The 1940 season was marked by struggles both offensively and defensively, as the Rams continued to have difficulty competing against stronger teams.
The team was still coached by Dudley DeGroot, and the franchise was dealing with the challenges of being a relatively new team in the league. Despite some individual talent, the Rams were unable to generate consistent success on the field. The lone victory that season came against the Chicago Cardinals, but overall, the team was unable to build momentum or make a significant impact in the league.
During the 1940 season, the Rams were dealing with financial struggles and logistical challenges, and this ultimately set the stage for the team’s eventual relocation. In 1946, the Rams would move to Los Angeles, where they became the Los Angeles Rams and would later become one of the most successful and iconic franchises in NFL history.
The 1940 Cleveland Rams season was yet another rough chapter in the team’s early history, but it helped lay the foundation for their later move to Los Angeles, where they would find greater success.
Head Coach: *Dutch Clark
- To be listed, a player must have played at least one game for the team during this season.
- + Primary starter
| Pos | # | Player | GP | GS | Start Pos | Exp | DOB | Ht | Wt | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DT/T/E/DE | Chet Adams | 11 | 2 | 10/24/1915 | ‘ “ | Ohio | |||||
| T/E/DE | Stan Andersen | 11 | R | 09/14/1917 | ‘ “ | Stanford | |||||
| E/DE | Jim Benton | 10 | 3 | 09/25/1916 | ‘ “ | Arkansas | |||||
| DE/E | Connie Mack Berry | 3 | 2 | 04/19/1915 | ‘ “ | North Carolina State | |||||
| T | Boyd Clay | 11 | R | 05/06/1915 | ‘ “ | Tennessee | |||||
| C/LB/E/DE | Bill Conkright | 2 | 4 | 04/17/1914 | ‘ “ | Oklahoma | |||||
| HB/P | Olie Cordill | 10 | R | 04/28/1916 | ‘ “ | Rice | |||||
| FB/LB | Earl Crowder | 3 | 2 | 01/21/1915 | ‘ “ | Oklahoma | |||||
| FB/DB/LB/WB | Johnny Drake | 11 | 4 | 03/27/1916 | ‘ “ | Purdue | |||||
| T/HB | Elwyn Dunstan | 10 | 3 | 02/04/1915 | ‘ “ | Portland | |||||
| HB/DB/TB | Fred Gehrke | 3 | 1 | 04/24/1918 | ‘ “ | Utah | |||||
| HB/DB/TB | Jim Gillette | 4 | R | 12/19/1917 | ‘ “ | Virginia | |||||
| C/LB | Shag Goolsby | 8 | R | 07/24/1917 | ‘ “ | Mississippi State | |||||
| G/LB | Pete Gudauskas | 1 | 1 | 10/19/1916 | ‘ “ | Murray State | |||||
| QB/HB | Parker Hall | 11 | 2 | 12/10/1916 | ‘ “ | Mississippi | |||||
| C/LB | Jack Haman | 11 | R | 08/18/1918 | ‘ “ | Northwestern | |||||
| RB/DB | Ken Heineman | 3 | R | 01/13/1918 | ‘ “ | Texas – El Paso | |||||
| DB/FB/BB/WB | Len Janiak | 11 | 2 | 10/29/1915 | ‘ “ | Ohio | |||||
| DE/E | Mike Kinek | 2 | 1 | 08/11/1917 | ‘ “ | Michigan State | |||||
| T/G | Ted Livingston | 9 | 4 | 02/18/1913 | ‘ “ | Indiana | |||||
| HB/DB/WB | Dante Magnani | 11 | R | 03/16/1917 | ‘ “ | St. Mary’s (CA) | |||||
| G/LB | Riley Matheson | 11 | 2 | 12/06/1914 | ‘ “ | Texas – El Paso | |||||
| E/DE/DB | Paul McDonough | 11 | 3 | 12/14/1916 | ‘ “ | Utah | |||||
| G/LB | Barney McGarry | 11 | 2 | 12/24/1917 | ‘ “ | Utah | |||||
| E/DE | Harvey Murphy | 2 | 1 | 08/24/1915 | ‘ “ | Mississippi | |||||
| WB/DB | Jack Nix | 1 | R | 11/09/1917 | ‘ “ | Mississippi State | |||||
| BB/DB | Glenn Olson | 2 | 1 | 03/14/1915 | ‘ “ | Iowa | |||||
| E/DE | Maury Patt | 10 | 3 | 01/31/1915 | ‘ “ | Carnegie-Mellon | |||||
| T/G | Phil Ragazzo | 1 | 3 | 06/24/1915 | ‘ “ | Case Western Reserve | |||||
| C/G/LB/DE | Hank Rockwell | 11 | 1 | 02/10/1917 | ‘ “ | Arizona State | |||||
| BB/LB/DE/G | Mike Rodak | 1 | 2 | 02/11/1917 | ‘ “ | Case Western Reserve | |||||
| T | Fred Shirey | 6 | 1 | 01/12/1916 | ‘ “ | Nebraska | |||||
| TB/DB | Marty Slovak | 9 | 2 | 12/25/1916 | ‘ “ | Toledo | |||||
| FB/DB/LB/WB | Gaylon Smith | 11 | 2 | 07/15/1916 | ‘ “ | Rhodes | |||||
| BB/DB/WB | Vic Spadaccini | 9 | 3 | 03/02/1916 | ‘ “ | Minnesota | |||||
| G/LB | Ralph Stevenson | 3 | R | 04/11/1917 | ‘ “ | Oklahoma | |||||
| E/DE | Johnny Wilson | 10 | 2 | 11/02/1915 | ‘ “ | Case Western Reserve |
