Retired Ram D'Marco Farr recalls the team's failed attempt at a mascot during the team's early years in St. Louis.

Farr, whose game-day radio broadcasts have kept him a regular at the Edwards Jones Dome, has a dim memory of a furry character that resembled a rat and wasn't particularly inspirational. Ramster, as the mascot was known, was not well-received by fans and in 1996 was exterminated.

"I don't think it was something people missed when it went away," Farr said.

Several years later, the Rams are making another go at a mascot, but this time with a hard-to-miss introduction (the mascot, a ram, threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Cardinals' game Thursday) and direct involvement from fans in naming it.

An online contest sponsored by the team has resulted in five names from which fans will choose a winner.

The names, in order of top vote-getter to least popular as of Thursday evening: Rampage, Archie, Ramsey, Rammer and Rush.

The monikers were the most popular of some 1,500 submissions, not counting those booted for reasons of taste. The winning name, and the prize-winner whose suggestion is chosen, will be announced 11 a.m. Monday at the St. Louis Zoo's south entrance.

The Rams' adoption of a mascot leaves only four of the NFL's 32 teams without one: the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders (though not all of the existing mascots are considered official by their teams).

Farr said he's pleased St. Louis has decided to enter the mascot fray. "It adds another dimension to the stadium experience that the Rams just don't have," he said. "When your team is doing bad, there's always that one person who's being positive. ... It just reminds you of your love of the team, no matter what's happening."

Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations, said the organization decided to add a mascot to build on game-day entertainment and become more involved in the community. Demoff said he expects the mascot will make more than 300 appearances a year, from charity events to parties.

"It coincides with a rebranding and a rebirth of the team and gives us a more playful identity," he said.

While some NFL mascots stand out for having colors unseen in nature and an extreme puffiness known to frighten small children, Demoff described the new mascot as fun, adventurous and athletic but with a relatively normal build. "He has the coating of a stuffed animal, but the build of a superhero," he said.

Demoff would not disclose the name of the person who will be the mascot, but said the hire previously worked as a mascot for a division rival.

St. Charles native Dan Meers, who is about to begin his 21st year as the Kansas City Chiefs' mascot, said he's happy that the Rams have decided to field a mascot. For years, Meers — KC Wolf when in character — was a lone wolf of sorts because so few NFL teams had mascots.

"Other teams around the league have started to see the value," said Meers, whose role has him regularly giving talks at schools, visiting nursing homes and appearing at other events. "I've even walked two women down the aisle on their wedding days," he said.

Meers, whose résumé includes stints as Mizzou's Truman the Tiger and the Cardinals' Fredbird, said the secret to being a good mascot (instead of going the way of Ramster) is having high energy and being "a positive role model in a furry costume."

"Whether the team is winning or losing, our job is to entertain," he added. "But it's definitely easier when the team is winning."