1959 Baltimore Colts season

7th season in franchise history; second NFL Championship win November 2013 March 2026 Baltimore Colts 1959 9–3 1st NFL Western Carroll Rosenbloom Don "Red" Kellett Weeb Ewbank Memorial Stadium Won NFL Championship(vs. Giants) 31–16 Colts seasons thumb|right|400px The 1959 Baltimore Colts season was the seventh season for the team in the National Football League. The defending champion Baltimore Colts finished the NFL's 40th season with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses and finished first in the Western Conference, and defeated the New York Giants, 31–16 in the NFL championship game, which was the rematch of the previous season's classic title game, for their second consecutive NFL title. The Colts led the entire NFL with 374 points scored in their 12 games — an average of 31.2 points per contest. The team scored at least 21 points in every game played during the 1959 season. Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas had one of the great seasons by a passer in NFL history. Says Cold Hard Football Facts, "[Unitas's] 32 scoring strikes was an NFL record — he was the first and only to top 30 [touchdowns] in the NFL's first 40 years — and remains the standard for a 12-game season. He was in the midst of his record 47-game streak with a touchdown pass, and connected on at least one in every game of 1959."http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history May 17, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120729042325/http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html July 29, 2012 dead mdy-all The Colts defeated the Green Bay Packers twice this season in Vince Lombardi's first year as head coach. Baltimore did not win the Western title again until 1964 and their next NFL title came in 1968. Regular season For the 1959 season the Colts offered seats in three price tiers. Field seats cost $5.00, while field boxes, the upper grandstand, and part of the lower grandstand were priced at $4. Less desirable lower grandstand seats cost $3.50.E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78. Prices of ticket booklets for the full season ranged from $30 for best seats, $24 for mid-range seats, and $21 for least expensive. Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 27 Detroit Lions W 21–9 1–0 Memorial Stadium 55,588 Recap 2 October 3, 1959 Chicago Bears L 21–26 1–1 Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 3 October 11 at Detroit Lions W 31–24 2–1 Briggs Stadium 54,197 Recap 4 October 18 at Chicago Bears W 21–7 3–1 Wrigley Field 48,430 Recap 5 October 25 Green Bay Packers W 38–21 4–1 Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 6 November 1 Cleveland Browns L 31–38 4–2 Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 7 November 8 at Washington Redskins L 24–27 4–3 Griffith Stadium 32,773 Recap 8 November 15 at Green Bay Packers W 28–24 5–3 Milwaukee County Stadium 25,521 Recap 9 November 22 San Francisco 49ers W 45–14 6–3 Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 10 November 29 Los Angeles Rams W 35–21 7–3 Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 11 December 5 at San Francisco 49ers W 34–14 8–3 Kezar Stadium 59,075 Recap 12 December 12 at Los Angeles Rams W 45–26 9–3 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 65,528 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Standings Postseason 1959 NFL Championship Game The 1959 NFL championship game was played on December 27 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the previous year's title game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game. The Colts beat the Giants 31–16, earning their second consecutive NFL championship over the Giants. Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources Championship December 27 New York Giants W 31–16 1–0 Memorial Stadium 57,545 Recap Roster 1958 Baltimore Colts roster Quarterbacks 19 Johnny Unitas Running backs 35 Alan Ameche 25 Alex Hawkins 43 Hal Lewis 24 Lenny Moore 31 Billy Pricer 26 Mike Sommer Receivers 82 Raymond Berry 84 Jim Mutscheller 87 Jerry Richardson Offensive linemen 50 Buzz Nutter C 77 Jim Parker T 79 Sherman Plunkett T 60 George Preas T 68 Alex Sandusky G 63 Art Spinney G Defensive linemen 81 Ordell Braase DE 85 Ed Cook DE 70 Art Donovan DT 83 Don Joyce DE 78 Ray Krouse DT/DE 76 Gene Lipscomb DT 89 Gino Marchetti DE Linebackers 64 Marv Matuszak MLB 36 Bill Pellington OLB 44 Bert Rechichar OLB 61 Don Shinnick OLB 52 Dick Szymanski MLB Defensive backs 17 Ray Brown S/QB 20 Milt Davis CB 80 Andy Nelson S 47 Johnny Sample S 41 Jackie Simpson CB 23 Carl Taseff CB Special teams 65 Steve Myhra K/G 86 Dave Sherer P/WR Reserve list 45 L. G. Dupre RB (IR) 7px 21 Art DeCarlo CB/WR (IR) 7px -- Hogan Wharton G (Inactive) 55 Leo Sanford LB (Retired) rookies in italics Awards and honors Johnny Unitas, Bert Bell Awardhttp://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients 2010-06-28 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090619081037/http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm June 19, 2009 See also History of the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry References External links 1959 Baltimore Colts at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1959 Baltimore Colts at JT-SW.com Baltimore Colts 1959 Category:NFL championship seasons Baltimore Colt