1969 Super Bowl
The 1969 Super Bowl was thought by star participant Bubba Smith of the Baltimore Colts to have been thrown to the other side by a teammate as desired by the Colts' owner, so that the New York Jets would win in a big upset. The Baltimore Colts were a 7-1 favorite -- one of the heaviest favorites in any comparable sporting event in history -- and thus the victory by the Jets gave an enormous payoff to gamblers who bet on the Jets. The Colts were 13-1 in the regular season; won the NFC title game 34-0; and Jets' quarterback Joe Namath injured his throwing hand during the Super Bowl, yet the Jets won in this very unlikely upset.
The NFL MVP for the 1968-69 season was the Colts' Earl Morrall with a quarterback rating for the season of 93.2,[1] and yet he had a quarterback rating of less than 10 during this game until he was ultimately replaced by the coach, Don Shula. Morrall was a clutch player who never choked and who won the 1971 Super Bowl, so his awful performance was not due to nervousness.
A trick play known as a "flee flicker" resulted in the primary Colts receiver being wide open for a touchdown, but instead the savvy Morrall calmly threw the ball behind another receiver for an interception in the crowded middle of the field, which made absolutely no sense with time running out in the first half. This play is cited most by those who suspect that this game was intentionally lost, or "thrown" to the Jets.
Morrall was probably also the place-holder (spotter) for the two fields goals of 27 and 48 yards missed by the Colts' kicker Lou Michaels, who said afterwards, “I am disgusted with myself.”[2] "The sting of losing the big game never left him, Michaels told The Baltimore Sun in 2010." [2] Michaels' brother was an assistant coach for the Jets in this Super Bowl.
"Willie Richardson, an All-Pro receiver for the Baltimore Colts and their leading pass-catcher in Super Bowl III ... caught six passes for 58 yards in the game, while receiver Jimmy Orr and tight end John Mackey had only three receptions apiece, along with modest reception yardage."[3] Richardson, who was black and the son of a Baptist preacher, is unlikely to have been part of any scheme by Morrall to lose the game intentionally.
The wealthy owner of the Baltimore Colts seemed pleased at a post-game "victory party," and the earnest Colts player Bubba Smith was so dismayed by the unusual celebration after losing that Smith was even asked to leave the party.
The play-by-play of the game is posted online by USA Today.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MorrEa00.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/sports/football/lou-michaels-who-lost-69-super-bowl-dies-at-80.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/sports/football/willie-richardson-baltimore-colts-all-pro-receiver-dies-at-76.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110211184638/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/super/superbowl-iii-plays.htm
