Los Angeles Rams: 30 greatest players in franchise history

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Believe it or not, there was a little drama back in the day when Elroy Hirsch first played for the Rams. The original team he was trying to play for in 1949 was the Green Bay Packers. However, it was Los Angeles that had the rights to his contract.

The Rams were still in Cleveland at the time when they used a first-round pick on Hirsch back in 1945, but the football star decided to return to Wisconsin once he was dismissed from the military.

Even more interesting, Hirsch ended up playing three seasons for the Chicago Rockets in the AAFC before switching to the NFL after some issues with his contract. Hirsch may not have wanted to play for the Rams at first, but when seeing how important he was to the team winning the championship in 1951, it was all worth it.

That season, Hirsch set career highs of 66 catches for 1,495 yards to go along with 17 touchdowns. He led the NFL in all three receiving categories of note, helping the Rams win it all. The Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns in the 1951 NFL Championship, 24-17.

Hirsch set numerous NFL records back in the day. His receiving skills are just one of many examples why he was such a threat. He finished his career with the Rams with 343 receptions for 6,299 yards and 53 touchdowns.

Once again, thank goodness Los Angeles had the rights to Hirsch’s contract when he was finally ready for the NFL. Who knows if the Rams would have been able to win that championship during the 1951 season with old “Crazylegs”.