1955: Ameche Spurs Colts to Upset of Bears

The Baltimore Colts were heavy underdogs as they hosted the Chicago Bears in their season-opening game on September 25, 1955. Coming off of a 3-9 record in Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s first season, the team had 12 rookies on the roster, most notably FB Alan “the Horse” Ameche, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Wisconsin, and QB George Shaw, the bonus first draft pick out of Oregon. The defense featured established players in DE Gino Marchetti, DT Art Donovan, DE Don Joyce, and safety Bert Rechichar, who also handled the placekicking. However, the Colts were without injured star HB Buddy Young.

Chicago was coming off of an 8-4 record in 1954 but there was an extra element at play. Owner George Halas had already indicated that his thirtieth year doubling as head coach would be his last, and there was a sense of urgency to send him out with one last NFL title.

There were 36,167 fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium and the home crowd saw the Colts start off in stunning fashion. On the second play from scrimmage, Alan Ameche carried the ball for the first time and charged down the left sideline for a 79-yard touchdown. Bert Rechichar added the extra point. Midway through the first quarter the Colts scored again when Rechichar kicked a 23-yard field goal and the home team led by 10-0.

Early in the second quarter, it was George Shaw spurring a Baltimore drive, completing all three of his passes as the club advanced 67 yards. Two of them were to end Lloyd Colteryahn, for a gain of 15 yards and, two plays later, for an 11-yard TD. Rechichar again converted to put the Colts up by 17-0.

The Bears finally got on the board with four minutes remaining in the first half when QB George Blanda threw to end Harlon Hill for a touchdown from 10 yards out, completing a 65-yard drive, and Blanda also booted the point after. But Rechichar’s long kickoff return set up his second field goal from 43 yards five plays later and the halftime score was 20-7.

In the third quarter, a pass interference penalty on the Colts gave Chicago a first down at the Baltimore three. From there, HB Bob Watkins ran around left end for a TD and, with Blanda’s conversion, the Baltimore lead was narrowed to 20-14. However, just before the end of the period, the Colts were able to get into scoring territory and came away with a third field goal by Rechichar, this time from 10 yards.

The Bears missed opportunities in the fourth quarter. Blanda failed on a 37-yard field goal attempt and Rechichar came up with a key interception at his 12 yard line to thwart another potential Chicago scoring threat. In one other foray into Baltimore territory, the Colts sacked Blanda on consecutive plays, but he followed up with a 49-yard field goal that again made it a six-point game.

In the final seconds, the desperate Bears resorted to a trick play from their own 19 as end Bill McColl threw to Hill, who gained 59 yards to the Baltimore 22, but the clock ran out on the visitors at that point. The Colts pulled off the upset by a final score of 23-17.

Chicago, playing from behind from the start, led in total yards (361 to 306) and first downs (23 to 14). However, the Bears also turned the ball over four times, to one by Baltimore, and the Colts did well keeping the ball on the ground, gaining 226 yards on 45 running plays. Prior to Bill McColl’s long pass play at the end, Chicago’s quarterback combination of George Blanda and Ed Brown accounted for 227 yards on 20 completions with a touchdown and two interceptions. But the Colts sacked Chicago quarterbacks five times for losses totaling 47 yards while suffering only two in return.

Alan Ameche rushed for 194 yards on 21 carries that included the long touchdown and George Shaw completed 7 of 12 passes for 97 yards and a TD with no interceptions. For the Bears, Harlon Hill had 5 catches for 107 yards and a TD in a losing cause.

Baltimore’s win was the first of three straight to open the season, but the Colts were badly beaten in the second meeting with the Bears and had only two more victories the rest of the way. They finished fourth in the Western Conference with a 5-6-1 record. Chicago took an opposite course, losing its first three contests before the victory in the return engagement with the Colts spurred a six-game winning streak. However, an upset loss to the cross-town Cardinals derailed the Bears at that point and, while winning their two remaining games, they ended up second in the conference at 8-4, just behind the Rams, who were 8-3-1.

Alan Ameche led the NFL in rushing with 961 yards on 213 carries (4.5 avg.) and scored nine touchdowns. He received consensus first-team All-NFL honors as well as Rookie of the Year recognition from UPI and The Sporting News, and was selected to the first of four consecutive Pro Bowls. His 194-yard single-game performance against the Bears remained the franchise record until 1971.

Beyond Ameche and George Shaw, other rookies began to emerge from among Baltimore’s first-year crop, such as HB L.G. Dupre and end Raymond Berry, and they would eventually become part of the team that won back-to-back titles in 1958 and ’59.

As a further footnote, George Halas’ retirement, which was always more of a formality than a reality, lasted for two years before he returned to the sideline in 1958. He finally retired for good following the 1967 season, his fortieth.

1955: Colts Break Out to Early Lead, Hold Off Packers

Two NFL Western Conference teams that were sporting surprising 2-0 records, the Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers, met in Milwaukee on October 8, 1955. The Colts, coached by Weeb Ewbank, had been 3-9 in ’54 but were benefiting from the play of two rookies. FB Alan “The Horse” Ameche, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Wisconsin, gained over a hundred yards in each of his first two games and QB George Shaw (pictured at right), the first overall draft choice out of Oregon, tossed touchdown passes in each as well. There was other young talent on the club interspersed among able veterans such as HB Buddy Young, DE Gino Marchetti, DT Art Donovan, and safety/PK Bert Rechichar.

Green Bay was coming off of a 4-8 record under Head Coach Lisle Blackbourn the previous year. QB Tobin Rote was a good runner and, at his best, a fine passer, although he lacked consistency. End Billy Howton was an outstanding deep receiver and FB Howie Ferguson was developing into a productive runner. The defense was tough, with LB Roger Zatkoff and safety Bobby Dillon key members of the unit.  

There were 40,119 fans in attendance at County Stadium on a Saturday, the biggest crowd to date to see a football game there. The Packers scored quickly after Alan Ameche fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Roger Zatkoff recovered for Green Bay at the Colts’ 38. Tobin Rote rolled to his left and fired a pass to Billy Howton, who outran three defenders for a 38-yard touchdown. Fred Cone added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead.

Shortly thereafter, it was Baltimore’s turn to benefit from a turnover when Rote fumbled and DE Don Joyce fell on it at the Green Bay 12. Ameche ran for a five-yard TD and Bert Rechichar converted to tie the score. The Colts scored again when George Shaw threw to Buddy Young (pictured below), who blew past Bobby Dillon and went 82 yards for a touchdown. Rechichar again added the point after. Just before the end of the period, Shaw passed to end Jim Mutscheller for a 40-yard TD and Rechichar’s conversion gave the visitors a 21-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

Dillon intercepted a Shaw pass in Baltimore territory and that set up an eight-play, 26-yard series that concluded with Howie Ferguson taking a pitchout and running for a touchdown from a yard out. Cone kicked the extra point to narrow the margin to 21-14 and that is how the contest remained at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Packers, starting from their 38, put together a promising drive keyed by the running of Ferguson, HB Breezy Reid, and HB Veryl Switzer. After reaching the Baltimore 41, three Rote passes fell incomplete, but Cone kicked a 47-yard field goal that just made it over the crossbar. Green Bay was four points behind at 21-17.

Late in the period, DHB Carl Taseff of the Colts recovered another Rote fumble on the Green Bay 21. Ameche ran the ball twice, with a carry by Shaw in between, but an aroused Packer defense kept them out of the end zone. Rechichar kicked a 10-yard field goal and Baltimore’s lead was extended to 24-17.

DHB Doyle Nix intercepted a Shaw pass that was intended for Mutscheller and the Packers began to advance on offense with Rote completing throws to end Gary Knafelc and Howton. But after reaching the Baltimore 18, an offside penalty moved the home team back and they settled for a 28-yard Cone field goal to again make it a four-point game with less than five minutes on the clock.

The Colts were unable to move and punted on their next series and the Packers took over again at their 40 with two minutes remaining. Rote threw to Ferguson for 11 yards and, after overthrowing Knafelc, he connected with Switzer for a first down at the Baltimore 35. Passes to Switzer and Knafelc gained eight and 16 yards, respectively, but with time slipping away, a Rote toss into the end zone was out of Howton’s reach. The Colts held on for a 24-20 win.

Green Bay had more total yards (322 to 255) and first downs (17 to 8) than the Colts, and outgained the visitors both on the ground (136 to 103) and through the air (186 to 152). However, the Packers spent most of the game trying to catch up to Baltimore, who made key plays to take the early lead. The Colts turned the ball over four times, to three by Green Bay.

George Shaw completed just 6 of 16 passes for 162 yards, but two of them were for touchdowns, although three were intercepted. Alan Ameche was held to 63 yards on 20 carries, one of which was good for a TD.

For the Packers, Tobin Rote was successful on 19 of 39 throws for 191 yards and a TD. Billy Howton caught 6 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Howie Ferguson (pictured at right) rushed for 71 yards on 20 attempts, thus coming out ahead of Ameche in the anticipated showdown between the two fullbacks.

Reaching 3-0 proved to be the high point for Baltimore’s season. The Colts lost their next two games, beat the Packers again, and then won only once more on the way to a 5-6-1 record that placed them fourth in the Western Conference. The best years for Ewbank’s team were yet to come. Despite sweeping the season series, they also managed to finish behind the Packers, who ended up third at 6-6.

George Shaw continued to show promise as he threw for 1586 yards and 10 touchdowns while giving up 19 interceptions, but that promise would go largely unfulfilled. Alan Ameche led the NFL in rushing with 961 yards and rushing TDs with nine. He was a consensus first-team All-league selection and went on to perform a key role as the team rose to back-to-back NFL Championships by the end of the decade.

Tobin Rote threw for 1977 yards and a league-leading 17 TD passes (along with San Francisco’s Y.A. Tittle) and also rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns. Billy Howton received Pro Bowl recognition as he accumulated 44 catches for 697 yards (15.8 avg.) and scored five TDs. Howie Ferguson also was named to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 859 yards on 192 carries (4.5 avg.) which placed second to Ameche.

1959: Third Quarter Surge Propels Colts Over Packers

The Baltimore Colts, defending champions of the NFL, had a 3-1 record as they hosted the Green Bay Packers on October 25, 1959. Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s team had a potent offense directed by QB Johnny Unitas, operating behind an outstanding line and with excellent receivers in ends Raymond Berry and Jim Mutscheller as well as HB Lenny Moore, who was frequently flanked out where his speed could be best utilized but was also an excellent runner from scrimmage. FB Alan “the Horse” Ameche provided power between the tackles. If there was concern with the defense, it was that age was beginning to wear it down, but players like DE Gino Marchetti and DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb were still of a high caliber.

Green Bay, under new Head Coach Vince Lombardi, had won its first three games before losing badly to the Rams the previous week. QB Lamar McHan, a sixth-year veteran obtained from the Cardinals, performed well in the early going while HB Paul Hornung, who lacked speed but was versatile, was thriving in the new regime. After years of mediocrity, the Packers had the look of a rebuilding team with promise.

There were 57,557 fervent fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium. They saw a scoreless first quarter, but Green Bay had the ball as the period wound down and went 79 yards in two plays to get on the board. On the first play of the second quarter, FB Lew Carpenter ran 55 yards off tackle for a touchdown, sliding on his stomach into the end zone. Paul Hornung added the extra point.

The Colts responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive. Lenny Moore had a 15-yard run and Unitas threw passes to Jim Mutscheller and Raymond Berry as well as Moore along the way. Unitas connected with Berry for an eight-yard TD to cap the series and Steve Myhra added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7. Not only did the Packers give up a touchdown, but they lost star safety Bobby Dillon to an injury that cost him the rest of the game and further hindered their efforts at pass defense.

Baltimore advanced 79 yards in nine plays on its next series. Unitas again had throws to Berry and Moore, plus Alan Ameche, and rookie HB Alex Hawkins also ran effectively. Ameche ran the final three yards for a touchdown, Myhra again added the PAT, and the Colts took a 14-7 lead into halftime.

The second half did not begin auspiciously for the Packers when DB Johnny Symank muffed the kickoff and LB Ray Nitschke recovered and ran it to his 12 yard line. But three plays into the third quarter, Lamar McHan connected with end Max McGee (pictured at left) for an 81-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, the score was tied at 14-14. It proved to be the high water mark for Green Bay.

The teams exchanged punts, and safety Johnny Sample of the Colts had a 25-yard return to the Green Bay 36. A pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 28 and, six plays later, Baltimore moved in front. Unitas passed for first downs to Moore and Berry and, after two carries by Ameche lost yardage, Unitas faked a handoff and threw to the fullback who was uncovered in the end zone for a three-yard TD. Myhra added the extra point.

Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, McHan threw a short pass that was intercepted by LB Bill Pellington, and he returned it 30 yards for another Baltimore touchdown. Myhra converted again and the home team’s lead was up to 14 points.

The Packers took the kickoff and again turned the ball over in short order, this time on the third play as McHan’s poorly-thrown pass beyond the reach of Paul Hornung was picked off by safety Ray Brown. Brown returned the interception 44 yards to the Green Bay 18. The Colts needed six plays to reach the end zone again as Unitas completed three passes to Berry, the last for a two-yard TD. In less than six minutes, the Colts had a 35-14 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Baltimore nearly extended the lead when DHB Carl Taseff returned a punt 75 yards that was nullified by a clipping penalty. However, shortly thereafter “Big Daddy” Lipscomb recovered a fumble by McHan that was forced by Gino Marchetti and Baltimore padded its margin with a 43-yard Steve Myhra field goal.

The Packers scored once more on a McHan pass to rookie end Boyd Dowler that covered four yards, finishing off an 80-yard series, but it was long after the game had been decided. Baltimore won handily by a final score of 38-21.

Green Bay had the edge in total yards (344 to 309) while the Colts led in first downs (25 to 16). However, Baltimore recorded four sacks, to two by the Packers, and Green Bay turned the ball over six times, to devastating effect in the third quarter, while the Colts had two.

Johnny Unitas completed 19 of 29 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Raymond Berry (pictured below) had 10 catches for 117 yards and two TDs while Lenny Moore contributed four receptions for 41 yards in addition to 42 yards on 8 rushing attempts. For the Packers, Lamar McHan threw for two TDs, but was intercepted four times. Thanks to the long scoring catch, Max McGee gained 110 yards on his three receptions.

The win kept the Colts in a tie for first in the Western Conference with the 49ers and, while they lost their next two games, they won the rest to again finish first with a 9-3 record. They defeated the Giants in the NFL Championship game for the second straight year. Green Bay lost its next three contests, marking five straight, before turning around and finishing the season with a four-game winning streak to end up at 7-5 and tied for third place in the conference with San Francisco. By the end, McHan had given way at quarterback to Bart Starr. While the Colts swept the season series with Green Bay and were clearly the superior team, in the next year the tide began to turn.

Johnny Unitas set a new NFL record for touchdown passes with 32 while also leading the league in pass attempts (367), completions (193), and yards (2899). He received MVP as well as first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl recognition. Also garnering first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors were Raymond Berry, who led the league with 66 pass receptions for 959 yards and 14 TDs, and Lenny Moore, who had 47 catches for 846 yards and six scores and rushed for 422 yards and two more touchdowns on 92 carries for a third-ranked 1268 yards from scrimmage.

Rookie of the Year: Alan Ameche, 1955

Fullback, Baltimore Colts

Age: 22

College: Wisconsin

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 217

Prelude:

“The Horse” rushed for 3212 yards with a 4.8-yard average in college while also playing linebacker on defense in his junior and senior years. He capped his last season by winning the 1954 Heisman Trophy and was taken by the Colts in the first round of the 1955 NFL draft (third overall). Ameche moved directly into the starting lineup and made an immediate impression by running for a 79-yard touchdown on his first regular season carry.

1955 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 213 [1]
Most attempts, game - 22 (for 117 yds.) vs. Green Bay 1029, (for 73 yds.) vs. LA Rams 11/20 

Yards – 961 [1]

Most yards, game – 194 yards (on 21 carries) vs. Chi. Bears 9/25

Average gain – 4.5 [8, tied with Howie Ferguson & Joe Perry]

TDs – 9 [1]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 27      

Yards – 141

Average gain – 5.2

TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 4

Yards – 60

Average per return – 15.0

TDs – 0

All-Purpose yards – 1162 [3]

Scoring

TDs – 9 [1, tied with Harlon Hill]

Points – 54 [10, tied with Harlon Hill]

Awards & Honors:

NFL Rookie of the Year: UPI, Sporting News

1^st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

Pro Bowl

Colts went 5-6-1 to finish fourth in the NFL Western Conference.

Aftermath:

Ameche followed up with 858 rushing yards in 1956, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and caught 26 passes as he again was chosen for the Pro Bowl. Adding to his effectiveness as a runner between the tackles was the improvement in his blocking, which was a concern during his rookie year. He was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first four years as well as the key to Baltimore’s ground game as the club steadily improved. Ameche ran for 791 yards in 1958 and scored the winning touchdown in overtime against the Giants to win the NFL title. He began to show wear during the 1960 season, and an Achilles injury ended his career. Overall, he rushed for 4045 yards on 964 carries (4.2 avg.) and caught 101 passes for 733 yards, scoring a total of 44 TDs.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/21/17