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Bob Waterfield
Bob Waterfield 1943
Waterfield in 1942, from the 1943 UCLA yearbook
No. 7     
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1920-07-26)July 26, 1920
Place of birth: Elmira, New York
Date of death: March 25, 1983(1983-03-25) (aged 62)
Place of death: Burbank, California[1]
Career information
College: UCLA
NFL Draft: 1944 / Round: 5 / Pick: 42
Debuted in 1945 for the Cleveland Rams
Last played in 1952 for the Los Angeles Rams
Made coaching debut in 1960 for the Los Angeles Rams
Last coached in 1962 for the Los Angeles Rams
Career history
 As player:
 As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 1952
Pass attempts     1,647
Pass completions     814
Percentage     50.3
TD-INT     97-128
Passing Yards     11,849
QB Rating     61.6
Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Robert Stanton "Bob" Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American football player, a hall of fame quarterback in the National Football League.

Early Years[]

Born in Elmira, New York, Waterfield grew up in southern California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. He attended Van Nuys High School,[2] in Van Nuys and went on to play college football for UCLA. He led the Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship in 1942 and a berth in the 1943 Rose Bowl against the University of Georgia. The game was scoreless into the fourth quarter until Waterfield's punt was blocked for a safety. Georgia added a touchdown to post a 9-0 win.

Waterfield entered the U.S. Army in 1943 and while in the service he was selected with the 42nd overall pick of the 1944 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Rams. He was discharged from the military due to a knee injury and returned college and played for UCLA in 1944.[3]

Pro Football[]

His rookie year in professional football was in 1945 and he started immediately. Waterfield was taken in quickly by fans, becoming the first ever rookie to win the league’s Most Valuable Player and unanimous All-NFL choice. He ended the season with a win in the NFL Championship game, where he threw touchdown passes of 37 and 44 yards as the Rams beat the Washington Redskins 15-14. After the season, he signed a three-year contract for $20,000 per year, which made him the highest-paid player in pro football.[3]

In 1946, the Rams moved to Los Angeles, California, where Waterfield became the star on the West Coast's first major professional franchise. He would later split time at quarterback with Norm Van Brocklin, who joined the team as a rookie in 1949.[4] Behind this duo, Los Angeles played in three straight title games, 1949-1951. Runners-up in the first two, the Rams regained the league title in the 1951 championship game with a 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. It was the Rams' only league title during their 49 seasons in southern California (1946–94).

In a 1948 regular season game, the Rams were behind the to-be-champion Philadelphia Eagles 28-0. Waterfield managed to rally the team for a tie on four late touchdown passes. In the 1950 divisional playoffs, he was unable to practice due to a severe flu he had endured. However, he came off the bench anyway and threw three touchdown passes in a 24-14 win over the Chicago Bears.

In his first four seasons, he also played defense and intercepted a career total of 20 passes. As a place kicker, he had 315 successful PATs and 60 field goals, and as a punter, had a 42.4 yard average.

While an accomplished kicker and punter, Waterfield was best known for his ability to throw the deep ball. He led the NFL in passing in the 1946 and 1951 seasons, and ended his eight-year career with 814 completions, 11,849 yards and 97 touchdowns.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the third class in 1965.

Coach and scout[]

After several years in the film industry, Waterfield was hired as the Rams' head coach in 1960. After two seasons with four wins each, the third season in 1962 was even less successful and he resigned after the eighth game with just one win;[5] his overall record was 9-24-1 (.289). He was later a team scout and a rancher near Van Nuys.[6]

Personal life[]

On April 24, 1943, he married actress Jane Russell, whom he had known from Van Nuys High School. The couple eloped to Las Vegas shortly after Waterfield entered the military. They adopted three children during the 1950s. Russell divorced Waterfield in 1968.[7] He married Janet Ann Green in 1970.[6]

Death[]

After an extended illness, Waterfield died of respiratory failure on March 25, 1983, at the age of 62. He had been in the intensive care unit at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank for two weeks prior to his death.[1]

Head coaching record[]

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
LA 1960 4 7 1 .375 6th in NFL West - - - -
LA 1961 4 10 0 .286 6th in NFL West - - - -
LA 1962 1 7 0 .125 7th in NFL West - - - -
LA Total 9 24 1 .279 - - - -

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Spokesman-Review - Ex-Rams star dies after long illness - Associated Press - 1983-03-26 - p.17
  2. Los Angeles Times - Rams Quarterback a Man of Few Words - 1997-06-18, accessed 2011-12-31
  3. 3.0 3.1 Los Angeles Times - Complete Package - 1999-12-25 - accessed 2011-12-31
  4. ESPN.com - blog - Springer: L.A. QBs heard it from fans - 2011-10-13
  5. The Modesto Bee - Waterfield couldn't keep drive going - (Los Angeles Times column by Jim Murray) - 1983-03-31 - p.C1
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - Bob Waterfield - accessed 2011-12-31
  7. Yahoo biography of Russell

External links[]


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