Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach.

A skilled player, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily as a quarterback, but also as a safety, kicker, punter and sometimes return specialist with the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams.

[3] In approximately 1921, his family moved to Los Angeles and settled in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley.

[4][5] In 1930, when Waterfield was nine years old, his father, who had become the owner and manager of Van Nuys Transfer and Storage Company, died.

[10][11] 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.

[19][20] 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.

[21] 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.

[23] As a rookie, Waterfield won the starting quarterback job and led the 1945 Rams team to the NFL championship with a 9–1 record.

Jim Benton caught 10 of Waterfield's passes for an NFL record of 303 receiving yards in a single game.

[24] On December 16, 1945, in the 1945 NFL Championship Game, Waterfield led the Rams to a 15–14 victory over Sammy Baugh's Washington Redskins in below zero weather in Cleveland.

"[25] Waterfield was responsible for both Cleveland touchdowns on passes of 37 and 44 yards, and his punts kept the Redskins pinned deep in their territory.

Rams owner Dan Reeves announced that, before the game, Waterfield had signed a three-year contract for $20,000 per year, which made him the highest-paid player in pro football.

[25] After the season, Waterfield received the Joe F. Carr Trophy as the NFL's Most Valuable Player, outpacing Steve Van Buren by a tally of 65 points to 38.

[29] In their first season in Los Angeles, the Rams compiled a 6–4–1 record and finished in second place in the NFL's Western Division.

He led the NFL with 37 extra points out of 37 attempts and field goal percentage (66.7%) and finished third in the league with an average of 44.7 yards per punt.

[31] In 1947, the Rams dropped to fourth place in the NFL's West Division, and Waterfield did not rank among the league's leaders in any passing category except interceptions.

"[34] On the first play from scrimmage in the 1950 NFL Championship Game, Waterfield threw an 82-yard touchdown pass to Glenn Davis, but the Browns prevailed, 30–28.

During the 1951 season, Waterfield led the NFL with an 81.8 passer rating, an average of 17.8 yards per completion, and 13 field goals made.

[2][37] At the end of the 1951 season, Waterfield played in his second Pro Bowl and was selected by the UP as the second-team quarterback (behind Otto Graham) on the 1951 All-Pro Team.

[2] In 1952, Waterfield shared the Rams' quarterback job with Norm Van Brocklin, each starting six games.

In the divisional playoff on December 21, he alternated with Van Brocklin on throws and kicked three extra points but threw a late interception as Detroit won 31–21.

[2] In 1954, Waterfield went into business with his wife, movie star Jane Russell, forming Russ-Field Productions to produce motion pictures.

[53] After an extended illness, Waterfield died of respiratory failure on March 25, 1983, at the age of 62, five weeks before his teammate Van Brocklin.