1945 Cleveland Rams season

NFL team season (last season in Cleveland) November 2013 March 2026 Cleveland Rams 1945 9–1 1st NFL Western Adam Walsh League Park Won NFL Championship(vs. Redskins) 15–14 1946 (L.A.) Rams seasons 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. 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.America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation Michael MacCambridge Michael MacCambridge 2005 Anchor Books 15–16 978-0-375-72506-7 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.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. Off season NFL draft 1945 NFL draft = Hall of Famer 1945 Cleveland Rams Draft Round Selection Player Position College 1 5 Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch End Michigan 2 16Milan LazetichTackleMichigan 3 21W.G. (Dub) WootenEndOklahoma 4 32Jack ZillyEndNotre Dame 5 37Roger HardingCenterCalifornia 6 48Jerry CowhigBackNotre Dame 7 59Fred NegusCenterWisconsin 8 70Johnny AugustBackAlabama 9 81Dick HuffmanTackleTennessee 10 92Vern WaltersBackAlma 11 103Tom FearsEndUCLA 12 114Joe WinklerCenterPurdue 13 125Jack AlandTackleAlabama 14 136Chuck UknesBackIowa 15 147Bill LundBackCase Western Reserve 16 158Bob BartonEndHoly Cross 17 169Dick HoernerBackIowa 18 180Lee KennonTackleOklahoma 19 191Eagle MatulichBackMississippi State 20 202Bill GriffinTackleKentucky 21 213Leroy EricksonBackOregon 22 224Ray EvansTackleTexas-El Paso 23 235Luke HigginsTackleNotre Dame 24 246Stan NowakEndSouth Carolina 25 257Gene KonopkaGuardVillanova 26 268Ray FlorekBackIllinois 27 279Russ PerryBackWake Forest 28 290Pat WestBackUSC 29 301Bill DavisBackOregon 30 312Charley ComptonTackleAlabama Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 30 Chicago Cardinals W 21–0 1–0 League Park 10,872 Recap 2 October 7 Chicago Bears W 17–0 2–0 League Park 19,580 Recap 3 October 14 at Green Bay Packers W 27–14 3–0 City Stadium 24,607 Recap 4 October 21 at Chicago Bears W 41–21 4–0 Wrigley Field 28,273 Recap 5 October 28 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–28 4–1 Shibe Park 38,149 Recap 6 November 4 at New York Giants W 21–17 5–1 Polo Grounds 46,219 Recap 7 November 11 Green Bay Packers W 20–7 6–1 League Park 28,686 Recap 8 November 18 at Chicago Cardinals W 35–21 7–1 Comiskey Park 18,000 Recap 9 November 22 at Detroit Lions W 28–21 8–1 Briggs Stadium 40,017 Recap 10 December 2 Boston Yanks W 20–7 9–1 League Park 18,470 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings Postseason NFL Championship Game: vs. Washington Redskins NFL Championship Game, 1945 Cleveland Rams 38thru45; Cleveland Rams 38thru45;text-align:center; autocollapse NFL Championship Game December 16, 1945 Redskins 0 7 7 0 Rams 2 7 6 0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 32,178 −8 °F (−22 °C) 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 thumb|left|700px|Team photo of the 1945 NFL Champion Cleveland Rams. 1945 Cleveland Rams final rosterQuarterbacks 21 Jack Jacobs S 10 Steve Nemeth S 26 Albie Reisz S/P  7 Bob Waterfield K/P/S Ends/Receivers 49 Jim Benton 44 Ray Hamilton 53 Red Hickey 38 Floyd Konetsky 30 Steve Pritko 32 Bob Shaw Linemen/Linebackers 42 Gil Bouley T/DT 65 Bob deLauer C/LB 43 Roger Eason T/DT 15 Roger Harding C/LB 27 Milan Lazetich G/DG 41 Les Lear G/DG 64 Butch Levy G/DG 17 Sonny Liles G/DG 11 Riley Matheson G/DG 31 Art Mergenthal G/DG 39 Mike Scarry C/LB 40 Elbie Schultz T/DT 48 Rudy Sikich T/DT 25 Joe Winkler C/LB Backs 34 Tommy Colella RB/CB 24 Jim Gillette RB/CB 18 Fred Gehrke RB/CB 12 Harvey Jones RB/CB 66 Don Greenwood FB/LB 19 George Koch RB/CB 20 Ralph Ruthstrom FB/LB 36 Pat West FB/LB 16 Walt Zirinsky RB/CB rookies in italics Awards and records Adam Walsh, Coach of the Year Bob Waterfield, League Most Valuable Player Bob Waterfield, NFL leader, Touchdowns (14 – tied)Cavanaugh, Jack (2008). Giants Among Men. New York: Random House. p. 57. Footnotes 35em External links https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/1945.htm 1945 Cleveland Rams Statistics & Players Pro-Football-Reference.com Cleveland Rams Category:Cleveland Rams seasons Category:NFL championship seasons Cleveland Rams