1957 Los Angeles Rams season
| 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 | |
 | |
The 1957 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 20th year with the National Football League and the 12th season in Los Angeles.
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.