1973 Baltimore Colts season

The 1973 Baltimore Colts season was the 21st season for the team in the National Football League. Under first-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Colts finished with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East with the New York Jets. The Colts lost the tiebreaker to the New York based on head-to-head series (0–2).

1973 Baltimore Colts season
OwnerRobert Irsay
General managerJoe Thomas
Head coachHoward Schnellenberger
Home fieldMemorial Stadium
Results
Record4–10
Division placeT-4th AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Baltimore was the only team to lose to the Houston Oilers, bowing 31–27 in week eight at home. The Oilers broke an 18-game losing streak with the victory.

Hired in February, Schnellenberger was previously the offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins,[1] who went undefeated in 1972 under head coach Don Shula.

This was the first year since 1955 in which long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas was not on the Baltimore roster.

Offseason

NFL draft
Main article: 1973 NFL Draft
1973 Baltimore Colts draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Bert Jones *  Quarterback LSU
1 10 Joe Ehrmann *  Defensive tackle Syracuse
2 35 Mike Barnes *  Defensive end Miami (FL)
3 61 Bill Olds *  Running back Nebraska
3 62 Jamie Rotella  Linebacker Tennessee
4 83 Gery Palmer  Tackle Kansas
4 85 Ollie Smith  Wide receiver Tennessee State
5 114 David Taylor  Guard Catawba
8 189 Ray Oldham  Defensive back Middle Tennessee
8 191 Bill Windauer  Guard Iowa
11 270 Dan Neal  Center Kentucky
12 295 Bernard Thomas  Defensive end Iowa
13 322 Tom Pierantozzi  Quarterback West Chester
14 347 Ed Williams  Running back West Virginia
15 347 Jackie Brown  Defensive back South Carolina
16 399 Marty Januszkiewicz  Running back Syracuse
17 426 Guy Falkenhagen  Tackle Northern Michigan
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff
1973 Baltimore Colts staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches



Final roster
1973 Baltimore Colts roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season
Main article: 1973 NFL season

Before the season, the Colts traded long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas to the San Diego Chargers. Unitas had been splitting quarterback duties with Earl Morrall and Marty Domres over the past few seasons; he played one season for San Diego and retired.

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Game recap
1 September 16 at Cleveland Browns L 14–24 0–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,303 Recap
2 September 23 New York Jets L 10–34 0–2 Memorial Stadium 55,942 Recap
3 September 30 New Orleans Saints W 14–10 1–2 Memorial Stadium 52,293 Recap
4 October 7 at New England Patriots L 16–24 1–3 Schaefer Stadium 57,044 Recap
5 October 14 at Buffalo Bills L 13–31 1–4 Rich Stadium 78,875 Recap
6 October 21 at Detroit Lions W 29–27 2–4 Tiger Stadium 48,058 Recap
7 October 28 Oakland Raiders L 21–34 2–5 Memorial Stadium 59,008 Recap
8 November 4 Houston Oilers L 27–31 2–6 Memorial Stadium 52,707 Recap
9 November 11 at Miami Dolphins L 0–44 2–7 Orange Bowl 60,332 Recap
10 November 18 at Washington Redskins L 14–22 2–8 RFK Stadium 52,675 Recap
11 November 25 Buffalo Bills L 17–24 2–9 Memorial Stadium 52,250 Recap
12 December 2 at New York Jets L 17–20 2–10 Shea Stadium 51,167 Recap
13 December 9 Miami Dolphins W 16–3 3–10 Memorial Stadium 58,446 Recap
14 December 16 New England Patriots W 18–13 4–10 Memorial Stadium 52,065 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings
AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins 12 2 0 .857 7–1 9–2 343 150 W1
Buffalo Bills 9 5 0 .643 6–2 7–4 259 230 W4
New England Patriots 5 9 0 .357 1–7 3–8 258 300 L2
New York Jets 4 10 0 .286 4–4 4–7 240 306 L2
Baltimore Colts 4 10 0 .286 2–6 2–9 226 341 W2

[2]

References
  1. "Colts wanted a winner, so it got Schnellenberger". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 15, 1973. p. 4B.
  2. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296

See also


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