| 1965 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| General manager | Don "Red" Kellett |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–3–1 |
| Division place | T-1stNFL Western (playoff) |
| Playoffs | LostWestern Conference Playoff (atPackers) 10–13 Won NFLPlayoff Bowl (vs.Cowboys) 35–3 |
The1965Baltimore Colts season was the 13th season for the team in theNational Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished theNational Football League's1965 season with a record of 10 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie, which tied for first in the Western Conference with theGreen Bay Packers. No tie-breaking system was in place, and a playoff game was required to determine the Western Conference champion, who would host the Eastern Conference championCleveland Browns for the NFL title.
The Colts were victims of the allegedSports Illustratedcover jinx after linebackerDennis Gaubatz was featured in late November. According to the article on the team's defense, the 9–1 Colts would soon clinch the Western title.[1] But the team was beset with numerous obstacles from that point on, not the least of which were serious injuries to both of their quarterbacks, future Hall of FamerJohnny Unitas and back-upGary Cuozzo.
After it was ruled that veteran free agentEd Brown had been acquired too late for inclusion on the postseason roster, halfbackTom Matte (who had played quarterback atOhio State forWoody Hayes) was pressed into service behind center. Yet the Colts were a remarkably resilient bunch, and if not for a blown call in the playoff game, they would have advanced to the league championship game, which they would have hosted atMemorial Stadium in Baltimore.
| 1965 Baltimore Colts staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
| |||||
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB) Special teams(ST) | Practice squad
Reserve
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Minnesota Vikings | W 35–16 | 1–0 | Memorial Stadium | 56,562 | |
| 2 | September 26 | atGreen Bay Packers | L 17–20 | 1–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 48,130 | |
| 3 | October 3 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27–24 | 2–1 | Memorial Stadium | 58,609 | |
| 4 | October 10 | Detroit Lions | W 31–7 | 3–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 5 | October 17 | atWashington Redskins | W 38–7 | 4–1 | D.C. Stadium | 50,405 | |
| 6 | October 24 | Los Angeles Rams | W 35–20 | 5–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 7 | October 31 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 34–28 | 6–1 | Kezar Stadium | 45,827 | |
| 8 | November 7 | atChicago Bears | W 26–21 | 7–1 | Wrigley Field | 45,656 | |
| 9 | November 14 | atMinnesota Vikings | W 41–21 | 8–1 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,426 | |
| 10 | November 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–24 | 9–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 11 | November 25 | atDetroit Lions | T 24–24 | 9–1–1 | Tiger Stadium | 55,036 | |
| 12 | December 5 | Chicago Bears | L 0–13 | 9–2–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 13 | December 12 | Green Bay Packers | L 27–42 | 9–3–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 14 | December 18 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 20–17 | 10–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 46,636 | |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 8–3–1 | 316 | 224 | T1 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 8–3–1 | 389 | 284 | W1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 7–5 | 409 | 275 | L1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 421 | 402 | T1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–7 | 383 | 403 | W2 | |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 4–7–1 | 257 | 295 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–10 | 269 | 328 | L1 | |
The Western Conference playoff game was played atLambeau Field in Green Bay the day after Christmas and the Colts led the Packers 10–0 at halftime. The Packers, with back-up quarterbackZeke Bratkowski in for injuredBart Starr, tied it up late in the fourth quarter onDon Chandler's controversial 22-yard field goal. Video replays appeared to show the kicked ball sailed well wide of the right upright—and the reaction of Chandler confirmed as much. The kick resulted in 1) a re-design of the goalposts, and 2) changing the placement of an official directly under each upright on field-goal attempts for the 1966 season.
Despite evidence to the contrary, the official in question, Jim Tunney (later known as "Dean of NFL Referees"), refused to admit his mistake, claiming that the flight of the ball over the goalpost had been affected by the wind before it veered to the right. The Packers won the game 13–10 in overtime with a 25-yard field goal. The following week the Packers defeated the Cleveland Browns for the NFL title, their third of five under head coachVince Lombardi and first ofthree straight.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | December 26 | atGreen Bay Packers | L 10–13(OT) | Lambeau Field | 50,484 | Recap |
| Playoff Bowl | January 9, 1966 | Dallas Cowboys | W 35–3 | Orange Bowl | 65,569 | - |
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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