The mood hit me to go outside the box for this one, since we all hope these recent developments with Spagnuolo will bring us back to glory.It got me to thinking about why I became a Rams fan- and the great teams and players they've had over the years. I will give you my top two- which is AWFULLY difficult, since there are so many great Rams I've rooted for since I was a little kid.
#2 is Jack Youngblood- A great, great, player whose toughness, production and leadership is legendary. That he had to wait 17 years to get into the Hall of Fame is an absolute joke. Went to at least 8 pro bowls and was the 1975 NFC defensive player of the year. Unofficially had 150.5 career sacks- an unbelievable total considering he was undersized even by yesterday's standards. Learned from the great Deacon Jones and anchored a line that was part of a Rams team in the 70's that led the DECADE in total defense. And of course playing 1 1/2 games (one of which was Super Bowl XIV) on a broken leg was the stuff from which legends are made. A class guy on and off the field, he was the guy who made me a Rams fan as a 5 year old boy.
#1 is Nolan Cromwell- My childhood idol. I played safety, special teams and held for placekicks during my high school football days and wore his number (#21) in every sport I ever played and wore it during my college baseball career and in semi-pro leagues thereafter. A stellar athlete who was one of the top two or three safeties of the 80's and a guy I don't feel gets his due today as an all-time great Ram (management even disrespected him by giving Lawrence Phillips his number). I had the good fortune of teaching with a guy who knew Nolan personally- and I got his jersey I wore as a kid signed by him along with a personal letter. Both are framed in my den.
Who are your favorite Rams?
-01-21-2009, 04:52 PM
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