Hall of Fame R.B. Dickerson retires as a L.A. Ram, then named V.P. of Business Ops.

Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson returned as a member of the Los Angeles Rams signing a one day contract Tuesday to officially retire as a Ram.

Later, General Manager Les Snead announced the Rams hired the 56 year old Dickerson as Vice President of Business Development.

“Really with the main goal of doing what he did for me a long time ago – bridging fans to our organization and then not only making them fans of the Rams, but making a difference in their life.”

Dickerson, who played for the L.A. Rams from 1983 to ’87, will host sponsors and VIP guests and work in the community as the Rams try to build a presence in the city they returned to a year ago after 21 seasons in St. Louis.

“It’s an honor for me to be sitting here. It’s like getting drafted all over again.” Said Dickerson who added, “I love my football team. I do, I love my football team. I just want our team to be very successful – not just playing on the field, but also off the field – in the city, in the community.”

The L.A. Rams drafted Dickerson with the second overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. After a little over four seasons, Dickerson demanded more money from the team telling then head coach John Robinson to “Run 47-Gap himself” – the play that made Dickerson a star. At an impasse he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on Halloween in 1987.

He then played for the then-Los Angeles Raiders and retired as a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 1993.

Dickerson earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Rams rushing for a rookie record he still holds of 1,808 yards. He, also, still holds the all-time single season rushing record gobbling up 2,105 the following year.

Onside Kicks

The Rams end the pre-season tomorrow night in Green Bay against the Packers. The Rams fell to 2-1 after last week’s 21-19 loss to the L.A. Chargers at the Coliseum.

Although the loss included a sack of Rams QB Jared Goff by Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa resulting in a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, the offensive line is much improved from last season when the offense ranked dead last in offense and offensive efficiency.