Paso Robles man ‘Couldn’t Be Any Happier’ for his old team, the LA Rams
Paso Robles resident Dennis Harrah.
–Paso Robles resident and former LA Rams guard Dennis Harrah has said that he “couldn’t be any happier” for his old team after they reached Super Bowl LIII.
It was a disappointing end to a positive season for the LA Rams after they went down 13-3 to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. A fourth-quarter touchdown, finished off by Sony Michel, as enough for the Patriots to pick up their third Super Bowl title in five years. However despite the defeat, one former player claims the LA Rams can be pleased with their season’s efforts.
“It’s fantastic. I couldn’t be any happier for them. I’m their biggest fan,” said former Rams guard Dennis Harrah from his Paso Robles home before Sunday’s match. Back in 1975, Harrah became a first-round and the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft. A graduate from the University of Florida, Harrah played guard and was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams where he enjoyed a great deal of success. The Rams won five consecutive NFC West titles with Harrah in the side and even made it to the Super Bowl in 1979.
“That’s me right there, and there’s Mean Joe Green. He tripped and fell and I jumped on him and then we scored,” Dennis Harrah recollected in an interview with KSBY6. “That’s in Super Bowl XIV.”
Unfortunately for Harrah, the game ended with sadness. The Rams went down 31-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers led by Terry Bradshaw and his ‘Steel Curtain.’ The sorrow would continue for Harrah, now a fan of the team, when the Rams packed up and left Los Angeles for St. Louis in 1995.
“When your team is gone, basically your history is almost gone too,” Dennis went on. “It’s a funny feeling. It was just a heart-breaking moment for me to realize the Rams were gone for me.”
The Rams operated out of St. Louis for twenty years and certainly made waves for a time. They finished top two in the NFC West for every year between 1995 and 2006, even triumphing in Super Bowl XXXIV. However, things eventually soured for the St. Louis Rams and a relocation to Los Angeles was scheduled for 2016.
“It was just absolutely one of the top-five moments of my life when the Rams came back and I got to share it with my boys,” Dennis confessed. “It’s amazing what they’ve done.”
Since the return to Los Angeles, things have steadily improved for the reincarnated LA Rams, especially since the appointment of the new head coach Sean McVay. They’ve picked up back-to-back NFC West titles and their appearance in this year’s Super Bowl is their first since 2001. In both matches they came up against the New England Patriots and unfortunately for them, both ended in defeat. Unsurprisingly, head Coach Sean McVay was hugely disappointed after the result.
“There is no other way to put it, I’m pretty numb right now,” McVay said after the 13-3 loss.
“But definitely I got out coached. And I didn’t do nearly enough for our football team.” Such disappointment is natural after a loss like that but Dennis Harrah has been encouraged by this team.
“After I sit back and look at it, and have the reunions about it, and think about it, I just hope the guys really do appreciate where they’re at,” he concluded.
Despite the defeat, there is certainly a lot to be optimistic about for the LA Rams. Sean McVay’s side has improved and impressed in equal measure over the last few years and there is nothing to suggest that the team won’t continue to do so in the coming seasons. They are the joint-second favorites at 6/1 to go one better next year at Super Bowl LIV on Betway as of 4 February.
It would be hard to bet against them. Head coach Sean McVay will obviously be disappointed with the defeat but there are definite signs of progression under the 33-year-old. The LA Rams have come a long way since Dennis Harrah’s days in the team but he will still be cheering them on. Harrah currently lives in Paso Robles and operates a horse ranch alongside his children and wife, Teresa.
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