-16 loss to the Cowboys in the Divisional Round. Still, the Rams put up quite a fight. Twelve sacks were recorded between the two elite defenses, with Roger Staubach succumbing to the Fearsome Foursome seven times. Despite the loss, the Rams knew that brighter days were ahead.

The Rams enjoyed a pretty soft regular season schedule in 1974 as they only had to deal with two playoff teams. Ironically, the 10-4 Rams split their victories against the two teams. They beat the Vikings 20-17 and lost to the Redskins 23-17 two weeks later just before the playoffs. Two weeks after their loss to Washington, the Rams got a measure of revenge by beating the Redskins 19-10 in the Divisional Round.

Both defenses came ready to play in icy Minnesota the following weekend as the Fearsome Foursome matched the Vikings Purple People Eaters tackle for bruising tackle. The Rams dominated through the air with James Harris passing for 248 yards compared to Fran Tarkenton's 123, yet the Rams failed to score a touchdown until Harris found Harold Jackson for a 44 yard strike in the fourth quarter. The exhilarating touchdown proved to be too little too late as the Vikings prevailed 14-10 to stamp their ticket to Super Bowl IX.

The Rams opened their 1975 campaign with an 18-7 loss to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Cowboys and ended the regular season with a 10-33 victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers. Along the way, the 12-2 Rams never suffered back-to-back losses all season long while finishing first in points allowed for the second time in a row, giving up a paltry 135 points. After beating the Cardinals 35-23 in the Divisional Round, the Rams stayed home in the Los Angeles Coliseum while the Cowboys traveled to California for the NFC Championship Game.

The game was a downer from start to finish as the Rams found themselves staring at a 21 point deficit at the half. They were particularly befuddled by Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson who caught two of Roger Staubach's three first half touchdown passes and would catch his third score midway through the third quarter. In total, the game's clutchest receiver had seven catches for 123 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams only score was a short plunge of the goal line by running back John Cappelletti. The Rams lost 37-7.

All year long, the Rams had the Cowboys and Drew Pearson on their minds. Perhaps the Cowboys loomed to much in their minds when they tied the Vikings in Week Two or were shutout by the less-than-stellar 49ers three weeks later. But by late in the 1976 season, the Rams seemed to have gone back to their winning ways. They avenged their early season loss by pasting the 49ers 23-3 in Week 11 and won the Western Division for the fourth consecutive year.

All they wanted was another shot at the Cowboys when it mattered most and the Rams got it when the two teams met in the Divisional Round. After Cowboys kicker Efren Herrera booted a 44 yard field goal in the first quarter, Rams quarterback Pat Haden took the ball himself for a four yard score to briefly put the Rams up 7-3.

Just before halftime, Scott Laidlaw plunged from the one-yard line to retake the lead. The third quarter was a knockdown, drag-out fight between two of the game's elite defenses. Finally in the fourth quarter, Rams running back Lawrence McCutcheon ran it in from the one yard line to give Los Angeles a 14-10 lead. Although Harold Jackson sacked Haden in the endzone, the Rams held on to win 14-12.

The Rams defense played extremely well that day, forcing Roger Staubach to complete just 15 of his 37 passes for 150 yards and three interceptions while Merlin Olsen (two), Larry Brooks and Jack Youngblood combined to sack the elusive quarterback four times. They really did a number on their nemesis Drew Pearson as they held him to just three catches for 38 yards. It was a total team victory.

The Rams came out of the gate in Minnesota hot yet they quickly cooled off when bobby Bryant returned a blocked field goal 90 yards for the game's first points. Although two Rams touchdowns in the third quarter kept the game interesting, Sammy Johnson's 2 yard touchdown rumble put the nail in the coffin for the Rams Super Bowl hopes as they lost the NFC Championship 24-13.

The 1977 Rams were on a mission. They trounced the Vikings 35-3 in early October and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Raiders 20-14 two months later. However, the 10-4 Rams season came to a screeching halt in the Divisional Round as they lost to the Vikings 14-7. Disappointed, Chuck Knox left soon after to take over the Seattle Seahawks. The team was Ray Malavasi's now.

The End of an Era

The Ray Malavasi era began in glorious fashion with a 7-0 start with impressive wins over the Cowboys (27-14) and Oilers (10-6) in back-to-back weeks and the Steelers 10-7, three teams that would reach at least as far as the Conference Championship Game that year.

After beating the Vikings 34-10 in the Divisional Round, the 12-4 Rams again met the Cowboys in Los Angeles for the NFC Championship. Neither Vince Ferragamo nor Pat Haden stood a chance that day. Together, the two Rams quarterbacks combined to complete just 14 of 35 passes for 206 yards while coughing up a ghastly five interceptions in the 28-0 route.

Perhaps the team was weary in 1979, having been to the playoffs so many times yet to have their hearts ripped out again and again. While they were not nearly as dominant as they had been in the past, the 5-6 Rams rallied when it mattered most by winning four straight to claim their seventh straight Western Division championship.

With the Cowboys favored by 8.5 points, it looked like the Rams stood no chance in the Divisional Round at Dallas. After Vince Ferragamo was sacked in the end zone by Cowboys defensive tackle Randy White in the first quarter, the Rams dug down deep to find within themselves the resolve to prevail in Texas Stadium.

Running back Wendell Tyler's 32 yard touchdown reception put the Rams on the board midway through the second quarter and after Rafael Septien's 33 yard field goal narrowed the Rams lead to just two points, Ron Smith turned Ferragamo's pass into an exhilarating 43 yard touchdown that breathed life into the Ram's hopes.

Fullback Ron Springs powered his way into the endzone in the third quarter to give the Cowboys hope and shortly after in the fourth quarter, Jay Saldi caught a Roger Staubach pass for a two yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a 19-14 lead. All hope seemed lost until Billy Waddy caught Vince Ferragamo's pass for a 50 yard touchdown that broke hearts all over the Lone Star State, giving the Rams an improbable 21-19 victory.

The following week in Tampa Bay, the Rams ferocious pass rush tore Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams bicep from the bone . From then on, the game was practically in hand as they Rams had just enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to shutout the Buccaneers while giving Frank Corral enough room to nail three decisive field goals. At long last, the Rams were headed to the Super Bowl.

They were underdogs once again with Las Vegas predicting a 10 point Steelers romp at the Rose Bowl. Indeed, this Steelers squad had more than enough talent to make minced meat of the hometown Rams. But this Rams squad had delivered time and again and had been clamoring for this kind of shot at glory for years. What's more, their star defensive lineman, Jack Youngblood had recently suffered a fracture in his leg and yet he refused to be sidelined. Inspired by their teammate, the Rams rallied once again to take a 13-10 halftime lead.

After Lynn Swann scored a 47 yard touchdown in the third, Ron Smith turned a Lawrence McCutcheon pass into a 24 yard score of his own to give the Rams a shocking 19-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Things were starting to look promising for the Rams as they had picked off Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw three times while holding the terrific running back tandem of Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris to just 71 yards on 30 carries.

Yet, the Steelers thrived on the deep ball in those days and the knew that that was the only way that they could beat this Rams squad. So Bradshaw found john Stallworth for a 73 yard touchdown to retake the lead and after another long Stallworth catch, Franco Harris rumbled for a one yard score to give the Steelers their fourth Super Bowl triumph of the decade, beating the devastated Rams 31-19.

From then on, the Rams glorious run was over. While they did manage to reach the Wild Card in 1980, they couldn't win the Western Division and wouldn't again until 1983.

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References

1. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/index.htm

2. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/AlleGe0.htm