| 1968 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| General manager | Harry Hulmes |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Coastal |
| Playoff finish | Won Western Conference Championship Game (vs. Vikings) 24–14 Won NFL Championship (atBrowns) 34–0 Lost Super Bowl III (vs. Jets) 7–16 |
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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' record was 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.[1]
In 1968, Baltimore won the Western Conference playoff game with 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 LeagueinSuper Bowl III.[2] 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.[3]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | John Williams | Offensive tackle | Minnesota |
| 2 | 50 | Bob Grant | Linebacker | Wake Forest |
| 3 | 78 | Rich O'Hara | Wide receiver | Northern Arizona |
| 4 | 107 | Jim Duncan | Running back | Maryland-Eastern Shore |
| 5 | 126 | Paul Elzey | Linebacker | Toledo |
| 7 | 188 | Anthony Andrews | Running back | Hampton |
| 8 | 216 | Tommy Davis | Guard | Tennessee State |
| 9 | 242 | Terry Cole | Running back | Indiana |
| 10 | 257 | Ocie Austin | Free safety | Utah State |
| 10 | 270 | Ed Tomlin | Running back | Hampton |
| 11 | 296 | Bill Pickens | Guard | Houston |
| 12 | 324 | James Jackson | Offensive tackle | Jackson State |
| 13 | 350 | Howard Tennebar | Offensive tackle | Kent State |
| 14 | 378 | Charles Mitchell | Tight end | Alabama State |
| 15 | 404 | Jeff Beaver | Quarterback | North Carolina |
| 16 | 432 | Walt Blackledge | Wide receiver | San Jose State |
| 17 | 458 | Roy Pederson | Linebacker | State College of Iowa |
| 1968 Baltimore Colts staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
None - vacant
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| 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 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 28–20 | 2–0 | Atlanta Stadium | 50,428 | |
| 3 | September 29 | atPittsburgh 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 | atSan 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 | atNew York Giants | W 26–0 | 7–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,973 | |
| 9 | November 10 | atDetroit 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 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 16–3 | 12–1 | Lambeau Field | 50,861 | |
| 14 | December 15 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 28–24 | 13–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 69,397 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Minnesota Vikings (6–4) at Baltimore Colts (9–1) – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Colts | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
atMemorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
| Game information | ||
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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.[a]
| NFL Coastal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Baltimore Colts | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 6–0 | 10–0 | 402 | 144 | W8 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 312 | 200 | L2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 2–3–1 | 4–5–1 | 303 | 310 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–6 | 1–9 | 170 | 389 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
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.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9][10][11] The 1968 Colts were being touted as "the greatest football team in history."
InSuper 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.[12][13][14] 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."[14][15][16] The Jets beat the Colts 16–7 in one of the biggest upsets in American sports history.[2]
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.[17]
| 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 | atCleveland 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 |
Minnesota Vikings (8–6) at Baltimore Colts (13–1) – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
atMemorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
| Game information | ||
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Following 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.
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Played in Baltimore (1953–1983) | |
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Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory |
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