Baltimore Colts

See my opening monologue in this post. 

In 1970 Johnny Unitas started 13 games, the Colts finished 11-2-1 and won the Super Bowl.
In 1971 Unitas and Earl Morrall split the starts, the Colts finished 10-4 and lost the AFC Conference Championship.
In 1972 Unitas and Marty Domres split the starts, and the Colts finished 5-9. They would drop even further in '73 and '74.

Johnny Unitas played 17 seasons for the Colts (1956-72), and was the #1 QB every season except ’68, ’71, and ’72. He led the NFL in passing yards 4 times and TDs 4 times. For 11 consecutive seasons (1957-67) he was a Pro Bowl selection, First-Team All-Pro, or both. He finished his career with the Chargers in 1973, making only 4 starts.

Tom Matte was the Colts’ 1st-round pick in 1961. He played 12 seasons (1961-72), all with the Colts, and was the starting halfback in ’63, ’67, ’68, ’69, and ’71. He was a 2-time Pro Bowl selection, and was First-Team All-Pro in 1969, leading the NFL with 11 rushing TDs.

Norm Bulaich was the Colts’ #1 pick in the 1970 draft. He was the starting fullback in his first 2 seasons, then missed 8 games in 1972. He played the next 2 seasons as the Eagles’ starting fullback, then finished his career with 5 seasons in Miami (1975-79).

Jim O’Brien was the Colts’ 3rd-round pick in 1970, and kicked for 3 seasons in Baltimore, including his last-second field goal that won Super Bowl V in his rookie season. He also started 8 games at wide receiver in 1972. He finished his career with the Lions in 1973.

Bubba Smith was the first-overall pick in the 1967 draft. After riding the bench in his rookie season, he was the Colts’ starting left end from 1968-71, making the Pro Bowl in the last 2 seasons. After missing 1972 with a knee injury, he started 25 games for the Raiders from 1973-74, then finished up as a backup with the Oilers in ’75 and ’76. I’m surprised to see he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

Ted Hendricks was selected by the Colts in the 2nd round of the 1969 draft. He started at outside linebacker from 1969-73, and was named to 3 Pro Bowls. After a season in Green Bay (1975 – Making First-Team All-Pro for the 2nd time), he played outside linebacker for the Raiders in his last 9 seasons, making the Pro Bowl again in his final 4 seasons. He was added to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Jerry Logan was a 4th-round pick in 1963, and played strong safety for the Colts for his entire 10-year career (1963-72). He was a starter every season but his first, and made 3 Pro Bowls.

Rick Volk was the Colts’ 2nd-round pick in 1967, and was their starting free safety for his first 8 seasons. After playing part-time for the Colts in 1975, he finished up with the Giants and Dolphins from 1976-78.

RIP - Don Shula

Don Shula, who coached the Miami Dolphins to their undefeated 1972 season, passed away on May 4, 2020 at age 90.

The Dolphins appeared in three straight Super Bowls (VI, VII, VIII), winning the last two. They returned to the Super Bowl twice in the early 1980s.

He also coached the Colts to Super Bowl III, only to lose to Joe Namath and the Jets.

In 33 years as a head coach, his teams had a winning record 30 times!

In any "Mount Rushmore" scenario, there's only room for four choices. When it comes to NFL coaches, the seven that stand out are Don Shula, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick.  Three have to be put on the second team, but Shula can't be one of them.

CNN obituary

Hall of Famers

I just posted the Hall of Famers in the 1971 and 1968 Topps sets and 1967 Philly Gum set. Here is the last in my 4-part series: 1972.

There are 53 Hall of Famers in the 1972 set.  I have 47 of them, all shown below.  There are six in the high-numbered 3rd series that I don't have.

I really don't like Topps' decision to print horizontal cards for all the teams whose name was less than 6 letters.

Not shown are Rayfield Wright (Dal), Alan Page (Minn), Dick LeBeau (Det), Tom Mack (LA), Jimmy Johnson (SF), and Winston Hill (NYJ).


Re-cap: 
6 - Chiefs, Cowboys
5 - Raiders
4 - Dolphins, Vikings
3 - Cardinals, Jets, Lions
2 - Bears, Colts, 49ers, Oilers, Rams, Steelers
1 - Bills, Broncos, Browns, Chargers, Falcons, Packers, Redskins
0 - Bengals, Eagles, Giants, Patriots, Saints

This is the 2nd time the Chiefs have led the way.  It's also the 2nd time the Eagles, Giants, Patriots, and Saints were shutout. (And the 3rd time for the Bengals!)

Miami Dolphins

Here are the 1972 Miami Dolphins, about to embark on their magical 17-0 season, culminating with a win in Super Bowl VII.

The previous season, they made their first Supe appearance, but lost to the Cowboys. The Dolphins starting lineup in '72 was the same as in '71, except for the following positions:
HB - Mercury Morris replaced Jim Kiick
C - Jim Langer replaced Bob DeMarco
LDE - Vern Den Herder replaced Jim Riley
QB - Earl Morrall started 9 of 14 games for the injured Bob Griese. The starting QB missed 9 games, and they STILL went undefeated!

Bob Griese was injured in game #5, and didn't return until late in game #14. He missed the first playoff game, played part of the AFC championship game, and all of the Super Bowl. Bob was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Earl Morrall was drafted by the 49ers in 1956, and played for the Lions, Giants, Colts, and Dolphins from 1959-1976, mostly as a backup. Topps didn't usually print cards for more than one QB per team back then, but it's good they did in 1972, as Morrall started more games than Griese. (Morrall had also played most of the 1968 season as the Colts' starting QB, including Super Bowl III.)

Mercury Morris was drafted by Miami in 1969 and spent his first 3 seasons primarily as a kick returner. Taking over the running back chores in 1972, he collected 1000 yards rushing and led the NFL with 12 TDs.

The Dolphins drafted Jim Kiick in 1968 and was the starting halfback for his first 4 seasons. He was relegated to backup status for 2 seasons (in favor of Morris) but started the majority of games at halfback in 1974. After a season in the WFL, Jim played for the Broncos in '76 and '77.

Larry Csonka was the Dolphins' #1 pick in the 1968 draft, and was their starting fullback for seven seasons. In 1975 he jumped to the WFL (with teammates Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield), then returned to the NFL with the Giants from 1976-78. He finished up his career in 1979 as the Dolphins' fullback. A 5-time Pro-Bowler, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

Paul Warfield began his career with the Cleveland Browns in 1964. He played 6 seasons with the Browns and made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, as well as his last 2 in Cleveland. Moving to Miami in 1970, he made the Pro Bowl in all 5 seasons with the Fish. After a year in the WFL, he returned to Cleveland for '76 and '77, then again to Miami for 1978. Warfield was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Larry Little began his career with the Chargers in 1967 and 1968, then played 11 seasons (1969-79) as the Dolphins' starting right guard, making the Pro Bowl 5 times. He finished his career in 1980 playing 5 games for the Dolphins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

Here's Garo Yepremian, not wearing his traditional #1 jersey (must have been a 1st-year training camp photo). Garo kicked 2 years for the Lions ('67, '68) then played for the Dolphins from 1969 to 1978, including 2 Pro Bowls. He later kicked for the Saints and Buccaneers, retiring after the 1981 season.

Manny Fernandez was the Dolphins' starting right defensive end as a rookie in 1968, then held down the left DT spot from 1969 to 1974. He finished up with the Dolphins in 1975 as a part-time player.

Nick Buoniconti was drafted by the Boston Patriots in 1962 and was their starting MLB for his 7 seasons there, while making 5 Pro Bowls. He was acquired by the Dolphins prior to the 1969 season, and spent the next 6 seasons captaining their defense, with 3 more Pro Bowl appearances. After missing the 1975 season, he returned in '76 as a backup. Buoniconti was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Dick Anderson was drafted by Miami in 1968, and played 9 seasons (1968-74, 76-77) with the Dolphins, starting at safety in all but his last 2 seasons. He returned punts every season, and did some punting in '69 and '72.

Jake Scott was drafted by the Dolphins in 1970, and was a starting safety for 6 seasons, making the Pro Bowl every year but his rookie season. He was also the Redskins' free safety from 1977-79.

12 cards, 5 Hall of Famers!


Also check out the 1968 and 1971 Dolphins.

New York Jets

Here are the 1972 Jets, four years removed from their guaranteed victory in Super Bowl III.

A lot had changed since then: The Jets returned to the playoffs in 1969, but lost in the first round to the Chiefs. That was followed by a 4-10 record in 1970 and 6-8 in 1971.

Only 6 of these players (Joe Namath, Emerson Boozer, Winston Hill, Dave Herman, Gerry Philbin, and Al Atkinson) remained from the Super Bowl team.

After leading the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III and returning to the playoffs in 1969, Joe Namath missed 9 games in 1970 and 11 games in 1971. He bounced back in 1972, starting 13 of the 14 games, and led the NFL in passing yardage (2816) and TDs (19), but the Jets finished at 7-7.

Namath was the Jets' #1 QB from 1965 to 1976 (except for missed time in '70, '71, and '73), and finished his career with the Rams in 1977. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Emerson Boozer was drafted by the Jets in 1966, and had a 10-year career (1966-75) all with the Jets.  He was a starting back in all but his final season. Normally the halfback, he played fullback in 1970, between the Matt Snell and John Riggins eras. Boozer led the AFL with 10 rushing TDs in 1967.

John Riggins was the Jets' 1st-round pick (#6 overall) in 1971. He was their starting fullback for his 5 seasons in New York, and rushed for over 1000 yards (and made his only Pro Bowl) in 1975, his final season with the Jets. He was also the Redskins' fullback for 8 seasons from 1976 to 1985.

John missed the 1977 season with a knee injury, and sat out the 1980 season over a contract dispute. Riggins was named the MVP of Super Bowl XVII, and also played in the Supe the next year. He was the 2nd player (after Jim Brown) to rush for 100 career touchdowns. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

George Nock was a 16th-round pick for the Jets in 1969. After rarely playing that season, Nock was the starting halfback in 1970, replacing Matt Shell in the lineup (with Emerson Boozer moving to fullback). In 1971 the Jets drafted John Riggins, so Nock found a spot on the bench, playing sparingly behind Riggins and Boozer. The back of this card says George joined the Redskins on 6-18-72. It was his final season.

Richard Caster was drafted by the Jets in 1970, and was a starting receiver from 1970 to 1977, including playing tight end from 1972-76. He later played for the Oilers (1978-80), Saints (1981), and Redskins (1981-82).

Winston Hill was drafted by the Colts in 1963, but began his career with the Jets that same year.  He was a starting offensive tackle for the Jets for 13 seasons (1963-75), 8 seasons on the left side before moving over to the right side.  Hill made the Pro Bowl 8 times during that 13-year span.  After riding the Jets' bench in 1976, he finished his career with the Rams in 1977.

Dave Herman joined the Jets in 1964, and was their starting right guard every season from 1965 to 1973, leading the protection for Namath. Dave made the Pro Bowl in '68 and '69.

Gerry Philbin was drafted by the Jets in 1964, and was their starting left defensive end every season from 1965 to 1972, making the Pro Bowl in 1968 and 1969. He finished his career with the Eagles in 1973.

Al Atkinson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1965, but played for the Jets that season. He was the Jets' starting middle linebacker every season from 1966 to 1972, and also played parts of  '73 and '74 with the Jets before retiring.

W.K. Hicks was a starting cornerback and safety for the Houston Oilers from 1964 to 1969. He was the Jets' starting free safety for 2 seasons (1970-71), then a backup in his final season of 1972.

Chris Farasopoulos was the Jets' 3rd-round pick in 1971, and returned kicks and punts as a rookie. He replaced Hicks as the starting free safety in 1972 (and '73), and continued to return punts and kicks. He played his final season (1974) with the Saints.


Also check out the 1968 Jets.

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