No 19: Super Bowl V – Colts Boot Cowboys in Final Seconds

At this point in their existence, neither team had won the Super Bowl and both had been snakebitten. The Colts were embarrassed by the Jets in the same Orange Bowl two years earlier. The Cowboys couldn’t make it to the Super Bowl because they were tormented by the Green Bay Packers.

In other words, this was the chance for each team to shed the stigma and come up big for those who know how to bet on Super Bowls who still believed.in them.

The music was provided by trumpeter Tommy Loy on the national anthem. The halftime featured Anita Bryant and Up With People. They were accompanied by the Southeast Missouri State Marching Band.

Yep, not exactly the kind of act that gets the call nowadays.

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How They Got There

The Colts were 11-2-1 in the regular season – their first year in the AFC following the NFL merger. The Cowboys were 10-4. Both teams won their first playoff contests by shutouts; the Colts downed Cincinnati, 17-0, and the Cowboys beat the Lions, 5-0. Yes, 5-0.

In the conference championship games, the teams downed Bay Area squads. The Colts ousted the Raiders and the Cowboys toppled the 49ers.

The Game

Super Bowl V was ugly. There were 11 turnovers, including seven by Baltimore. The teams combined for 14 penalties (164 yards) and a grand total of 23 first downs.

There was a blocked extra point that would weigh heavily in the conclusion.

Dallas led 6-0 when future Baltimore Hall of Famers connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

It was Johnny Unitas who found John Mackey for the touchdown.

And this is where things got complicated for the Colts. Jim O’Brien’s PAT attempt was blocked so instead of Baltimore leading 7-6, it was a tie game.

Remember, now, this was when PATs were chip shots – not the 33-yarders that NFL kickers face in current games.

To make matters worse for the Colts, Unitas was injured after being tackled by Lee Roy Jordan. He was forced from the game and Earl Morrrall, considered the goat of Super Bowl III, came on to replace the legend.

Second Half

The Colts came into the second half trailing 13-6 after Duane Thomas had caught a 7-yard TD pass from Craig Morton in the second quarter.

Their famed defense was going to make certain it did everything in its Super Bowl powers to make sure this was not a repeat of Super Bowl III.

In fact, Baltimore shut out the vaunted Cowboys offense over the final 30 minutes.

The Colts weren’t having much luck with their attack, either. This was a team that scored one touchdown against the Jets and had one touchdown against Dallas. In 90 minutes of Super Bowl playing time, Baltimore had scored all of 13 points.

That changed in the fourth quarter, though, one that saw an incredible five turnovers,

Tom Nowatzke scored on a short run and O’Brien was able to hit this extra point.

The Super Bowl had a tight contest that was going to come down to the wire for the first time in game history.

Rookie Coach, Rookie Kicker

So, who is O’Brien, the kicker who went into NFL history.

He was a football and basketball player at the University of Cincinnati. O’Brien, a third-round pick by Baltimore, had a short NFL career – a memorable one because of the kick. He wasn’t exactly dependable as a rookie, missing 15 of 34 field-goal attempts in the regular season and 4 of 7 as the Colts made it to the Super Bowl.

Throw in the fact that Don Shula had left the Colts for the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore was being guided by rookie coach Don McCafferty.

So, you get the picture: A Super Bowl hinged on a rookie head coach and his rookie kicker.

The Colts were set up for their game-winning drive when a Morton pass was intercepted by linebacker Mike Curtis.

He returned it to the Dallas 28, setting the stage for O’Brien’s game-winner with 5 seconds left.

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Conclusion

Super Bowl V wasn’t an artistic success. It makes the Top 20 because of the dramatic finish. The game was the first played on artificial turf and the first to see a rookie coach win the game, and a defensive player – Dallas LB Chuck Howley – named game MVP. Oh, he was also the first player to earn the honor on a losing team thanks to two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

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