1964 Baltimore Colts season



The 1964 Baltimore Colts season was the 12th season of the second Colts franchise in the National Football League. The Colts finished the regular season with a record of 12 wins and 2 losses, good for first place in the Western Conference. It was their first conference title since 1959.

After an opening loss at Minnesota, the Colts won eleven straight, dropped a home game in December to Detroit, then easily won the finale with Washington.

Baltimore met the Cleveland Browns (10–3–1) of the Eastern Conference in the NFL Championship Game in Cleveland, won by the underdog Browns, 27–0.

Background
The Colts' sideline commander, former defensive back Don Shula, made his head coaching debut in 1963, getting off to a rocky start by dropping five of the first eight games of the season. The tide then turned, however, and the Colts finished strong, with five wins and a 1-point loss in the final six contests of the year.

"The last half of 1963 we were as good a team as there was in the NFL," Shula said. "As the season progressed, I learned, the veterans learned, and the rookies learned." Four rookies and one newcomer had started for the blue-and-white and after a rough beginning the team had seemingly jelled. Internally, expectations for the team were high for the Colts entering the 1964 campaign.

The team centered around quarterback Johnny Unitas, a two-time NFL champion who was regarded as one of the most talented passers in the league. The 30-year old Unitas had finished 1962 ranked second among NFL QBs, with his 237 completions and 3,481 yards gained tops in the league. Only 2.9 percent of Unitas' passes ended in interception in 1963 — also best in the league.

The Colts' ground attack had been lead by halfback Tom Matte, a third-year player who gained 541 yards in 1963. The Colts' receiving corps featured three of the NFL's top 25 in total receptions, headed by sure-handed split end Raymond Berry, characterized by one pundit as "the slowest, most awkward end in the league, and one of the best." He was joined by a "sawed-off jet" named Jimmy Orr, as well as gritty tight end John Mackey, a future NFL Hall of Famer. This potent trio was ably aided by running back and third wide receiver Lenny Moore. It was, on paper, a very solid offensive unit.

The defensive situation was less certain with aging veterans throughout the front seven, including 37-year crowd favorite Gino Marchetti and 32-year old Ordell Braase as bookend defensive ends, with the 36-year old Bill Pellington anchoring the team's linebackers. The defensive backfield was young and fast, however, with cornerback Bob Boyd and safety Jerry Logan regarded as stars.

Preseason
NFL teams played a five game preseason schedule in 1964. The Colts posted a record of 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie during the season's warmup phase, topping the Philadelphia Eagles in the opener, battling the Detroit Lions to a 28–28 tie, and dropping game 3 to the St. Louis Cardinals by 9. They finished strong, however, recording blowout victories over the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers — with the Colts scoring more than 40 points in each of those one-sided contests.

Schedule
when the baseball Cardinals reached the World Series, preempting use of Busch Stadium.
 * Note: The Week 5 game with the Cardinals was scheduled to be played at St. Louis, but moved to Baltimore

Postseason
After Baltimore's 12–2 regular season, they traveled to Cleveland to take on the Browns (10–3–1) for the NFL title on December 27. The host team was alternated between the conferences, Eastern in even-numbered seasons and Western in the odd-numbered. This was the third championship game appearance for the Colts since joining the NFL in 1953, and they entered the game as seven-point favorites. Both teams had two weeks to prepare: the first half was uneventful and scoreless, but the home underdog Browns scored seventeen points in the third quarter in their 27–0 rout of the Colts.

Awards and honors

 * Johnny Unitas, Bert Bell Award

Staff/coaches

 * Source: