| 1975 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Irsay |
| General manager | Joe Thomas |
| Head coach | Ted Marchibroda |
| Home field | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | T-1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (atSteelers) 10–28 |
| Pro Bowlers | TGeorge Kunz RBLydell Mitchell DEJohn Dutton |
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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 based on a head-to-head sweep of Miami — the first sweep of the Dolphins in their six years under head coach Don Shula.[1][2]
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.
This was the first of three consecutive AFC East titles for the Colts. 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.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Ken Huff | G | North Carolina | |
| 3 | 53 | Mike Washington | CB | Alabama | |
| 56 | Dave Pear | DT | Washington | ||
| 4 | 80 | Marshall Johnson | WR | Houston | |
| 93 | Paul Linford | DT | BYU | ||
| 5 | 105 | Roosevelt Leaks | RB | Texas | |
| 6 | 131 | Don Westbrook | WR | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 157 | Kim Jones | RB | Colorado State | |
| 160 | Steve Joachim | QB | Temple | ||
| 168 | Derrel Luce | LB | Baylor | ||
| 8 | 184 | John Bushong | DE | Western Kentucky | |
| 187 | Greg Denboer | TE | Michigan | ||
| 192 | Mario Cage | RB | Northwestern Louisiana | ||
| 9 | 209 | Royce McKinney | DB | Kentucky State | |
| 10 | 236 | Phil Waganheim | P | Maryland | |
| 11 | 261 | David Hazel | WR | Ohio State | |
| 12 | 288 | Brad Storm | LB | Iowa State | |
| 13 | 313 | John Roman | G | Idaho State | |
| 14 | 340 | Mike Smith | C | SMU | |
| 15 | 365 | John Goodie | RB | Langston | |
| 16 | 392 | Bill Malouf | QB | Ole Miss | |
| 399 | Mike Evavold | DT | MacAlester | ||
| 416 | Robert Smith | DB | Maryland | ||
| 17 | 417 | David McKnight | LB | Georgia | |
| 426 | Mike Bengard | DE | Northwestern (Iowa) | ||
| 440 | Frank Russel | WR | Maryland |
| 1975 Baltimore Colts staff | ||||||
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Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams 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
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | atChicago Bears | W 35–7 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 54,152 | Recap |
| 2 | September 28 | Oakland Raiders | L 20–31 | 1–1 | Memorial Stadium | 40,657 | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 13–24 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 62,491 | Recap |
| 4 | October 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 31–38 | 1–3 | Memorial Stadium | 43,907 | Recap |
| 5 | October 19 | atNew England Patriots | L 10–21 | 1–4 | Schaefer Stadium | 51,417 | Recap |
| 6 | October 26 | atNew York Jets | W 45–28 | 2–4 | Shea Stadium | 55,137 | Recap |
| 7 | November 2 | Cleveland Browns | W 21–7 | 3–4 | Memorial Stadium | 35,235 | Recap |
| 8 | November 9 | atBuffalo Bills | W 42–35 | 4–4 | Rich Stadium | 77,320 | Recap |
| 9 | November 16 | New York Jets | W 52–19 | 5–4 | Memorial Stadium | 52,097 | Recap |
| 10 | November 23 | atMiami Dolphins | W 33–17 | 6–4 | Orange Bowl | 61,986 | Recap |
| 11 | November 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–14 | 7–4 | Memorial Stadium | 42,122 | Recap |
| 12 | December 7 | atNew York Giants | W 21–0 | 8–4 | Shea Stadium | 49,863 | Recap |
| 13 | December 14 | Miami Dolphins | W 10–7OT | 9–4 | Memorial Stadium | 59,398 | Recap |
| 14 | December 21 | New England Patriots | W 34–21 | 10–4 | Memorial Stadium | 48,678 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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 |
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 | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 27 | atPittsburgh Steelers (1) | L 10–28 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,053 | Recap |
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| Division championships (16) |
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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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