This Sunday’s St. Louis Rams vs. Cleveland Browns game isn’t generating a lot of buzz. But the significance of the game shouldn’t be lost on the city of Cleveland.
The Rams who were originally founded in Cleveland, will be making their 11th trip back to the city Cleveland. The Rams have a record of 4-6 in Cleveland, since they left the icy shores of Lake Erie in 1946.
The Rams are one of ten current NFL teams, to have ever played an official NFL game in a city they use to call home. These teams have a winning record of 48-42 in their former cities.
Franchises Records at their Former Home
| Team | Former City | Moved | W-L | 1st Game Back |
Result |
| Cardinals | Chicago | 1960 | 3-6 | 1965: Bears | L 13-34 |
| St. Louis | 1988 | 7-3 | 1998: Rams | W 20-17 | |
| Chargers | Los Angeles | 1961 | 7-10 | 1970: Rams | L 10-37 |
| Chiefs | Dallas | 1963 | 1-4 | 1975: Cowboys | W 34-31 |
| Colts | Baltimore | 1984 | 4-2 | 1998: Colts | L 31-38 |
| Lions | Portsmouth | 1934 | 1-0 | 1934: Cin Reds | W 38-0 |
| Raiders | Oakland | 1982 | Didn’t play in Oakland until they moved back. ¹ | ||
| Los Angeles | 1995 | Haven’t played in Los Angeles since. | |||
| Rams | Cleveland | 1946 | 4-6 | 1950: Browns | L 28-30 |
| Los Angeles | 1995 | Haven’t played in Los Angeles since. | |||
| Ravens | Cleveland | 1996 | 8-4 | 1999: Browns | W 41-9 |
| Redskins | Boston | 1937 | 7-4 | 1944: Bos Yanks | W 21-14 |
| Titans | Houston | 1997 | 6-3 | 2002: Texans | W 13-3 |
¹ The Raiders played an exhibition game in Oakland in 1989, they lost to the Houston Oilers 21-23.
Hey, good stuff. That 1950 Championship Game in Cleveland was a classic! The Browns and Rams had an excellent rivalry in the ’50′s. Meeting three times for the NFL Championship (Rams winning in ’51, Browns romping in ’55) makes it one of the great rivalries in the history of pro football. The ’51 and ’55 games, of course, were in L.A.
I’m a Redskin fan, and I’d never thought about the fact that they returned to their original city to play the Yanks. I know they beat the Yanks 40-13 in the last game of a disappointing 1947 season, but that game was in D.C. I’m glad the ‘Skins weren’t well supported in Boston, ‘cos we’ve loved having them in the Nation’s Capital!
Thanks for the comments. In 1948, the Redskins played their last game in the actual city of Boston; a 23-7 victory. The other games have been played in the Boston metro area (including a pair of exhibitions in Cambridge).