San Diego Chargers

Vs.

Los Angeles Rams

August 27, 1967

Rams Frolic 50-7; Chiefs Next Victim?
 

AL Larson

Staff Writer

Long Beach Press-Telegram

SAN DIEGO- The Chargers' dream game with their interleague rival from the north became a nightmare Sunday when the Rams capitalized on four interceptions and a fumble to chase San Diego out of its new 28 million dollar home, 50-7.

Striking for 24 points in a span of 3 minutes, 57 seconds midway in the first quarter, the Rams went on their biggest exhibition scoring spree since 1958 when they crushed the California All-Stars, 73-0. The Rams did tally 55 points last year in league play when they creamed the New York Giants, 55-14.

The victory enabled the National Football League to fatten its advantage over the AFL to 8-3 in the first year of inter-conference competition.

It was Charger coach Sid Gillman's first opportunity to get back at the Rams, the team he coached from 1955 to 1959, but the crowd of 46,293 was calling for a mercy killing before the game was 11 minutes old.

Trailing 3-0 following Bruce Gossett's 15-yard field goal with 6:41 elapsed, John Hadl came out passing.

The Chargers' six-year veteran threw two touchdown passes in the span of 51 seconds.

There was one slight hitch- he threw them to Ram defensive backs Clancy Williams and Eddie Meador. There was never any doubt after that.

After absorbing the shock of giving away 24 points in the first quarter and 19 more in the second, the Chargers played the Rams even the second half- at least on the scoreboard- as the clubs struggled to a 7-7 tie.

The dreaded Rams moved ahead 50-0 in the third quarter when Bill Munson pitched his second touchdown pass of the afternoon.

Then, threatened with the prospect of suffering their first exhibition shutout in the eight years they've been in business, the Chargers enabled the cannon crew to earn its pay. Hadl connected on a 49-yard pass to Dick Post with 7:34 remaining in the game.

The front four returned to action early in the fourth period.

"We didn't want them to score," Merlin Olsen said. "That's why we asked to come back into the game."

"We got a lot of good breaks early and that makes it very tough on a losing team," Olsen said. "When you get a cycle going you make them make a do-or-die play every time."

"I wouldn't want to judge the Chargers on this one game," the all-pro defensive tackle emphasized. "Hadl had an almost impossible job after the game turned on him."

Impossible was hardly the word. Ten times the Rams' front four trapped the Charger quarterback for losses totaling 79 yards.

By comparison, the Chargers managed to dump the Rams' signal callers only once, and that came when reserve Bill Guy Anderson lost two yards of real estate attempting to pass.

These were the chronological highlights:

Gossett, who connected on two field goals, capped a 74-yard drive with a 15-yard fielder with only 6:41 elapsed. The march was kept alive by Bill Truax's 37-yard reception.

But Gillman's empire, which began to crumble last season when the Chargers dipped to 7-6-1 and a third-place finish after winning the Western Division five of the first six years, fell apart completely as Williams and Meador scored on successive plays with 25 and 21-yard interceptions.

The Rams pushed their advantage to 24-0 with 10:38 gone when fullback Les Josephson powered the final two yards of a 17-yard march. The drive was set up when Deacon Jones recovered Hadl's fumble.

Jones was merely getting even as a play earlier halfback Jim Allison had stiff-armed the Rams' premier defensive end and avoided a big loss.

Gossett, who later missed field goal attempts from the 48 and 25, cashed in an easy 10-yarder at the outset of the second period following Tony Guillory's 45-yard interception return of a Dan Henning pass.

Moments later, Munson, who directed the Rams much of the way, then spotted Josephson wide open on the Charger 20 and the captain of the special units team galloped the final distance unmolested to complete a 45-yard TD play.

Wendell Tucker, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' taxi squad last year, then zipped 66 yards with a Rick Redman punt to mount the Rams' lead lo 41-0. Gregg Schumacher finished things off for the half by tackling Hadl in the end zone for a safety- and the Rams led 43-0.

After the Rams hit the half-century mark on Munson's 40-yard TD pass to Willie Ellison, Allen instructed his offensive forces not to inflict any more damage than was absolutely necessary.

Roman Gabriel saw to that by merely calling running plays at the end as the Rams mounted a final threat.

Gossett helped out by blowing a 25-yard three point attempt with 1:30 to go.

Chargers' John Hadl, who had a trying day, is overwhelmed by Rams' massive substitute line.

Chargers' defensive end Howard Kindig pressures Rams quarterback

Scoring Summary

First Quarter
LA- FG Gossett 15
LA- Williams 20 pass interception (Gossett kick)
LA- Meador 21 pass interception (Gossett kick)
LA- Josephson 2 run (Gossett kick)

Second Quarter
LA- FG Gossett 10
LA- Josephson 45 yard pass from Munson (Gossett kick)
LA- Tucker 68 yard punt return (Gossett kick)
LA Safety Hadl tackled

Third Quarter
LA- Ellison 40 yard pass from Munson

Fourth Quarter
SD- Post 49 yard pass from Hadl (Van Raaporst kick)

Att- 46,293

RETURN