1948 Baltimore Colts season

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).

Program for the Colts' 1948 season opener against the New York Yankees.
1948 Baltimore Colts season
Head coachCecil Isbell
Home fieldMemorial Stadium
Results
Record7–7
Division placeTied 1st AAFC East
Playoff finishLost 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

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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

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Round Date Opponent Result Venue Recap
Division December 12 Buffalo Bills L 17–28 Municipal Stadium Recap

Division standings

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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

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Baltimores's in-season roster included the following players.[3]

† - Denotes starter

References

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  1. ^ 1948 Baltimore Colts
  2. ^ "1948 Baltimore Colts Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Baltimore Colts vs. Frisco Forty-Niners, Oct 10. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts Football Club, Inc., 1948; pp. 16–17.