Bob Waterfield's Retirement Haul

 By John Turney 

December 14, 1952, was Bob Waterfield's final game with the Rams and had announced that it would be his last regular-season game. 

As such the Rams honored him with a retirement ceremony that included parting gifts and awards.

He got a boat, a motor, some fishing and hunting gear and golfing equipment among other things.

Here is the list.

The Rams beat the Pittsburgh Steelers that day 24-14 with the aid of three Night Train Lane interceptions - the final breaking the NFL record, one that still stands to this day.

Jim Finks throws high to tight end Dick Hensley and it is (maybe) tipped with "The Train" lying in wait - pick number 14 on the season was his. Tipped or not the ball was high.

Lane had the flanker, Ray Matthews, on the play but had his eyes in the backfield and dropped the coverage. He was behind Matthews, trail technique you could call it, but he didn't need to worry because he had deep help from the right safety Norb Hecker. Hall-of-Famer Les Richter has Hensley and Finks has to throw it a bit high but it gets away from him—it sails.

Here is the play—

A couple of plays later Norm Van Brocklin hits Crazy Legs Hirsch for a 65-yard touchdown to make the game 28-7.

The long one to Hirsch—

Waterfield didn't have a great day going 7 for 15 for 69 passing yards and didn't throw a touchdown pass. He did throw two interceptions.

With the win the fams finished 9-3 and played the Lions the following week in a divisional playoff, losing 31-21. Waterfield played enough to throw nine passes, making it his final playoff game.

This all capped a Hall-of-Fame career, one that included two NFL titles, one in 1945 in Cleveland and one in Los Angeles in 1951.