Eric Dickerson, Jackie Slater attend Rams Legends event in a show of team unity across eras

Staff Writer

June 1, 2017 3:25 PM PT

It’s been nearly 70 years since Jim Hardy played quarterback for the Rams.

But at 94, Hardy still apparently maintains his skills.

“Even to this late date, I’ll get out in the neighborhood and punt and pass with the local kids,” Hardy said Thursday during a Rams Legends reunion event in Thousand Oaks. ”I can still throw a tight spiral and turn my punts around.

“I just don’t want to get hit anymore.”

Hardy, a USC star before playing for the Rams from 1946 to 1948, was among about 50 former Rams players from the Los Angeles and St. Louis eras who met current players and coaches and sat in on meetings.

Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson, Jackie Slater, Orlando Pace and Tom Mack were among the attendees.

Dickerson was at the center of controversy last season when he became embroiled in a conflict with former coach Jeff Fisher. The dust-up sprung from his criticism of the team and his request for extra sideline passes to a game.

New coach Sean McVay has said that he welcomed Dickerson and former Rams players.

The three-day Legends event is an attempt to “bridge the gap” between generations, to allow former players to interact with current players and coaches and reconnect with teammates they might not have seen for years, said Kyle Eversgerd, the Rams’ director of external football affairs.

“When you have a guy that played in the 70s standing next to a guy that played in the 2000s, it’s just a really unique way to build the NFL brotherhood, as we call it, specifically the Rams brotherhood,” Eversgerd said.

Torry Holt earned Pro Bowl recognition seven times during his 10 seasons as a Rams receiver. He said he enjoyed speaking with Rams receivers such as rookie Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds.

“I’m a Ram forever,” said Holt, a 1999 first-round pick who won a Super Bowl title as a rookie.“Whether we’re in St. Louis, whether we’re here, whether we’re in Cleveland. Hell, if we’re on the moon.

“I’m a Ram, so it feels good to get back home.”

Slater, an offensive tackle who played for the Rams from 1976 to 1995, said bringing together players from the Los Angeles and St. Louis eras “gives you kind of a harmonious feeling and what it means to have played with this organization.”

During an offensive line meeting, Slater said the former linemen “all stood up and gave our two cents on what we thought was important.”

Nolan Cromwell, a safety who played for the Rams from 1977 to 1987, was encouraged by the “We Not Me” slogan that McVay has adopted.

“When I played with guys, we were all talking, it was all we played for each other, we played together,” Cromwell said. “And I think the thing has really swung to a ‘Hey, look at me’ concept in today’s game, and I hope this message gets across to the team and he’s able to preach and they go with it.”

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