1975 Baltimore Colts season

The 1975 Baltimore Colts season was the 23rd season for the team in the National Football League. Under first-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished the 1975 season with 10 wins and 4 losses, and tied for first in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins; Baltimore won the division tiebreaker, the first sweep of the Dolphins in their six years under head coach Don Shula.[1][2]

1975 Baltimore Colts season
Head coachTed Marchibroda
General managerJoe Thomas
OwnerRobert Irsay
Home fieldMemorial Stadium
Results
Record10–4
Division placeT-1st AFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Steelers) 10–28
Pro BowlersT George Kunz
RB Lydell Mitchell
DE John Dutton

The Colts won their opener, lost four straight, then swept their final nine games and narrowly edged the Dolphins for the division title.[2] The turnaround season became forever known by Colts fans afterward as The Miracle on 33rd Street.

Hired in January, Marchibroda was previously the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins under head coach George Allen.[3] The 1975 Colts coaching staff included 23-year-old assistant Bill Belichick, his first association with an NFL team and first coaching position.

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1975 NFL Draft
Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team
1 3 Ken Huff Guard North Carolina

Personnel

Staff/Coaches
1975 Baltimore Colts staff
Front Office

Coaching Staff

Offensive Coaches

 Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

  • Special Teams – George Boutselis

Final roster
1975 Baltimore Colts roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season
Main article: 1975 NFL season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance
1 September 21 at Chicago Bears W 35–7 1–0 Soldier Field
54,152
2 September 28 Oakland Raiders L 20–31 1–1 Memorial Stadium
40,657
3 October 5 at Los Angeles Rams L 13–24 1–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
62,491
4 October 12 Buffalo Bills L 31–38 1–3 Memorial Stadium
43,907
5 October 19 at New England Patriots L 10–21 1–4 Schaefer Stadium
51,417
6 October 26 at New York Jets W 45–28 2–4 Shea Stadium
55,137
7 November 2 Cleveland Browns W 21–7 3–4 Memorial Stadium
35,235
8 November 9 at Buffalo Bills W 42–35 4–4 Rich Stadium
77,320
9 November 16 New York Jets W 52–19 5–4 Memorial Stadium
52,097
10 November 23 at Miami Dolphins W 33–17 6–4 Orange Bowl
61,986
11 November 30 Kansas City Chiefs W 28–14 7–4 Memorial Stadium
42,122
12 December 7 at New York Giants W 21–0 8–4 Shea Stadium
49,863
13 December 14 Miami Dolphins W 10–7OT 9–4 Memorial Stadium
59,398
14 December 21 New England Patriots W 34–21 10–4   Memorial Stadium
48,678

Standings
AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Baltimore Colts(3) 10 4 0 .714 6–2 8–3 395 269 W9
Miami Dolphins 10 4 0 .714 6–2 7–4 357 222 W1
Buffalo Bills 8 6 0 .571 5–3 7–4 420 355 L1
New York Jets 3 11 0 .214 2–6 3–8 258 433 L2
New England Patriots 3 11 0 .214 1–7 2–9 258 358 L6
Source:[4]

Playoffs
Main article: 1975–76 NFL playoffs

The team made it to the playoffs as a No. 3 seed and traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers in the divisional round. Tied at seven at the half, Pittsburgh outscored the Colts 21–3 in the second half. The Steelers defense forced four turnovers and held the Colts to 154 total yards of offense in their 28–10 win.[5][6][7]

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Venue Attendance
Divisional December 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers (1) L 10–28 Three Rivers Stadium
49,053

Awards and honors
  • Sporting News Executive of the Year: Joe Thomas
  • AP Coach of the Year, PFW Coach of the Year, Sporting News Coach of the Year, UPI AFC Coach of the Year: Ted Marchibroda

See also

References
  1. Wallace, William N. (December 15, 1975). "Colts in playoffs? Sure looks like it". Milwaukee Journal. (New York Times). p. 9, part 2.
  2. "Colts earn Super shot". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 22, 1975. p. 14.
  3. "Marchibroda steps up as coach of Colts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 16, 1975. p. 10.
  4. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296
  5. "Steeler defense stops Baltimore". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 28, 1975. p. D1.
  6. "Steeler defense too much". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. December 28, 1975. p. 1, sports.
  7. Mulvoy, Mark (January 5, 1976). "A Steelclad case for the defense". Sports Illustrated. p. 13.
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