1946: Eagles Dominate Second Half to Defeat Rams in LA Debut

The Los Angeles Rams were making their West Coast regular season debut as they hosted the Philadelphia Eagles on September 29, 1946. They were coming off of a NFL Championship the previous year as the Cleveland Rams, also their first year under Head Coach Adam Walsh, who installed the T-formation and put QB Bob Waterfield in charge of it with outstanding results. Despite the success, owner Dan Reeves lost money and chose to move the franchise to LA. There were newcomers in HB Tom Harmon, a former Heisman Trophy winner, as well as HB Kenny Washington and end Woody Stode, the first African-American players to appear in the NFL since 1933.

The Eagles had gone 7-3 the previous year, barely missing the Eastern Division title, and one of their wins was against the Rams (the only defeat inflicted on them). Head Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale was assembling a good team that most notably featured HB Steve Van Buren and there were excellent linemen in MG Bucko Kilroy and tackles Al Wistert and Vic Sears. Philadelphia had added promising newcomers in halfbacks Bosh Pritchard and Russ Craft in addition to veteran C/LB Alex Wojciechowicz.

There were 30,553 fans in attendance at the Memorial Coliseum on a hot day with temperatures in the nineties. The Rams scored first, putting together a 75-yard drive in the first quarter, with the biggest play a pass from Bob Waterfield to HB Jack Banta that covered 24 yards. FB Pat West ran the last two yards for a touchdown and Waterfield added the extra point.

The Eagles responded with a 21-yard field goal by Roy Zimmerman to narrow the margin to 7-3. The Rams, moving effectively on the ground, reached the Philadelphia eight, but a holding penalty moved them back and a pass was intercepted by LB Ben Kish. The Eagles scored once more before the first quarter was over when Augie Lio booted a 42-yard field goal.

Early in the second quarter, West (pictured at left) broke away for a 72-yard gain down the middle to the Philadelphia eight. From there, FB Mike Holovak scored a TD, Waterfield converted, and the score remained 14-6 at halftime.

The Eagles started off the third quarter with a drive that resulted in Zimmerman kicking a 19-yard field goal to narrow the score to 14-9. The Rams lost Waterfield, who completed 6 of 9 passes in the first half, due to a rib injury suffered when hit hard by Bucko Kilroy while passing, and he played sparingly for the remainder of the contest. The Rams bogged down on offense as Jim Hardy and Kenny Washington, normally a halfback but being given a trial at quarterback, took turns behind center.

Philadelphia was on the move later in the period, and following a 24-yard run by Russ Craft, QB Allie Sherman (pictured at top) passed to end Larry Cabrelli for a 38-yard touchdown. Zimmerman added the extra point to put the Eagles ahead by 16-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, and following a turnover in which G Duke Maronic hit Holovak behind the line and grabbed the ball away from him, the visitors struck again. Sherman threw for another TD two plays later, this time to end Jack Ferrante that covered 28 yards, and Zimmerman’s point after put the Eagles ahead by nine points.

Midway through the final period, Waterfield re-entered the contest and completed a pass to end Steve Pritko but, after Holovak ran the ball down to the Philadelphia 20, the Rams came up empty. It proved to be their last gasp. The Eagles picked up two more points when Washington, attempting to pass from his own end zone, stepped out of bounds for a safety, and that was it. Philadelphia dominated the second half and came away with a 25-14 win.

The Eagles led in total yards (316 to 233) as well as first downs (16 to 15), topping Los Angeles both in rushing (141 to 116) and through the air (175 to 117). The Rams turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by Philadelphia, but the Eagles were penalized nine times, with six flags thrown on LA.

Allie Sherman was the most productive passer for the Eagles, hitting on 7 of 11 throws for 113 yards and two touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Steve Van Buren, who had a quiet day running the ball from scrimmage with 33 yards, contributed kickoff returns of 54 and 46 yards.

For the Rams, Bob Waterfield ended up completing 7 of 13 passes for 78 yards with two intercepted. Jim Hardy was 2 of 12 for 23 yards and an interception and Kenny Washington completed just one of seven for 16 yards. Pat West, who left the game due to injury shortly after his long scoring carry, gained 83 yards on five rushing attempts that included a TD. As for Tom Harmon, he had a quiet debut, being held to negative yardage on three carries.

The Eagles won their next game before losing two and they ended up with a 6-5 record to place second in the Eastern Division. Los Angeles followed up with two wins and a tie on the way to going 6-4-1 and finishing second in the Western Division.

Allie Sherman, the future head coach of the New York Giants, was typically a backup and, for the year, ended up completing 17 of 33 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns while giving up three interceptions.

Bob Waterfield recovered to lead the NFL in pass attempts (251), completions (127), and TD passes (17, tied with Sid Luckman of the Bears) and, for good measure, in extra points (37). He received first-team All-NFL honors from the Associated Press and UPI.

Highlighted Year: Bob Cifers, 1946

Back/Punter, Detroit Lions

Age: 26

1^st season in pro football

College: Tennessee

Height: 5’11” Weight: 200

Prelude:

With his great speed and jumping ability, Cifers excelled in track & field as well as football in college, where he was a single-wing tailback and also an excellent punter. He entered the military during World War II and played service football before joining the Lions, who had chosen him in the second round of the 1944 NFL draft.

1946 Season Summary

Appeared in all 11 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Punting

Punts – 30 [8]

Yards – 1369 [7]

Average – 45.6 [1]

Punts blocked – 0

Longest punt – 73 yards

Rushing

Attempts – 8

Yards – 18

Average gain – 2.3

TDs – 0

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 4

Yards – 178

Yards per catch – 44.5

TDs – 4 [6, tied with Jack Ferrante, Frank Liebel & Don Currivan]

Passing

Attempts – 6

Completions – 2

Yards – 24

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 1

Punt Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 3

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 4 [19, tied with seven others]         

Points – 24

Lions went 1-10 to finish fifth in the NFL Western Division while ranking at the bottom of the league in fewest yards generated (2146).

Aftermath:

Cifers was traded to Pittsburgh as part of the deal for star tailback Bill Dudley. As a halfback on offense, he rushed for 356 yards in 1947 and 361 in ’48 and as a punter averaged 41.1 and 39.6 yards, respectively. He spent 1949 with Green Bay, his last season. Overall, Cifers rushed for 787 yards on 230 carries (3.4 avg.), caught 12 passes for 296 yards, and averaged 41.4 yards on 161 punts. His 61.75-yard average on four punts against the Bears in 1946 remains the NFL single-game record to date. His older brother Ed also played in the NFL with the Redskins and Bears.

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Highlighted Years features players who were first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1946: Long TDs by Hirsch Spur College All-Stars to Win Over Rams

The 13^th College All-Star Game on August 23, 1946 featured a transplanted defending NFL Champion, the Los Angeles Rams, facing an All-Star team coached by Bo McMillin of Indiana, who had guided a previous group of All-Stars to a win in 1938.

As the Cleveland Rams in 1945, Head Coach Adam Walsh’s team had gone 9-1 in winning the Western Division and then edged the Redskins for the league title. Rookie QB Bob Waterfield excelled in the club’s new T-formation offense that also featured end Jim Benton and a good group of running backs. New for 1946, in addition to the franchise’s location, was HB Kenny Washington who, along with end Woody Strode, broke the NFL’s color line, plus former Heisman Trophy winner HB Tom Harmon, who had returned from military duty.

The All-Stars had a talented roster that included tailback Otto Graham from Northwestern, Tulane HB Dub Jones, and FB Pat Harder and HB Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch from Wisconsin (pictured above; Hirsch also played at Michigan during his stint as a Marine Corps officer candidate). Due to relaxed eligibility rules during World War II that allowed underclassmen to participate, several players were appearing in the contest for the second or third time.

There were 97,380 fans in attendance at Chicago’s Soldier Field for the Friday night game. In the first quarter, after the Rams were stopped at the All-Star 30, the collegians struck quickly. The first play of the series gained two yards and then “Crazylegs” Hirsch took a pitchout and tore off to his right on a 68-yard touchdown carry, outrunning the Rams secondary and eluding a last-gasp tackle at the ten yard line. Pat Harder added the extra point.

In the second quarter, the Rams mounted their greatest threat, reaching the All-Star nine yard line after Bob Waterfield connected with Jim Benton for a 27-yard gain, but they came up empty and the score remained 7-0 at the half.

The Rams appeared to be flat, blowing several scoring opportunities in the first half, particularly after All-Star fumbles. On three occasions they were inside the All-Star 20 yard line and in the collegians’ territory two more times but failed to put points on the board in each instance. The All-Stars were well prepared to defend against the passing game and as a result Waterfield had few open targets. LA’s typically strong aerial attack was successful only sporadically and the running game could not adequately compensate.

In the third quarter, and after a series by the Rams that ended with a failed 39-yard field goal attempt, Hirsch struck again as he grabbed a long, arching pass from Otto Graham in full stride for a 62-yard TD. The collegians had taken over on their 20 and gained 18 yards in three plays. Graham’s pass traveled 37 yards in the air and Hirsch got past DHB Jim Gillette to score. Once again, Harder kicked the extra point to make it 14-0.

In the fourth quarter the desperate Rams inserted some of their newcomers to try to turn things around. Tom Harmon ran the ball once for an eight-yard loss and suffered a dislocated elbow. Kenny Washington attempted to throw an option pass from behind his own goal line and was tackled by Yale DE Paul Walker for a safety that capped the scoring. The All-Stars came away with a stunning 16-0 win.

Apart from the two long scoring plays, the All-Stars were hardly dominant on offense. They outgained LA by 227 yards to 167 and the Rams actually led in first downs by 7 to 5. The collegians were guilty of sloppy play as they fumbled the ball seven times and the Rams recovered four of them. LA was unable to capitalize, however, and Bob Waterfield had a rough performance as he completed 7 of 16 passes and had two intercepted.

It was the fourth win for the All-Stars in the series, against seven for the pro champs and two ties. Bo McMillin became the first coach to twice lead the All-Stars to victory. Along with Hirsch, tackle Martin Ruby from Texas A & M received accolades as one of the stars of the game.

In the ensuing NFL season, the Rams went on to finish 6-4-1 and placed second in the Western Division. Waterfield led the league in pass attempts (251), completions (127), and touchdown passes (17). 

“Crazylegs” Hirsch, who ironically enough had been chosen by the Rams in the first round of the 1945 NFL draft, instead joined the Chicago Rockets of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He started out as a halfback but, after an injury-filled sojourn that concluded with his suffering a severe head injury during the ‘48 season, joined the Rams. Starting out as a halfback who was often flanked out wide, Hirsch moved to end and became a record-breaking receiver over a career that ended in 1957. The same flashy skills that he used to such advantage in the 1946 College All-Star Game were evident during his years in the NFL and he caught 343 passes for 6299 yards and 53 touchdowns. In 1968 Hirsch was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1946: Bears Beat Giants for NFL Championship in Shadow of Scandal

The two teams meeting for the NFL Championship on December 15, 1946 were no strangers to postseason action but were bouncing back from down years in ’45, the last World War II-affected season. The Bears, owned and coached by George Halas who had gone off to the Navy himself, were a solid club led by 30-year-old QB Sid Luckman (pictured at right) and featuring a deep backfield. From a 3-7 showing in 1945 – the team’s first losing record since 1929 – Chicago bounced back to 8-2-1 in topping the Western Division.

Head Coach Steve Owen’s Giants had been 3-6-1 the previous year but rose to the top of the Eastern Division in ’46 at 7-3-1. The addition of tailback Frank Filchock, who had split time with the great Sammy Baugh in Washington for six years, helped rejuvenate the offense while the defense was tough, especially on the line. They had beaten the Bears the previous month, but injuries were a factor as FB Bill Paschal was out with a broken jaw.

There was an extra element of drama before the teams took the field. On the morning of the game, it was revealed that Giants FB/DB Merle Hapes, who was slated to start in place of Paschal, was being suspended by Commissioner Bert Bell for failure to report an attempted bribe for the purpose of throwing the title game. While Hapes had rejected the offer, his failure to inform officials of the offer resulted in his suspension. Filchock, who had also been named, denied being approached and was allowed to play against the Bears.

The news had already broken publicly before the game was played and some in the record crowd of 58,346 at the Polo Grounds booed Filchock when the Giants took the field. Things did not start out well for the home team as the Bears scored twice in the first nine minutes. First, following a fumble recovery by LB Stu Clarkson, Luckman threw to end Ken Kavanaugh for a 21-yard touchdown and then HB Dante Magnani intercepted a Filchock pass and returned it 19 yards for a TD. The Bears were ahead by 14-0.

The Giants got on the board before the opening period was over. Filchock, playing with a broken nose, capped a 52-yard drive by tossing a pass to end Frank Liebel that covered 38 yards for a touchdown and Chicago’s margin was cut to 14-7. It remained that way through a scoreless second quarter.

New York got a break in the third quarter when Bears FB Joe Osmanski fumbled and end Jim Lee Howell recovered for the Giants at the Chicago 20. Three plays later, Filchock threw a five-yard TD pass to FB Steve Filipowicz and, with the successful extra point, it was a tie game at 14-14 heading into the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears drove into New York territory as Luckman passed to HB George McAfee for 17 yards and end Jim Keane for 16. With the ball at the 19, Halas gave the word to his star quarterback, who rarely ran the ball, to utilize a specially-designed play that he was holding for the right occasion. Luckman faked a handoff to McAfee on an apparent sweep and, with the defense shifting accordingly, he trotted to his right with the ball at his hip and then took off on a bootleg. It worked to perfection as Luckman, who hadn’t scored a rushing touchdown during the regular season, broke a tackle at the 10 and made it to the end zone. The TD put the Bears back in front and seemed to deflate the Giants. Frank Maznicki added a 26-yard field goal before it was all over and Chicago came away with the NFL Championship in the hard-fought game by a score of 24-14.

Total yards were virtually even, with the Giants holding the edge at 248 to 245. New York also had 13 first downs to Chicago’s 10. However, New York also turned the ball over a staggering eight times, to three turnovers by the Bears.

Sid Luckman completed 9 of 22 passes for 144 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, had the one key rushing TD, and also had a good day kicking the ball, with his seven punts averaging 42.4 yards and helping the Bears in the battle for field position. Chicago’s top four rushers were all bunched together, with HB Hugh Gallarneau leading the way with 24 yards on 6 carries, FB Bill Osmanski gaining 23 yards on 9 attempts, brother Joe Osmanski carrying 8 times for 20 yards, and FB Don Perkins adding 18 yards on four rushes. George McAfee only ran for two yards on 6 carries but led the club in pass receiving with four catches for 57 yards. Ken Kavanaugh had 53 yards and a TD on his two receptions.

Frank Filchock (pictured below with Coach Steve Owen) was under a heavy rush from the Bears defense throughout the contest and had to utilize his mobility to find time to throw. As it was, he was successful on 9 of 26 of those throws for 128 yards with two touchdowns but also six interceptions. With injuries, plus a suspension, affecting the available backs, wingback George Franck led the Giants in rushing with 55 yards on 6 attempts. End Jim Poole caught four passes for 40 yards and Steve Filipowicz, in addition to his 9 carries for 20 yards, gained 41 yards and scored a TD on two pass receptions.

In the trial of Alvin Paris, the gambler who attempted to fix the game, Filchock admitted to having lied about not being approached to throw the contest, having rejected the offer and wanting an opportunity to prove himself in the game (he was generally given credit for playing well, despite the interceptions). Commissioner Bell indefinitely suspended both Hapes and Filchock, although both were eventually reinstated (in 1954 and 1950, respectively). They played in Canada in the interim but, except for one appearance by Filchock at the end of the 1950 season with the Colts, neither was active in the NFL again. Filchock went on to both play and coach in the CFL and eventually became the first head coach of the new American Football League’s Denver Broncos in 1960.

The Bears went 8-4 in 1947 and finished second to their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cardinals, in the Western Division. New York dropped much further, going all the way to the bottom of the Eastern Division at 2-8-2. Neither club appeared again in the postseason until 1950, when each tied for first in their respective divisions. Having met in four title games, they would next face off against each other in a NFL Championship game in 1956.  

MVP Profile: Bill Dudley, 1946

Tailback/Defensive Back, Pittsburgh Steelers


Age: 26
3rd season in pro football & with Steelers
College: Virginia
Height: 5’10” Weight: 172

Prelude:
Despite questions about his size, Dudley was drafted in the first round by the Steelers in 1942, ran for a 55-yard TD in his first pro game, and went on to lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 696 yards. He also led the league in punt return yardage (271) and kickoff return average (27.1) and accumulated a league-leading 1349 all-purpose yards. Despite his nickname, Bullet Bill was not particularly fast, but had outstanding instincts. Playing halfback and tailback in a single-wing offense, he was also not a particularly adept passer, but his all-around skills made Dudley a star and he was an outstanding ball hawk in the defensive backfield. Due to World War II, Dudley missed the 1943 and ’44 seasons completely, but returned for the last four games of 1945.

1946 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 146 [1]
Yards – 604 [1]
Yards per attempt – 4.1 [7]
TDs – 2

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 4
Yards – 109
Yards per catch – 27.3
TDs - 1

Passing
Attempts – 90 [10]
Completions – 32 [10]
Yards – 452 [10]
Completion percentage – 35.6
Yards per attempt – 5.0
TD passes – 2 [12, tied with five others]
Most TD passes, game – 1 vs. Chicago Cardinals 9/20, vs. NY Giants 10/6
Interceptions – 9 [8, tied with Tommy Thompson]
Passer rating – 20.5

Kicking
Field goals – 2 [9, tied with Roy Zimmerman]
Field goal attempts – 7 [8]
Percentage – 28.6
PATs – 12 [9, tied with Joe Stydahar]
PAT attempts – 14 [9]
Longest field goal – 34 yards vs. Boston Yanks 10/13

Punting
Punts – 60 [2, tied with Howard Maley]
Yards – 2409 [2]
Average – 40.2 [7]
Punts blocked – 1
Longest punt – 69 yards

Interceptions
Interceptions – 10 [1]
Return yards – 242 [1]
TDs – 1 [1, tied with six others]

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 14 [3]
Yards – 280 [6]
Average per return – 20.0 [7]
TDs – 0
Longest return – 34 yards

Punt Returns
Returns – 27 [1]
Yards – 385 [1]
Average per return – 14.3 [1]
TDs – 0
Longest return – 52 yards

All-Purpose yards – 1378 [1]

Scoring
TDs – 5 [8, tied with ten others]
Field goals – 2
PATs - 12
Points – 48 [5, tied with Hugh Gallarneau]

Also led NFL with 7 fumble recoveries

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL/AAFC: Chicago Herald-American
1st team All-NFL: UPI, Pro Football Illustrated, NY Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: AP

Steelers went 5-5-1 to finish in a tie for third in the Eastern Division with the Washington Redskins.

Aftermath:
Despite his outstanding play, Dudley clashed with Pittsburgh Head Coach Jock Sutherland as well as teammates. Threatening retirement, he was traded to the Detroit Lions prior to the 1947 season, and while his rushing numbers dropped, he caught far more passes as a T-formation halfback and continued to be an outstanding kick returner and defensive player – he scored 11 TDs in four different ways in ’47 (2 rushing, 7 receiving, 1 punt return, 1 kickoff return). After three seasons with the Lions, he moved on to the Washington Redskins in 1950 and was chosen to the first two Pro Bowls following the ’50 and ’51 seasons. Continuing to be a versatile performer, he led the NFL in field goal percentage (76.9) in 1951. After missing the ’52 season, he played primarily as a placekicker in 1953, his last year. Overall, he rushed for 3057 yards, caught 123 passes for 1383 more, intercepted 23 passes, returned 124 punts for a 12.2 average and 78 kickoffs for a 22.3 average, punted 193 times with a 37.8 average, and kicked 33 field goals and 121 extra points. Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1966.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/14/14]

1945: Rams Hire Adam Walsh as Head Coach

On March 14, 1945 the Cleveland Rams signed Adam Walsh to a five-year contract as head coach. Walsh, the line coach at Notre Dame, was the brother of Rams GM Charles “Chile” Walsh and succeeded Aldo “Buff” Donelli, who left to join the Navy.

The 43-year-old Walsh had been on the staff at Notre Dame since mid-1944, when he left Bowdoin, where he had been a successful head coach who turned a losing program around - his teams won the Maine Intercollegiate football championship in seven out of eight years. His overall record was 34-15-6. In 1943, Bowdoin suspended the athletic program for the remainder of World War II, and Walsh was allowed to go on leave of absence to Notre Dame.

Going to Notre Dame was something of a homecoming for Walsh. He played there collegiately and was an All-American center who captained the team in 1924 that contained the legendary starting backfield known as “The Four Horsemen”. After college, and prior to going to Bowdoin, Walsh was head coach and athletic director at Santa Clara from 1925 to ’28 and later served as line coach at both Yale and Harvard.

Walsh was a proponent of the T-formation, which was finding new-found popularity at both the pro and college levels in the 1940s. He was fortunate to have a rookie quarterback out of UCLA, Bob Waterfield, who could run the new offense very effectively. There was also HB Fred Gehrke, returning from a four-year stint in the military, holdover HB Jim Gillette, and rookie FB Don Greenword to handle the running game. End Jim Benton was a proven veteran, and the other starting end, Steve Pritko, had played well in ’44. Two more rookies, tackle Gil Bouley from Boston College and guard/linebacker Milan Lazetich, bolstered the line which also added veteran tackle Eberle Schultz from the Card-Pitt combined team of ’44. Guard Riley Matheson was already there, an established talent who had been a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1942 and ’44.

From a 4-6 record in 1944, the Rams went 9-1 under Walsh in ’45. Waterfield had a MVP season, leading the league with 14 touchdown passes (tied with Sid Luckman of the Bears) and 9.9 yards per attempt. He also showed outstanding toughness (he played one game heavily taped due to torn rib muscles) and leadership to go along with his fine passing, and was an asset on defense (six interceptions, tied for second in the NFL) and as a punter. Benton had a sensational year, catching 45 passes for a league-leading 1067 yards (including 303 in one game) and eight touchdowns. Gehrke, Gillette, and Greenwood all finished in the top ten in rushing and the team was top-ranked in that category. Matheson was again a consensus first-team All-Pro.

The Rams won the Western Division and hosted the Washington Redskins in the NFL Championship game on a bitterly cold day at Municipal Stadium. They won, 15-14, and Walsh had a title in his first year as a pro head coach.

While the franchise performed well on the field, it didn’t do so well at the gate. Owner Daniel F. Reeves lost some $50,000 and petitioned the league to allow him to move the club to Los Angeles. Initially turned down by the other owners, an angry Reeves had threatened to sell the team, but the NFL finally allowed the move.

The Rams went west, and faced the immediate challenge of another team, the Los Angeles Dons of the newly-formed All-America Football Conference (AAFC), competing against them for fans and sharing the massive Memorial Coliseum. Under pressure from the commission that governed the stadium, the Rams added two players – first, HB Kenny Washington, who had been a star at UCLA, and then end Woody Strode, also from UCLA – who became the first two African-Americans in the NFL since 1933. They also added HB Tom Harmon, former Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan.

The team was still very competitive at its new location. Waterfield, returning to the city where he had starred collegiately, led the NFL in passing (although by the modern rating method, he finished second to Luckman) as well as touchdowns (17). Benton again led the league in receiving yards (981) and in pass receptions as well (63, which was 31 more than runner-up Hal Crisler of the Boston Yanks). Gehrke had the top rushing average (5.2 on 71 carries for 371 yards).

The team played respectably but not consistently as they failed to win consecutive games until the last two contests of the year. It made for a second place finish at 6-4-1. In the end, the Rams lost even more money in Los Angeles than in Cleveland. Presaging decades of front office upheaval that would characterize the franchise, GM Walsh fired his brother, Coach Walsh, and was then fired himself by owner Reeves, who chose to act as his own general manager. Bob Snyder was hired as coach for 1947, and the team dropped to fourth place with a 6-6 tally.

Adam Walsh left the Rams with a 15-5-1 record as a pro head coach, and a win in the ’45 NFL title game. He returned to Bowdoin (which had always considered him to still be on leave, even after leaving Notre Dame for pro coaching). While not as successful in his second stint with the team, Walsh stayed from 1947 to ’58 and went 63-67-9 for an overall record at the school of 80-85-11.

Following his retirement from football coaching, Walsh served in the Maine House of Representatives and was later appointed U.S. Marshal for Maine by President Kennedy.

While Walsh’s pro coaching career may have been short, his college playing and coaching career earned him later recognition - he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968 and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

1946: Kenny Washington Signs with LA Rams

On March 21, 1946 the Rams, newly moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, signed former star UCLA tailback Kenny Washington to a contract. More than adding a player to the roster, the significance was that he was black, and no African-American had played in the NFL since 1933. By the time the ’46 season got underway, Washington would have a black teammate and the Cleveland Browns of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) would have two African-American players.

Between 1920 and 1933, there had been a total of 13 African-American players in the NFL. They included Paul Robeson, a former Rutgers All-American who played end and tackle with Akron (1921) and Milwaukee (1922) and who is far better remembered for his career as an entertainer and political activist. They also included tackle Duke Slater, who played for ten seasons and received second team All-Pro recognition after six of them, and Fritz Pollard, a 1920 All-Pro back who co-coached the Akron Pros in 1921 and, for at least one game, the Hammond Pros in 1925.

But after 1933, when tailback Joe Lillard played for the Chicago Cardinals and tackle Ray Kemp for the Pittsburgh Pirates, there were no black players in the league. The color line was apparently unofficial and, for years afterward, unacknowledged, but was certainly real.

Washington had been a huge star as a college tailback, coincidentally enough in the same backfield with Jackie Robinson, who would integrate major league baseball in 1947. At 6’1” and 195 pounds, he had the necessary size as well as speed for pro football, and also, in those days when versatility was far more essential, could pass and kick. When he first came out of UCLA in 1940, he drew interest from the Chicago Bears, but nothing came of it. Thus, he was relegated to playing in the Pacific Coast Football League, where he injured both knees.

By 1946, Washington was a 28-year-old back with two bad knees. However, the commission that operated the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the newly-relocated Rams would be playing, insisted that he be given a tryout. In May, 31-year-old end Woody Strode, who had also come out of UCLA, was also signed, thus giving the Rams two black players going into the season.

With the condition of Washington’s knees a significant question mark, Head Coach Adam Walsh initially used him at quarterback, with unimpressive results. He was shifted to fullback, where he played well until reinjuring a knee. His numbers in 1946 were thus limited – 114 yards on 23 carries (although that resulted in a healthy 5.0 average yards per rush), six pass receptions for 83 yards, and one completion in eight passing attempts for 19 yards. However, he had a much better year in 1947, gaining 444 yards on 60 carries for a formidable 7.4 average gain and that included a 92-yard touchdown run, the longest in the NFL that season. He played one more season in ’48 and ended up with a career total of 859 yards on 140 rushes (6.1 yards per carry) with 8 touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 227 yards and a TD.


Woody Strode played one season with the Rams, catching four passes for 37 yards, before moving north to Canada. The two African-American players in the AAFC, FB Marion Motley and G Bill Willis(pictured at right), had greater impact. They were key players with the Browns, who dominated the league in all four of its seasons before moving to the NFL. Both are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The process of integrating pro football was slow, with the AAFC initially outperforming the NFL. By 1949, the rival league, with seven teams, had 11 black players while the NFL had five spread across 10 clubs. However, as more of the African-American players had a significant impact, the process moved along – not always evenly or easily. But it started with Kenny Washington and three other players breaking pro football’s color line in 1946.