1951 Los Angeles Rams season
Encyclopedia
The 1951
Los Angeles Rams
season was the team's 14th year with the National Football League
and the sixth season in Los Angeles
.
in the second quarter. The Browns answered back with an NFL Championship record 52-yard field goal by Lou Groza
. They later took the lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Otto Graham
to Dub Jones. The Browns take the lead at halftime 10–7.
In the third quarter Larry Brink
landed a hard tackle on Graham causing him to fumble the ball. Andy Robustelli
picked up the ball on the Cleveland 24 and returned it to the Cleveland 2. On the third play of the drive, "Deacon" Dan Towler
ran the ball in for a touchdown from the one yard line giving the Rams a 14–10 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Rams increased their lead with a Bob Waterfield
17-yard field goal. The Browns answered back with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Ken Carpenter, tying the game at 17–17. Twenty-five seconds later late in the fourth quarter, Tom Fears
beat defenders Cliff Lewis and Tommy James
and received a Norm Van Brocklin
pass at midfield. Fears raced to the endzone for a 73-yard touchdown, securing a Rams 24–17 win and the 1951 NFL title.
1951 NFL season
The 1951 NFL season was the 32nd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Baltimore Colts owner Abraham Watner faced financial difficulties, and thus gave his team and its player contracts back to the league for $50,000. However, many Baltimore fans started to protest...
Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
season was the team's 14th year with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and the sixth season in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
NFL Draft
- 1 (11) - Bud McFadin, Texas, G
- 2 (24) - Herb Rich, Vanderbilt, B
- 3 (35) - Charlie ToogoodCharlie ToogoodCharles Wayne "Charlie" Toogood was a professional American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. After playing college football at Nebraska, Toogood was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 3rd round of the 1951 NFL Draft...
, Nebraska, T - 4 (48) - George Kinek, Tulane, B
- 5 (59) - Tony MomsenTony MomsenAnton Henry "Tony" Momsen, Jr. was an American football center in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins...
, Michigan, C - 6 (72) - Norb Hecker, Baldwin-Wallace, E
- 7 (83) - Alan Egler, Colgate, B
- 8 (96) - Hugo Primiani, Boston University, T
- 9 (107) - Nolan Lang, Oklahoma, B
- 10 (121) - Roland Kirkby, Washington, B
- 11 (132) - John Natyshak, Tampa, B
- 12 (145) - Don Hardey, Pacific, B
- 13 (156) - Joe Reid, Louisiana State, C
- 14 (169) - Rob McCoy, Georgia Tech, B
- 15 (180) - Obie Posey, Southern, B
- 16 (193) - Bill Robertson, Memphis State, E
- 17 (204) - Hal Riley, Baylor, E
- 18 (217) - Dick Daugherty, Oregon, G
- 19 (228) - Andy Robustelli, Arnold, DE
- 20 (241) - Jim Nutter, Wichita State, B
- 21 (252) - Earl Stelle, Oregon, B
- 22 (265) - Billy Baggett, Louisiana State, B
- 23 (276) - Dean Thomas, Michigan State, T
- 24 (289) - Harry Abeltin, Colgate, T
- 25 (300) - Jackie Calvert, Clemson, T
- 26 (313) - Howie RuetzHowie RuetzHoward "Howie" Peter Ruetz was a professional American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Green Bay Packers . He played at the collegiate level at Loras College.-References:...
, Loras, T - 27 (324) - Al Brosky, Illinois, B
- 28 (337) - Sterling Wingo, Virginia Tech, B
- 29 (348) - Earl Jackson, Texas Tech, B
- 30 (361) - Alvin Hanley, Kentucky State, B
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 28, 1951 | New York Yanks New York Yanks The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City... |
W 54-14 |
| 2 | October 7, 1951 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 38-28 |
| 3 | October 14, 1951 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 27-21 |
| 4 | October 21, 1951 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 28-0 |
| 5 | October 28, 1951 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 44-17 |
| 6 | November 4, 1951 | San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
W 23-16 |
| 7 | November 11, 1951 | Chicago Cardinals | W 45-21 |
| 8 | November 18, 1951 | New York Yanks New York Yanks The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City... |
W 48-21 |
| 9 | November 25, 1951 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 31-21 |
| 10 | December 2, 1951 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 42-17 |
| 11 | December 9, 1951 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
L 24-22 |
| 12 | December 16, 1951 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 42-14 |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 23, 1951 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24-17 |
Standings
| NFL National Eastern and Western Divisions (NFL) 1933-69 The Eastern and Western Divisions of the National Football League, renamed the American and National Conferences in 1950 and then the Eastern and Western Conferences in 1953, were organized as a result of the disputed NFL championship of 1932... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 392 | 261 | W-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers 1951 San Francisco 49ers season The 1951 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's second season in the NFL, and were coming off a 3-9-0 record in 1950.The 49ers would win their first ever road game on October 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers after losing their first 7 in team history... |
7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 255 | 205 | W-3 |
| Detroit Lions 1951 Detroit Lions season The 1951 Detroit Lions season was their 22nd in the league. The team improved on their previous season's output of 6-6, winning seven games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 336 | 259 | L-1 |
| Chicago Bears 1951 Chicago Bears season The 1951 Chicago Bears season was their 32nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a mediocre 7-5 record under head coach George Halas placing them in fourth place in the NFL's National Conference. This season was a drop off from the previous season's near... |
7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 286 | 282 | L-1 |
| Green Bay Packers 1951 Green Bay Packers season The 1951 Green Bay Packers season was their 31st season in the National Football League. The club posted a 3-9 record under coach Gene Ronzani, earning a fifth-place finish in the National Conference.-NFL Draft:... |
3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 254 | 375 | L-7 |
| New York Yanks 1951 New York Yanks season The 1951 New York Yanks season was their second as the Yanks , and their final season before the franchise folded. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 7-5, winning only one game. They played eight of their twelve games on the road, including seven of the first... |
1 | 9 | 2 | .100 | 241 | 382 | L-2 |
NFL Championship Game
The Rams were the first to score with a 1-yard run by fullback Dick HoernerDick Hoerner
Lester Junior "Dick" Hoerner was an American football player. He played fullback for the University of Iowa in 1942 and 1946 and for the Los Angeles Rams from 1947 to 1951...
in the second quarter. The Browns answered back with an NFL Championship record 52-yard field goal by Lou Groza
Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
. They later took the lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
to Dub Jones. The Browns take the lead at halftime 10–7.
In the third quarter Larry Brink
Larry Brink
Lawrence Raymond Brink is a former American football defensive lineman who played seven seasons in the National Football League.-Early life and education:...
landed a hard tackle on Graham causing him to fumble the ball. Andy Robustelli
Andy Robustelli
Andrew Richard "Andy" Robustelli was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He played college football at Arnold College and was drafted in the nineteenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft...
picked up the ball on the Cleveland 24 and returned it to the Cleveland 2. On the third play of the drive, "Deacon" Dan Towler
Dan Towler
"Deacon" Dan Towler was a National Football League running back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1950 through 1955. He was the NFL leading rusher in 1952...
ran the ball in for a touchdown from the one yard line giving the Rams a 14–10 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Rams increased their lead with a Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield
Robert "Bob" Stanton Waterfield was an American football player.Waterfield attended Van Nuys High School, in Van Nuys, California and went on to play college football for UCLA. In 1943 he led the Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship...
17-yard field goal. The Browns answered back with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Ken Carpenter, tying the game at 17–17. Twenty-five seconds later late in the fourth quarter, Tom Fears
Tom Fears
Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.-Early life:...
beat defenders Cliff Lewis and Tommy James
Tommy James (football player)
Thomas L. "Tommy" James, Jr. was a former professional American football cornerback.James played for Paul Brown at Massillon High School and Ohio State before rejoining him with him the Cleveland Browns in 1948 after a year in Detroit.James started at right cornerback in 1948 and intercepted four...
and received a Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack "Norm" Van Brocklin , nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football player and coach. He was also a first rate punter in college and in the NFL...
pass at midfield. Fears raced to the endzone for a 73-yard touchdown, securing a Rams 24–17 win and the 1951 NFL title.