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The 1945 Cleveland Rams season was the team's eighth year with the National Football League and the ninth and final season in Cleveland. Led by the brother tandem of head coach Adam Walsh and general manager Chile Walsh, and helmed by future Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield, the Rams franchise finished 9–1 before winning its first NFL Championship by defeating the Washington Redskins, 15–14, at Cleveland Stadium. Other stars on the team included receiver Jim Benton and back Jim Gillette, who gained more than 100 yards in the title game.
| 1945 Cleveland Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Adam Walsh |
| Home field | League Park |
| Local radio | WGAR |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Won NFL Championship (vs. Redskins) 15–14 |
One month after winning the NFL Championship, franchise owner Dan Reeves, who had sustained five years of heavy financial losses (even during the team's championship season) because of poor home crowds, realized he had no prospect of the Rams competing in Cleveland with the AAFC's Browns, who were to commence play the next year, and relocated the Rams to Los Angeles.[1] The Rams' move to Los Angeles marked the first of only two occasions that a professional football champion has played the following season in another city.[2]
NFL draft
| = Hall of Famer |
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch | End | Michigan |
| 2 | 16 | Milan Lazetich | Tackle | Michigan |
| 3 | 21 | W.G. (Dub) Wooten | End | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 32 | Jack Zilly | End | Notre Dame |
| 5 | 37 | Roger Harding | Center | California |
| 6 | 48 | Jerry Cowhig | Back | Notre Dame |
| 7 | 59 | Fred Negus | Center | Wisconsin |
| 8 | 70 | Johnny August | Back | Alabama |
| 9 | 81 | Dick Huffman | Tackle | Tennessee |
| 10 | 92 | Vern Walters | Back | Alma |
| 11 | 103 | Tom Fears | End | UCLA |
| 12 | 114 | Joe Winkler | Center | Purdue |
| 13 | 125 | Jack Aland | Tackle | Alabama |
| 14 | 136 | Chuck Uknes | Back | Iowa |
| 15 | 147 | Bill Lund | Back | Case Western Reserve |
| 16 | 158 | Bob Barton | End | Holy Cross |
| 17 | 169 | Dick Hoerner | Back | Iowa |
| 18 | 180 | Lee Kennon | Tackle | Oklahoma |
| 19 | 191 | Eagle Matulich | Back | Mississippi State |
| 20 | 202 | Bill Griffin | Tackle | Kentucky |
| 21 | 213 | Leroy Erickson | Back | Oregon |
| 22 | 224 | Ray Evans | Tackle | Texas-El Paso |
| 23 | 235 | Luke Higgins | Tackle | Notre Dame |
| 24 | 246 | Stan Nowak | End | South Carolina |
| 25 | 257 | Gene Konopka | Guard | Villanova |
| 26 | 268 | Ray Florek | Back | Illinois |
| 27 | 279 | Russ Perry | Back | Wake Forest |
| 28 | 290 | Pat West | Back | USC |
| 29 | 301 | Bill Davis | Back | Oregon |
| 30 | 312 | Charley Compton | Tackle | Alabama |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye | ||||||
| 2 | September 30 | Chicago Cardinals | W 21–0 | 1–0 | League Park | 10,872 | Recap |
| 3 | October 7 | Chicago Bears | W 17–0 | 2–0 | League Park | 19,580 | Recap |
| 4 | October 14 | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–14 | 3–0 | City Stadium | 24,607 | Recap |
| 5 | October 21 | at Chicago Bears | W 41–21 | 4–0 | Wrigley Field | 28,273 | Recap |
| 6 | October 28 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–28 | 4–1 | Shibe Park | 38,149 | Recap |
| 7 | November 4 | at New York Giants | W 21–17 | 5–1 | Polo Grounds | 46,219 | Recap |
| 8 | November 11 | Green Bay Packers | W 20–7 | 6–1 | League Park | 28,686 | Recap |
| 9 | November 18 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 35–21 | 7–1 | Comiskey Park | 18,000 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | at Detroit Lions | W 28–21 | 8–1 | Briggs Stadium | 40,017 | Recap |
| 11 | December 2 | Boston Yanks | W 20–7 | 9–1 | League Park | 18,470 | Recap |
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Rams | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 7–0 | 244 | 136 | W5 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 5–2 | 195 | 194 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 3–4 | 258 | 173 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 2–6 | 192 | 235 | W2 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 1–6 | 98 | 228 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Week 2: vs. Chicago Cardinals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week Two: Cleveland Rams vs. Chicago Cardinals – Game summary
at League Park
- Date: September 30
- Game attendance: 10,872
Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rams | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Game information |
|---|
|
Week Three: Cleveland Rams vs. Chicago Cardinals – Game summary
at League Park
- Date: September 30
- Game attendance: 19,580
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 6 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 27 |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Game attendance: 24,607
CLE – Benton 17 pass from Waterfield (kick failed)
GB – Comp 1 run (Hutson kick)
GB – Fritsch 3 run (Hutson kick)
CLE – Colella 6 pass from Waterfield (Waterfield kick)
CLE – Greenwood 1 run (Waterfield kick)
CLE – Colella 5 run (Waterfield kick)
Week 5: at Chicago Bears
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 6 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 41 |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Game attendance: 28,273
CLE – Greenwood 11 run (kick failed)
CLE – Colella 3 run (Waterfield kick)
CLE – Wedel 10 run (Waterfield kick)
CHI – Margarita 1 run (Gudauskas kick)
CHI – Hennessey 42 pass from LaManna (Gudauskas kick)
CHI – Gallameau 2 run (Gudauskas kick)
CLE – Greenwood 8 run (Waterfield kick)
CLE – LaMamnna 21 pass from Waterfield (Waterfield kick)
CLE – Colella 18 pass from Reisz (Waterfield kick)
Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 7: at New York Giants
Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 9: at Chicago Cardinals
Week 10: at Detroit Lions
Week 11: vs. Boston Yanks
NFL Championship Game: vs. Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Rams | 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
NFL Championship Game
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium
- Date: December 16, 1945
- Game weather: −8 °F (−22 °C)
- Game attendance: 32,178
In the first quarter, the Redskins had the ball at their own 5-yard line. Dropping back into the end zone, quarterback Sammy Baugh threw, but the ball hit the goal post (which at the time was on the goal line instead of at the back of the end zone) and bounced back to the ground in the end zone. Under the rules at the time, this was ruled as a safety and thus gave the Rams a 2–0 lead.
In the second quarter, Baugh suffered bruised ribs and was replaced by Frank Filchock. Filchock threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Steve Bagarus to give the Redskins a 7–2 lead. But the Rams scored just before halftime when rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jim Benton. Waterfield's ensuing extra point was partially blocked, with the ball teetering on the crossbar, but it dropped over to give Cleveland a 9–7 lead.
In the third quarter, the Rams increased their lead when Jim Gillette scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception, but this time the extra point was missed. The Redskins then came back to cut their deficit to 15–14 with Bob Seymour's 8-yard touchdown catch from Filchock. In the fourth quarter, Washington kicker Joe Aguirre missed two field goals attempts, of 46 and 31 yards, that could have won the game.
Bold denotes player on the official NFL roster at the end of the 1945 season.[3]
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | 1945 Games | 1945 Starts | Years in NFL | University | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Armstrong | Tackle | 6'2" | 215 | 1 | 0 | 2 | John Carroll | |
| Jim Benton | End | 6'3" | 195 | 9 | 5 | 7 | Arkansas | |
| David Bernard | Fullback | 5'10" | 197 | 7 | 0 | 2 | Mississippi | |
| Gil Bouley | Tackle | 6'2" | 233 | 6 | 6 | 1 | Boston College | |
| Thomas Colella | Halfback | 5'11-1/2" | 185 | 10 | 1 | 4 | Canisius | |
| Bob DeLauer | Center | 6'1" | 213 | 2 | 2 | 1 | USA | |
| Roger Eason | Tackle | 6'2" | 220 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Oklahoma | |
| Fred Gehrke | Halfback | 5'11" | 190 | 10 | 7 | 2 | Utah | |
| James Gillette | Halfback | 6'1-1/2" | 185 | 10 | 7 | 3 | Virginia | |
| Don Greenwood | Fullback | 5'11" | 191 | 9 | 6 | 1 | Illinois | |
| Ray Hamilton | End | 6'4" | 210 | 9 | 0 | 4 | Arkansas | |
| Roger Harding | Center | 6'2" | 195 | 6 | 0 | 1 | Cal | |
| Howard Hickey | End | 6'2" | 195 | 8 | 2 | 2 | Arkansas | |
| Jack Jacobs | Quarterback | 6'1" | 180 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Oklahoma | |
| Harvey Jones | Halfback | 6'0" | 175 | 9 | 2 | 2 | Baylor | |
| George Koch | Halfback | 6'1" | 200 | 5 | 0 | 1 | St. Mary's of Texas | |
| Floyd Konetsky | End | 6'1" | 195 | 10 | 3 | 2 | University of Miami | |
| William Lazetich | Guard | 6'1-1/2" | 195 | 10 | 7 | 1 | Montana | |
| Leslie Lear | Guard | 5'11" | 223 | 9 | 1 | 2 | Manitoba University | |
| Butch Levy | Tackle | 6'0" | 260 | 7 | 1 | 1 | Minnesota | |
| Elvin Liles | Guard | 5'9-1/2" | 195 | 8 | 0 | 3 | Oklahoma A&M | Started season with Detroit Lions. |
| Riley Matheson | Guard | 6'2" | 210 | 10 | 10 | 7 | Texas Mines | |
| Arthur Morgenthal | Guard | 5'11" | 215 | 10 | 2 | 1 | Notre Dame | |
| Raymond Monaco | Guard | 5'10-1/2" | 215 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Holy Cross | |
| Rudy Mucha | Guard | 6'1-1/2" | 246 | 3 | 0 | 2 | Washington | Ended season with Chicago Bears. |
| Steve Nemeth | Quarterback | 5'10" | 172 | 9 | 3 | 1 | Notre Dame | |
| George Phillips | Quarterback | 6'3-1/2" | 215 | 1 | 0 | 1 | UCLA | |
| Steve Pritko | End | 6'2" | 210 | 10 | 10 | 3 | Villanova | |
| Albie Reisz | Quarterback | 5'9" | 170 | 10 | 0 | 2 | Southeastern | |
| William Reith | Center | 5'11-1/2" | 203 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Carnegie Tech | |
| Ralph Ruthstrom | Fullback | 6'4" | 208 | 6 | 2 | 1 | Southern Methodist | |
| Mike Scarry | Center | 5'11" | 220 | 10 | 10 | 2 | Waynesburg University | |
| Eberle Schultz | Tackle | 6'4" | 245 | 10 | 10 | 5 | Oregon State | |
| Bob Shaw | End | 6'3" | 229 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Ohio State | |
| Rudy Sikich | Tackle | 6'1" | 219 | 6 | 2 | 1 | Minnesota | |
| Bob Waterfield | Quarterback | 6'1" | 191 | 10 | 6 | 1 | UCLA | 1945 NFL Most Valuable Player |
| Pat West | Fullback | 6'1" | 204 | 10 | 7 | 1 | USC | |
| Joe Winkler | Center | 6'1" | 200 | 8 | 0 | 1 | Purdue | |
| James Worden | Halfback | 5'10" | 180 | 5 | 5 | 1 | Waynesburg | |
| Walt Zirinsky | Halfback | 5'11-1/2" | 187 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Lafayette University | |
- Adam Walsh, Coach of the Year
- Bob Waterfield, League Most Valuable Player
- Bob Waterfield, NFL leader, Touchdowns (14 – tied)[4]
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