1945 Cleveland Rams season

Last updated

1945 Cleveland Rams season
Head coach Adam Walsh
Home stadium League Park
Results
Record9–1
Division place1st NFL Western
PlayoffsWon NFL Championship
(vs. Redskins) 15–14

The 1945 Cleveland Rams season was the team's eighth year with the National Football League and the ninth and final season in Cleveland. Led by the brother tandem of head coach Adam Walsh and general manager Chile Walsh, and helmed by future Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield, the Rams franchise finished 9–1 before winning its first NFL Championship by defeating the Washington Redskins, 15–14, at Cleveland Stadium. Other stars on the team included receiver Jim Benton and back Jim Gillette, who gained more than 100 yards in the title game.

Contents

One month after winning the NFL Championship, The team's players and the franchise owner Dan Reeves, who had sustained five years of heavy financial losses (even during the team's championship season) because of poor home crowds, realized he had no prospect of the Rams competing in Cleveland with the AAFC's Browns, who were to commence play the next year, and relocated the Rams to Los Angeles. [1] The Rams' move to Los Angeles marked the first of only two occasions that a professional football champion has played the following season in another city. [2]

Off season

NFL draft

= Hall of Famer
1945 Cleveland Rams Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
15 Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch End Michigan
216 Milan Lazetich TackleMichigan
321W.G. (Dub) WootenEnd Oklahoma
432 Jack Zilly End Notre Dame
537 Roger Harding Center California
648 Jerry Cowhig BackNotre Dame
759 Fred Negus Center Wisconsin
870Johnny AugustBack Alabama
981 Dick Huffman Tackle Tennessee
1092Vern WaltersBackAlma
11103 Tom Fears End UCLA
12114 Joe Winkler Center Purdue
13125Jack AlandTackleAlabama
14136Chuck UknesBack Iowa
15147 Bill Lund BackCase Western Reserve
16158Bob BartonEndHoly Cross
17169 Dick Hoerner BackIowa
18180Lee KennonTackleOklahoma
19191Eagle MatulichBack Mississippi State
20202Bill GriffinTackle Kentucky
21213Leroy EricksonBack Oregon
22224 Ray Evans Tackle Texas-El Paso
23235 Luke Higgins TackleNotre Dame
24246Stan NowakEnd South Carolina
25257Gene KonopkaGuard Villanova
26268Ray FlorekBack Illinois
27279Russ PerryBack Wake Forest
28290 Pat West BackUSC
29301Bill DavisBackOregon
30312Charley ComptonTackleAlabama

Schedule

GameDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecapSources
1September 30 Chicago Cardinals W 21–01–0 League Park 10,872 Recap
2October 7 Chicago Bears W 17–02–0League Park19,580 Recap
3October 14at Green Bay Packers W 27–143–0 City Stadium 24,607 Recap
4October 21at Chicago Bears W 41–214–0 Wrigley Field 28,273 Recap
5October 28at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–284–1 Shibe Park 38,149 Recap
6November 4at New York Giants W 21–175–1 Polo Grounds 46,219 Recap
7November 11 Green Bay Packers W 20–76–1League Park28,686 Recap
8November 18at Chicago Cardinals W 35–217–1 Comiskey Park 18,000 Recap
9 November 22 at Detroit Lions W 28–218–1 Briggs Stadium 40,017 Recap
10December 2 Boston Yanks W 20–79–1League Park18,470 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Western Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
Cleveland Rams 910.9007–0244136W5
Detroit Lions 730.7005–2195194W1
Green Bay Packers 640.6003–4258173L1
Chicago Bears 370.3002–6192235W2
Chicago Cardinals 190.1001–698228L6
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Post season

NFL Championship Game: vs. Washington Redskins

NFL Championship Game
Quarter1234Total
Redskins077014
Rams276015

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium

  • Date: December 16, 1945
  • Game weather: −8 °F (−22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 32,178

In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the end zone, quarterback Sammy Baugh threw, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time was on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as a safety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.

In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced by Frank Filchock. Filchock threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Steve Bagarus to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. But the Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jim Benton. Waterfield's ensuing extra point was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.

In the third quarter, the Rams increased their lead when Jim Gillette scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception, but this time the extra point was missed. The Redskins then came back to cut their deficit to 15–14 with Bob Seymour's 8-yard touchdown catch from Filchock. In the fourth quarter, Washington kicker Joe Aguirre missed two field goals attempts, of 46 and 31 yards, that could have won the game.

Roster

Team photo of the 1945 NFL Champion Cleveland Rams. 1945-Cleveland-Rams-teamphoto.jpg
Team photo of the 1945 NFL Champion Cleveland Rams.

Bold denotes player on the official NFL roster at the end of the 1945 season. [3]

NamePositionHeightWeightGamesStartsSeasonsCollegeNotes
Graham Armstrong T6'2"215102 John Carroll
Jim Benton E6'3"195957 Arkansas
David Bernard FB5'10"197702 Mississippi
Gil Bouley T6'2"233661 Boston College
Thomas Colella HB5'11-½"1851014 Canisius
Bob DeLauer C6'1"213221 USA
Roger Eason T6'2"220201 Oklahoma
Fred Gehrke HB5'11"1901072 Utah
James Gillette HB6'1-½"1851073 Virginia
Don Greenwood FB5'11"191961 Illinois
Ray Hamilton E6'4"210904 Arkansas
Roger Harding C6'2"195601 Cal
Howard Hickey E6'2"195822 Arkansas
Jack Jacobs QB6'1"180212 Oklahoma
Harvey Jones HB6'0"175922 Baylor
George Koch HB6'1"200501 St. Mary's of Texas
Floyd Konetsky E6'1"1951032 University of Miami
William Lazetich G6'1-½"1951071 Montana
Leslie Lear G5'11"223912 Manitoba University
Butch Levy T6'0"260711 Minnesota
Elvin Liles G5'9-½"195803 Oklahoma A&M Started season with Detroit Lions.
Riley Matheson G6'2"21010107 Texas Mines
Arthur Morgenthal G5'11"2151021 Notre Dame
Raymond Monaco G5'10-½"215103 Holy Cross
Rudy Mucha G6'1-½"246302 Washington Ended season with Chicago Bears.
Steve Nemeth QB5'10"172931 Notre Dame
George Phillips QB6'3-½"215101 UCLA
Steve Pritko E6'2"21010103 Villanova
Albie Reisz QB5'9"1701002 Southeastern
William Reith C5'11-½"203103 Carnegie Tech
Ralph Ruthstrom FB6'4"208621 Southern Methodist
Mike Scarry C5'11"22010102 Waynesburg
Eberle Schultz T6'4"24510105 Oregon State
Bob Shaw E6'3"229501 Ohio State
Rudy Sikich T6'1"219621 Minnesota
Bob Waterfield QB6'1"1911061 UCLA 1945 NFL Most Valuable Player
Pat West FB6'1"2041071 USC
Joe Winkler C6'1"200801 Purdue
James Worden HB5'10"180551 Waynesburg
Walt Zirinsky HB5'11-½"187501 Lafayette
Positions:C - Center; E - End; FB - Fullback; G - Guard; HB - Halfback; QB - Quarterback; T - Tackle

Awards and records

Footnotes

  1. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation. Anchor Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-0-375-72506-7.
  2. The other occasion was in 1962 with the Dallas Texans of the American Football League. Five months after winning the AFL Championship, franchise owner Lamar Hunt, realizing he had no prospect of the Texans competing with the NFL's Cowboys in Dallas, relocated the Texans to Kansas City and rebranded them as the Chiefs. They bought 5 nuggets with the trophy.
  3. George Strickler (ed.), The National Football League Record and Rules Manual, 1946. New York: National Football League, 1946; p. 110.
  4. Cavanaugh, Jack (2008). Giants Among Men. New York: Random House. p. 57.