FLASHBACKS
JAN. 6, 1980
NFC Championship Game
Rams 9, Tampa Bay 0
The last time the Rams and Buccaneers met in the playoffs, recently widowed Georgia Rosenbloom was ending her first season as owner of the Rams, John McKay was coaching in Tampa and the Rams were playing in the Coliseum.
Three weeks before the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa for the NFC title, the Rams lost a meaningless game to the New Orleans Saints in their final game as the home team in the Coliseum . . . and were booed off the field.
With their impending move to Anaheim having angered their fans, the Rams qualified for their only Super Bowl appearance by dominating the Buccaneers with a suffocating defensive effort. The only points were scored by Frank Corral on field goals of 19, 21 and 23 yards.
Coach Ray Malavasi’s Rams, with quarterback Vince Ferragamo passing for 163 yards and fullback Cullen Bryant rushing for 106, outgained the Buccaneers, 369 yards to 177, and compiled 23 first downs to Tampa Bay’s seven.
The Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, Doug Williams, completed only two of 13 passes for 12 yards, and backup Mike Rae wasn’t much better, completing two of 13 for 42. Tampa Bay’s workhorse runner, former USC tailback Ricky Bell, ran for 59 yards in 20 carries.
An inspirational leader for the Rams was defensive end Jack Youngblood, who played the entire game with a hairline fracture in his left fibula.
“Will I be able to play in the Super Bowl?” Youngblood said, smiling through the pain. “I might be able to fly by then.”
In their fifth appearance in the NFC championship game, the Rams finally won.
“I know what a second playoff game is like,” veteran offensive guard Dennis Harrah said. “But the Super Bowl?
“It’s like stepping around a corner to a street you’ve never been on before. I don’t know what it’s like. I know I’m happy to find out.”
Two weeks later, the Rams carried a two-point lead into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers before losing, 31-19, at the Rose Bowl.