The Los Angeles Rams’ owner, Stan Kroenke, has had a busy last decade. First, the move from St. Louis back to Los Angeles. Now going into his second Super Bowl, he has an opportunity to bring football glory back to the City of Angels.
Get to know Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke
Enos Stanley Kroenke, better known as Stan, has been at least a part-time owner of the Los Angeles Rams since 1995. Kroenke has his arms in many sports baskets. Where did Stan Kroenke come from, and how did he get to where he is today?
Kroenke grew up in a very small community in Mora, Missouri. To give you an idea of how small the place is, the current population of Mora is under 1,000 people. In 1974, Kroenke married his wife, Ann Walton. He went on to found a real estate development firm, the Kroenke Group, nine years later.
Kroenke’s first foray into sports came in April 1995 when he bought a 30% share of the Los Angeles Rams to help facilitate the move to St. Louis. Since then, Kroenke’s reach has expanded into several different arenas.
What other sports franchises does Stan Kroenke own?
In 1999, Kroenke founded Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Over the next two decades, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment bought multiple franchises across various sports.
In addition to the Rams, Kroenke’s company has ownership interests in the Denver Nuggets, Arsenal F.C., Arsenal W.F.C., Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, Los Angeles Gladiators, and Los Angeles Guerillas. Due to NFL rules prohibiting owners from owning other sports franchises, Kroenke is considered a part-owner of these other clubs.
History of the Los Angeles Rams
The Rams started out as the Cleveland Rams back in 1936. They played one season in the AFL before joining the NFL in 1937. In 1946, they relocated to Los Angeles, where they remained until 1995.
In 1967, the second season after the AFL/NFL merger, the Rams made the playoffs, losing to the Super Bowl II champion Green Bay Packers. From 1967 to 1971, the Rams finished top-two in their division every season.
Between 1973 and 1979, the Rams won seven consecutive NFC West crowns. They made their first Super Bowl in 1979 but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Rams enjoyed consistent success throughout the 1970s and 1980s. They made the playoffs 14 times between 1973 and 1989 but only had that one Super Bowl appearance. After five consecutive losing seasons to start the 1990s, the Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995.
The greatest show on turf
The Rams’ first four seasons in St. Louis were just as bad as their last five in Los Angeles. However, everything changed in 1999 when a 28-year-old nobody named Kurt Warner took over at quarterback.
The Rams enjoyed unprecedented success at the turn of the century. They made the playoffs in five out of six seasons between 1999 and 2004. In 1999, the Rams won one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in NFL history. Their first and only championship was sealed when Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line.
The Rams returned to the Super Bowl two years later. However, they lost 20-17 as heavy favorites to Tom Brady and the Patriots on Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal.
Kroenke moves team back to Los Angeles
In 2010, Kroenke gained full ownership of the Rams. He publicly stated he wanted to keep the team in St. Louis, but there was an interesting clause in the Rams’ lease requiring them to always have a “top-tier” NFL stadium. By 2015, it was clear, the Rams’ time in St. Louis was coming to an end.
Apparently, the Rams can’t stay in one place for too long — because they stop being able to win. After 11 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016. Their first season back in LA was a disaster, ending with the termination of head coach Jeff Fisher.
In 2017, the Rams hired Sean McVay and have experienced a renaissance the likes of which they haven’t seen since the Warner era. The Rams have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance. They once again lost to Brady in 2018.
In 2021, Kroenke was finally able to get his team that top-tier stadium. SoFi Stadium opened, but not without controversy. The NFL agreed to pay the city of St. Louis $790 million to settle a case predicated on a dispute over whether the league violated its own relocation guidelines in allowing the Rams to move back to LA.