Don Klosterman

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Full Name: Donald Clement Klosterman Primary Position: QB Height/Weight: 5' 10"/180 College: Loyola Marymount University Birthdate: January 18, 1933 High School: Compton (CA) Birthplace: Le Mars, Iowa Nickname: Duke Pro Experience: 1 year

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[edit] Biography

Don Klosterman (Donald Clement Klosterman) was born on January 18, 1933 in Le Mars, Iowa, one of 15 children in the family. After going to high school at Compton (CA), Klosterman attended Loyola Marymount University, then known as Loyola University. He played for the top 15 ranked Loyola team, ending his senior season as the #1 ranked NCAA passer in the country.

Klosterman was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, the 25th overall pick, but was quickly traded and made his professional debut in the NFL in 1952 with the Los Angeles Rams. He played for the Los Angeles Rams for his entire 1 year NFL career, playing behind NFL greats Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield. Devoid of quality playing time, he opted to play for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. One day while skiing in Canada in 1957 he swerved to avoid a collision with a skier who had suddenly appeared in front of him, forcing him into a serious crash with a tree. The accident broke his back, ending his playing career.

Being told he'd never walk again, his determination and months of rehabbing enabled him to move around with the help of crutches, and later just a cane.

His uncanny ability to identify football talent and deal with football brass caught the attention of Sid Gilman and the San Diego Chargers management staff where he worked for a brief stint before moving to Dallas to become the head scout for the Dallas Texans of the start up American Football League, working directly for league founder Lamar Hunt. His savvy intellect, ability to make personal connections with players and Hunt's check book enabled him to help assemble some of the finest talent available for the fledgling team and league. Dallas won the AFL championship in the '62 season, but moved to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Chiefs, where Klosterman also moved as head scout. After helping to build that Super Bowl winning program, he moved on to become the General Manager in Houston where he lead the Oilers to the Western Division championship. He then moved to the GM position with the Baltimore Colts, and another Super Bowl winning campaign. When the ownership of the Colts swapped ownership with the L.A. Rams, Klosterman finally made it back home to Los Angeles as GM of the Rams. He built the 1979 Rams team that made it to the '80 Super Bowl which was played in the Rose Bowl, falling short to the storied Pittsburgh "Steel Curtain" Steelers.

The sudden drowning death of Rams owner Carol Rosenbloom caused ownership of the team to transfer to his wife, Georgia who decided to make wholesale changes to team management, severely impacting the success and likability of the team which eventually packed up and moved to St. Louis. Klosterman consulted with various programs, eventually becoming the president of the fledgling USFL L.A. Express in 1985. He is remembered well for his ability to sign NFL quality talent to the start up league which lasted only three seasons.

Klosterman died of a heart attack in 2000.

A tribute site with far more history exists at this link: http://www.angelfire.com/ab4/mydamrams/duke/duke.html

Two beautiful L.A. Times articles on his life and career are found here:

A City Loses One of Its Best Friends http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jun/08/sports/sp-38721

Klosterman Eulogized as Greatest of Friends http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jun/13/sports/sp-40592

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