| 1994 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Georgia Frontiere |
| Head Coach | Chuck Knox |
| General Manager | John Shaw |
| Offensive Coordinator | Chick Harris |
| Defensive Coordinator | George Dyer |
| Home Field | Anaheim Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Place | 4th NFC West |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1993 | 1995 (St. Louis) |
The 1994 Los Angeles Rams season was the franchise's 57th season in the National Football League, their 58th overall, and their 49th and final in the Greater Los Angeles Area until their 2016 relocation back to Los Angeles. After nearly 50 years in the Greater Los Angeles Area, including 15 seasons at Anaheim Stadium, owner Georgia Frontiere announced that the team would relocate to St. Louis, Missouri on January 15, 1995. While the owners initially rejected the move, permission was eventually granted therefore bringing an end to Southern California's first major professional sports franchise until 2016.
The threat of relocation dominated talk about the Rams from early in the offseason right up to the moment the move was announced and it had a major effect on the franchise's standing in the market. Average attendance for Rams games at Anaheim Stadium was at an all-time low (an average of 43,312 a game) as ownership negotiated with both Baltimore and St. Louis. Leigh Steinberg organized a group known as "Save the Rams" and attempted to reach out to ownership and strike a deal to keep the team in the Southern California market, however, their efforts proved to be unsuccessful.
On the field, the Rams continued their downward spiral and missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive season. Los Angeles only won four games and clinched their fifth losing season in a row on December 4 against the New Orleans Saints and finished the season on a seven-game losing streak. The Rams defense saw some glimmers of hope, shutting out Joe Montana's Chiefs and putting together solid performances against Arizona and New York, but it was not nearly enough to lift the Rams back to the .500 mark. At the end of the season, head coach Chuck Knox was fired after three consecutive last place finishes in the NFC West and Frontiere also relieved John Shaw of his General Manager duties, although he remained with the team as a high-ranking executive.
Personnel[]
Staff[]
| 1994 Los Angeles Rams staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4, 1994 | Arizona Cardinals | W 14-12 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 2 | September 11, 1994 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 31-13 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 3 | September 18, 1994 | San Francisco 49ers | L 34-19 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 4 | September 25, 1994 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 16-0 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 5 | October 2, 1994 | Atlanta Falcons | L 8-5 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 6 | October 9, 1994 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24-17 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 7 | October 16, 1994 | New York Giants | W 17-10 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 8 | October 23, 1994 | at New Orleans Saints | L 37-34 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 9 | Bye | ||||
| 10 | November 6, 1994 | Denver Broncos | W 27-21 | NBC 1:05pt | |
| 11 | November 13, 1994 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 20-17 | NBC 1:05pt | |
| 12 | November 20, 1994 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 31-27 | ESPN 5:15pt | |
| 13 | November 27, 1994 | at San Diego Chargers | L 31-17 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 14 | December 4, 1994 | New Orleans Saints | L 31-15 | FOX 1:05pt | |
| 15 | December 11, 1994 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24-14 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 16 | December 18, 1994 | at Chicago Bears | L 27-13 | FOX 10:00pt | |
| 17 | December 24, 1994 | Washington Redskins | L 24-21 | FOX 1:05pt | |
Standings[]
Template:1994 NFC West standings
Relocation to St. Louis[]
Under the terms of the Rams' deal with Anaheim, they were to receive the rights to develop plots of land near the Stadium. When nothing came of these plans, and with attendance falling, Georgia Frontiere got permission to relocate the team. This permission was only granted after the building of the Arrowhead Pond (a multi-use sports arena for hockey and basketball) in close proximity to Anaheim Stadium. The Rams agreed to let the Pond be built within miles of Anaheim Stadium with an 'out clause' to pay the City of Anaheim an amount of money in millions to release them from the lease. After an aborted move to Baltimore, the Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in late 1994, initially playing at Busch Memorial Stadium until the (TWA) Trans World Dome (now the Edward Jones Dome) was completed. The NFL owners originally rejected the move—until Frontiere agreed to share some of the permanent seat license revenue she was to receive from St. Louis. That same year the then-Los Angeles Raiders were threatening to relocate as well—and did, back to Oakland.