The Story of the 1967 Los Angeles Rams

From 1956 to 1965, the LA Rams were not a good football team, posting just one winning season in 1958. But things began to change in 1966 with the hiring of George Allen as Head Coach. Allen had been the defensive Coach of the Chicago Bears.

Allen’s hiring paid off immediately, as he took a team that had finished the 1965 season with a dismal 4–10 record to an 8–6 record in 1966.

1967 LA Rams Season

The 1967 roster was loaded with talented players. They had two future Hall of Fame players on defense, Merlin Olsen at defensive tackle and David “Deacon” Jones at defensive end. They also had a future Hall of Fame offensive guard in rookie Tom Mack.

The Rams got off to a slow start in their first game of the season, falling behind the expansion New Orleans Saints 10–6 in the second quarter before cruising to a 27–13 win. Quarterback Roman Gabriel had a big game, passing for 302 yards.

Receiver Bernie Casey had four catches for 107 yards, while fullback Dick Bass ran for 98 yards on just 14 carries and caught two passes for 48 yards. The “Fearsome Foursome” defense sacked quarterback Billy Kimer four times.

The Rams crushed the Minnesota Vikings 39–3 in their home opener. The Ram’s defense held the Vikings to just 48 yards rushing and forced six turnovers.

In a week-three matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl, the Rams’ fearsome defense had another big day, holding Dallas to only 51 yards on the ground, while the Rams’ offense churned out 221 yards rushing—final score: LA 35, Dallas 13.

Bump In The Road

The Rams hit a bump in the road in a week four game against the SF 49ers, as they committed six turnovers and lost 27–24.

In a week five matchup against the Baltimore Colts, quarterback Roman Gabriel played a great game, completing 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Jack Snow caught three passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. But Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas also had a big day, completing 21 of 34 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.The result was a 24–24 tie.

The Rams took on the Washington Redskins in week six, and Gabriel had another excellent game, passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns despite getting sacked four times. Receiver Bernie Casey had eight catches for 127 yards and one touchdown. The Rams defense held Washington to just 49 yards rushing, but they couldn’t stop the Redskins passing attack, as Sonny Jurgensen threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns.

Receiver Charley Taylor gained 148 of those yards and scored a touchdown, while tight end Jerry Smith gained 102 yards and scored three touchdowns. The result was another tie, 28–28.

After no victories in their last three games, the Rams got back on track with a 28–17 win over the Chicago Bears.

The Rams’ secondary, which had not played well in their last two games, allowed only 116 passing yards and intercepted three passes. The big play of the day for the Rams was a 51-yard touchdown strike from running back Tommy Mason to receiver Bernie Casey.

A Rematch

In a rematch with the 49ers, the Rams couldn’t get much going offensively. Roman Gabriel attempted only thirteen passes and was sacked six times. The 49ers outgained LA 257 yards to 152, but the Rams took advantage of three 49ers turnovers and won the game 17–7.

The Rams and Eagles combined for nine turnovers, but the Rams controlled the ball for most of the game, outgaining the Eagles in rushing yardage 161 to 42—final score: LA 33, Philadelphia 17.

In week ten, the Rams had an easy time against the Falcons, outgaining them 405 yards to 238 and forcing four turnovers en route to a 31 -3 victory.

The following week, the Rams’ fearsome defense held the Detroit Lions to only 108 yards and forced four turnovers in a 31–7 victory.

In a 20–3 win over the Falcons, Les Josephson ran for 95 yards on 22 carries, and Roman Gabriel had 17 completions on 28 attempts for 165 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams defense held Atlanta to just 154 total yards.

The Rams were on a roll, winning six games in a row and outscoring their last three opponents 82–13!

The Defending Super Bowl Champs

But now came a true test to see how good this team was. The defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers were in town, and they were having another great season, coming into the game with a 9–2–1 record.

Although the Rams outgained the Packers 324 yards to 218, Green Bay held a 24–20 lead in the fourth quarter. Bernie Casey, who had six receptions for 97 yards, caught the winning touchdown pass, and the Rams upped their record to 10–1–2 with one game left in the regular season.

But believe it or not, that record did not qualify them for the playoffs. In 1967, there were sixteen teams in the league and four divisions. Only the first-place team from each division would be eligible for the playoffs. The Cowboys won the Capitol Division, the Browns won the Century Division, and the Packers won the Central Division.

A Game To Decide Playoffs

The Rams were in second place in the Coastal Division behind the 11–0–2 Baltimore Colts. And so it all came down to week fourteen, Rams vs. Colts at the LA Coliseum. The two teams had tied in week five.

The Colts held a 7–3 lead going into the second quarter, but the tide turned when Roman Gabriel connected with Jack Snow for an 80-yard touchdown. From that point on, it was all Rams. Roman Gabriel had his best game of the season, completing 18 passes out of 22 attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams’ defense sacked Johnny Unitas seven times and forced two interceptions—final score: LA 34, Baltimore 10.

The two teams finished the season tied for first place with identical 11–1–2 records. The tiebreaker (point differential in head-to-head games) went to the Rams. It hardly seemed fair that the Colts would not play in the post-season despite being tied for the best record in the NFL. Nonetheless, the Rams were on their way to Green Bay to play the Packers in the divisional playoff, while the Colts flew back to Baltimore.

On offense, Roman Gabriel, Les Josephson, Bernie Casey, Jack Snow, and Tom Mack made the Pro Bowl. Eddie Meador, Maxie Baughan, Roger Brown, Deacon Jones, and Merlin Olsen made the Pro Bowl on defense. Jones and Olsen also made All-Pro.

1967 NFL Playoffs

Before 1975, the playoff sites rotated and were known before the start of the season. This explains why the Rams had to play at Green Bay despite having a better record than the Packers. But the Rams had beaten the Packers two weeks earlier, and they were confident they could defeat them again.

Although Green Bay had won four NFL titles and one Super Bowl in the last six years, many felt that age had caught up to them and they were no longer a dominant team. Many predicted a Rams victory, and who could blame them? After all, the Rams had lost only one game the entire season, while the Packers had lost four.

The game was played two days before Christmas, with a game-time temperature of 13 degrees and a wind-chill factor of minus 3 degrees. Despite the weather, the Rams took an early 7–0 lead on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Bernie Casey. But the Packers came back and grabbed a 14–7 lead in the second quarter.

Green Bay dominated the second half and outgained LA 374 yards to 217. The Rams’ defense could not stop quarterback Bart Starr, who completed 17 of 22 passes for 222 yards. Packers’ receiver Carrol Dale caught six passes for 109 yards and one touchdown. The result was a 28–7 defeat, and the Rams’ dream of reaching the Super Bowl ended on the frozen field of Milwaukee County Stadium.

Who can explain why the Rams played so poorly in this game after playing like the best football team all season? It began a trend that would haunt the Rams until 1979 when they finally made it to the Super Bowl. From 1967 to 1978, the Rams were one of the best regular-season teams in the NFL, but they won only four of their twelve post-season games. After years of frustration, the Rams finally won the Super Bowl in 1999.

Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)