The 1964 season was a dominant one for the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive line. However, that wasn’t the case for every other position on the team. The Rams’ offense still struggled to find their leader, and the secondary was often burned by their opponents in the passing game. The combination of the two situations added up to another frustrating season.
The L.A. Memorial Coliseum held over 100,000 fans, and it did reach capacity a few times. However, the stadium only averaged between 30,000-50,000 fans for most of the season, which made the stadium look empty. Therefore, the Rams came up with a marketing ploy to attract more fans to the games, while reducing the amount of seats at the same time. The team agreed to a 10-year contract to renovate the Coliseum and feature a new look, a “stadium-within-a-stadium.” When completed, the renovations reduced the seating to about 72,000 seats.
While searching for a leader to take command of the offense, head coach Harland Svare wasn’t convinced that Roman Gabriel was the answer at quarterback and started rookie Bill Munson instead. The Rams started off well when they traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. However, the success wasn’t due to Munson, who completed just 8 of 23 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown pass to receiver Duane Allen.
Instead, it was the Rams defense that led the way. The unit terrorized the Steelers’ offense, creating a total of eight turnovers, five of which were interceptions. One of the interceptions included a pick-six from DE Lamar Lundy. DB Lindon Crow, DB Eddie Meador, LB Jack Pardee and DB Jerry Richardson each had one interception as well. The “Fearsome Foursome” made plenty of noise in this game by creating a total of five fumbles, three of which were recovered by the Rams. The final score was 26-14, Rams.
Gabriel wouldn’t see any action until Week 5 against the Chicago Bears, when he took over after Munson threw four interceptions. Gabriel played well, finishing with 260 yards and a 70-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bucky Pope. Despite his solid play, it was not enough to stop the Bears, losing 38-17.
The Rams had an all-around good game the following week when the San Francisco 49ers came to town. Gabriel and Pope continued to have success, connecting with him four times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Gabriel also threw a touchdown pass to tight end Marlin McKeever. On top of that, the Rams’ defense came away with seven interceptions. This was mainly due to the pressure created by the “Fearsome Foursome.” DB Jerry Richardson led the way with three interceptions, DB Bobby Smith returned an interception for 97 yards, and DB Aaron Martin had two interceptions, including one for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Rams had a dominating win, with a final score of 42-14.
The success continued for both Gabriel and the Rams. They followed up the win over the 49ers with 10-point victories over the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams had played well to this point of the season, sporting a record of 5-3-1 before it fell completely apart. They dropped the next four games, including a game with a sellout crowd of 72,137 against the Baltimore Colts on November 23. The final score was 24-7, in favor of the Colts.
The Rams’ final game of the season didn’t end with a loss or a victory, but with a 24-24 tie against the Green Bay Packers. The Rams finished fifth in the NFL West Division with a final record of 5-7-2.
Their defense had three players represent them in the Pro Bowl: DE Deacon Jones, DT Merlin Olsen and DB Eddie Meador. The teams had no All-Pros in 1964.
Deacon Jones had an amazing year. His season was stacked full of tackles for a loss, which would have been sacks in today’s NFL. Sacks wouldn’t become an official statistic until 1982. In this season, Jones unofficially recorded 22 sacks. He was the one who came up with the term “sack.” He coined it that after the devastation an offense felt when a “sack” occurred, which is similar to how a city is devastated when it has been “sacked.”
Season Notes:
– The Rams were 12th in the league in points allowed, surrendering a total of 339 points.
– They selected Utah State quarterback Bill Munson in the first-round (seventh overall) of the draft.
– WR Bucky Pope had 10 receiving touchdowns, which tied him for best in the league.
– Pope and Munson shared the longest pass/reception in the league at 95 yards.
| 1964 Los Angeles Rams | ||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 1 | Sunday, Sept. 13 | @Pittsburgh Steelers | W, 26-14 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Saturday, Sept. 19 | Detroit Lions | T, 17-17 | 1-0-1 |
| 3 | Sunday, Sept. 25 | Minnesota Vikings | W, 22-13 | 2-0-1 |
| 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | @Baltimore Colts | L, 20-35 | 2-1-1 |
| 5 | Sunday, Oct. 11 | @Chicago Bears | L, 17-38 | 2-2-1 |
| 6 | Sunday, Oct. 18 | San Francisco 49ers | W, 42-14 | 3-2-1 |
| 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 | @Green Bay Packers | W, 27-17 | 4-2-1 |
| 8 | Sunday, Nov. 1 | @Detroit Lions | L, 17-37 | 4-3-1 |
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | W, 20-10 | 5-3-1 |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15 | Chicago Bears | L, 24-34 | 5-4-1 |
| 11 | Sunday, Nov. 22 | Baltimore Colts | L, 7-24 | 5-5-1 |
| 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 | @Minnesota Vikings | L, 13-34 | 5-6-1 |
| 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 | @San Francisco 49ers | L, 7-28 | 5-7-1 |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 | Green Bay Packers | T, 24-24 | 5-7-2 |
You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.
Sources: Profootballreference.com, Stlouisrams.com
