Rams Strengthen Alumni Efforts, Expand Family
Posted Dec 5, 2012
Nick WagonerSenior Writer
A little more than two years ago, Rams fan development coordinator Kyle Eversgerd was handed a flier for the Eric Dickerson football camp in California. Tasked with improving the club's relationship with alumni players, Eversgerd thought the camp was a good place to start.
Considering the long and storied history of the Rams franchise, a franchise that celebrated its 75th anniversary over the weekend, Eversgerd was given permission to attend the camp and offer support to Dickerson on the Rams’ behalf.
Upon arrival, Eversgerd was bombarded by questions about the general lack of a connection between the Rams in St. Louis and the Rams of Los Angeles.
Former Pro Bowl cornerback LeRoy Irvin looked Eversgerd in the eye and told him that he didn’t believe the Rams cared about their alumni.
“I’ll never forget it,” Eversgerd said. “I looked at him and told him that’s why I was out there. I wanted him to know we want him and his teammates to be a part of things.”
Fast forward to the past weekend and the Rams’ celebration of their 75th anniversary as they welcomed back 20 of their all time greats, including a number of legends from the Los Angeles version of the team.
Luminaries such as Rosey Grier, Vince Ferragamo, Dennis Harrah, Jackie Slater, Isaac Bruce and many more were in attendance. And yes, Irvin made the trip as well.
“This is fantastic to be a part of the group that’s here and see some guys you haven’t seen in a long time and watch the new guys,” Slater said on Saturday. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s a unique thing because 75 years in this business and this organization has represented itself the way that it has, that’s special. For them to bring some of us from all generations here, have us meet each other and all hang out and share a few meals and tell a few lies, it’s a lot of fun.”
If ever there was going to be a sign of massive progress in the attempt to connect to the rich tradition and history of the Rams, it was overwhelmingly evident last weekend.
FROM THE GROUND UP
The Rams arrived in St. Louis in 1995 and had an astounding number of things to establish and deal with as part of the move. Lost in the shuffle was an emphasis on maintaining the relationships they had with many of their former players.
When Eversgerd became responsible for the program, he was tasked with a huge undertaking in not only tracking down former players but building relationships with them. He started with the simple idea of putting together a spreadsheet with names, phone numbers, email addresses, basically anything that could help form a working list of players and contact information moving forward.
From there, Eversgerd made it a point to touch base with just about anyone he could who had donned the Rams horns, be it for one year or 20. The message he and the organization...
-12-06-2012, 10:23 AM
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