‘The NFL is back’: Fans line up for Rams’ first training session

Ada Mendoza, decked out in Rams cap and jersey and clutching a stuffed “Rampage” doll, was among the first in line to see the Rams open training camp on Saturday at UC Irvine.

Her husband, Frank, a self-described lifelong fan, and their 17-year-old son, Anthony, also were there, along with hundreds of other fans who arrived in the morning for the Rams’ afternoon practice.

“I’m a diehard fan,” said Ada Mendoza, who added that she was looking forward to seeing players such as running back Todd Gurley, receiver Tavon Austin and quarterback Jared Goff.

The Rams’ return to Southern California for the first time in more than 20 years has ignited interest in a team that left after the 1994 season.

From old and new fans alike.

Frank Mendoza, 49, grew up in Whittier watching Rams games with his father and collecting team memorabilia. He moved to Orange County about 10 years ago. “Now, they’re in my backyard,” he said. “We had to be here and we thought there would be a mass of people, so we had to be here first.”

Said Anthony: “There’s a lot of players I want to see — Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.”

Nicholas Manzella of Riverside said he had been a Rams fan since “the Fearsome Foursome” days, when defensive linemen Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen and quarterback Roman Gabriel starred for the Rams at the Coliseum.

“I never thought this would happen,” he said of the Rams’ return. “I cried when I found out they were coming back.

“It was so hard to see them leave because they were my favorite team. My heart was there, but it was just hard to see them in another city.

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Running back Todd Gurley (30) carries the ball upfield during the Rams’ first workout on Saturday at UC Irvine.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams tigh end Temarrick Hemingway (84) blocks defensive end Matt Longacre (96) during a drill at the team’s first day of camp.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Rookie quarterback Jared Goff obliges fans lines up for autographs during the Rams’ first training camp workout at UC Irvine.  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A fan snaps a selfie as Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) signs autographs during the team’s first day of workouts at UC Irvine.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams defensive back Jabriel Washington meets fans who are seeking autographs at the first day of training camp in Irvine.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams running back Todd Gurley signs autographs for the fans at Crawford Field during the team’s opening workout at UC Irvine.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Orange’s Tom Bateman, director of the Bring Back the Rams movement, carries his poster of team owner Stank Kronke’s head at training camp.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Mike Griffen, a Garden Grove resident of “RockStar Rams” fame, greets Alfredo Prieto, left, of Los Angeles and David Macias, right, of Riverside at the first day of training camp.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Sporting different era jerseys, Rollan Moran, 9, and father Eric made the short trip from Anaheim to the Rams’ first practice of summer camp.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Ontario’s Danny Wechsler (29) and 6-year-old son Benjamin Wechsler head to Crawford Field at UC Irvine for the Rams’ first practice.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A fan sports a customized Jared Goff jersey to the Rams’ first practice session at UC Irvine.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Manuel Moreno of Santa Ana and the RWO Rams Central booster club strolls along Crawford Field during the teams’ first workout.

  (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Frank Mendoza gives the thumbs-up as he joins son Anthony and wife Ada near the front of the line to enter the Rams’ first training session at UC Irvine on Saturday.  (Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

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Nicholas Manzella has been a Rams fan since the “Fearsome Foursome” days.

  (Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

“I counted down the days to come see them.”

So did Michael Rahon, 17, David Martin, 17, Ray Khoury, 17, and Connor Cobos, 15, of Placentia. The friends came to experience NFL football for the first time in Southern California.

“We had to be here,” Rahon said. “The NFL is back.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesklein