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Sport

Lawrence McCutcheon, Rams' five-time Pro Bowl running back, dies at 76

Lawrence McCutcheon, the five-time Pro Bowl running back who led the Los Angeles Rams in rushing from 1973 to 1977, has died aged 76 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, his family announced.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

Portrait of a young Lawrence McCutcheon in graduation robes, circa 1968.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Lawrence McCutcheon, the five-time Pro Bowl running back who powered the Los Angeles Rams’ offence through the 1970s and spent more than three decades in the club’s front office, has died. He was 76.

His family announced his death through the Rams on Friday, saying he passed away “following a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease,” according to the Associated Press.

Drafted in the third round (No. 70 overall) out of Colorado State in 1972. Nicknamed “Clutch,” McCutcheon led the Rams in rushing in each of his five Pro Bowl seasons from 1973 to 1977, topping 1,000 yards four times and earning second-team AP All-Pro honours in 1974. His 6,186 rushing yards were the most in franchise history when he left Los Angeles; he now ranks fourth behind Marshall Faulk (6,959), Eric Dickerson (7,245) and Steven Jackson (10,138), Reuters reports.

McCutcheon appeared in 11 postseason games and delivered one of Super Bowl XIV’s most memorable moments, throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith that put Los Angeles ahead 19–17 in the third quarter before Pittsburgh rallied to win 31–19 on 20 January 1980.

After finishing his playing career with Denver, Seattle and Buffalo, he rejoined the Rams as a scout in 1982 and served as director of player personnel before retiring in 2016. He was inducted into the Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989. His son Daylon was a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2006.

Read more in our NFL hub.

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