the Pacific Coast Conference in passing, completing 53 of 125 passes for 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also averaged 40 yards on 60 punts and broke the UCLA school record by appearing in 557 of 600 minutes in UCLA's 10 games. He led the 1942 Bruins to the Pacific Coast Conference football championship and was selected as the first-team quarterback on the 1942 All-Pacific Coast football team. In the 1943 Rose Bowl, the Bruins lost to Georgia; the game was scoreless into the fourth quarter when Waterfield's punt was blocked for a safety. Georgia added a touchdown to post a 9–0 win. In April 1943, Waterfield was married to Jane Russell. Two weeks later, he was inducted into the United States Army and sent to Fort Benning for officer candidate school. He was commissioned as a lieutenant and played quarterback for Fort Benning's 176th Infantry football team in the fall of 1943. In June 1944, Waterfield was honorably discharged from the Army due to a knee injury. He returned to college, played for the 1944 UCLA football team, and was selected by the Associated Press as a second-team back on the 1944 All-Pacific Coast football team. In the East–West Shrine Game played on January 1, 1945, Waterfield led the West team with his passing and kicking to a come-from-behind victory. Hailed as a triple-threat star, he had punts of 87, 75, and 59 yards in the game. He caught the winning touchdown pass with three minutes remaining in the game. At the end of his college career, Al Wolf of the Los Angeles Times called him "one of the finest kickers and passers in Coast history." Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams Waterfield was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in the fifth round (42nd overall pick) of the 1944 NFL Draft. He signed with the Rams in June 1945. 1945 season As a rookie, Waterfield won the starting quarterback job and led the 1945 Rams team to the NFL championship with a 9–1 record. Waterfield led the NFL with 1,627 yards of total offense, 14 touchdown passes and an average of 9.4 yards per attempt. He also led the league with 17 interceptions. As a defensive back, he intercepted 6 passes. On Thanksgiving Day 1945, Waterfield completed 12 of 21 passes for a season-high 329 yards in a 28–21 victory over the Detroit Lions. Jim Benton caught 10 of Waterfield's passes for