When Did The Rams Move From St. Louis to Los Angeles?
The Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots will face off in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3.
This year marks the second time the two franchises have met in the big game, with their first coming in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. A young Tom Brady and the Patriots defeated Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams 20–17 and started a dynasty.
Since then, the Patriots have won five more Super Bowls. The Rams suffered a string of losing seasons and eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2016. But it wasn't the franchise's first stint in Southern California.
The NFL added the Cleveland Rams to the league in 1937, and the team stayed in Ohio through 1945. That same season the Rams won the NFL Championship Game over the Washington Redskins in Cleveland.
In 1946, the Rams moved to Los Angeles to begin their 49-year stint in Southern California. During their early days in Los Angeles, the Rams won four Western Division titles in seven years, including another NFL Championship in 1951.
During the 1960s, the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line of Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy reigned. The franchise won seven consecutive division titles from 1973-79, reaching their first Super Bowl during the final year. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers toppled the Rams 31–19 at Super Bowl XIV in January 1980.
The Rams left Los Angeles after the 1994 season and relocated to St. Louis. Warner led the team to its first Super Bowl victory in franchise history with a 23–16 win over the Tennessee Titans in January 2000. The team returned to the big game two seasons later, only to lose to the Patriots.
Fast forward to 2016, and the Rams returned to Los Angeles. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in this year's NFC Championship Game, which included a controversial missed pass interference call, to advance to Super Bowl LIII against the Patriots.
