1957 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1957 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 20th year with the National Football League and the 12th season in Los Angeles.
| 1957 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Sid Gillman |
| Home field | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–6 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
| |
Season highlights
The Los Angeles Rams set an all-time National Football League attendance record in 1957, playing before a total of 1,051,106 fans in a total of 19 home and away games, including pre-season contests.[1] This attendance total exceeded any previous cumulative total for an American football team at any level of competition, including the college and professional levels.[1] Topping the one game record, the team drew an astounding 102,368 fans to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to see a November 10 contest between the Rams and their in-state rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.[1]
The 1957 season would be the last in a Rams uniform for quarterback and punter Norm Van Brocklin, the team's starting signal caller since 1950.[2] Van Brocklin passed for 20 touchdowns on the year, gaining 2,105 yards in the air, but gave up 21 costly interceptions, contributing to the team's 4th-place finish in the Western Conference.[3] The team also parted ways at the end of the 1957 season with top receiver Elroy Hirsch, a veteran of 9 NFL seasons.[2]
Defensively, the Rams limited their opponents to nearly 300 fewer yards on the ground and 75 yards via the pass than the totals put up by themselves.[3] The pass defense was headed by linebacker Les Richter, who led the team with 4 interceptions.[3]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 29 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–13 | 1–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 62,506 | |
| 2 | October 6 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–23 | 1–1 | Kezar Stadium | 59,637 | |
| 3 | October 13 | at Detroit Lions | L 10–7 | 1–2 | Briggs Stadium | 55,914 | |
| 4 | October 20 | at Chicago Bears | L 34–26 | 1–3 | Wrigley Field | 47,337 | |
| 5 | October 27 | Detroit Lions | W 35–17 | 2–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 77,314 | |
| 6 | November 3 | Chicago Bears | L 10–16 | 2–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 80,456 | |
| 7 | November 10 | San Francisco 49ers | W 37–24 | 3–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 102,368 | |
| 8 | November 17 | at Green Bay Packers | W 31–27 | 4–4 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 19,540 | |
| 9 | November 24 | at Cleveland Browns | L 31–45 | 4–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 65,407 | |
| 10 | December 1 | at Baltimore Colts | L 14–31 | 4–6 | Memorial Stadium | 52,060 | |
| 11 | December 8 | Green Bay Packers | W 42–17 | 5–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 70,572 | |
| 12 | December 15 | Baltimore Colts | W 37–21 | 6–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 52,560 | |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 6–4 | 251 | 231 | W3 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 260 | 264 | W3 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–4 | 303 | 235 | L2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 5–5 | 307 | 278 | W2 | |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 4–6 | 203 | 211 | L1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 218 | 311 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Charles Genuit, "Magic Million: Rams Rewrote Attendance Figures in 1957 Season," in 1958 Pro Football. Los Angeles, CA: Petersen Publishing Co., 1958; pp. 42-43.
- ^ a b Paul Zimmerman, "Rams: Passing and Pass Defense Big LA Question Mark," in 1958 Pro Football. Los Angeles, CA: Petersen Publishing Co., 1958; pp. 24-28.
- ^ a b c Los Angeles Rams' Final Statistics — 1957," in 1958 Pro Football. Los Angeles, CA: Petersen Publishing Co., 1958; pg. 29.