With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Georgia Frontiere, Owner of One-time LA Rams, Dies at 80
()
Fans of the LA Rams weren't known to be fans of team owner Georgia Frontiere, who moved the NFL football franchise to her hometown of St Louis in 1995. The woman who took over ownership of the team in 1979 from her sixth husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, when he died by drowning, died yesterday at the age of 80 after a long-fought battle against breast cancer. Frontiere had been hospitalized for months prior to her death.
The former nightclub singer and chorus line dancer was introduced to husband number six by JFK's dad Joseph Kennedy in 1957, and they married in 1966. Rosenbloom became the owner of the Rams in 1972. When Rosenbloom drowned mysteriously in 1979, eyebrows were raised. According to Wikipedia: "Although no evidence of foul play was uncovered, it is rumored that Rosenbloom, a high stakes gambler, was killed over failure to repay debts."
Her first move, which angered many Angelenos, was to move the team to Anaheim the following year. The San Francisco Chronicle explains how Frontiere became an unlikely team owner: "Rosenbloom had groomed his son from a previous marriage, Steve, as his successor, but he left 70 percent of the Rams' ownership to his wife, evidently to minimize estate taxes. She quickly asserted control, firing Steve Rosenbloom and replacing him as the team's top executive with Don Klosterman, the general manager."
Support for LAist comes from
But The LA Times explains that the unique woman more than just made a name for herself, she also brought much success to the team: "Yet "Madame Ram," as some called her, stood apart for nearly three decades as a rare female in the testosterone-charged National Football League. Her teams played in the Super Bowl three times, winning once, after the 1999 season."
Frontiere died here in Los Angeles, at the UCLA Medical Center.
Photo from St Louis Sports
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist