44 Facts About Bob Waterfield

Robert Stanton Waterfield was an American professional football player and coach who played in the National Football League for eight seasons.

Bob Waterfield played college football for the UCLA Bruins in 1941,1942, and 1944.

Bob Waterfield led the Rams to NFL championships in 1945 and 1951 and was selected as the NFL's most valuable player in 1945.

Bob Waterfield was the first-team All-Pro quarterback in 1945,1946, and 1949.

Bob Waterfield was married to movie actress Jane Russell from 1943 to 1968.

Bob Waterfield remained involved in football as an assistant coach during the 1950s and served as the head coach of the Rams from 1960 to 1962.

In 1930, when Bob Waterfield was nine years old, his father, who had become the owner and manager of Van Nuys Transfer and Storage Company, died.

Bob Waterfield attended Van Nuys High School where he was a star football player.

Bob Waterfield enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles where he played college football for UCLA Bruins football in 1941,1942, and 1944.

Bob Waterfield averaged 40 yards on 60 punts and broke the UCLA school record by appearing in 557 of 600 minutes in UCLA's 10 games.

Bob Waterfield led the 1942 Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship and was selected as the first-team quarterback on the 1942 All-Pacific Coast football team.

Bob Waterfield was commissioned as a lieutenant and played quarterback for the 1943 176th Infantry Spirits football team at Fort Benning.

In June 1944, Bob Waterfield was honorably discharged from the Army due to a knee injury.

Bob Waterfield returned to college, played for the 1944 UCLA football team, and was selected by the Associated Press as a second-team back on the 1944 All-Pacific Coast football team.

Bob Waterfield caught the winning touchdown pass with three minutes remaining in the game.

Bob Waterfield was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the fifth round of the 1944 NFL Draft.

Bob Waterfield led the NFL with 1,627 yards of total offense, 14 touchdown passes and an average of 9.4 yards per attempt.

Jim Benton caught 10 of Bob Waterfield's passes for an NFL record of 303 receiving yards in a single game.

Rams owner Dan Reeves announced that, before the game, Bob Waterfield had signed a three-year contract for $20,000 per year, which made him the highest-paid player in pro football.

Bob Waterfield was a consensus pick as the first-team quarterback on the 1945 All-Pro Team.

Bob Waterfield firmly established himself as one of the NFL's multi-talented players.

Bob Waterfield was the league's second leading scorer.

Bob Waterfield led the NFL with 37 extra points out of 37 attempts and field goal percentage and finished third in the league with an average of 44.7 yards per punt.

In 1947, the Rams dropped to fourth place in the NFL's West Division, and Bob Waterfield did not rank among the league's leaders in any passing category except interceptions.

Bob Waterfield did lead the NFL with seven field goals and had an 86-yard punt that was the longest in the NFL during the 1947 season.

Bob Waterfield ranked among the NFL leaders with 15.6 yards per pass completion, 14 passing touchdowns, and 18 interceptions, and for the second year had the longest punt in the league, this one measuring 88 yards.

In 12 regular season games, Bob Waterfield compiled career highs and ranked among the NFL leaders with 154 completed passes, 296 pass attempts, 2,168 passing yards, and 24 interceptions.

In 1950, Bob Waterfield shared the quarterback position with Norm Van Brocklin with each starting six games.

Bob Waterfield starred with Johnny Weissmuller in "Jungle Manhunt", playing the part of a football player stranded in the jungle.

Bob Waterfield ranked second in the league with 98 points scored.

In 1952, Bob Waterfield shared the Rams' quarterback job with Norm Van Brocklin, each starting six games.

Bob Waterfield announced his retirement on December 1,1952, and was honored with Bob Waterfield Day for the Rams' final home game on December 14,1952.

At the time of his retirement in December 1952, Bob Waterfield held four NFL career records, a single-season record with 54 extra points in 1950, and a single-game record with five field goals in a game, and was tied for another single-game record with nine extra points in a game.

Bob Waterfield averaged 42.4 yards as a punter, and he completed 814 passes for 11,849 yards and 97 touchdowns.

In 1954, Bob Waterfield went into business with his wife, Jane Russell, forming Russ-Field Productions to produce motion pictures.

Bob Waterfield worked as the Rams' kicking coach in 1954 and again in 1955, working with Rams' linebacker Les Richter on his placekicking.

In June 1958, Bob Waterfield returned to the NFL as an assistant coach for the Rams.

Bob Waterfield developed Bill Wade into an outstanding quarterback in 1958, but Waterfield left the team after the 1958 season.

In January 1960, Bob Waterfield signed a five-year contract to take over as the Rams' head coach.

Bob Waterfield was later a team scout and a rancher near Van Nuys.

Bob Waterfield received numerous awards and honors for his football career, including the following:.

The couple eloped to Las Vegas shortly after Bob Waterfield entered the military.

Russell filed for divorce in February 1967, and Bob Waterfield counterclaimed accusing Russell of habitual intemperance and excessive drinking.

Bob Waterfield had been in the intensive care unit at St Joseph Medical Center in Burbank for two weeks prior to his death.