A new coaching staff led the Los Angeles Rams to an improved season in 1955. It all began when the Rams hired renowned University of Cincinnati coach Sid Gillman to take over the team. Gillman had built quite the reputation for himself as a college head coach after compiling a career record of 81-19-2 with the Bearcats.
The change in leadership also brought change to the playbook. The Rams were usually known for their offense, but became a defensive powerhouse under Gillman. Unfortunately, the defensive line and the linebackers wouldn’t receive the credit they deserved since tackles and sacks weren’t recorded as a statistic during that time period.
The Rams’ defensive front terrorized opposing offenses, causing them to turn over the ball frequently. This was evident in the season opener at the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams shut down the 49ers throughout much of the game and held a shutout going into the second half. The first points of the game came off a safety when LB Bob Griffin blocked a punt out of the end zone. The team also forced six 49ers turnovers, including five interceptions and one a fumble recovery. The Rams offense had its fair share of problems, but they were able to capitalize on some of the turnovers to earn the 23-17 victory.
On October 9, the Rams hit the road for a divisional matchup against the rival Detroit Lions. Once again, the defense kept the Rams in the game by creating a total of six turnovers. Those turnovers offset another rough game from the Los Angeles offense, which was stalemated by a tough Lions defense that held QB Norm Van Brocklin to 129 passing yards while forcing two interceptions. The Rams held on for the 17-10 victory over the Lions and later beat them again in Los Angeles, 24-13.
The Rams finished first in the NFL Western Division with a record of 8-3-1, which was enough to earn a spot in the 1955 NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. This time the Los Angeles defense wasn’t able to hold off the powerful Browns in a 38-14 blowout loss.
Although Gillman’s Rams failed to win their third NFL championship, they still improved dramatically from the previous season. Multiple players stepped up, but none more than linebacker Les Richter.
Richter’s story on the field remains largely untold due to the aforementioned lack of defensive stats from that age. However, he did go down in history as both an outstanding tackler and an effective kicker. In fact, Richter finished second in the league in field goals made with 13.
DBs Will Sherman and Don Burroughs put together some impressive interception numbers. Sherman ranked first in the league with 11 interceptions while Burroughs had nine.
The team featured multiple Pro Bowlers, including QB Norm Van Brocklin, RB Ron Waller, FB Tank Younger, LB Les Richter, DT Bud McFadin, S Will Sherman, DE Andy Robustelli and DE Paul Miller. Robustelli and Sherman were also selected to as first-team All-Pros.
Season Notes
– The team used the “Three-End System” for the final time.
– The Rams selected Georgia Tech LB Larry Morris in the first round (seventh overall) of the draft.
– DB Don Burroughs was not selected to the Pro Bowl despite his statistical success.
| 1955 Los Angeles Rams | ||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 1 | Sunday, Sept. 25 | @San Francisco 49ers | W, 23-14 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Sunday, Oct. 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W, 27-26 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Sunday, Oct. 9 | @Detroit Lions | W, 17-10 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Sunday, Oct. 16 | @Green Bay Packers | L, 28-30 | 3-1 |
| 5 | Sunday, Oct. 23 | Detroit Lions | W, 24-13 | 4-1 |
| 6 | Sunday, Oct. 30 | Chicago Bears | L, 20-31 | 4-2 |
| 7 | Sunday, Nov. 6 | San Francisco 49ers | W, 27-14 | 5-2 |
| 8 | Sunday, Nov. 13 | @Chicago Bears | L, 3-24 | 5-3 |
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 20 | @Baltimore Colts | T, 17-17 | 5-3-1 |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 27 | @Philadelphia Eagles | W, 23-21 | 6-3-1 |
| 11 | Sunday, Dec. 4 | Baltimore Colts | W, 20-14 | 7-3-1 |
| 12 | Sunday, Dec. 11 | Green Bay Packers | W, 31-17 | 8-3-1 |
| Playoffs | ||||
| Champ. Game | Monday, Dec. 26 | Cleveland Browns | L, 14-38 | 8-4-1 |
You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.
Sources: Profootballreference.com,
