NFL Championship Game, 1951

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1951 NFL Championship Game
Cleveland Browns Los Angeles Rams
17 24
1 2 3 4 Total
Cleveland Browns 0 10 0 7 17
Los Angeles Rams 0 7 7 10 24
Date December 23, 1951
Stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
City Los Angeles, CA
Attendance N/A
TV/Radio in the United States
TV Network DuMont Television Network

In the 1951 National Football League Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24–17, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on December 23, 1951. This Championship Game was the first one televised coast-to-coast. The DuMont Network purchased the rights to do so from the NFL for $75,000. This was the 19th title game in NFL history.

The Rams were the first to score with a 1-yard run by fullback Dick Hoerner in the second quarter. The Browns answered back with an NFL Championship record 52-yard field goal by Lou Groza. They later took the lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Otto Graham to Dub Jones. The Browns take the lead at halftime 10–7.

In the third quarter Larry Brink landed a hard tackle on Graham causing him to fumble the ball. Andy Robustelli picked up the ball on the Cleveland 24 and returned it to the Cleveland 2. On the third play of the drive, "Deacon" Dan Towler ran the ball in for a touchdown from the one yard line giving the Rams a 14–10 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Rams increased their lead with a Bob Waterfield 17-yard field goal. The Browns answered back with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Ken Carpenter, tying the game at 17–17. Twenty-five seconds later late in the fourth quarter, Tom Fears beat defenders Cliff Lewis and Tommy James and received a Norm Van Brocklin pass at midfield. Fears raced to the endzone for a 73-yard touchdown, securing a Rams 24–17 win and the 1951 NFL title.

[edit] Scoring summary

  • RAM - TD, Hoerner 1 run (Waterfield kick)
  • CLE - FG, Groza 52
  • CLE - TD, Jones 17 pass from Graham (Goza kick)
  • RAM - TD, Towler 1 run (Waterfield kick)
  • RAM - FG, Waterfield 17
  • CLE - TD, Carpenter 5 run (Groza kick)
  • RAM - TD, Fears 73 pass from Van Brocklin (Waterfield kick)

[edit] References

  • Riffenburgh, Beau, (1997). "Championships & Playoffs." Eds Silverman, Matthew, et al. Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins. 178-262. ISBN 0-06-270174-6
  • NFL Chronology: 1951. NFL.com. Retrieved 17 September 2006.
  • [1] Harold Sauerbrie, "Browns Lose Title to Rams, 24-17", Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 23, 1951, Browns history database at Cleveland.com. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
v • d • e
St. Louis Rams
Formerly the Cleveland Rams and the Los Angeles Rams. Currently based in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Franchise
Stadiums
Culture
The Rivalries
Lore
Retired Numbers
7 • 28 • 29 • 74 • 78 • 85
Head Coaches
Wetzel • Bezdek • Lewis • Clark • Donelli • Walsh • Snyder • Shaughnessy • Stydahar • Pool • Gillman • Waterfield • Svare • Allen • Prothro • Knox • Malavasi • Robinson • Brooks • Vermeil • Martz • Vitt • Linehan
League
Championships (3)
1945 • 1951 • 1999
NFL Championship
Appearances (5)
1945 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1955
Super Bowl
Appearances (3)
XIV • XXXIV • XXXVI
Seasons (72)
1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • Suspended operations 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
Current League Affiliations
v • d • e
National Football League Championship Games (1933–present)
NFL Championship Game
(1933–1969)
1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969
AFL Championship Game
(1960–1969)
1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969
AFL-NFL World Championship Games[1]
(1966–1969)
1966 (I) • 1967 (II) • 1968 (III) • 1969 (IV)
Super Bowl[2]
(1970–present)
1970 (V) • 1971 (VI) • 1972 (VII) • 1973 (VIII) • 1974 (IX) • (1975) X • 1976 (XI) • 1977 (XII) • 1978 (XIII) • 1979 (XIV) • 1980 (XV) • 1981 (XVI) • 1982 (XVII) • 1983 (XVIII) • 1984 (XIX) • 1985 (XX) • 1986 (XXI) • 1987 (XXII) • 1988 (XXIII) • 1989 (XXIV) • 1990 (XXV) • 1991 (XXVI) • 1992 (XXVII) • 1993 (XXVIII) • 1994 (XXIX) • 1995 (XXX) • 1996 (XXXI) • 1997 (XXXII) • 1998 (XXXIII) • 1999 (XXXIV) • 2000 (XXXV) • 2001 (XXXVI) • 2002 (XXXVII) • 2003 (XXXVIII) • 2004 (XXXIX) • 2005 (XL) • 2006 (XLI) • 2007 (XLII) • 2008 (XLIII) • 2009 (XLIV) • 2010 (XLV)
1 – From 1966 to 1969, the first four Super Bowls were "World Championship" games played between two independent professional football leagues, AFL and NFL, and when the league merged in 1970 the Super Bowl became the NFL Championship Game.
2 – Season not the calendar year is placed in the list such that Super Bowl XLI was played in 2007 however it was for the 2006 season.
v • d • e
Los Angeles Rams 1951 NFL Champions
Bob Boyd | Larry Brink | Bobby Collier | Tom Dahms | Dick Daugherty | Glenn Davis | Tom Fears | Jack Finlay | Jack Halliday | Norb Hecker | Crazy Legs Hirsch | Dick Hoerner | Marvin Johnson | Tommy Kalmanir | Tom Keane | Bill Lange | Woodley Lewis | Leon McLaughlin | Jack Myers | Don Paul | Joe Reid | Herb Rich | Andy Robustelli | Don Simensen | Vitamin Smith | Harry Thompson | Charlie Toogood | Dan Towler | Norm Van Brocklin | Bob Waterfield | Stan West | Jerry Williams | Jim Winkler | Tank Younger | Jack Zilly
Head Coach Joe Stydahar