1974 Baltimore Colts season
22nd season in franchise history
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The 1974 Baltimore Colts season was the 22nd season for the team in the National Football League. The Colts finished with a record of 2 wins and 12 losses, fifth in the AFC East.
Second-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger was fired after three games,[1] after an argument with owner Robert Irsay over whether Marty Domres or Bert Jones should start at quarterback for the Colts.[2]
General manager Joe Thomas took over the head coaching duties for the remainders of the season, but could direct the team to only two wins, both on the road, as the Colts failed to win a home game during the 1974 season. This would be the last time the Colts would fail to win a home game in a non-strike season until their abysmal 1–15 1991 season, when the team was based in Indianapolis.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1974 Baltimore Colts draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | John Dutton * | Defensive end | LSU | |
| 1 | 24 | Roger Carr * | Wide receiver | Louisiana Tech | |
| 2 | 32 | Fred Cook | Defensive end | Southern Miss | |
| 3 | 57 | Glenn Robinson | Linebacker | Oklahoma State | |
| 3 | 67 | Robert Pratt | Guard | North Carolina | |
| 4 | 84 | Tony Bell | Defensive back | Bowling Green | |
| 5 | 129 | Doug Nettles | Defensive back | Vanderbilt | |
| 6 | 140 | Danny Rhodes | Linebacker | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 161 | Noah Jackson | Guard | Tampa | |
| 7 | 170 | Dan Dickel | Linebacker | Iowa | |
| 7 | 174 | Freddie Scott | Wide receiver | Amherst | |
| 8 | 188 | Greg Latta | Tight end | Morgan State | |
| 8 | 198 | Paul Miles | Running back | Bowling Green | |
| 10 | 240 | Bob Van Duyne | Guard | Idaho | |
| 10 | 257 | Glenn Ellis | Defensive tackle | Elon | |
| 11 | 265 | Tim Rudnick | Defensive back | Notre Dame | |
| 12 | 292 | Dave Simonson | Tackle | Minnesota | |
| 12 | 307 | Bob Bobrowski | Quarterback | Purdue | |
| 13 | 317 | Randy Hall | Defensive back | Idaho | |
| 14 | 344 | Ed Collins | Wide receiver | Rice | |
| 15 | 369 | Pat Kelly | Linebacker | Richmond | |
| 16 | 396 | Dave Margavage | Tackle | Kentucky | |
| 17 | 421 | Tim Berra | Wide receiver | UMass | |
| 17 | 436 | Buzzy Lewis | Defensive back | Florida State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Staff
| Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
Final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
Practice squad
| ||||||
Regular season
All-Pro linebacker Ted Hendricks signed a future contract with the World Football League, and was then traded by the Colts to the Green Bay Packers by general manager Joe Thomas. (Hendricks never ended up playing for the bankrupt WFL, and made four more Pro Bowls in his career.)
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 0–30 | 0–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 48,890 | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–20 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 41,252 | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–30 | 0–3 | Veterans Stadium | 64,205 | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | at New England Patriots | L 3–42 | 0–4 | Schaefer Stadium | 59,502 | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–27 | 0–5 | Memorial Stadium | 40,626 | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | at New York Jets | W 35–20 | 1–5 | Shea Stadium | 51,745 | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | at Miami Dolphins | L 7–17 | 1–6 | Orange Bowl | 65,868 | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–24 | 1–7 | Memorial Stadium | 36,110 | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | Denver Broncos | L 6–17 | 1–8 | Memorial Stadium | 33,244 | Recap |
| 10 | November 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–7 | 2–8 | Atlanta Stadium | 41,278 | Recap |
| 11 | November 24 | New England Patriots | L 17–27 | 2–9 | Memorial Stadium | 34,782 | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 0–6 | 2–10 | Rich Stadium | 75,325 | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | Miami Dolphins | L 16–17 | 2–11 | Memorial Stadium | 34,420 | Recap |
| 14 | December 15 | New York Jets | L 38–45 | 2–12 | Memorial Stadium | 31,651 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Miami Dolphins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 6–2 | 9–2 | 327 | 216 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 264 | 244 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 5–6 | 279 | 300 | W6 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 4–7 | 348 | 289 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 190 | 329 | L4 |
- Source:[3]
Season summary
Week 2 vs Packers
Week Two: Green Bay Packers (0–1) at Baltimore Colts (0–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Colts | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- Date: September 22
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 41,252
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
References
- ^ "Schnellenberger the last to know". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 30, 1974. p. 1C.
- ^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p. 270, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296
See also
Indianapolis Colts | |
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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