The 1948 Baltimore Colts season was their 3rd in the AAFC & their 2nd in Baltimore. The team improved on their previous season's output of 2–11–1, winning seven games.[1] They qualified for the playoffs for the first and only time in their 5-year franchise history (dating back to their days as the Miami Seahawks).
| 1948 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Cecil Isbell |
| Home field | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | Tied 1st AAFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoff (vs. Bills) 17–28 |
The team's statistical leaders included Y. A. Tittle with 2,522 passing yards, Bus Mertes with 680 rushing yards, and Billy Hillenbrand with 970 receiving yards and 78 points scored.[2]
Season schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye | ||||||
| 2 | September 5 | New York Yankees | W 45–28 | 1–0 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 10 | at Chicago Rockets | L 14–21 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 4 | September 16 | at New York Yankees | W 27–14 | 2–1 | Yankee Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | September 26 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 35–20 | 3–1 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 5 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–14 | 3–2 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 10 | San Francisco 49ers | L 14–56 | 3–3 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 15 | at Los Angeles Dons | W 29–14 | 4–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap | |
| 9 | October 24 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 10–21 | 4–4 | Kezar Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | October 31 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–35 | 4–5 | Civic Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 7 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–28 | 4–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 14 | Chicago Rockets | W 38–24 | 5–6 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | November 21 | Los Angeles Dons | L 14–17 | 5–7 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | November 28 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | W 38–20 | 6–7 | Ebbets Field | Recap | |
| 15 | December 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 35–15 | 7–7 | Municipal Stadium | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Playoff schedule
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | December 12 | Buffalo Bills | L 17–28 | Municipal Stadium | Recap |
Division standings
edit| AAFC Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 360 | 358 | L1 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–1 | 333 | 327 | W2 | |
| New York Yankees | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–3 | 265 | 301 | W1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–6 | 253 | 387 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings.
| AAFC Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 6–0 | 389 | 190 | W14 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 4–2 | 495 | 248 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Dons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 258 | 305 | L2 | |
| Chicago Rockets | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 0–6 | 202 | 439 | L11 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings.
Roster
editBaltimores's in-season roster included the following players.[3]
|
Centers
|
Tackles
Ends
|
Quarterbacks
|
Halfbacks
|
- † - Denotes starter
References
edit- ^ 1948 Baltimore Colts
- ^ "1948 Baltimore Colts Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ Baltimore Colts vs. Frisco Forty-Niners, Oct 10. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts Football Club, Inc., 1948; pp. 16–17.