Lawrence McCutcheon, Rams Running Back With Five Pro Bowls, Dies at 76

Lawrence McCutcheon, the running back who powered the Los Angeles Rams through most of the 1970s and then served the same club for 32 years in its front office, died on Friday, October 23, 2026. He was 76. The Rams announced the death, and his family said he died with family at his bedside after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

"It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our husband, brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Lawrence McCutcheon," the family said in a statement released by the team. "Clutch passed away on Oct. 23 with family at his bedside following a long, courageous battle with Parkinson's disease."

Five straight Pro Bowls

McCutcheon was born on June 2, 1950, in Plainview, Texas, and played college football at Colorado State. The Rams took him in the third round of the 1972 NFL draft, and he became the center of head coach Chuck Knox's run-first offense, known around the league as Ground Chuck. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in four seasons, was picked for the Pro Bowl five years in a row from 1973 to 1977, and was a second-team All-Pro in 1974. The Rams reached the playoffs in each of his last seven seasons with the team, and when he left Los Angeles he was the franchise's all-time leading rusher.

He played eight seasons with the Rams, from 1972 to 1979, then finished his career with Denver, Seattle and Buffalo, retiring after the 1981 season. His career totals were 1,521 carries for 6,578 yards and 26 touchdowns, with 198 catches for 1,799 yards and 13 more touchdowns, across 109 games.

One last play on the biggest stage

His final game for the Rams was Super Bowl XIV, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 20, 1980. On a trick play, McCutcheon threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rams lost 31-19, but the pass remains one of the best remembered plays of that game, and it closed his years in a Rams uniform on the sport's biggest stage.

A second career with the same team

After his playing days ended, McCutcheon returned to the Rams and spent 32 years in the front office, working as a scout and as the team's director of player personnel. Few players in franchise history served the club in as many roles over as many years.

"The Los Angeles Rams are deeply saddened by the passing of Lawrence McCutcheon," the team said. "His impact on this organization spanned generations, and he embodied what it means to be a Ram. A five-time Pro Bowl running back and once the franchise's all-time leading rusher, he later served in our front office as a scout and director of player personnel. His legacy is woven into the fabric of our team."

The family asked anyone who wants to honor him to donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, in place of flowers.