1970 Baltimore Colts season
The 1970 Baltimore Colts season was the 18th season for the team in the National Football League. Led by first-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts finished the 1970 season with a regular season record of 11 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie to win the first AFC East title. The Colts completed the postseason in Miami with a victory over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, their first Super Bowl title and third world championship (1958, 1959, and 1970). The Colts did not return to the championship game for 36 years, until Super Bowl XLI in February 2007.
1970 Baltimore Colts season | |
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Head coach | Don McCafferty |
General manager | Don Klosterman |
Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
Home field | Memorial Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 11–2–1 |
Division place | 1st AFC East |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bengals) 17–0 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 27–17 Won Super Bowl V (Cowboys) 16–13 |
In February 1970, head coach Don Shula departed after seven seasons for the Miami Dolphins,[1][2] now in the same division, and offensive backfield coach McCafferty was promoted in early April.[3][4][5]
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
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1 | 18 | Norm Bulaich | Running Back | TCU |
2 | 44 | Jim Bailey | Defensive tackle | Kansas |
3 | 70 | Jim O'Brien | Wide Receiver | Cincinnati |
3 | 74 | Ara Person | Tight End | Morgan State |
4 | 95 | Steve Smear | Linebacker | Penn State |
5 | 122 | Billy Newsome | Defensive End | Grambling State |
6 | 148 | Ron Gardin | Defensive Back | Arizona |
7 | 174 | Gordon Slade | Quarterback | Davidson |
8 | 199 | Bob Bouley | Tackle | Boston College |
9 | 226 | Barney Harris | Defensive Back | Texas A&M |
Personnel
Staff/Coaches
1970 Baltimore Colts staff | ||||||
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Front Office
Coaching Staff
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
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Final roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time(ET) | TV Announcers | Record | Game Site | Attendance |
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1 | September 20 | at San Diego Chargers | W 16–14 | NBC 4:00pm | Ross Porter & Willie Davis | 1–0 | San Diego Stadium | |
2 | September 28 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–44 | ABC 9:00pm | Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, & Howard Cosell | 1–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
3 | October 4 | at Boston Patriots | W 14–6 | NBC 1:00pm | Dave Martin & Willie Davis | 2–1 | Harvard Stadium | |
4 | October 11 | at Houston Oilers | W 24–20 | NBC 4:00pm | Bill O'Donnell & George Ratterman | 3–1 | Astrodome | |
5 | October 18 | at New York Jets | W 29–22 | NBC 1:00pm | Curt Gowdy & Kyle Rote | 4–1 | Shea Stadium | |
6 | October 25 | Boston Patriots | W 27–3 | NBC 1:00pm | Bill O'Donnell & Johnny Morris | 5–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
7 | November 1 | Miami Dolphins | W 35–0 | NBC 1:00pm | Jim Simpson & Al DeRogatis | 6–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
8 | November 9 | at Green Bay Packers | W 13–10 | ABC 9:00pm | Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, & Howard Cosell | 7–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | |
9 | November 15 | Buffalo Bills | T 17–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Bill Enis & Dave Kocourek | 7–1–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
10 | November 22 | at Miami Dolphins | L 17–34 | NBC 1:00pm | Curt Gowdy & Kyle Rote | 7–2–1 | Orange Bowl | |
11 | November 29 | Chicago Bears | W 21–20 | CBS 1:00pm | Lindsey Nelson & Don Perkins | 8–2–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
12 | December 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 29–10 | CBS 1:00pm | Lindsey Nelson & Don Perkins | 9–2–1 | Memorial Stadium | |
13 | December 13 | at Buffalo Bills | W 20–14 | NBC 1:00pm | Ross Porter & Willie Davis | 10–2–1 | War Memorial Stadium | |
14 | December 19 | New York Jets | W 35–20 | NBC 3:00pm | Curt Gowdy & Kyle Rote | 11–2–1 | Memorial Stadium |
Game summaries
Week 1
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Week 2
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
This was the Super Bowl III rematch and it was truly a rematch but this time it favors the Colts as they opened up a 19-0 lead and never looked back. The jets did mount a challenge led by Joe Namath's 392 yards passing, but he also had 6 interceptions as the Colts gain some revenge on this day.
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Week 6
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Week 7
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Week 8
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Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
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Week 12
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Week 13
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The Colts clinched the division title with the win.
Week 14
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- Earl Morrall 18/33, 348 Yds
Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Baltimore Colts | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 321 | 234 | W4 |
Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 297 | 228 | W6 |
New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 255 | 286 | L3 |
Buffalo Bills | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 204 | 337 | L5 |
Boston Patriots | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 149 | 361 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Postseason
The team made it to the playoffs with the best record in the AFC. The Colts hosted both AFC playoff games that they played in. (It wasn't until the 1975 season that playoff teams were seeded by record; the fact that the Colts hosted both playoff games was just due to the rotation set up with the AFL–NFL merger.) The team won both AFC playoff games as well as Super Bowl V.
Playoff Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance |
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Divisional | December 26, 1970 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–0 | 1–0 | Memorial Stadium | |
Conference Championship | January 2, 1971 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–17 | 2–0 | Memorial Stadium | |
Super Bowl | January 17, 1971 | Dallas Cowboys | W 16–13 | 3–0 | Orange Bowl |
Divisional
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The Colts hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round. The Colts relied on their defense, which had carried them all season, to best the Bengals 17–0, holding Cincinnati to only 139 total yards.[18]
Conference Championship
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The Colts next hosted the Oakland Raiders for the AFC Championship Game. The Colts jumped out to an early lead over the Raiders, 10–3 at halftime. Oakland came back to tie it up early in the 3rd quarter. The Colts would respond with a Jim O'Brien field goal and a second Bulaich touchdown. Johnny Unitas extended the lead with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ray Perkins that made the score 27–17. The Colts would seal the win with an interception in the end zone.[19]
Super Bowl
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The Colts made it to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history and played the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL championship. In the 2nd quarter, Johnny Unitas threw a pass that was tipped twice before John Mackey caught it for a 75-yard score. Later in the quarter Unitas was injured and Earl Morrall completed a sloppy and turnover-filled game: the Colts committed a total of 7 turnovers, the Cowboys 4. Following an interception by Mike Curtis, Jim O'Brien kicked the game-winning 32-yard field goal, giving Baltimore a 16–13 lead with 5 seconds left in the game, and the victory.[20]
References
- "Shula replaces Miami's Wilson". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. February 19, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
- "Dollar signs convince Shula to jump to Miami Dolphins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 19, 1970. p. 4D.
- "Colts passed up 3 head coaches". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. April 7, 1970. p. 21.
- Riker, Dan (April 7, 1970). "Don McCafferty, ex-Kent State mentor, is named Baltimore head coach". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). UPI. p. 14.
- "McCafferty Colt coach". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 7, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-28.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-28.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-29.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-29.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-29.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-29.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-29.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-01.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-03.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-04.
- "Cincinnati Bengals 0 at Baltimore Colts 17. Saturday, December 26, 1970". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-04.
- "Oakland Raiders 17 at Baltimore Colts 27, Sunday, January 3, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-04.
- "Baltimore Colts 16 vs. Dallas Cowboys 13, Sunday, January 17, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-04.
See also
- History of the Indianapolis Colts
- Indianapolis Colts seasons
- Colts–Patriots rivalry