In my youth I used to clip Rams pics and use them for wallpaper in my bedroom…My brother took the best shots of the 70’s, these here are mostly the 80’s.
By Joe Torosian
33 Things That Will Always Give me Joy as a Rams Fan
Last week I listed the 25 things I will never get over as a Rams fan, today I’m listing 33 of my best memories as a Rams fan. Ultimately the good has to outweigh the bad…otherwise how can you remain a fan?
1.) November 5, 1972: Rams avenge first ever loss to the Falcons with a 20-7 victory at the Coliseum. It was the first game I ever heard from start to finish on the radio. It was also the first time I ever heard Dick Enberg.
2.) October 14, 1973: John Hadl and Harold Jackson combine for four first half touchdowns,and humiliate Charlie Waters in a 37-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The memory of Dick Enberg’s call of “…Hadl’s going long, long, to Jackson…Touchdown!” Has stuck with me like scripture or awesome poetry. Because we had to hear these games over the radio there was always a hesitation in our celebration after Enberg said, “Touchdown”…We would slowly rise off the bed in our room and say. “…Wait…wait…”…And then Enberg’s voice would come over KMPC and confirm it with; “And there are no flags on the play!”…Then we’d start giving fives and jumping up and down.
3.) October 14, 1973: Dallas rallies and is driving for a potential game winning score but Al Clark saves the day with last interception of his Rams career. For that single play alone, I wish I could have an Al Clark poster in my office/RamCave. Never get tired of saying it; Rams win, 37-31, at the Coliseum.
4.) October 21, 1973: Rams beat the Green Bay Packers 24-7 and Fred Dryer picks up two safeties in the fourth quarter. I’m listening to Dick Enberg as Dryer sacks Scott Hunter and Jim Del Gaizo to set an NFL record.
5.) August 10, 1974: I go to my first Rams game (sit in the closed end) and they lose the annual Times-Charity game to the Dallas Cowboys, 13-6. Bad night, but in the fourth quarter Cowboys running back Les Strayhorn turns a swing pass from Craig Morton into a 69-yard gain down the sidelines. Cullen Bryant, then a defensive back, races from the far side of the field in a sprint and pushes Strayhorn out of bounds at six. It was a amazing. A week later Bryant was converted into a running back.
6.) November 24, 1974: Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-17 after trailing 17-6 at the start of the fourth quarter. The game is a sellout, still no TV, and we’re listening to Dick Enberg make the call. James Harris rallies the Rams. Harris scores on a 1-yard run and then goes 8-yards to Jack Snow, who makes a one-handed catch, in the corner of the end zone for the go ahead score. Outside linebacker Ken Geddes seals the deal by picking off Fran Tarkenton.
7.) December 22, 1974: Rams beat the Washington Redskins 19-10 in first round of the playoffs. I’m sitting in the closed in of the Coliseum and even though we’re trailing 10-7 at halftime and a buffoon ten rows in back of us was yelling “George Allen’s revenge! Allen’s revenge!”…we’re pretty calm. When the game is over this beautiful African-American woman who was sitting next to me and at the game by herself hugs me with this huge smile and says; “The Rams are going to the Super Bowl!”
8.) December 22, 1974: Rams are leading 13-10 when Isiah Robertson’s 59-yard interception return of a Sonny Jurgensen is one of the most awesome returns I’ve ever seen to this day. After he weaves all across the field before hitting paydirt the buffoon ten rows back yelling “Allen’s revenge!” for the last three hours gets up and leaves to a shower of peanuts and popcorn being thrown at him.
9.) December 20, 1975: Rams beat the Pittsburg Steelers 10-3 on a Saturday night at the Coliseum…and the blackout was lifted. James Harris, Lawrence McCutcheon, Jim Bertlesen, and John Cappelletti are all out. A very young Ron Jaworski is at quarterback while Rob Scribner, Rod Phillips, and Cullen Bryant share time in the backfield. The defense is excellent all night and picks off Terry Bradshaw once and “Jefferson Street” Joe Gilliam twice. The game is tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter before Jaworksi scores on a 5-yard quarterback draw. This is the Steelers last loss before going on to win the Super Bowl.
(***NOTE***on November 12, 1978 the Rams beat the Steelers again at the Coliseum, 10-7…They picked off Bradshaw three times and the Steelers didn’t lose another game on the way to their third Super Bowl title. This game didn’t feel me with emotion because I had no doubt the Rams were going to win. So its not a memory I go back to.)
10.) December 27, 1975: Rams beat the St, Louis Cardinals, 37-23, in the first round of the playoffs at the Coliseum. My brother got tickets to the game, but I had to go to Santa Clara to be with my dad so I at least got to see it on TV. It was like harmonic convergence, beautiful. Jack Youngblood and Bill Simpson return interceptions for touchdowns, Harold Jackson catches a 66-yard bomb from Jaworski, Ron Jessie recoveries a fumble in the end zone, and “Sir Lawrence of Los Angeles” (as I remember Dick Enberg dubbing him), Lawrence McCutcheon sets and NFL record by rushing for 202 yards on 37 carries. Also Merlin Olsen shuts up Conrad Dobler.
“Sir Lawrence & The Polish Rifle” after beating the Cardinals in the playoffs in 1975. (From Julian May’s 1980 book “The Los Angeles Rams”)
11.) October 3, 1976: James Harris leads the Rams back from a 14-0 halftime and 21-7 third quarter deficit to defeat the Miami Dolphins, in the Orange Bowl, 31-28. Great day! Harris completes 17 of 29 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns. He also runs for another. In the second half I saw something I never saw a Chuck Knox team do before. It added a wrinkle by lining up Ron Jessie in the backfield before sending him in motion. Jessie finished with 7 receptions for 220 yards and caught both of Harris’ touchdown passes (58 & 43-yards).
12.) December 19, 1976: Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys, 14-12, in Dallas. This is among my favorite memory of all. The defense…the defense…the defense…4 sacks, three interceptions, one fumble recovery.
13.) December 19, 1976: The look on the Rams defense when it was introduced at Texas Stadium. We watched the game on CBS and when they named the defense the Rams looked like the baddest dudes I ever saw. All of them. Awesome. This is probably my favorite memory.
14.) December 19, 1976: Punter Rusty Jackson taking the safety in the playoff game against the Cowboys to secure the win. He even spikes the ball.
15.) December 4, 1977: Rams beat the Oakland Raiders, 20-14. This game was at the Coliseum and the blackout was lifted but before halftime we turned down and listened to Dick Enberg call the game. It was the first and only time I ever heard Enberg noticeably upset when the officials hit the Rams with a series of flags. It was a great game, but the only highlight you ever see of it is Ken Stabler’s touchdown pass to Dave Casper with Jack Reynolds in coverage. The defense picks off Stabler four times and Harold Jackson catches the game winning 43-yard touchdown pass from Pat Haden.
16.) September 17, 1978: Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys, 27-14 at the Coliseum. The blackout was lifted. The defense picks off Roger Staubach four times: Rod Perry, Pat Thomas, and Bill Simpson. Perry twice and he returns the last one 43-yards for a touchdown to ice the win as Staubach lost his cool. Pat Haden throws a pair of scoring passes. One 21-yards to Ron Jessie, the other 43-yards to Willie Miller to put the Rams up in the fourth quarter after Dallas had tied it.
17.) November 4, 1979: On the same day the U.S. Embassy was being overrun and taken in Iran, the Rams went to Seattle riding a three game losing streak in a season that seemed to be spinning out of control. The Rams beat the Seahawks 24-0 and the defense held them to minus-7-yards to total offense.
18.) December 30, 1979: The Rams beat the Cowboys, 21-19, in the first round of the playoffs. Vince Ferragamo was only 9 of 21 and picked off twice, but he threw three touchdowns passes. The pass to Wendell Tyler on what looked like a wheel-route for a 32-yard touchdown to beat D.D. Lewis was perfect. The 43-yard bomb at the end of the first half to Ron Smith for a touchdown was a miracle. The 50-yard game winner to Billy Waddy on a crossing pattern is the prettiest thing you’ll ever see until your first born arrives…Jack Youngblood plays on a broken leg…And the gravy of it all is Roger Staubach ends his career on his butt after trying to beat DC Bud Carson’s scheme that included seven defensive backs in the game at once.
(***Note*** I do not include the Rams 9-0 NFC Championship win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers…because I didn’t enjoy a minute of it. My stomach was wrenched that whole game because I kept waiting for something bad to happen…Of course, it never did.)
19.) The first three quarters of Super Bowl XIV…Enough said.
20.) December 15, 1980: The Rams beat the Cowboys, 38-14, on Monday night at Anaheim Stadium. Vince Ferragamo’s three touchdown passes and Jewerl Thomas (16-carries/147 yards, Td) who had a “Timmy Smith” moment, raced the Rams out to a 38-0 lead by the end of the third quarter. The defense pick’s off Danny White three times.
21.) October 11, 1981: The Rams beat the Falcons, 37-35, in a back and forth game at Fulton County Stadium. Jeff Rutledge throws two touchdown passes…LeRoy Irvin scores the first touchdown on a 75-yard punt return…He then scores the game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 84-yard punt return. In a lousy season, this was the sweetest day.
22.) January 2, 1983: The Rams win the final game of the strike shortened 1982 season by beating the San Francisco 49ers, 21-20 at Candlestick park. Wendell Tyler scores twice and Pat Thomas gets an interception the last game of their Ram careers. The hero, however, is journeyman Ivory Sully who blocks Wersching’s final field goal attempt. I jumped off my couch went crazy when Sully blocked the kick and it was the first time I questioned what may be wrong with me for getting so happy for a team that finished 2-7…And then I realized, without shame…I was a Rams fan in sunshine or rain.
23.) September 25, 1983: The New York Jets beat the Rams, 27-24, in overtime at Shea Stadium. Erick Dickerson’s touchdown run against the Jets. This loss is on me…I violated the rule of not missing church to see the Rams play (and when work called to ask me to come in, I told my brother to tell them I wasn’t home), but I did get to see Eric Dickerson’s 85-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. On his best day Baryshinkov never looked as good as Dickerson did on that play. Another good memory came when Mark Gastineau went into his sack dance after downing Vince Ferragamo and Jackie Slater went after him to set off a brawl. Defensive back Kirk Collins picked off two passes to raise his season total to five after four games…Collins never stepped on the field again as he was diagnosed with cancer and died a little over five months later at the age of 25.
24.) December 18, 1983: Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 26-24, in the Superdome to get back into the playoffs. Mike Lansford wins it at the end with a 42-yard field goal. It was like an enormous weight being taken off my shoulders. The Rams were a playoff team again.
25.) December 26, 1983: Rams beat the Cowboys, 24-17, in Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. They’re trailing 10-7 in the third quarter before scoring three times. Vince Ferragamo throws three touchdown passes. The Rams defense picks off Danny White three times and sacks him three times.
(***Note***Question has been put to me if it ever gets old beating the Cowboys? My response: Absolutely not!)
26.) Everything Eric Dickerson in 1984.
27.) January 4, 1986: The Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys, 20-0, at Anaheim Stadium in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. Eric Dickerson scores two touchdowns, on runs of 55 and 40-yards, and finishes with 248 yards rushing. The defense picks off Danny White three times and they sack him five times with Gary Jeter registering three. This is also Tom Landry’s final playoff appearance…Marvelous!
Steve Dills (Getty Images)
28.) November 3, 1986: This game is ugly, but ten months after being humiliated by the Chicago Bears in the NFC title game, the Rams go into Soldier Field on a cold Monday night and get a 20-17 victory thanks to Mike Lansford’s 50-yard field goal. Steve Dils, playing for Steve Bartkowski, completes just six of 25 passes but one of them goes to Ron Brown for a 65-yard touchdown. So satisfying.
29.) November 26, 1989: The Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 20-17, on a Sunday night in the Superdome. The lasting memory, besides Kevin Greene’s two sacks and vault over a blocker to tackle Dalton Hilliard in the backfield? Flipper Anderson catches 15 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown.
30.) January 7, 1990: The Rams beat the New York Giants, 19-13, in overtime at the Meadowlands. Knowing it was a big game…I did the right thing…and went to church. Had a friend tape it, raced like a madman to his house after Pastor Brough said, “Amen”…And suffered through gut wrenching torture until Jim Everett went 30-yards to Flipper Anderson to win the game in overtime.
31.) November 15, 1992: The Rams win in Dallas, 27-23, for literally their last highlight until 1999. For once we got something out of Cleveland Gary 110 yards rushing and a touchdown, seven catches and a touchdown. What’s so sweet about this one besides beating the Cowboys? My boss at the time was a Cowboys fan and bought into the whole God’s Team/America’s Team garbage. The Pokes may have won the Super Bowl, but we beat them.
32.) The Greatest Show on Turf: 1999-2001…Tell me if there was anything greater than this to watch? As the old saying goes, slightly modified: “When watching the Rams’ offense during the 1999 season…you would forget to breath for ten minutes.”
33.) January 30, 2000 Super Bowl XXXIV: Mike Jones tackles Kevin Dyson…I sound my barbaric yawp…and the Rams are Super Bowl champions. Rams 23 Titans 16.
Follow Joe on Twitter @joet13b
Email: joe@midvalleysports.com
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