1961 Baltimore Colts season
9th season in franchise history
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The 1961 Baltimore Colts season was the ninth for the team in the National Football League. They finished the 1961 season with a record of 8 wins and 6 losses, tied for third in the Western Conference with the Chicago Bears.
OwnerCarroll Rosenbloom
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
| 1961 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| General manager | Don "Red" Kellett |
| Head coach | Weeb Ewbank |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–6 |
| Division place | T-3rd NFL Western |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Upset by the expansion Minnesota Vikings on November 12, the Colts dipped to 4–5;[1] they won four of the last five to finish with a winning record.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1961 Baltimore Colts draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Tom Matte * | Running back | Ohio State | |
| 2 | 21 | Tom Gilburg | Tackle | Syracuse | |
| 3 | 35 | Jerry Hill | Running back | Wyoming | |
| 4 | 49 | Ken Gregory | End | Whittier | |
| 5 | 62 | Ed Dyas | Fullback | Auburn | |
| 5 | 63 | Ron Osborne | Tackle | Clemson | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
Special teams (ST)
|
Reserve
|
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 12 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–24 | 0–1 | Victory Stadium | 15,000 |
| 2 | August 18 | Minnesota Vikings | W 13–3 | 1–1 | Memorial Stadium | 10,203 |
| 3 | August 26 | vs. Washington Redskins | W 41–7 | 2–1 | Foreman Field | 20,302 |
| 4 | September 1 | vs. Dallas Cowboys | L 24–35 | 2–2 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | 19,000 |
| 5 | September 10 | vs. New York Giants | W 49–20 | 3–2 | Yale Bowl | 50,737 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | Los Angeles Rams | W 27–24 | 1–0 | Memorial Stadium | 54,259 | |
| 2 | September 24 | Detroit Lions | L 15–16 | 1–1 | Memorial Stadium | 54,259 | |
| 3 | October 1 | Minnesota Vikings | W 34–33 | 2–1 | Memorial Stadium | 54,259 | |
| 4 | October 8 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–45 | 2–2 | Lambeau Field | 38,669 | |
| 5 | October 15 | at Chicago Bears | L 10–24 | 2–3 | Wrigley Field | 48,719 | |
| 6 | October 22 | at Detroit Lions | W 17–14 | 3–3 | Tiger Stadium | 53,016 | |
| 7 | October 29 | Chicago Bears | L 20–21 | 3–4 | Memorial Stadium | 57,641 | |
| 8 | November 5 | Green Bay Packers | W 45–21 | 4–4 | Memorial Stadium | 57,641 | |
| 9 | November 12 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 20–28 | 4–5 | Metropolitan Stadium | 38,010 | |
| 10 | November 19 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 16–0 | 5–5 | Memorial Stadium | 56,112 | |
| 11 | November 26 | at Washington Redskins | W 27–6 | 6–5 | D.C. Stadium | 41,062 | |
| 12 | December 3 | San Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 | 7–5 | Memorial Stadium | 57,641 | |
| 13 | December 9 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 17–34 | 7–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 41,268 | |
| 14 | December 16 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 27–24 | 8–6 | Kezar Stadium | 45,517 | |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 9–3 | 391 | 223 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–4–1 | 270 | 258 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 326 | 302 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 302 | 307 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 346 | 272 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 263 | 333 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 3–9 | 285 | 407 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
