1967: Rams Defeat Colts in Climactic Battle for Coastal Division Title

The NFL game in Los Angeles on December 17, 1967 featured a final-week showdown for the Coastal Division crown between the host Los Angeles Rams and visiting Baltimore Colts. Baltimore came into the contest undefeated at 11-0-2 and would win the division outright with a victory. The Rams were a game behind at 10-1-2 and would have the same record as the Colts if they came out winners, which would give them the division title due to a new tiebreaking procedure. With the league having split into four four-team divisions (two per conference), adding a new playoff level as a result, ties for first would no longer result in an extra game being played – the team scoring the most points in the two regular season meetings of the clubs would be awarded first place. Since the Colts and Rams had tied when they met earlier in Baltimore, a win for the Rams would deliver the division title and a spot in the Western Conference Championship game.

Los Angeles had not been to the postseason since 1955 and endured a great deal of mediocrity since then until the arrival of Head Coach George Allen in ’66. Allen’s specialty was defense, and the Rams had a good one, particularly on the line. DT Roosevelt Grier had been lost to a knee injury in the preseason, but Roger Brown was swiftly obtained from Detroit to take his spot and, together with ends Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy and DT Merlin Olsen, became part of what was called “the Fearsome Foursome”. OLB Maxie Baughan was the leader of an outstanding group of linebackers and, while the backfield was less impressive, it included excellent FS Ed Meador. The offense was conservative but competently directed by QB Roman Gabriel (pictured above), who had good deep receivers in split end Jack Snow and flanker Bernie Casey while FB Dick Bass and HB Les Josephson handled the bulk of the running game.

The Colts were coached by Don Shula and were typically among the league’s better teams. QB Johnny Unitas was the key to the pass-oriented offense, as he had been for the past decade, and he had outstanding receivers in flanker Willie Richardson and TE John Mackey. The running game was less effective, but not bad, and the defense was solid, especially at linebacker and in the backfield.

There were 77,277 fans in attendance at the Memorial Coliseum for the showdown. The Rams opened the scoring with a 47-yard field goal by Bruce Gossett, while the Colts put together a 65-yard drive that ended with Johnny Unitas throwing to Willie Richardson for a 12-yard touchdown and Lou Michaels adding the extra point.

Baltimore again reached LA territory, but Michaels missed a 37-yard try for a field goal (his first failure after ten straight successes). On the next play, the Rams came through with a big play to start the second quarter as Roman Gabriel, firing the ball 50 yards in the air, connected with Jack Snow, who got beyond two defenders for an 80-yard TD. Bruce Gossett converted to give the home team a 10-7 lead.

Late in the period, Baltimore advanced deep into LA territory. However, as Unitas dropped back to pass, he was hit by Deacon Jones and his poor throw was intercepted by Ed Meador at the 12, who returned it seven yards. With time running down, Gabriel directed the Rams on an 81-yard drive that concluded with a throw to Bernie Casey for a 23-yard touchdown. Gossett converted and, rather than potentially being behind or tied, Los Angeles took a 17-7 lead into halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, the Rams increased their margin when Gossett booted a 23-yard field goal. The Colts fought back, advancing 61 yards in 15 plays as Unitas converted two third downs with pass completions to Richardson of 19 and 11 yards. But a quarterback draw came up short on another third down deep in LA territory, and the Colts opted for a 14-yard Michaels field goal as the fourth quarter commenced.

The Rams responded with a 67-yard series that essentially clinched the win. Gabriel was successful on all four of his passes including, under a heavy rush, a toss to Casey that then set up a nine-yard touchdown throw to TE Billy Truax. Gossett tacked on the PAT and Los Angeles was ahead by 27-10.

The LA defense took control for the remainder of the contest, harassing Unitas and effectively shutting down the Baltimore offense.  FB Dick Bass punctuated the decisive win with a two-yard TD after Unitas was sacked for an eight-yard loss to his four yard line on a fourth down play. The Rams were Coastal Division champions by a final score of 34-10.

LA had the edge in total yards (328 to 262) although the Colts led in first downs (18 to 16). The Rams sacked Unitas seven times, while Baltimore recorded none of Gabriel, and the Colts turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by Los Angeles.

Roman Gabriel was outstanding as he completed 18 of 22 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Billy Truax had 5 catches for 51 yards and a TD and Jack Snow, with the 80-yard touchdown on his lone reception, led the Rams in receiving yards. Bernie Casey contributed 78 yards on his four catches that included a score. Dick Bass topped the LA rushers with 36 yards on 12 carries with one TD and also caught four passes for 27 more yards.

For the Colts, Johnny Unitas was successful on 19 of 31 throws for 206 yards and a TD while being intercepted twice and taking a major battering from the LA front four. TE John Mackey caught 5 passes for 72 yards and Willie Richardson also pulled in 5 for 57 yards and a score. FB Tony Lorick rushed for 39 yards on 13 attempts.

“The crux of our defensive plan for this game was not to allow Unitas enough time to throw the ball, because he can thread the needle in a crowd,” explained Coach George Allen.

“The offense put some points on the board early,” added Deacon Jones. “And so we were able to dictate to Mr. Unitas what we wanted him to do, and that was pass.”

The Rams fell to Green Bay in the Western Conference Championship game by a 28-7 score the following week, a disappointing finish to an outstanding season. They finished second in 1968 before winning another division title in ’69, but would never reach the NFL Championship under George Allen. Baltimore came back with a 13-1 season in ’68, despite the loss of Johnny Unitas for virtually the entire season, and won the NFL Championship before being monumentally upset by the New York Jets, champions of the AFL, in Super Bowl III. Don Shula, who moved on to Miami in 1970, would get another shot at guiding a team to an undefeated season, and would succeed in '72.

Roman Gabriel ranked third in passing as he threw for 2779 yards and a career-high 25 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of three consecutive years. Bernie Casey caught 53 passes for 871 yards (16.4 avg.) and eight touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career.

It was the Los Angeles defense, in particular “the Fearsome Foursome”, that would leave the most enduring memory. The Rams allowed the fewest points in the NFL (196, two less than the Colts) and Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen were consensus first-team All-NFL selections as well as being named to the Pro Bowl along with Roger Brown, Maxie Baughan, and Ed Meador.

(pictured below L to R, #74 Merlin Olsen, partially hidden Lamar Lundy, #75 Deacon Jones, #78 Roger Brown)

1964: Walker Kicks 4 Field Goals as Lions Defeat 49ers

Two NFL teams coming off of disappointing seasons met in San Francisco on September 13, 1964 to open another year amid expectations for improvement. The Detroit Lions, a perennially tough defensive team, suffered through an injury-plagued ’63 campaign in which they went 5-8-1, their first losing record after three consecutive second place finishes in the NFL Western Conference. Coached by George Wilson, they were anticipating the return of DE Darris McCord and DB Gary Lowe, who all underwent offseason surgery, plus DT Alex Karras, who was reinstated by the league following a gambling suspension. QB Milt Plum had regained the starting job in the preseason that he lost to Earl Morrall the previous year and there were outstanding receivers in flanker Terry Barr and split end Gail Cogdill.  

The 49ers were a dismal 2-12 in 1963, putting them in last place for the first time in franchise history. Red Hickey was replaced by Jack Christiansen as head coach during the season, and Christiansen was starting off his first full year at the helm. He had QB John Brodie back and recovered from a broken arm that had sidelined him for most of ‘63. The offense had suffered to the point that CB Abe Woodson, the NFL’s top kickoff returner, was looked upon as the most effective ground-gaining weapon. Injuries had also hampered the defense, and improvement was anticipated on that side of the ball as well.  

It was a cool, overcast day at Kezar Stadium with 33,204 in attendance. The 49ers went three-and-out on the game’s opening series and punted. Detroit put together a 10-play, 58-yard possession, with the biggest gain on a pass from Milt Plum to Gail Cogdill for 34 yards to the San Francisco 34 in a third-and-14 situation. Plum connected with Cogdill twice more for 16 yards and the series finally ended with Wayne Walker (pictured above) kicking a 23-yard field goal.

The home team responded by going 80 yards in six plays. On second-and-19 from their own 37, the 49ers made a big play when John Brodie threw to flanker Bernie Casey, who made an outstanding catch at the Detroit 30 and went the distance for a 63-yard touchdown. Tommy Davis added his NFL-record 157^th consecutive extra point and the Niners were ahead by 7-3.

The teams traded punts to finish out the first quarter. Starting off the second quarter, Plum threw to Terry Barr for a gain of 47 yards to the San Francisco 11, but after a short run by HB Tom Watkins, two passes fell incomplete and Walker came in to kick another field goal, this time from 16 yards.

A short series by the 49ers was followed by another scoring drive by the Lions, this time covering 47 yards in eight plays. Plum had a nine-yard pass to Cogdill and FB Nick Pietrosante and HB Dan Lewis ran effectively, with Pietrosante diving into the end zone from three yards out for a TD. Walker added the PAT and the visitors were ahead by 13-7.

Detroit had good starting field position at the San Francisco 43 following a punt but Plum threw an interception. However, after another punt by the Niners that had the Lions starting at their 15, the visitors drove to another score. Plum had another big completion to Cogdill (pictured below) on a third down play, this time for 43 yards to the San Francisco 38, and three carries by Lewis gave the Lions another first down. The drive stalled at the 23 and Walker booted his third field goal of the game, this time from 31 yards with less than a minute remaining in the half. The 49ers made a bid for points in the final seconds as Brodie threw to TE Monte Stickles for 19 yards and then to Casey for 24, but Davis missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. The Lions carried a 16-7 lead into halftime.

Detroit started off the third quarter with a 74-yard, 11-play series. Watkins ran for 15 yards on a reverse, Plum connected with Barr for 39 yards, and Pietrosante capped the drive by plunging for the last yard and a TD. Walker again added the extra point to make the score 23-7.

Now behind by 16 points, the 49ers got a boost when DB Kermit Alexander returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to give them good starting field position at the Detroit 40. The Niners picked up just six yards, but Davis kicked a 41-yard field goal to narrow the margin to 23-10.

The Lions had to punt on their next series and Yale Lary’s short kick had the 49ers taking over at the Detroit 38. FB J.D. Smith ran for 16 yards and, three plays later, Brodie threw to Stickles for 10 yards in a third-and-eight situation. Casey caught a Brodie pass for a seven-yard touchdown and, with Davis converting, it was suddenly just a six-point game.

The Lions again had to kick the ball away following a short possession and the 49ers were driving as the game moved into the fourth quarter. However, they came up empty when Davis missed a 38-yard field goal try.

Plum threw to Barr for 23 yards but, following a run by Lewis that lost yardage and a 15-yard penalty that moved the visitors back, Detroit again had to punt, although a clip nullified a good return by Alexander. Mired deep in their own territory, the 49ers turned the ball over when Brodie fumbled and DE Darris McCord recovered at the five yard line. A penalty moved the Lions back and they again had to settle for a field goal, but Walker was successful once more, hitting from 26 yards out. Detroit was up by nine points.

That was it for the scoring. Alexander had a 38-yard kickoff return, but the 49ers went three-and-out and had to punt and the Lions managed to control the ball until the closing seconds. They came away the winners by a score of 26-17.

Detroit led in total yards (372 to 219) and first downs (17 to 13). The Lions also recorded two sacks, to none by San Francisco, although they also were penalized 10 times, at a cost of 80 yards, to four flags thrown on the 49ers. Each team turned the ball over once.

Milt Plum completed 15 of 34 passes for 234 yards and no touchdowns while giving up one interception. Two Lions had over a hundred receiving yards, with Gail Cogdill catching 6 passes for 116 yards and Terry Barr adding 108 yards on his three receptions. Dan Lewis ran for 83 yards on 17 carries and while Nick Pietrosante picked up just 36 yards on 12 attempts, two were good for short TDs. Wayne Walker was the scoring star with 14 points on his four field goals in as many attempts (which set a club record) and two extra points.

For the 49ers, John Brodie was successful on 15 of his 33 throws for 177 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. Bernie Casey (pictured at right) had 6 catches for 119 yards and two scores. J.D. Smith ran for 42 yards on 11 carries. Kermit Alexander had 107 yards on kick returns (82 on two kickoffs and 25 on two punts), overshadowing Abe Woodson, at least for one week.

Detroit got off to a 4-1-1 start before injuries set in and the team finished up at 7-5-2 and in at fourth place in the Western Conference. It was improvement, but not enough to save Coach Wilson’s job. The 49ers won the next week at Philadelphia but went on to another losing year and a final record of 4-10, which resulted in a second straight last place finish in the conference. While the passing game was better, injuries decimated the ground attack.

Wayne Walker, an outstanding linebacker as well as placekicker, ended up booting a career-high 14 field goals out of 25 attempts and, adding 32 extra points, achieved another career best with 74 points. Terry Barr and Gail Cogdill remained productive, with Barr catching 57 passes for 1070 yards (18.1 avg.) and nine touchdowns and gaining selection to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year, and Cogdill accumulating 45 receptions for 665 yards (14.8 avg.) and two TDs before a shoulder injury sidelined him late in the year.

Bernie Casey continued to be a key performer for the 49ers, catching 58 passes for 808 yards (13.9 avg.) and four touchdowns. Kermit Alexander had a fine year returning kicks, averaging 24.2 yards on 20 kickoff returns (Abe Woodson had a 27.5 average on 32 returns) and 9.0 yards on 21 punt returns that included a TD.