1977 Baltimore Colts season

Baltimore Colts
1977 Baltimore Colts season
Owner	Robert Irsay
Head coach	Ted Marchibroda
General manager	Dick Szymanski
Home field	Memorial Stadium
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	T-1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Lost AFC Divisional; (Raiders) 31–37, 2OT
Pro Bowlers	T George Kunz; RB Lydell Mitchell; DT Mike Barnes; DE John Dutton; K Toni Linhart

The 1977 Baltimore Colts season was the 25th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with 10 wins and 4 losses, tied for first in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins. The Colts had the tiebreaker over Miami based on better conference record (9–3 to 8–4), and the Dolphins missed the playoffs.[1][2]

This was the final playoff appearance for the Colts as a Baltimore-based franchise (their next came ten years later in 1987, by which time the team moved to Indianapolis). Baltimore's next playoff team was the Ravens in 2000, winners of Super Bowl XXXV.

Offseason

Colts' owner Robert Irsay fired general manager Joe Thomas in January 1977, due to a power struggle he was having with head coach Ted Marchibroda.[3][4][5] The new general manager was former Colts center Dick Szymanski, who was the personnel director and a former scout.[6][7][8]

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1977 Baltimore Colts draft
1	26	Randy Burke	Wide Receiver	Kentucky
2	53	Mike Ozdowski	Defensive end	Virginia
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

**1977 Baltimore Colts staff**

	Front office President and Treasurer – Robert Irsay General Manager – Dick Szymanski Assistant General Manager – Ernie Accorsi Head coaches Head Coach – Ted Marchibroda Offensive coaches Receivers – Dick Bielski Offensive Line – Whitey Dovell			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Maxie Baughan Defensive Line – Ed Khayat Defensive Backfield – Frank Lauterbur Special teams coaches Special Teams – George Boutselis

Roster

**1977 Baltimore Colts roster**

	Quarterbacks 7 Bert Jones 15 Mike Kirkland 12 Bill Troup Running backs 48 Roosevelt Leaks FB 34 Ron Lee 23 Don McCauley 26 Lydell Mitchell 27 Howard Stevens PR Wide receivers 81 Roger Carr 35 Glenn Doughty 28 Perry Griggs 80 Marshall Johnson 28 Howard Satterwhite 86 Freddie Scott 88 Ricky Thompson Tight ends 83 Mack Alston 87 Raymond Chester 85 Jimmie Kennedy		Offensive linemen 50 Forrest Blue C 66 Elmer Collett G 69 Wade Griffin T 62 Ken Huff G 75 George Kunz T 57 Ken Mendenhall C 61 Robert Pratt G 64 David Taylor T 67 Bob Van Duyne G Defensive linemen 63 Mike Barnes DT 72 Fred Cook DE 78 John Dutton DE 76 Joe Ehrmann DT 73 Ron Fernandes DE 79 Greg Johnson DE 74 Ken Novak DT		Linebackers 55 Dan Dickel MLB 58 Derrel Luce OLB 52 Tom MacLeod OLB 54 Sanders Shiver OLB 56 Ed Simonini MLB 53 Stan White OLB Defensive backs 47 Tim Baylor FS 44 Lyle Blackwood FS 40 Bruce Laird SS/KR 42 Lloyd Mumphord CB 31 Nelson Munsey CB 30 Doug Nettles CB 25 Ray Oldham SS 43 Norm Thompson CB Special teams 2 Toni Linhart K 49 David Lee P		Reserve lists 84 Randy Burke WR (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Source:[9]

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance
1	September 18	at Seattle Seahawks	W 29–14	1–0	Kingdome	58,991
2	September 25	at New York Jets	W 20–12	2–0	Giants Stadium	43,439
3	October 2	Buffalo Bills	W 17–14	3–0	Memorial Stadium	49,247
4	October 9	Miami Dolphins	W 45–28	4–0	Memorial Stadium	57,829
5	October 16	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 17–6	5–0	Arrowhead Stadium	63,076
6	October 23	at New England Patriots	L 3–17	5–1	Schaefer Stadium	60,958
7	October 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 31–21	6–1	Memorial Stadium	60,225
8	November 7	Washington Redskins	W 10–3	7–1	Memorial Stadium	57,740
9	November 13	at Buffalo Bills	W 31–13	8–1	Rich Stadium	39,444
10	November 20	New York Jets	W 33–12	9–1	Memorial Stadium	50,957
11	November 27	at Denver Broncos	L 13–27	9–2	Mile High Stadium	74,939
12	December 5	at Miami Dolphins	L 6–17	9–3	Orange Bowl	68,977
13	December 11	Detroit Lions	L 10–13	9–4	Memorial Stadium	45,124
14	December 18	New England Patriots	W 30–24	10–4	Memorial Stadium	42,250

Monday night (November 7, December 5)

This was the seventeenth and last NFL regular season with 14 games: it was expanded to 16 games in 1978.

Week 1

Lydell Mitchell 32 Rush, 114 Yds

[10]

Week 2 at Jets

Week Two: Baltimore Colts (1–0) at New York Jets (0–1)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	7	6	0	20
Jets	0	3	0	9	12

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: September 25
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
Game attendance: 43,439
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

BAL – Roosevelt Leaks 6-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Colts 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

BAL – Don McCauley 2-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Colts 14–0. Drive:
NYJ – Pat Leahy 25-yard field goal. Colts 14–3. Drive:

Third quarter

BAL – Don McCauley 1-yard run (Toni Linhart kick). Colts 21–3. Drive:

Fourth quarter

NYJ – Safety, David Lee ran out of end zone. Colts 21–5.
NYJ – Charlie White 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Colts 21–12. Drive:

Top passers

BAL – Bert Jones – 9/15, 78 yards, INT
NYJ – Richard Todd – 13/22, 140 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

BAL – Lydell Mitchell – 26 rushes, 68 yards
NYJ – Charlie White – 12 rushes, 36 yards, TD

Top receivers

BAL – Don McCauley – 5 receptions, 40 yards
NYJ – Clark Gaines – 6 receptions, 47 yards

Week 3

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	0	7	14
• Colts	0	10	0	7	17

Date: October 2
Location: Memorial Stadium

Week 4

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	14	14	0	0	28
• Colts	10	14	14	7	45

Date: October 9
Location: Memorial Stadium

Week 5

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Colts	14	0	3	0	17
Chiefs	0	6	0	0	6

Date: October 16
Location: Arrowhead Stadium

Week 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	0	3	0	3
• Patriots	7	0	10	0	17

Date: October 23
Location: Sullivan Stadium

Week 7

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	7	14	21
• Colts	3	14	7	7	31

Date: October 30
Location: Memorial Stadium

Week 8

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	3	0	0	3
• Colts	3	0	0	7	10

Date: November 7
Location: Memorial Stadium
Television network: ABC

Week 9

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Colts	10	14	7	0	31
Bills	7	3	3	0	13

Date: November 13
Location: Rich Stadium

Week 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	3	0	3	6	12
• Colts	6	13	7	7	33

Date: November 20
Location: Memorial Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C) • Wind 6 mph (10 km/h; 5 kn)

[11]

Week 11

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	3	10	0	13
• Broncos	7	7	0	13	27

Date: November 27
Location: Mile High Stadium

Week 12

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	6	0	0	0	6
• Dolphins	3	7	0	7	17

Date: December 5
Location: Orange Bowl
Television network: ABC

Week 13

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Lions	0	3	0	10	13
Colts	0	0	3	7	10

Date: December 11
Location: Memorial Stadium
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan, Johnny Unitas

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	14	10	0	24
• Colts	0	3	13	14	30

Date: December 18
Location: Memorial Stadium

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Baltimore Colts⁽²⁾	10	4	0	.714	6–2	9–3	295	221	W1
Miami Dolphins	10	4	0	.714	6–2	8–4	313	197	W1
New England Patriots	9	5	0	.643	4–4	7–5	278	217	L1
New York Jets	3	11	0	.214	2–6	2–10	191	300	L2
Buffalo Bills	3	11	0	.214	2–6	2–10	160	313	L1

Playoffs

Baltimore made it to the AFC playoffs as a No. 2 seed and hosted the defending Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders in the divisional round. The Colts held a 31–28 lead with time running out, when the famous “Ghost to the Post” play to tight end Dave Casper advanced the Raiders to the Baltimore 14-yard line, where Errol Mann kicked the tying field goal to send the contest into overtime.[12] After the first overtime went scoreless, Casper caught a 10-yard touchdown pass 43 seconds into the period to win the game for the Raiders.[13][14]

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 24	Oakland Raiders (4)	L 31–37^2OT	Memorial Stadium	60,763

Divisional

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
• Raiders	7	0	14	10	6	37
Colts	0	10	7	14	0	31

Date:
December 24
Location: Memorial Stadium

References

"Colts win a berth in playoffs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 19, 1977. p. 1B.
"Dolphins irate over blown call". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. December 19, 1977. p. 2B.
"Colt GM Thomas fired". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 21, 1977. p. C1.
"Internal problems get Thomas fired". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 22, 1977. p. 7.
"Colts dumping Joe Thomas". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 22, 1977. p. 13.
"Colts realign front office". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 24, 1977. p. C6.
"Shakeup underway in Baltimore". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 25, 1977. p. 12.
"Baltimore shakeup continues". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 25, 1977. p. 2B.
"1977 Baltimore Colts starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-24.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Reid, Ron (January 2, 1978). "The Ghost to the Post". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
Livingston, Pat (December 25, 1977). "Oakland stops Baltimore, 37-31". Pittsburgh Press. p. D1.
"Suddenly, the Raiders win a 37-31 decision". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. December 25, 1977. p. 3C.

Indianapolis Colts
Founded in 1953 Played in Baltimore (1953–1983) Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
Franchise	History in Baltimore relocation to Indianapolis Players Quarterbacks Coaches Seasons Draft First-round draft picks Ring of Honor
Stadiums	Memorial Stadium RCA Dome Lucas Oil Stadium
Culture	Carroll Rosenbloom Robert Irsay Jim Irsay 12th Man AAFC Colts Baltimore Colts Marching Band The Band That Wouldn't Die Blue Cheerleaders Parks and Recreation
Lore	The Greatest Game Ever Played Ghost to the Post 1995 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle Deflategate Colts Catastrophe Snow Bowl
Rivalries	Houston Texans New England Patriots Brady–Manning rivalry
Division championships (16)	1968 1970 1975 1976 1977 1987 1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2013 2014
Conference championships (7)	1958 1959 1964 1968 1970 2006 2009
League championships (5)	1958 1959 1968 1970 (V) 2006 (XLI)
Retired numbers	18 19 22 24 70 77 82 89
Media	Broadcasters WFNI-AM Bob Lamey Jim Sorgi
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: South Division
Seasons (67)	1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Championship seasons in bold Category

Indianapolis Colts seasons
Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance