1953 Baltimore Colts season
OwnerCarroll Rosenbloom (primary)
Head coachKeith Molesworth
Home fieldMemorial Stadium
Results
Record3–9
Division place5th NFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1953 Baltimore Colts season was officially the first season for the team as a member club of the National Football League. The Colts had a record of 3 wins and 9 losses and finished fifth in the Western Conference.

In January 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore franchise.[1][2] Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team, and awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization, the descendant of the last remaining Ohio League founding APFA member Dayton Triangles, who lasted only one season in Dallas. Amongst these assets and players were future hall of famer players Gino Marchetti and Art Donovan, the nucleus of the group of players that remained from the Texans and carried on the legacy of the original Triangles franchise. Despite these definitive connections through the years, what was, and is still recognized as the new team was named the Colts after the unrelated previous team that folded following the 1950 season. The team kept the blue and white color scheme that the Triangles franchise had for much of its existence. Baltimore was without a team in 1951 and 1952.

The 1953 Colts have the unusual distinction of having a losing record, despite having a league-leading 56 defensive takeaways.[3] Baltimore had a winning record after five games, defeating neighbor Washington before a capacity crowd of over 34,000 at Memorial Stadium,[4] then lost seven straight to finish the season.

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),[5] 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.[6]

Offseason

Draft

1953 Baltimore Colts draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Billy Vessels  HB Oklahoma 1952 Heisman Trophy winner; signed with Edmonton Eskimos (WIFL)
2 14 Bernie Flowers  E Purdue signed with Ottawa Rough Riders (IRFU)
3 26 Buck McPhail  FB Oklahoma
4 39 Tom Catlin  LB Oklahoma
5 51 Jack Little  T Texas A&M
6 63 Jim Sears  DB USC
7 75 Bill Athey  G Baylor
8 87 Jim Prewett  T Tulsa
9 99 Bob Blair  E TCU
10 111 John Cole  B Arkansas
11 123 Gene Rossi  B Cincinnati
12 135 Kaye Vaughan  G Tulsa Signed with Ottawa Rough Riders (IRFU)
13 147 Bobby Moorhead  B Georgia Tech
14 159 Frank Continetti  G George Washington
15 171 Buddy Sutton  B Arkansas
16 183 Jim Currin  E Dayton
17 195 George Rambour  T Dartmouth
18 207 LeRoy Labat  B LSU
19 219 Bill Powell  B California
20 231 Pete Russo  T Indiana
21 243 Frank Kirby  T Bucknell
22 255 Merlin Gish  C Kansas
23 267 Mike Housepian  G Tulane
24 279 Monte Brethauer  DB Oregon
25 291 Joe Szombathy  E Syracuse
26 303 Scott Prescott  C Minnesota
27 315 Ray Graves  B Texas A&M
28 327 Joe Sabol  B UCLA
29 339 Jack Alessandrini  G Notre Dame
30 351 Tom Roche  T Northwestern
      Made roster  

[7]

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 27 Chicago Bears W 13–9 1–0 Memorial Stadium 23,715 Recap
2 October 3 Detroit Lions L 17–27 1–1 Memorial Stadium 25,159 Recap
3 October 11 at Chicago Bears W 16–14 2–1 Wrigley Field 35,316 Recap
4 October 18 at Green Bay Packers L 14–37 2–2 City Stadium 18,713 Recap
5 October 25 Washington Redskins W 27–17 3–2 Memorial Stadium 34,031 Recap
6 October 31 Green Bay Packers L 24–35 3–3 Memorial Stadium 33,797 Recap
7 November 7 at Detroit Lions L 7–17 3–4 Tiger Stadium 46,508 Recap
8 November 15 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–45 3–5 Shibe Park 27,813 Recap
9 November 22 Los Angeles Rams L 13–21 3–6 Memorial Stadium 27,268 Recap
10 November 29 San Francisco 49ers L 21–38 3–7 Memorial Stadium 26,005 Recap
11 December 5 at Los Angeles Rams L 2–45 3–8 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 26,696 Recap
12 December 13 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–45 3–9 Kezar Stadium 23,432 Recap
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFL Western Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Detroit Lions 10 2 0 .833 8–2 271 205 W6
San Francisco 49ers 9 3 0 .750 8–2 372 237 W4
Los Angeles Rams 8 3 1 .727 7–3 366 236 W2
Chicago Bears 3 8 1 .273 2–7–1 218 262 L2
Baltimore Colts 3 9 0 .250 2–8 182 350 L7
Green Bay Packers 2 9 1 .182 2–7–1 200 338 L5

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Baltimore assured NFL franchise". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 7, 1953. p. 29.
  2. ↑ "Historical highlights of Colts". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. March 30, 1984. p. C4.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Colts defeat 'Skins, 27-17". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 26, 1953. p. 28.
  5. ↑ "Colts jolt Bears, 13-9, get record 56-yard field goal". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. September 28, 1953. p. 2, part 2.
  6. ↑ "Dempsey's 63 yard FG jolts Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 9, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
  7. ↑ "1953 Baltimore Colts Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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