1984 Indianapolis Colts season

32nd season in franchise history; first in Indianapolis

The 1984 Indianapolis Colts season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and first in Indianapolis, as they relocated from Baltimore after the 1983 NFL season. The Colts finished the year with a record of 4 wins and 12 losses, and fourth in the AFC East division. In their inaugural game in Indianapolis, they lost 23–14 to the New York Jets and did not win their first game at Indianapolis until week 5, when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 31–17. The Colts lost five games in a row (including another one to the Bills, who started the season 0-11 and finished 2–14) to end the season and miss the playoffs for the 7th straight season.

The Colts' 2,107 passing yards and 4,132 total yards gained on offense were the fewest in the league in 1984.[1]

Personnel

Staff

1984 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

  • President and treasurer – Robert Irsay
  • Vice-president and general manager – Jim Irsay
  • Assistant general manager – Bob Terpening
  • Director of player personnel – Jack Bushofsky

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Frank Kush

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Zeke Bratkowski
  • Running backs – Roger Theder
  • Receivers – Richard Mann
  • Tight ends – Mike Westhoff
  • Offensive line – Hal Hunter
 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Mike Westhoff

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Tom Zupancic

Roster

1984 Indianapolis Colts roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

  • 85 Matt Bouza
  • 80 Ray Butler
  • 88 Bernard Henry
  • 87 Tracy Porter

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 2 New York Jets L 14–23 0–1 Hoosier Dome 61,148
2 September 9 at Houston Oilers W 35–21 1–1 Astrodome 43,820
3 September 16 St. Louis Cardinals L 33–34 1–2 Hoosier Dome 60,274
4 September 23 at Miami Dolphins L 7–44 1–3 Miami Orange Bowl 55,415
5 September 30 Buffalo Bills W 31–17 2–3 Hoosier Dome 60,032
6 October 7 Washington Redskins L 7–35 2–4 Hoosier Dome 60,012
7 October 14 at Philadelphia Eagles L 7–16 2–5 Veterans Stadium 50,277
8 October 21 Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–16 3–5 Hoosier Dome 60,026
9 October 28 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–22 3–6 Texas Stadium 58,724
10 November 4 San Diego Chargers L 10–38 3–7 Hoosier Dome 60,143
11 November 11 at New York Jets W 9–5 4–7 Giants Stadium 51,066
12 November 18 New England Patriots L 17–50 4–8 Hoosier Dome 60,009
13 November 25 at Los Angeles Raiders L 7–21 4–9 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 40,289
14 December 2 at Buffalo Bills L 15–21 4–10 Rich Stadium 20,693
15 December 9 Miami Dolphins L 17–35 4–11 Hoosier Dome 60,411
16 December 16 at New England Patriots L 10–16 4–12 Sullivan Stadium 22,383
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
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 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins(1) 14 2 0 .875 8–0 10–2 513 298 W2
New England Patriots 9 7 0 .563 6–2 9–3 362 352 W1
New York Jets 7 9 0 .438 3–5 7–7 332 364 L1
Indianapolis Colts 4 12 0 .250 2–6 4–8 239 414 L5
Buffalo Bills 2 14 0 .125 1–7 1–11 250 454 L2

Regular season

Game summaries

Week 2: vs. Houston Oilers

Week 2: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Oilers
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 21 7735
Oilers 7 7 0721

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

  • Date: September 9, 1984
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 43,820
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone (play-by-play) and Reggie Rucker (color commentator)
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information
Colts
Oilers

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP IND HOU
1 Oilers Campbell 2-yard touchdown run, Kempf kick good 0 7
2 Colts Pagel 1-yard touchdown run, Biasucci kick good 7 7
2 Oilers Campbell 15-yard touchdown run, Kempf kick good 7 14
2 Colts Dickey 15-yard touchdown run, Biasucci kick good 14 14
2 Colts Butler 31-yard touchdown reception from Pagel, Biasucci kick good 21 14
3 Colts Butler 14-yard touchdown reception from Pagel, Biasucci kick good 28 14
4 Oilers Campbell 1-yard touchdown run, Kempf kick good 28 21
4 Colts Porter 33-yard touchdown reception from Pagel, Biasucci kick good 35 21
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 35 21

Week 8 vs. Pittsburgh

"Good Things come to those who hustle", are words attributed by Pittsburgh's eventual Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll when he recalled Franco Harris Immaculate Reception in 1972. Those words were never so true when Ray Butler scored in the last minute of play off a deflected pass to give the Colts a dramatic 17–16 win over the eventual AFC Central Division champion Steelers. The 54-yard score capped a 17-point fourth quarter for the Colts, as they moved on drives of 57, 77 and 80 yards for the Colts third victory for the season.

See also

References

  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1984 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
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  • Founded in 1953
  • Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
  • Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
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Indianapolis Colts seasons
Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance


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