1953 Baltimore Colts season

Last updated

1953 Baltimore Colts season
1953-colts-teamphoto.jpg
Owner Carroll Rosenbloom (primary)
General manager Don "Red" Kellett
Head coach Keith Molesworth
Home field Memorial Stadium
Results
Record3–9
Division place5th NFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1953 Baltimore Colts season was the first season for the second Colts franchise as a member club of the National Football League (NFL). The Colts had a record of 3 wins and 9 losses and finished fifth in the Western Conference for the year.

Contents

Background

The Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) were one of three teams merged with the NFL in 1950, despite having suffered a woeful 1–11 season in 1949. Adding complexity to the prospects of a team with an obvious talent shortage, as the odd 13th team in the league the Colts were given a round-robin schedule in 1950, meeting every team but the Chicago Bears one time and allowed a standard home-and-away relationship only with the neighboring Washington Redskins.

A predictable debacle ensued, with the Colts again going 1–11 in 1950. Amidst a sea of red ink, the original AAFC Colts shut down operations, with the team's players distributed to the other 12 teams of the league via the 1951 NFL draft.

There would be no professional football in Baltimore during the 1951 and 1952 seasons.

With the original Dallas Texans franchise a major financial failure in their one and only season in Dallas, by the end of 1952 it became clear that a new 12th team would be needed by the NFL. On December 8, 1952, a drive to "Bring Back the Colts" was launched in Baltimore, with headquarters located at Baltimore Memorial Stadium. [1] Doors were thrown open at 9 am and by midnight more than $25,000 towards the purchase of season tickets was pledged. [1] This amount was matched on Day 2 and again on Day 3; at the end of six weeks more than $300,000 for 15,0000 season tickets was pledged, with over 99% of this figure ultimately collected. [1]

This show of enthusiasm drew attention around the country and proved decisive. [1] In January 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore franchise. [2] [3]

The new ownership group was awarded the assets and roster of the Dallas club which it would be replacing in 1953. Among these players were future Hall of Fame defensive linemen Gino Marchetti and Art Donovan, who would comprise a nucleus for the new Baltimore Colts franchise. The new Colts chose the blue and white color scheme used by the original Dallas Texans, while appropriating the bucking-horse-with-football logo used by the original AAFC Baltimore Colts franchise.

Season highlights

First media guide of the new Colts franchise, showing team colors of blue, white, and silver. The guide plays on the jumping horse motiff used by the first Colts franchise. Baltimore-Colts-mediaguide-1953.jpg
First media guide of the new Colts franchise, showing team colors of blue, white, and silver. The guide plays on the jumping horse motiff used by the first Colts franchise.

In the season opener against the Chicago Bears on September 27, Colts' defensive back Bert Rechichar set an NFL record for the longest field goal (56 yards), [4] breaking the previous unofficial record of 55 yards (set by drop kick by Paddy Driscoll in 1924). It stood for over seventeen years, until Tom Dempsey booted a 63-yarder in 1970. [5]

The Colts opened the season strong, winning 3 of their first 5 contests — including two against the venerable Bears and a home win over neighboring Washington — before going into a tailspin in which they racked up 7 consecutive losses.

The 1953 Colts have the unusual distinction of having a losing record, despite having a league-leading 56 defensive takeaways. [6]

Offseason

Draft

1953 Baltimore Colts draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
12 Billy Vessels   HB Oklahoma 1952 Heisman Trophy winner; signed with Edmonton Eskimos (WIFL). Joined Colts in 1956.
214 Bernie Flowers   E Purdue signed with Ottawa Rough Riders (IRFU)
326 Buck McPhail   FB Oklahoma
439 Tom Catlin   LB Oklahoma
551 Jack Little   T Texas A&M
663 Jim Sears   DB USC
775Bill Athey  G Baylor
887Jim Prewett T Tulsa
999Bob Blair E TCU
10111John Cole  B Arkansas
11123Gene Rossi B Cincinnati
12135 Kaye Vaughan  GTulsaSigned with Ottawa Rough Riders (IRFU)
13147Bobby Moorhead B Georgia Tech
14159Frank Continetti G George Washington
15171Buddy Sutton BArkansas
16183Jim Currin E Dayton
17195George Rambour T Dartmouth
18207LeRoy Labat B LSU
19219Bill Powell B California
20231Pete Russo T Indiana
21243Frank Kirby T Bucknell
22255Merlin Gish C Kansas
23267Mike Housepian G Tulane
24279 Monte Brethauer  DB Oregon
25291Joe Szombathy E Syracuse
26303Scott Prescott C Minnesota
27315Ray Graves BTexas A&M
28327Joe Sabol B UCLA
29339Jack Alessandrini G Notre Dame
30351Tom Roche T Northwestern
      Made roster  

[7]

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 27 Chicago Bears W 13–91–0 Memorial Stadium 23,715 Recap
2October 3 Detroit Lions L 17–271–1Memorial Stadium25,159 Recap
3October 11at Chicago Bears W 16–142–1 Wrigley Field 35,316 Recap
4October 18at Green Bay Packers L 14–372–2 City Stadium 18,713 Recap
5October 25 Washington Redskins W 27–173–2Memorial Stadium34,031 Recap
6October 31 Green Bay Packers L 24–353–3Memorial Stadium33,797 Recap
7November 7at Detroit Lions L 7–173–4 Tiger Stadium 46,508 Recap
8November 15at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–453–5 Shibe Park 27,813 Recap
9November 22 Los Angeles Rams L 13–213–6Memorial Stadium27,268 Recap
10November 29 San Francisco 49ers L 21–383–7Memorial Stadium26,005 Recap
11December 5at Los Angeles Rams L 2–453–8 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 26,696 Recap
12December 13at San Francisco 49ers L 14–453–9 Kezar Stadium 23,432 Recap
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Western Conference
WLTPCTCONFPFPASTK
Detroit Lions 1020.8338–2271205W6
San Francisco 49ers 930.7508–2372237W4
Los Angeles Rams 831.7277–3366236W2
Chicago Bears 381.2732–7–1218262L2
Baltimore Colts 390.2502–8182350L7
Green Bay Packers 291.1822–7–1200338L5
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Eastern Conference
WLTPCTCONFPFPASTK
Cleveland Browns 1110.9179–1348162L1
Philadelphia Eagles 741.6366–3–1352215W1
Washington Redskins 651.5456–3–1208215L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 660.5005–5211263W2
New York Giants 390.2503–7179277L2
Chicago Cardinals 1101.0910–10190337W1
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Coaching staff

Roster

Appearing at some time during the 1953 season on Baltimores's 33-man in-season roster were the following players. [8]

† - Denotes starter; 1953 Colts ran a single-wing offense around a tailback rather than a quarterback
* - Denotes NFL Hall of Famer
‡ - Not on end of season roster

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sam Banks (ed.), The Baltimore Colts: 1953 Press, Radio, and Television Guide. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts Football Club, 1953, p. 3.
  2. ↑ "Baltimore assured NFL franchise". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 7, 1953. p. 29.
  3. ↑ "Historical highlights of Colts". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. March 30, 1984. p. C4.
  4. ↑ "Colts jolt Bears, 13-9, get record 56-yard field goal". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. September 28, 1953. p. 2, part 2.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Dempsey's 63 yard FG jolts Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 9, 1970. p. 1, part 2.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2012, in the regular season, sorted by descending Takeaways. The total is tied for the 6th most in NFL history.
  7. ↑ "1953 Baltimore Colts Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  8. ↑ San Francisco Forthy Niners vs. Baltimore Colts: Kezar Stadium, December 13, 1953. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Forty Niners Football Club, 1953; p. 15.
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