1968 Baltimore Colts season

16th season in franchise history; first Super Bowl appearance and loss August 2023 March 2026 Baltimore Colts 1968 13–1 1st NFL Coastal Carroll Rosenbloom Harry Hulmes Don Shula Memorial Stadium Won Western Conference Championship Game(vs. Vikings) 24–14Won NFL Championship(at Browns) 34–0Lost Super Bowl III(vs. Jets) 7–16 Colts seasons The 1968 Baltimore Colts season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Led by sixth-year head coach Don Shula, they finished the regular season with a record of 13 wins and 1 loss, and won the Western Conference's Coastal division. The previous season, the Colts finished 11–1–2, tied for the best in the league, but were excluded from the playoffs. They lost a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Rams for the Coastal Division title in 1967; the other three teams in the NFL postseason, all division winners, had nine wins each. The Colts finished the 1968 regular season with the team's defense having allowed just 144 points — tying the NFL record for a 14-game season."Baltimore Colts" in Al Silverman (ed.), Pro Football Almanac, 1969. New York: McFadden-Bartell Corp., 1969, pp. 60-61. In 1968, Baltimore won the Western Conference playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL Championship Game in a shutout of the Cleveland Browns, but then lost to the New York Jets of the American Football League in Super Bowl III.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1969/01/13/page/63/article/jets-score-super-upset-over-colts Chicago Tribune Strickler George Jets score Super upset over Colts January 13, 1969 1, section 3 Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas had been injured during the pre-season, so Earl Morrall led the offense. He would finish the season as the league leader in touchdown passes with 26. Shula decided to bring Unitas back in during the second half of the Super Bowl, to no avail. After the upset, instead of championship rings, luxury watches were given to the team as a consolation prize to commemorate their NFL Championship victory over Cleveland.The Baltimore Colts 1968 NFL Championship Ring That Wasn't « Sports-Rings.com – Blog http://sports-rings.com/wordpress1/2014/03/20/the-baltimore-colts-1968-nfl-championship-ring-that-wasnt/ 2020-08-03 sports-rings.com Offseason NFL draft 1968 NFL draft Round Pick Player Position School/Club team123John WilliamsOffensive tackleMinnesota250Bob GrantLinebackerWake Forest378Rich O'HaraWide receiverNorthern Arizona4107Jim DuncanRunning backMaryland-Eastern Shore5126Paul ElzeyLinebackerToledo7188Anthony AndrewsRunning back Hampton8216Tommy DavisGuardTennessee State9242Terry ColeRunning backIndiana10257Ocie AustinFree safetyUtah State10270Ed TomlinRunning backHampton11296Bill PickensGuardHouston12324James Jackson Offensive tackleJackson State13350Howard TennebarOffensive tackleKent State14378Charles MitchellTight endAlabama State15404Jeff BeaverQuarterbackNorth Carolina16432Walt BlackledgeWide receiverSan Jose State17458Roy PedersonLinebackerState College of Iowa Undrafted free agents + 1968 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJohnny MataLinebackerNorth Texas State Personnel Staff/Coaches 1968 Baltimore Colts staff Front office Owner/president and treasurer – Carroll Rosenbloom General manager – Harry Hulmes Coaching staff Head coach – Don Shula Offensive coaches Receivers/offensive ends – Dick Bielski Offensive backs – Don McCafferty Offensive line coach – John Sandusky Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive line – Bill Arnsparger Defensive backfield – Chuck Noll Linebackers coach – Don Shula Roster 1968 Baltimore Colts 15 Earl Morrall 19 Johnny Unitas 16 Jim Ward quarterback  2 Timmy Brown 34 Terry Cole American football y 45 Jerry Hill American football 41 Tom Matte 26 Preston Pearson 80 Gail Cogdill 25 Alex Hawkins 28 Jimmy Orr 27 Ray Perkins 87 Willie Richardson 88 John Mackey American football 84 Tom Mitchell American football 73 Sam Ball T 50 Bill Curry C 61 Cornelius Johnson offensive lineman G 62 Glenn Ressler G 71 Dan Sullivan American football G 52 Dick Szymanski C 72 Bob Vogel T 65 John Williams offensive lineman, born 1945 y T 81 Ordell Braase DE 85 Roy Hilton DE 76 Fred Miller defensive lineman DT 74 Billy Ray Smith Sr. DT 78 Bubba Smith DE 32 Mike Curtis American football OLB 53 Dennis Gaubatz MLB 51 Bob Grant American football y OLB 55 Ron Porter OLB 66 Don Shinnick OLB 64 Sid Williams OLB 37 Ocie Austin y CB 40 Bobby Boyd CB 20 Jerry Logan SS 43 Lenny Lyles CB 47 Charlie Stukes CB 21 Rick Volk FS 49 David Lee punter P 79 Lou Michaels K None - vacant 29 Don Alley WR 18 Jeff Beaver y no QB 23 Walt Blackledge y no WR 65 Tommy Davis y no DT 35 Jim Duncan cornerback y CB 48 Doug Goodwin LB 68 Charlie Johnson no DT Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 15 San Francisco 49ers W 27–10 1–0 Memorial Stadium 56,864 2 September 22 at Atlanta Falcons W 28–20 2–0 Atlanta Stadium 50,428 3 September 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 41–7 3–0 Pitt Stadium 44,480 4 October 6 Chicago Bears W 28–7 4–0 Memorial Stadium 60,238 5 October 13 at San Francisco 49ers W 42–14 5–0 Kezar Stadium 32,822 6 October 20 Cleveland Browns L 20–30 5–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 7 October 27 Los Angeles Rams W 27–10 6–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 8 November 3 at New York Giants W 26–0 7–1 Yankee Stadium 62,973 9 November 10 at Detroit Lions W 27–10 8–1 Tiger Stadium 55,170 10 November 17 St. Louis Cardinals W 27–0 9–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 11 November 24 Minnesota Vikings W 21–9 10–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 12 December 1 Atlanta Falcons W 44–0 11–1 Memorial Stadium 60,238 13 December 7, 1968 at Green Bay Packers W 16–3 12–1 Lambeau Field 50,861 14 December 15 at Los Angeles Rams W 28–24 13–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 69,397 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings Baltimore Colts 1968 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Minnesota Vikings (6–4) at Baltimore Colts (9–1) – Game summary November 24, 1968 1:00 p.m. Vikings 0 3 3 3 Colts 7 14 0 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 50 F C or, relative humidity 63%, wind 9 mph km/h knots CBS https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811240clt.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Colts — November 24th, 1968 First quarter BAL — Terry Cole 1-yard rush (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 7–0 Second quarter BAL — Willie Richardson 39-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 14–0 BAL — Tom Mitchell 18-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 21–0 MIN — Fred Cox 43-yard field goal. Colts 21–3 Third quarter MIN — Fred Cox 36-yard field goal. Colts 21–6 Fourth quarter MIN — Fred Cox 31-yard field goal. Colts 21–9 Top passers BAL — Earl Morrall — 17/24, 259 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT MIN — Gary Cuozzo — 12/18, 141 yards Top rushers BAL — Terry Cole — 20 rushes, 71 yards, TD MIN — Clinton Jones — 10 rushes, 53 yards Top receivers BAL — Willie Richardson — 6 receptions, 150 yards, TD MIN — John Beasley — 6 receptions, 79 yards This would be the last occasion the Colts hosted the Vikings in the regular season until 2000 in Indianapolis. The intervening gap — following the playoff meeting between the same teams at the same venue — of 31 seasons constitutes the second-longest gap without one team visiting another in NFL history.Tampa Bay did not play at Buffalo until 2009, although the Buccaneers joined the league 33 seasons previously.Urena Ivan Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present 2014 McFarland & Company Jefferson, North Carolina 9780786473519 15-16 Standings Post-season The team made it to the playoffs as winners of the Coastal division and hosted the Minnesota Vikings of the Central division for the Western Conference title. The Colts took a 21–0 lead and went on to win 24–14.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YMAdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XygEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7012%2C1342296 Milwaukee Journal Bledsoe Terry Kapp, the tough Viking, finds Colts even tougher December 23, 1968 10, part 2 They then traveled to Cleveland to take on the Browns in the NFL Championship Game. Baltimore's only loss of the season came at home to the Browns in October, falling 20–30.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5CZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ngEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7358%2C1653685 Toledo Blade Ohio Associated Press Browns prove Colts are human October 21, 1968 25 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5CZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ngEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7358%2C1653685 Milwaukee Sentinel UPI Browns hand Colts first loss October 21, 1968 1, part 2 In late December, the Colts defense was on top of their game as they shut out the Browns 34–0 to gain their third NFL title.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/12/30/page/59/article/colts-crush-browns-for-n-f-l-title Chicago Tribune Strickler George Colts crush Browns for NFL title December 30, 1968 1, section 3 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X5ZIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R4QMAAAAIBAJ&pg=939%2C4599931 Youngstown Vindicator Ohio Scholl Bill Colts gain revenge, wallop Browns, 34–0, to win National League crown December 30, 1968 12 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8g8zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pgEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7251%2C5836430 Toledo Blade Ohio Hannen John Colts' Matte returned home to KO Cleveland January 30, 1968 18 The 1968 Colts were being touted as "the greatest football team in history." In Super Bowl III, the Colts took on the heavy underdog New York Jets led by quarterback Joe Namath, with the Colts favored by 19 1 2 points.http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1969/01/10/page/57/article/colts-soar-to-21-point-favorites Chicago Tribune Strickler George Colts soar to 21-point favorites January 10, 1969 1, section 3 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8bRWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7232%2C4147775 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Jets' Namath carries hopes for AFL prestige today January 12, 1969 1, sports https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8LRWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7206%2C3256800 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Quarterbacks Super Bowl topics January 11, 1969 13 Before the game, former NFL star and coach Norm Van Brocklin ridiculed the AFL, saying "This will be Namath's first professional football game." Three days before the game, Namath was being heckled in Miami and he responded by saying: "We’re going to win Sunday. I guarantee it."https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j_UhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LKIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5855%2C5352371 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania Knight-Ridder Dorman Larry A guarantee of greatness January 15, 1989 C1 Zinser Lynn Pregame Talk Is Cheap, but This Vow Resonates May 25, 2012 The New York Times B10 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/sports/hockey/mark-messiers-vow-set-the-bar-for-sports-guarantees.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220622020207/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/sports/hockey/mark-messiers-vow-set-the-bar-for-sports-guarantees.html?_r=1 June 22, 2022 live The Jets beat the Colts 16–7 in one of the biggest upsets in American sports history. Perhaps the biggest effect of the Colts' loss is that the predominant sentiment that the AFL was not strong enough to merge with the NFL was firmly squelched.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AtlVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6442%2C2878418 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Funk Ben Jets make believers out of Colts, NFL January 13, 1969 3B Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Western Conference December 22 Minnesota Vikings W 24–14 1–0 Memorial Stadium 60,238 NFL Championship December 29 at Cleveland Browns W 34–0 2–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 80,628 Super Bowl III January 12, 1969 New York Jets L 7–16 2–1 Miami Orange Bowl 75,389 Conference Playoff: vs. Minnesota Vikings Baltimore Colts 1968 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Minnesota Vikings (8–6) at Baltimore Colts (13–1) – Game summary December 22, 1968 1:00 p.m. Vikings 0 0 0 14 Colts 0 7 14 3 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 33 F C 1 or, relative humidity 73%, wind 7 mph km/h knots, wind chill 27 F C 1 or CBS https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812220clt.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com Divisional Round — Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Colts — December 22nd, 1968 First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter BAL — Tom Mitchell 3-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 7–0 Third quarter BAL – John Mackey 49-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 14–0 BAL — Mike Curtis 60-yard defensive fumble return (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 21–0 Fourth quarter MIN — Billy Martin 1-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Fred Cox kick). Colts 21–7 BAL — Lou Michaels 33-yard field goal. Colts 24–7 MIN — Bill Brown 7-yard pass from Joe Kapp (Fred Cox kick). Colts 24–14 Top passers BAL — Earl Morrall — 13/22, 280 yards, 2 TD, INT MIN — Joe Kapp — 26/44, 287 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers BAL — Tom Matte — 14 rushes, 31 yards MIN — Joe Kapp — 10 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers BAL — Willie Richardson — 6 receptions, 148 yards MIN — Gene Washington — 5 receptions, 95 yardsFollowing upon their last regular-season visit to the Colts for 32 years, the Vikings would visit the Colts for the last time in a competition game until 2000 in their first-ever postseason appearance. Awards Earl Morrall: AP NFL MVP Don Shula: AP NFL Coach of the Year See also Baltimore Colts List of Indianapolis Colts seasons Notes References 2 External links 1968 Baltimore Colts at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1968 Baltimore Colts at JT-SW.com "1968 Baltimore Colts," Classic Sports via YouTube.com, Aug. 27, 2022 (Video.) Baltimore Colts Baltimore Colts Category:Baltimore Colts seasons Category:NFL championship seasons Category:1960s in Baltimore