Talk-radio personality Rush Limbaugh’s confirmation he is partnering with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams has news outlets buzzing this week. But as the St. Louis Business Journal was the first to report in July 2008, Limbaugh’s gravitation toward the team began more than a year ago, and his interest in an ownership position stems from lifelong ties to the game of football.

Limbaugh began training his eye on the Rams’ ownership situation in mid-2008 as majority owner Chip Rosenbloom was attempting to tamp down early speculation he and his sister, Lucia Rodriguez, were exploring opportunities to sell their 60 percent stake in the team.

Limbaugh declined to comment this week about the bid, but the Missouri native shed light on his approach to the Rams in an interview with the Business Journal in the summer of 2008 that carries additional weight given the latest developments.

“The Rams would be a great team to have,” Limbaugh said then in a phone interview from his Palm Beach, Florida, studio. “I have a lot of friends in ownership in the NFL, and my desire to get involved has not been a secret. I hear from people. Would I be interested (in an ownership stake) if the right group of investors and the right offer came along? Absolutely.”

At the time, Limbaugh said he had not contacted Rosenbloom or anyone in the Rams front office. But he and others with money and influence were well aware of the situation here. They were monitoring opportunities in St. Louis and a handful of other National Football League markets, such as Pittsburgh, where ownership changes were under consideration.

“There are a lot of people who would like to be involved but don’t want it known,” Limbaugh said. “There is a lot of cat and mouse involved.”

Questions about the Rams’ future have swirled ever since Georgia Frontiere died in January 2008 and passed her stake in the franchise to her children—Rosenbloom and Rodriguez.

Rosenbloom, who serves as managing partner, has repeatedly said he wants the team to remain in St. Louis. Kevin Demoff, the Rams executive vice president and chief operating officer, reiterated this week that the owners will evaluate all bids carefully and are under no immediate pressure to sell the team.

But Rosenbloom and Rodriguez, who live in Los Angeles, are expected to face exorbitant estate taxes through their inheritance of the Rams, and they have acknowledged they would consider a sale if the right offer were to come along.

So last summer, unsolicited or not, the calls kept coming in. So many that Rosenbloom hired Moag & Co. of Baltimore to handle the inquiries. Moag is one of the country’s top investment banking and advisory firms specializing in the sports, media, and entertainment industries. In early 2008, Moag handled New York real estate billionaire Stephen Ross’ purchase of 50 percent of the Miami Dolphins for a reported $550 million with future options to buy up to 95 percent of the team.