1973 Baltimore Colts season | |
---|---|
Owner | Robert Irsay |
General manager | Joe Thomas |
Head coach | Howard Schnellenberger |
Home field | Memorial Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 4–10 |
Division place | T-4th AFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1973 Baltimore Colts season was the 21st season for the team in the National Football League. Under first-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Colts finished with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East with the New York Jets. The Colts lost the tiebreaker to the Jets based on head-to-head sweep (0–2).
Baltimore was the only team to lose to the Houston Oilers, bowing 31–27 in week eight at home. The Oilers broke an 18-game losing streak with the victory.
Hired in February, Schnellenberger was previously the offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, [1] who went undefeated in 1972 under head coach Don Shula.
This was the first year since 1955 in which long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas was not on the Baltimore roster.
1973 Baltimore Colts draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Bert Jones * | Quarterback | LSU | |
1 | 10 | Joe Ehrmann * | Defensive tackle | Syracuse | |
2 | 35 | Mike Barnes * | Defensive end | Miami (FL) | |
3 | 61 | Bill Olds * | Running back | Nebraska | |
3 | 62 | Jamie Rotella | Linebacker | Tennessee | |
4 | 83 | Gery Palmer | Tackle | Kansas | |
4 | 85 | Ollie Smith | Wide receiver | Tennessee State | |
5 | 114 | David Taylor | Guard | Catawba | |
8 | 189 | Ray Oldham | Defensive back | Middle Tennessee | |
8 | 191 | Bill Windauer | Guard | Iowa | |
11 | 270 | Dan Neal | Center | Kentucky | |
12 | 295 | Bernard Thomas | Defensive end | Iowa | |
13 | 322 | Tom Pierantozzi | Quarterback | West Chester | |
14 | 347 | Ed Williams | Running back | West Virginia | |
15 | 347 | Jackie Brown | Defensive back | South Carolina | |
16 | 399 | Marty Januszkiewicz | Running back | Syracuse | |
17 | 426 | Guy Falkenhagen | Tackle | Northern Michigan | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists Practice squad
|
Before the season, the Colts traded long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas to the San Diego Chargers. Unitas had been splitting quarterback duties with Earl Morrall and Marty Domres over the past few seasons; he played one season for San Diego and retired.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 16 | at Cleveland Browns | L 14–24 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,303 | Recap |
2 | September 23 | New York Jets | L 10–34 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 55,942 | Recap |
3 | September 30 | New Orleans Saints | W 14–10 | 1–2 | Memorial Stadium | 52,293 | Recap |
4 | October 7 | at New England Patriots | L 16–24 | 1–3 | Schaefer Stadium | 57,044 | Recap |
5 | October 14 | at Buffalo Bills | L 13–31 | 1–4 | Rich Stadium | 78,875 | Recap |
6 | October 21 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–27 | 2–4 | Tiger Stadium | 48,058 | Recap |
7 | October 28 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–34 | 2–5 | Memorial Stadium | 59,008 | Recap |
8 | November 4 | Houston Oilers | L 27–31 | 2–6 | Memorial Stadium | 52,707 | Recap |
9 | November 11 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–44 | 2–7 | Orange Bowl | 60,332 | Recap |
10 | November 18 | at Washington Redskins | L 14–22 | 2–8 | RFK Stadium | 52,675 | Recap |
11 | November 25 | Buffalo Bills | L 17–24 | 2–9 | Memorial Stadium | 52,250 | Recap |
12 | December 2 | at New York Jets | L 17–20 | 2–10 | Shea Stadium | 51,167 | Recap |
13 | December 9 | Miami Dolphins | W 16–3 | 3–10 | Memorial Stadium | 58,446 | Recap |
14 | December 16 | New England Patriots | W 18–13 | 4–10 | Memorial Stadium | 52,065 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
AFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Miami Dolphins | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7–1 | 9–2 | 343 | 150 | W1 |
Buffalo Bills | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 259 | 230 | W4 |
New England Patriots | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–7 | 3–8 | 258 | 300 | L2 |
New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4–4 | 4–7 | 240 | 306 | L2 |
Baltimore Colts | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 226 | 341 | W2 |
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