<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Ten moments to remember from the Rams' time in St. Louis

          play
          Rams, Chargers gain approval to relocate to Los Angeles (1:58)

          Michael Eaves and Andrew Brandt break down the NFL's decision to allow the Rams to relocate to Los Angeles and the Chargers' option to join them in the next year. (1:58)

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterJan 12, 2016, 08:55 PM ET
            Close
              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
            Follow on X

          HOUSTON -- It was a 20-year run that didn't include many wins or playoff appearances, but the St. Louis Rams found plenty of unique ways to be interesting during their time in St. Louis.

          Now, with the team headed back to Los Angeles after the league's owners approved their move with a 30-2 vote, we look back at 10 of the most memorable moments from the team's time in the Gateway City.

          1. The Tackle -- It's a play so important in Rams' lore that it's known simply by those two words. Linebacker Mike Jones brought Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson down a yard short of potentially typing Super Bowl XXXIV. The clock struck zero and the Rams became world champions in one of the most exciting Super Bowls in league history.

          2. The Catch -- Multiple franchises have their version of this but for the Rams, it's receiver Rickey Proehl's acrobatic catch to knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, win the NFC championship and send the Rams to Super Bowl XXXIV. There are some Rams from the 1999 team that believe this should be No. 1 on the list.

          3. Isaac Bruce gives the Rams the lead in Super Bowl XXXIV -- Bruce himself won't put this above Proehl's catch, but it was still one of the most important plays in Rams history. After the Rams blew a 16-0 lead, Bruce streaked down the right sideline, hauled in a deep ball from quarterback Kurt Warner and raced 73 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

          4. Football returns -- After a shocking loss to Jacksonville in the league's expansion efforts, St. Louis began searching far and wide for a team to bring to town. It included flirtations with the New England Patriots but ultimately ended with owner Georgia Frontiere bringing the Rams to her hometown. The Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, bringing professional football back to the Gateway City after an eight-year absence.

          5. Back to the Super Bowl -- After a dominant 2001 season, the Rams looked to be on the brink of bowing out of the postseason in the NFC Championship Game against Philadelphia. But Warner and running back Marshall Faulk brought the Rams storming back to send them to their second Super Bowl in three years.

          6. Drafting Michael Sam -- The former Missouri defensive end was a local hero for his play in Columbia, then became a household name nationally when he publicly announced on ESPN that he's gay a couple of months before the draft. By the time the draft arrived, Sam went six full rounds without being drafted despite earning SEC defensive player of the year honors in his final season with the Tigers. Just as it looked like Sam wouldn't have his name called, the Rams and coach Jeff Fisher took him. In the process, Sam became the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL. Although Sam didn't make the roster out of training camp, it was a historic moment, not only in St. Louis but for the league as a whole.

          7. Stealing a superstar -- In desperate need of an offensive makeover, the Rams entered the 1999 offseason with a plan to bolster that unit. They brought Mike Martz in as offensive coordinator and signed quarterback Trent Green and guard Adam Timmerman. But the coup de grace was the April trade that landed them Faulk in exchange for the pittance of second- and fifth-round draft picks. Faulk would go on to win an MVP award, become a Hall of Famer and have his No. 28 retired by the Rams.

          8. Clean sweep in Seattle -- In the waning days of the Greatest Show on Turf, the Rams still had a strong handle on the NFC West, but it appeared to be slipping away in 2004. That grip would officially go away in the years that followed, but the Rams wouldn't yield in 2004, beating division-rival Seattle three times, including a playoff win in Seattle that still stands as the team's most recenet postseason victory.

          9. Steven Jackson takes the rushing crown -- The past decade-plus hasn't seen much in the way of positives for the Rams. But running back Steven Jackson served as the franchise's primary bright spot for most of that time. Despite playing on teams that offered him little in the way of help, Jackson bulled his way into the Rams record books and claimed his spot as the franchise's all-time leading rusher in a 2010 game against Tampa Bay. Considering this is the same organization that once employed the likes of Eric Dickerson and Faulk, Jackson's accomplishment shouldn't be overlooked.

          10. Overcoming the Niners -- The San Francisco 49ers sat atop the NFC West division for many years and had the Rams' number in particular. San Francisco had defeated the Rams 17 consecutive times going into the 1999 season. But after the Rams' influx of offensive talent, they finally took the next step forward by dominating the Niners in a 42-20 win that saw Bruce score four touchdowns.