1969 Los Angeles Rams... oh my, What happened?!?!

[DelMar]

Calling all Rams historians... what happened to the '69 Rams?

Started the season 11–0 but lost the final three regular-season games and lost in the playoffs to the Minnesota Vikings.

This is before my time, so i'd love to hear thoughts on why and what happened to us, to start out 11 games straight, then we pooped our pants, lost last 3 games, then first round of playoffs to the Vikings 23-20... (hard part about the Vikings loss was we were up 17-7 at Halftime... Then lost that stinker).

But hey, at least we won our Playoff Bowl? (what the hell is a playoff bowl anyways) We beat the Cowboys 31-0.

What the heck happened this season? Injury?

[Jacksnow]

COLD!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jacksnow]

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VERY COLD!!!!-

[Ramsfan08ny]

Great photo. Not only do i love the uniforms, but you seldomly see a muddy uniform anymore.

[Jacksnow]

Great photo. Not only do i love the uniforms, but you seldomly see a muddy uniform anymore.

Who the he'll wears a single bar facemask except kickers?

[DelMar]

Oh, THIS old story?

What "HAPPENED" was, the NFL, before 1975, had archaic Home Field Advantage rotation, not based on merit ( Won-loss record). The NFL was still reflexively following the King of Sports (Baseball) and while Baseball home field advantage is relatively mild, the idiots running Football at the time failed to realize that a Football Playoff game is a "SEVENTH GAME."

So, even though the '69 Rams were 11-0, and were EASILY the Best Team in Football, rotation dictated that Rams would be VISITING Minnesota in Playoffs whether the Rams were 14-0! or 11-3. So, George Allen correctly rested his troops after the Rams first loss (he still correctly was trying for perfect season).

This Abomination of a rule most famously made it's mark as the perfect 15-0 Miami Dolphins were forced to go TO Pittsburgh in the 1972 Championship Game. Another reason why the '72 Dolphins are the Best team of All-Time.

Under this rule the Rams were screwed, not once (1967), not twice (1969) but THREE times (1973) without benefiting ONCE.

Finally, before the 1975 season, the Morons running the League awarded Home Playoff Games to the team with the better record.

And THIS is why, and 90% why IMHO, Roman Gabriel (MVP) and the 1969 Fearsome Foursome Rams are not the reigning Super Bowl IV Champions.

Thanks. Had no idea about the playoffs rules then. How stupid was that. Makes so much more sense now to understand this because it has puzzled me for years why we didn’t win a chip during that era.

Thanks Brook

[Commish]

COLD!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it wasn't substancially warmer in the game's first half, when the Rams took a ten-point lead (17-7) than in the second half, when they collapsed and lost (20-23) that postseason contest.

To me, the story of our team's 1969 season was that George Allen's ultra-emotional 'rah-rah' approach eventually wore the players down mentally, including in the Western Conference playoff when they couldn't maintain their full focus during the second half.

However, I will concede that the winter weather in Minnesota was a contributing factor. Actually, the NFL's archaic rule about rotating home-field advantage in postseason play worked against the Good Guys on four occasions, also depriving our team of playoff home field in the '74 NFC championship game vs. the Vikings. (Both teams finished 10-4, however the Rams had won the head-to-head regular-season matchup that year, their first victory over the Vikings since '68.)

The Good Guys finally notching their first postseason win (34-10) vs. the Vikings during the '78 divisional-round playoffs, I'll never forget that victory, for Pat Haden it had to be the high point of his NFL career... 8-)

RAM SEASON!!

--The Commish

[GoldenRam]

Three words .. Joe Fucking Kapp

Three more words .. Minnesota Fucking Vikings

Those two things were Rams kryptonite

[Jacksnow]

Three words .. Joe Fucking Kapp

Three more words .. Minnesota Fucking Vikings

Those two things were Rams kryptonite

Joe Kapp that's a blast from past, however UV Berkeley coach.

[Ramsfan08ny]

Three words .. Joe Fucking Kapp

Three more words .. Minnesota Fucking Vikings

Those two things were Rams kryptonite

Joe Kapp that's a blast from past, however UV Berkeley coach.

I can still see Kapp hurdling would be tacklers.

[Ramsfan08ny]

Great photo. Not only do i love the uniforms, but you seldomly see a muddy uniform anymore.

Who the he'll wears a single bar facemask except kickers?

I think Joe Thiesman might have been the last one to do so.

In contrast to Joe Willie. He basically wore a full cage that went down to his freaking neck!

[Jacksnow]

Joe Kapp that's a blast from past, however UV Berkeley coach.

I can still see Kapp hurdling would be tacklers.

Screenshot_20250604-211517~2.png (1.72 MiB) Viewed 2446 times

[GoldenRam]

Joe Kapp that's a blast from past, however UV Berkeley coach.

I can still see Kapp hurdling would be tacklers.

Don't remind me

[Jacksnow]

I was nine years old and I remember weeping at the end of the game. I did not realize what it was going to take to be a Rams fan.

Screenshot_20250605-082450~2.png (1.62 MiB) Viewed 2323 times

[EastBayRamsFan]

Guys check out the impressive crowd sizes at the LA Coliseum and the funny old stadiums. Wrigley Field, Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park, Tiger Stadium