Lawrence McCutcheon Retires

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Practice-Report-818-Gurley-to-Make-Preseason-Debut/1e6c97ab-467d-4694-88d6-3e20b45765a1

HAPPY TRAILS TO A LEGEND

Many of you may know Lawrence McCutcheon as the Rams’ No. 4 all-time leading rusher. From 1973 to 1979, McCutcheon went to five Pro Bowls, racking up 6,186 yards on 1,435 and 23 touchdowns — finishing his time with Los Angeles No. 1 on the team’s rushing list. He’s since been passed by Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, and Steven Jackson.

But ‘Clutch’ has left a legacy within the Rams organization both on and off the field.

Overall, McCutcheon has spent 44 years in the NFL and 42 with the Rams. He joined the club’s personnel department in 1982 and has held various scouting roles ever since, most recently spending the last four years as a national scout.

And now at the age of 66, McCutcheon has decided to call it a career.

“McCutcheon has left an indelible mark on the Rams, as well as the National Football League,” said general manager Les Snead said in a statement. “The contributions he made as a player as well as a talent evaluator in our personnel department have been invaluable to this organization. We will miss ‘Clutch’ being around on routine basis, but he will always be an important part of our family.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of great friends with a lot of great personalities,” McCutcheon said after Thursday’s practice. “Had the opportunity to play with a lot of good football players. Just getting the opportunity to form some camaraderie and friendships – that’s what sticks out for me, most of all.”

As someone who has spend his entire life around the game of football, McCutcheon called the decision to retire difficult and very emotional.

“I’ve fought with it a lot. I went back and forth with it,” McCutcheon said. “I first started thinking about this last year. As I got closer and closer to making a decision, I started thinking, ‘Do you want to do this? Is this really what you want to do?’ I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with my wife about it. We planned on doing some other things, and experiencing some other experiences.”

McCutcheon wore No. 30 for the eight seasons he played in Los Angeles. Now, that number belongs to Gurley and McCutcheon said he feels he’s leaving it in good hands.

“He’s a superstar in waiting,” McCutcheon said of Gurley. “A very charismatic guy, a guy that’s level-headed and he’s a great, great football player.”

The same can be said of McCutcheon. We wish him the best in his retirement.