The 1985 NFC Championship

Lore & Background

The franchise was founded in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams in Cleveland, Ohio. The franchise won the 1945 NFL Championship Game, then moved to Los Angeles in 1946, making way for Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference and becoming the only NFL championship team to play the following season in another city. The club played its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 1980, when it moved into a reconstructed Anaheim Stadium in Orange County, California.

The Rams made their first Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 1979 NFL season, losing Super Bowl XIV to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31–19. After the 1994 NFL season, the Rams left Southern California and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, becoming the St. Louis Rams. Five seasons later, the team defeated the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV, 23–16 in the first season of the 'Greatest Show on Turf' era, in which they also made Super Bowl XXXVI but lost 20–17 to the New England Patriots.

After the 2015 NFL season, the team sought and received approval from the other owners to move back to Los Angeles in time for the 2016 NFL season. The Rams appeared in Super Bowl LIII but lost to the Patriots, 13–3. Three years later, the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 to win Super Bowl LVI, becoming the second NFL team to win the Super Bowl in its home stadium. The club is the only NFL franchise to win championships representing three different cities: Cleveland in 1945, St. Louis in 1999, and Los Angeles in 1951 and 2021.

Franchise Origins and Relocation

The Los Angeles Rams trace their roots back to 1936 as the Cleveland Rams within a short-lived league before joining the NFL in 1937. A pivotal moment occurred on January 12, 1946, when owner Dan Reeves threatened to abandon professional football entirely unless he could relocate his struggling franchise to Los Angeles. Facing massive financial losses and unable to compete with the well-funded Cleveland Browns of the rival All-America Football Conference, Reeves successfully negotiated a move to the 103,000-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

This decision not only saved the team but established the NFL as the first professional coast-to-coast sports industry. The franchise remained in Southern California for nearly five decades, eventually moving to St. Louis in 1995 before returning to Los Angeles in 2016. Their home grounds shifted from the historic Coliseum (1946–1979) to Anaheim Stadium (1980–1994), and finally to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood starting in 2020, marking a complex journey through the city's sports landscape.

Breaking the Color Barrier

The Rams' move to Los Angeles catalyzed one of the most significant social shifts in professional sports history. Upon securing approval to lease the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, team officials were informed that integration was a strict precondition for their tenancy. Consequently, the franchise agreed to sign African-American players, ending a 13-year period where no Black athletes played in American pro football. On March 21, 1946, they signed Kenny Washington, followed by Woody Strode on May 7, making them the first NFL team to field an integrated roster.

This bold move caused significant controversy among other league owners but proved essential for the team's survival and legitimacy in the new market. By entering the 1946 season with two Black players, the Rams not only fulfilled a contractual obligation but also paved the way for future diversity across the entire National Football League.

The Fearsome Fifties Offense

From 1949 to 1955, the Los Angeles Rams defined an era of explosive football known as their first heyday. During this pre-Super Bowl period, the team reached the NFL Championship Game four times, securing a victory in 1951. Their success was built upon a revolutionary wide-open offense featuring Hall of Famers Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin at quarterback, alongside receivers Elroy Hirsch and Tom Fears. Hirsch, in particular, became a defining figure by recording 1,495 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns during the championship season, setting new standards for big-play capability. This high-scoring style was so popular that the Rams became the first professional football team to have all their games televised in 1950. The era also saw Fred Gehrke paint horns on helmets in 1948, creating the iconic modern emblem associated with the franchise today.

Expanding the Sports Landscape

By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Rams shifted from being Southern California's only major pro team to one of five key franchises. The Dodgers arrived in 1958, the AFL's Chargers came in 1960, and the Lakers and Angels followed soon after, reshaping the local scene. Even with this new competition for fans' time and money, the Rams kept thriving as a top-tier club. This era also highlighted Robert J.