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Vow to Rosenbloom Landed Job for Knox

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The meeting dragged on past midnight. The Los Angeles Rams’ owner, Carroll Rosenbloom, was interviewing Detroit Lion assistant coach Chuck Knox at Rosenbloom’s Bel-Air home.

At 2:30 a.m., Knox looked Rosenbloom in the eye and told Rosenbloom what he’d been waiting to hear: “I can win.”

That said, Knox became the Ram coach, replacing recently fired Tommy Prothro.

And win he did. Five consecutive NFC West titles. Double-digit wins in each of his five seasons. But he also went 3-5 in postseason games and was sent packing in 1977.

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Knox went on to coach in Buffalo and Seattle. He also returned to lead the Rams again in 1992, but retired after three consecutive losing seasons.

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On this date in 1954, a 23-year-old Navy man, Gene Littler, won the San Diego Open in the rain by four strokes . . . but got no check. He became the second amateur since World War II to win a PGA open event.

Littler, who would go on to a stellar pro career, started the day shakily--he was two over after three holes. But he made long putts at 12 and 17 to defeat veteran pros such as Dutch Harrison, Cary Middlecoff and Ted Kroll.

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Also on this date: In 1973, pitcher Warren Spahn, who won 20 games in a season 13 times, was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

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