Mike Curtis, star of Baltimore Colts' Super Bowl V victory, dies at 77
Mike Curtis, the former Baltimore Colts star who set up the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl V, died at his St. Petersburg, Florida, home on Monday. He was 77.
His family told Mike Preston of the Baltimore News. He died surrounded by his loved ones, they said. Memorial details are pending.
Curtis was born in Washington, D.C., and attended school in Rockville, Maryland. He was an academic All-American at Duke and drafted in the first round of the 1965 draft by the Colts.
The fullback-turned-linebacker was known for his intensity, becoming a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl player. The Colts, led by Johnny Unitas, won the first Super Bowl after the NFL-AFL merger in 1971.
Curtis helped clinch the Super Bowl V victory against the Dallas Cowboys by intercepting a pass with 59 seconds remaining. Rookie Jim O'Brien hit the game-winning field goal with five seconds left for a 16-13 final score.
Later that year against the Miami Dolphinsm, Curtis famously laid out a fan who came onto the field and attempted to run off with the ball. He never made the Hall of Fame, though many believe he should have gotten in.
Jim Irsay, whose father moved the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984, paid his respects on Twitter.
Rest in peace, Mike Curtis. One of the game's most legendary non-Hall-of-Famers. Ferocious on the field, a gentleman off the field.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 20, 2020
When the NFL expanded to Seattle and Tampa Bay in 1976, the two new teams took part in an expansion draft. Seattle chose the 11-year veteran Curtis, who helped them to their first regular season win by blocking a last-second field goal.
He spent one season there before finishing his career with the Washington Redskins in 1977-78.
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