1953 Baltimore Colts season
| 1953 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–9 |
| Division place | 5th NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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
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.Memorial Stadium,[4] then lost seven straight to finish the season.
In the season opener against the
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 | |||||
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
- ^ "Baltimore assured NFL franchise". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 7, 1953. p. 29.
- ^ "Historical highlights of Colts". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. March 30, 1984. p. C4.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Colts defeat 'Skins, 27-17". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 26, 1953. p. 28.
- ^ "Colts jolt Bears, 13-9, get record 56-yard field goal". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. September 28, 1953. p. 2, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dempsey's 63 yard FG jolts Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 9, 1970. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "1953 Baltimore Colts Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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| Franchise | |
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| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
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| Current league affiliations |
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