Here They Are in All Their Glory!

The Uniforms of the St. Louis Rams

Bask in the Tradition. Bask in the Memories.

Titled “The Spirit Of Football” and Licensed by the National Football League, the Artwork is available in two framed presentations:

An eye-catching framed-and-matted print measuring 12” x 21” that sells for only $52 each—which is an exceptional value for a fully assembled Artpiece of this size. And a dramatic 19” x 39” triple-matted high-quality print (a Letter of Authenticity is included) that is limited to an edition size of only 299 and sells for the discounted cost of $399.

Please note your Artwork will arrive at your door in 7 to 10 days when you place your order. And needless to say, there is a 30-day full moneyback guarantee. In addition, The Greatest-Scapes pays all shipping costs and any required sales tax!

The Greatest-Scapes also offers the option of an interest-free Extended Payment Plan for credit card orders. For the $52 framed print, you can pay $26.00 upfront and the balance of $26.00 thirty days later. While the $399 framed Limited Edition can be purchased with an initial $133, and payments of $133 billed thirty and sixty days later.

To phone in your credit card order, please call us at 1-800-786-3022 anytime between 10am and 6pm (Eastern) Monday through Friday. You can also mail in your order, payable to The Greatest-Scapes, to: The Greatest-Scapes/P.O. Box 5548/Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Please include your shipping address and specify which Artwork(s) you’re ordering and how many. And please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free if you ever have any questions or would like any additional information.

For your convenience, you can print out our Order Form.

Click Here for Order Form

And this Artwork evokes an unmistakably Classic quality. Indeed, it will look at home next to a diploma or a work of fine art. Whether you hang it on a wall or lean it on a shelf or mantle, the Artwork will make a striking impression.

Please keep in mind, though, the visuals depicted here on the website simply can not do justice to the detail and quality of the actual Artwork.

Please note the uniform images shown are produced from hand-painted watercolor paintings. The publisher chose this route, rather than photographs, because in many cases original jerseys no longer exist, even at the various halls of fame. In addition, a more consistent look and feel for the uniforms is achieved by painting them, and allows for a higher level of detail than a photograph in some cases.

Here, then, is a detailed description of the 12” x 21” Artpiece that sells for only $52 each. It consists of a 5” x 15” paper print that is housed in a black frame with a textured black mat. The black mat has a white groove cut into it, thus adding depth and beauty to the piece. Weighing approximately four pounds, the Artwork is protected by unbreakable Plexiglas and includes a “hanger” on the back to allow for easy hanging. The black frame—and especially the textured black mat with white groove—makes this a truly stunning Artpiece.

The above is an example of the 12” x 21” Artpiece, which depicts the Washington Redskins.

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As for the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artwork, please note each Artwork is printed on 115-lb Garda Gloss stock and then mounted to avoid any rippling effects. As for its matting and framing, the Limited Edition is triple-matted in an acid-free framing style. The outer mat is a rich, black textured mat with white core. The middle and inner mat colors have been selected to complement the team’s colors and the overall framed piece. The matting is framed to create a shadow box effect, giving the entire framed piece a unique three-dimensional look. The frame is an exquisite solid wood frame finished with a rich black matte texture, chosen to complement all three mats and the print itself. Finally, the Artpiece is protected by high-quality framing glass; the total weight of the Artpiece being approximately 10 pounds.

The above is an example of the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artpiece,

which depicts the New York Yankees.

Here then is the history of the Rams’ Uniforms …

#1.

1937 & 1940 The well-traveled and storied ‘Rams’ franchise began operations in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams, and was originally part of a league that was known as the AFL (American Football League) – not to be confused with the AFL that started in 1960.

However, in 1937 the NFL granted Homer Marshman an expansion franchise for the City of Cleveland for $10,000, and thus, the Cleveland Rams joined the 9 existing teams to become the NFL’s 10^th franchise. Marshman had named the team after one of the top collegiate teams of this era – the Fordham Rams – largely because he liked the school and the team’s nickname.

Playing their home games at ‘League Park’, the Rams had a very trying inaugural season – going 1-10. That being said, players such as rookie sensation Johnny Drake, Ted Rosequist, and Charles (Ookie) Miller looked great in this unique red & black uniform which was only used for the 1937 season. By 1938, the team would convert the color scheme to the more recognizable and familiar blue & yellow-gold.

Note the red chest number, and the red ‘yoke’ that ran continuously from the neckline – all the way down the length of the sleeves. This is a familiar look to hockey fans, less so to football fans. For a few other football examples, see the 1930’s Giants, the 1960 Cowboys and the 1967 Steelers.

The 1940 Rams, shown here in a beautiful blue jersey with yellow yoke, fared slightly better than their ’37 counterpart – going 4-6-1. As mentioned earlier, in 1938, the franchise converted the uniform’s colors from red & black to blue & yellow-gold. The jersey’s ‘yoke’ no longer runs the length of the sleeves – rather stopping at the shoulders, and the pants are now white - featuring a slender, dark blue stripe down the leg.

#2.

1945 In 1941, Dan Reeves and Fred Levy, Jr. bought out Rams’ owner Homer Marshman for $100,000. After disappointing years in 1941 (2 wins vs 9 losses) and 1942 (5-6), the Rams suspended operations for 1943 because of the war effort and the shortage of healthy football playing bodies. Back at it in 1944, they finished 4-6.

Now it’s 1945 - enter QB Bob “The Rifle” Waterfield form UCLA and the team’s fortunes made a dramatic turn for the better. This ’45 season would mark the final season in Cleveland – Reeves & Levy decided to chase grander dreams and relocate the team to Los Angeles.

But before they go, Bob Waterfield and the Rams give the Cleveland faithful a monumental final hurrah – going 9-1 in the regular season, then beating the Washington Redskins 15-14 to win the NFL Championship! And young Bob Waterfield wins the league's Player of the Year award.

This uniform, as worn by the likes of Bob Waterfield, Clyde ‘Big’ Johnson, and Mike Scarry, features a yellow-gold collar, blue shoulder yoke and white pants – complete with blue & gold stripes. As for the patch on the left sleeve of the jersey? Look closely and you’ll see an eagle with outstretched wings amidst a giant ‘C’ for “Cleveland”. The bottom of the ‘C’ consists of red & white stripes in honor of ‘Old Glory’. This patch, we believe, was in honor of America’s successful war effort.

#3.

1948 Los Angeles is now home to the Rams’ franchise. Their first few years on the West Coast were reasonably successful (6-4-1 in ’46, 6-6 in ’47, and 6-5-1 in ’48), but the team would eventually reach the League Championship game in 1949 when they went 8-2-2 and lost 14-0 to the Eagles at Memorial Coliseum in LA.

The ’48 uniform showcased here features some interesting changes from the 1945 uniform shown earlier. The blue shoulder yoke, which had graced Rams’ jerseys in previous years, has been dropped. But most importantly, look at the helmet and you’ll see the introduction of the infamous ‘Rams’ horns’ logo – which has been a Rams’ uniform staple right to the present day! Amazingly, the original design was done by Rams’ halfback Fred Gehrke – who studied art in college at Utah. It’s for this helmet that we chose to show this 1948 uniform – the painting of a team logo on the helmet began something that has added immeasurably to the game of football and fans enjoyment of the game – thanks Fred!

A couple quick points:

When the team moved to LA in 1946, team owner Dan Reeves signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, the first African-Americans to sign NFL contracts since 1932. Reeves also became the first owner to employ a full-time scouting staff, perhaps a main reason for the team’s success through the late 40’s and 50’s.

#4.

1951 After losing the ’49 League Championship game to Philadelphia, and the ’50 contest (ironically!) to the Cleveland Browns 30-28, the 1951 Rams go 8-4 and face the Chicago Bears to earn the right to go to the ‘big dance’ – the NFL Championship Game. In a game played before 83,000+ at memorial Stadium in LA, the Rams knock off the Bears 24-14 and earn the right to face, once again, the boys from their former hometown – the Cleveland Browns.

In this contest, however, the 8-4 Rams would emerge victorious against the 11-1 Cleveland powerhouse – beating the Browns 24-17 in a see-saw battle in front of 57,540 fans at the LA Coliseum. This was the first NFL game to be televised nationwide, and would end up being the only championship the Rams would ever win in Los Angeles.

To some, the 1951 squad was the best Rams team ever to take the field – epitomized by Norm Van Brocklin – who threw an NFL record 554 yards in one game – a record that still stands today! And it’s hard to argue because they defeated an incredible juggernaut of a team, the Cleveland Browns who had been running roughshod over opponents since their inception in 1946 during the days of the American Professional Football Conference (AAFC).

The 1951 uniform, as worn by such champions as Van Brocklin, Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch and Paul Barry features two major differences from its 1948 counterpart: the helmet is now plastic in construction, rather than leather…and the jersey now showcases sleeve stripes.

#5.

1957 Sadly, this marks the final season for quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and running back Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch in the Rams’ beloved blue & gold. Hirsch was ending a marvelous 12 year career (the last 9 of which were spent with the Rams) and van Brocklin was traded to the Eagles before the start of the next season. The Rams finished the 1957 season 6-6, missing the playoffs for the 4^th time in 5 years.

The ’57 HOME uniform shown here features slender, yellow-gold sleeve numbers – high up on the arm. Look carefully and you’ll notice that the chest numbers have a thin, white trim surrounding the gold…something the sleeve numbers lack – interesting and very unusual for this period of time.

#6.

1965 & 1972 The early to mid-60’s saw the Los Angeles Rams mired in mediocrity – they didn’t have a winning season from 1959 to 1965, in fact the closest they came was 5-7-2 in 1964.

But their uniforms were anything but mediocre! Look at the clean, elegant blue & white uniform design which replaced the Rams’ traditional blue & gold color scheme for a while in the 60’s and 70’s. To some hockey enthusiasts, this uniform may be reminiscent of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

One can’t help but see the 1965 white jersey and think of “The Fearsome Foursome” – the Rams’ defensive line. Dick Butkus called them “The most dominate line in football history", and while the members changed a bit, for the most part they were Lamar Lundy (’57-’69), Rosey Grier (‘63-’66), Merlin Olsen (‘72-‘76) & Deacon Jones (’61-’71). How good were they? The Foursome averaged 44 quarterback sacks per season over a 5 year period. They made the Rams the hardest team to score on in the NFL, highlighted by the fact that they allowed only 196 points in 14 games in 1967. Three times between 1964-1968, the Fearless Foursome allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL.

Some football aficionados consider Coach George Allen’s ’67 Rams to be one of the best teams not to make the championship. They finished the season 11-2-2, and were led on offense by Roman Gabriel, and featured a fierce defense that gave up the fewest points in the league. But unaccustomed to frigid temperatures, they fell 28-7 to Green Bay on the frozen tundra of County Stadium in Milwaukee. Allen, who was head coach from 1966-70, compiled an remarkable record of 49-19-4, the best winning percentage of any Rams coach.

This ’65 road white uniform, as worn in the late 60’s by the ‘Fearsome Foursome’, featured long sleeves and a vertical blue ram horn/stripe on the upper part of the sleeve.

The ’72 home blue version opted instead for short sleeves, a double stripe near the sleeve cuff, and no ram horn on the sleeve.

As Rams’ fans remember, 1972 is a very odd year in franchise history as one of the most peculiar trades in NFL history took place: Robert Irsay buys the entire Rams franchise for $19 million, then trades the Rams ownership to Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom for the Baltimore Colts and $3 million cash! Effectively the only change is that the owners change teams – the players remain where they were.

#7.

1979 The Rams finish the ’79 season an admirable and hard fought 9-7, and go on to surprise people in the playoffs.

In the NFC Divisional Playoff, the improbable Rams come from behind to beat Roger Staubach’s Cowboys 21-19 on the strength of a 50 yard Vince Ferragamo TD pass. Then a week later the Rams shut out the home town Tampa Bay Bucs 9-0 on the strength of 3 Frank Corral field goals.

Next thing we know the Rams are in the big game, Super Bowl XIV, and after 3 quarters they’re leading Pittsburgh 19-17. But alas, it wasn’t to be as Super Bowl MVP Terry Bradshaw tosses a 73 yard TD strike and Franco Harris plows in from the 1 to lead the Steelers to a 31-19 victory. Oh what might have been for Coach Ray Malavasi’s Cinderella Rams…

This wonderful road uniform, as worn by such Rams’ notables as Nolan Cromwell, Jack Reynolds and the legendary Jack Youngblood (who played the NFC Championship game & Super Bowl with a broken fibula!), features some great changes from past uniforms and is perhaps one of the most handsome uniforms ever worn in the NFL. This blue collared jersey has now taken on a white, blue & gold color schematic – also showcased on the pants. Look closely at the jersey’s sleeves and you’ll see rams’ horns starting on the shoulder/armpit area and circling until they reach the lower part of the sleeves – a brilliant design! The pants feature a clean blue and white striping pattern, sandwiched by gold…and a zippered front – straying from the conventional laced look.

#8.

1988 With head coach John Robinson on the sidelines, the 80’s were kind to the Los Angeles Rams – often finding the franchise with a winning record and making the playoffs. From 1983 – 1989 the Rams went 67-44 under Coach Robinson and made the playoffs 6 out of 7 years from 1983-89, missing only in 1987.

Coach Robinson deserves a lot of credit, but at least some has to go to the drafting of superstar running back Eric Dickerson in 1983. Dickerson helped add a new dimension to the Rams’ attack - in only his 2^nd season, Dickerson rushed for 2,015 yards – breaking the single season rushing mark of 2,003 yards set by OJ Simpson. He was later traded early in the 1987 season, the year the Rams missed the playoffs.

The Rams would finish the 1988 regular season tied with the 49ers and Saints atop the NFC West with identical 10-6 records, only to lose to the 11-5 Vikings 28-17 in the Wildcard game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

This blue HOME jersey, as worn by QB Jim Everett, sure-handed Henry Ellard and kicker Mike Lansford, continues the tradition of having a brilliant ram’s horn wrapped around the sleeves. Notice the yellow-gold shirt collar, and the yellow-gold sleeve numbers tucked into the ram’s horn. On the left shoulder is a patch supporting America’s war against drugs…it reads ‘Drug use is life abuse’ and is sandwiched between the word ‘Rams’ and the American flag.

#9.

1994 & 1995 Goodbye and Hello!

In 1994, the NFL helped celebrate its 75^th anniversary with the introduction of ‘throwback’ jerseys – which every team wore at least once over the course of the season, sometimes numerous times.

The Rams’ 1994 throwback jersey was a tribute to the 1951 uniform worn by such greats as Norm Van Brocklin and Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch. Note the simple and elegant blue & yellow-gold color schematic, and triple blue striping on the sleeve. If you look closely, you’ll see the diamond-shaped NFL patch commemorating the 75^th anniversary on the upper left chest.

One other note about the uniform: If you look closely at almost all NFL uniforms worn from 1991 on, you’ll note a small NFL shield patch on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck, and to the upper left thigh of the pants, beginning in 1991. The only major exception to this practice was in 1994 when the teams wore their throwback uniforms – in these instances, most teams did not wear the NFL shield patch. The Rams however, did, and thus you can see the small NFL shield patch on the neck and upper left thigh of the pants.

The ’94 season also marked the final one the Rams would play in Los Angeles – ending a 49 year relationship! After 5 consecutive seasons of sub .500 football, and seeking a better stadium deal, team owner Georgia Frontiere relocates the Rams to St. Louis – making St. Louis (and the new Trans World Airlines Dome) the franchise’s 3^rd home. (Mrs. Frontiere is the former wife of former team owner Carol Rosenbloom, who died in 1979, leaving the team to his wife.)

Good bye Los Angeles.

Hello St. Louis!

The 1995 season marked the Rams’ inaugural season in their new home. To help commemorate this occasion, the St. Louis franchise wore a patch on their left shoulder with the phrase ‘Inaugural Season’ at the top, with the St. Louis Archway and the words ‘St. Louis Rams’ directly underneath. Finally, at the bottom of the patch is a ‘95’, honoring their first year in St. Louis.

Alas, the Rams finish their first year in St. Louis much as they ended in LA – with a 7-9 mark and below .500 for the 6 straight year. 1996, 1997 and 1998 would be no better for the Rams as they finish progressively worse each time out – 6-10 in ’96, then 5-11 in ’97 and then 4-12 in ’98.

Who would have predicted what was to happen next…

#10.

1999 After being out of coaching for 15 years, 61 year old Dick Vermeil is hired in ’97 to be the Rams’ head coach and president of football operations. Ironically, the Rams were also the team to give Vermeil his first coaching assignment – when he acted as the special teams coach under LA Rams head coach George Allen in the late 60’s.

Vermeil quickly assembled one of the most potent offenses football has ever seen! After luring quarterback Kurt Warner from the arena football league, Vermeil possessed a lethal offense capable of putting 35+ points on the scoreboard almost at will! Armed with superstar running back Marshall Faulk, and a receiving core that boasted ‘track star’ quickness, the Rams were set to erase the disappointment of past decades from Rams’ fans’ memories!

The shocking Rams finished the ’99 regular season a torrid 13-3 – the teams’ first winning season since 1989. In Round 1 of the Rams’ playoffs, they had a shoot out with the Vikings and ended up at the winning end of a 49-37 score. Then in shocking fashion, in Round Two they showed that they could play defense too as they knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11-6.

The season then culminated in a date with the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV – and a 23-16 victory – in one of the most dramatic finishes in Super Bowl history – Tennessee came within the length of the football of tying the game on the final play in regulation time! A story book finish to a wonderful Rams’ season, and the franchise’s first NFL Championship since 1951, and the third in franchise history (1945, 1951 and now 1999)!

This ROAD jersey, as worn by Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt hasn’t changed much since the ’79 version showcased earlier! The uniform is still comprised of the white, blue & yellow-gold color scheme – and still features the infamous ram’s horns on the sleeves!

#11.

2000 As the Rams head into the next several seasons, they may well change the way the game of football is played – a team built around a high-octane offense, capable of striking quick and often. Opponents have been forced to change the way they defend this lethal team, and for fans of offense, the result is terrific viewing.

Surprisingly, the Rams changed their uniform for the 2000 season. The uniform, which has remained virtually the same since the late 70’s, gets a whole new look for 2000. We can’t help but wonder if the team knew they were going to win the Super Bowl, would they have stayed with the same uniform? As you may know, in order for a team to change their uniform, they have to inform the NFL (and get NFL approval) almost 12 months in advance, thus plans were irreversibly underway by the time the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV.

A few new nuances worth noting on the 2000 uniform: a true “gold” replaces the yellow-gold used for so many years; a complete ram’s head now can be seen on each sleeve; gold trim now surrounds both the chest & sleeve numbers. Furthermore, look closely at the sides of the jersey and you’ll see a gold stripe running down the course of the body. Finally, on the neckline of the shirt, a secondary-logo mark (the word ‘Rams’) has been added – something many teams have incorporated into their uniform designs beginning in the late 90’s.

The 2000 Rams finish the season at 10-6, but fall to the surprising New Orleans Saints 31-28 in a terrific offensively minded game.

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The St. Louis Rams: “The Spirit Of Football”

TRADITION… MEMORIES… CLASSY…

Order Yours Today … and Revel in it!

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