# 1982 Baltimore Colts season

The 1982 Baltimore Colts season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL), and the Colts’ penultimate season in Baltimore. It was their first under former Arizona State coach Frank Kush, who was hired to replace Mike McCormack after he recorded a 2–14 record in 1981.
The Colts finished the NFL's strike-shortened 1982 season without a victory, finishing with eight losses and one tie in their nine games. The Colts became the third team since the league’s expansion era began in 1960, after the 1960 Dallas Cowboys and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the second team since the AFL-NFL merger to finish a regular season winless. Since then, the 2008 Detroit Lions and the 2017 Cleveland Browns have posted winless seasons; the Colts are the only one of these five teams that did not do so in a full, uninterrupted season (the Cowboys played twelve games, the Buccaneers fourteen, and the Lions and Browns sixteen, as per the league standards of the time). The Colts are also the only winless team to not have a winning percentage of .000 due to the tie giving them a percentage of .056 which is the worst non-zero win percentage for a team in post-1900s North American sports history. It would be the final season the Colts tied a game for 40 years. This record is only breakable by an NFL team going 0–16–1 (.029) in a season, an MLB team going 8–154 or worse, an NBA team going 4–78 or worse, or by an NHL team finishing with 9 points or fewer.
As mentioned above, the NFL's 1982 season was disrupted by a strike by the league's players. In the Colts’ first game after the end of the strike on November 21, they were shut out by the New York Jets 37–0. The following week, they were shut out by the Buffalo Bills 20–0, in a game in which the Colts’ offense never crossed the 50-yard line. Nevertheless, the week after that, they lost by only three points to the playoff-bound and defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1982 Baltimore Colts draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 2 | Johnie Cooks | Linebacker | Mississippi State |
| 1 | 4 | Art Schlichter | Quarterback | Ohio State |
| 2 | 28 | Leo Wisniewski | Nose tackle | Penn State |
| 2 | 34 | Rohn Stark * | Punter | Florida State |
| 3 | 57 | Jim Burroughs | Cornerback | Michigan State |
| 4 | 98 | Mike Pagel | Quarterback | Arizona State |
| 5 | 113 | Terry Crouch | Guard | Oklahoma |
| 6 | 140 | Pat Beach | Tight end | Washington State |
| 7 | 169 | Fletcher Jenkins | Defensive tackle | Washington |
| 8 | 196 | Tony Loia | Guard | Arizona State |
| 9 | 225 | Tony Berryhill | Center | Clemson |
| 10 | 252 | Tom Deery | Safety | Widener |
| 11 | 280 | Lamont Meacham | Defensive back | Western Kentucky |
| 12 | 307 | Johnnie Wright | Running back | South Carolina |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

1982 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Bernard Henry | Wide Receiver | Arizona State |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 12 | New England Patriots | L 13–24 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 39,055 |
| 2 | September 19 | at Miami Dolphins | L 20–24 | 0–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 51,999 |
| NFLPA strike |||||||
| 3 | November 21 | at New York Jets | L 0–37 | 0–3 | Shea Stadium | 46,970 |
| 4 | November 28 | at Buffalo Bills | L 0–20 | 0–4 | Rich Stadium | 33,985 |
| 5 | December 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–20 | 0–5 | Memorial Stadium | 23,598 |
| 6 | December 12 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 10–13 | 0–6 | Metrodome | 53,981 |
| 7 | December 19 | Green Bay Packers | T 20–20 (OT) | 0–6–1 | Memorial Stadium | 25,920 |
| 8 | December 26 | at San Diego Chargers | L 26–44 | 0–7–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 49,711 |
| 9 | January 2, 1983 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–34 | 0–8–1 | Memorial Stadium | 19,073 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Colts | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 39,055
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Mike Wood 49-yard field goal. Colts 3–0.
NE – Rex Robinson 24-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.
Second quarter
BAL – Mike Pagel 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–3.
NE – Tony Collins 15-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Rex Robinson kick). Tied 10–10.
Third quarter
BAL – Mike Wood 30-yard field goal. Colts 13–10.
NE – Ken Toler 30-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Rex Robinson kick). Patriots 17–13.
Fourth quarter
NE – Robert Weathers 1-yard run (Rex Robinson kick). Patriots 24–13.
Top passers
NE – Matt Cavanaugh – 7/16, 103 yards, 2 TD, INT
BAL – Art Schlichter – 6/18, 103 yards, INT
Top rushers
NE – Tony Collins – 21 rushes, 137 yards
BAL – Zachary Dixon – 8 rushes, 47 yards
Top receivers
NE – Tony Collins – 4 receptions, 56 yards, TD
BAL – Matt Bouza – 6 receptions, 76 yards :

#### Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: September 19
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,999
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Jim Turner
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – David Woodley 1-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–0.
MIA – Bruce Hardy 4-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 14–0.
Second quarter
BAL – Ray Butler 53-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Mike Wood kick). Dolphins 14–7.
BAL – Mike Wood 51-yard field goal. Dolphins 14–10.
BAL – Barry Krauss 5-yard pass from Mike Wood (Mike Wood kick). Colts 17–14.
Third quarter
MIA – Tommy Vigorito 33-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 21–17.
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 29-yard field goal. Dolphins 24–17.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Mike Wood 48-yard field goal. Dolphins 24–20.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 8/16, 124 yards, TD
MIA – David Woodley – 16/25, 180 yards, TD
Top rushers
BAL – Zachary Dixon – 20 rushes, 87 yards
MIA – Tony Nathan – 14 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Ray Butler – 1 reception, 53 yards, TD
MIA – Duriel Harris – 4 receptions, 78 yards :

#### Week 3: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jets | 10 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 37 |
at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
* Game attendance: 46,970
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Bob Trumpy
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Freeman McNeil 34-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 7–0.
NYJ – Pat Leahy 43-yard field goal. Jets 10–0.
Second quarter
NYJ – Mike Augustyniak 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 17–0.
NYJ – Lam Jones 23-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 24–0.
NYJ – Pat Leahy 37-yard field goal. Jets 27–0.
Third quarter
NYJ – Freeman McNeil 32-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 34–0.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Pat Leahy 19-yard field goal. Jets 37–0.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 17/34, 230 yards, 2 INT
NYJ – Richard Todd – 13/27, 231 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
BAL – Zachary Dixon – 10 rushes, 37 yards
NYJ – Freeman McNeil – 22 rushes, 123 yards, TD
Top receivers
BAL – Tim Sherwin – 5 receptions, 92 yards
NYJ – Wesley Walker – 4 receptions, 84 yards :

#### Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bills | 3 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,985
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Efren Herrera 47-yard field goal. Bills 3–0.
Second quarter
BUF – Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick). Bills 10–0.
BUF – Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick). Bills 17–0.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
BUF – Efren Herrera 41-yard field goal. Bills 20–0.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 3/17, 62 yards
BUF – Joe Ferguson – 6/16, 63 yards
Top rushers
BAL – Randy McMillan – 8 rushes, 16 yards
BUF – Joe Cribbs – 20 rushes, 94 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 1 reception 25 yards
BUF – Frank Lewis – 2 receptions, 32 yards :

#### Week 5: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Colts | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: December 5
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 23,598
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Ray Butler 17-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Mike Wood kick). Colts 7–0.
Second quarter
CIN – Steve Kreider 24-yard pass from Ken Anderson (kick failed). Colts 7–6.
BAL – Mike Wood 33-yard field goal. Colts 10–6.
Third quarter
CIN – M. L. Harris 1-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 13–10.
Fourth quarter
CIN – M. L. Harris 2-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 20–10.
BAL – Pat Beach 4-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Mike Wood kick). Bengals 20–17.
Top passers
CIN – Ken Anderson – 22/29, 206 yards, 3 TD
BAL – Mike Pagel – 11/20, 146 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CIN – Pete Johnson – 21 rushes, 90 yards
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 12 rushes, 66 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Cris Collinsworth – 7 receptions, 79 yards
BAL – Ray Butler – 2 receptions, 36 yards, TD :

#### Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Vikings | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: December 12
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 53,981
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
MIN – Sammy White 24-yard pass from Tommy Kramer (Rick Danmeier kick). Vikings 7–0.
Second quarter
BAL – Mike Wood 39-yard field goal. Vikings 7–3.
Third quarter
BAL – Jim Burroughs 94-yard interception return (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–7.
MIN – Rick Danmeier 23-yard field goal. Tied 10–10.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Rick Danmeier 40-yard field goal. Vikings 13–10.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 14/32, 116 yards, 2 INT
MIN – Tommy Kramer – 19/35, 258 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 13 rushes, 42 yards
MIN – Ted Brown – 20 rushes, 75 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Randy McMillan – 5 receptions, 32 yards
MIN – Sammy White – 3 receptions, 78 yards, TD :

#### Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Colts | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: December 19
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C)
* Game attendance: 25,920
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Dan Miller 23-yard field goal. Colts 3–0.
Second quarter
GB – Jan Stenerud 40-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.
GB – John Thompson 1-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Jan Stenerud kick). Packers 10–3.
Third quarter
BAL – Dan Miller 40-yard field goal. Packers 10–6.
GB – Jan Stenerud 25-yard field goal. Packers 13–6.
Fourth quarter
GB – Eddie Lee Ivery 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Packers 20–6.
BAL – Matt Bouza 12-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Dan Miller kick). Packers 20–13.
BAL – Randy McMillan 1-yard run (Dan Miller kick). Tied 20–20.
Overtime
No scoring plays
Top passers
GB – Lynn Dickey – 16/34, 213 yards, TD, INT
BAL – Mike Pagel – 23/39, 211 yards, TD
Top rushers
GB – Gerry Ellis – 11 rushes, 47 yards
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 10 rushes, 39 yards
Top receivers
GB – John Jefferson – 5 receptions, 101 yards
BAL – Matt Bouza – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD :

#### Week 8: at San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 26 |
| Chargers | 7 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 44 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 26
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 49,711
* Referee: Fred Silva
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SD – Kellen Winslow 30-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 7–0.
Second quarter
SD – Rolf Benirschke 45-yard field goal. Chargers 10–0.
SD – Wes Chandler 41-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick failed). Chargers 16–0.
SD – Kellen Winslow 13-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 23–0.
BAL – Dan Miller 46-yard field goal. Chargers 23–3.
Third quarter
BAL – Matt Bouza 15-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Dan Miller kick). Chargers 23–10.
BAL – Dan Miller 58-yard field goal. Chargers 23–13.
SD – James Brooks 8-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 30–13.
SD – Wes Chandler 44-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 37–13.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Curtis Dickey 1-yard run (pass failed). Chargers 37–19.
SD – Kellen Winslow 28-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 44–19.
BAL – Tim Sherwin 0-yard fumble return (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 44–26.
Top passers
BAL – Mike Pagel – 17/25, 186 yards, TD, INT
SD – Dan Fouts – 18/30, 298 yards, 5 TD, INT
Top rushers
BAL – Randy McMillan – 11 rushes, 39 yards
SD – Chuck Muncie – 16 rushes, 126 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Matt Bouza – 5 receptions, 72 yards, TD
SD – Kellen Winslow – 7 receptions, 120 yards, 3 TD :

#### Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins | 10 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 34 |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: January 2, 1983
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 19,073
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – Nat Moore 11-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–0.
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 34-yard field goal. Dolphins 10–0.
Second quarter
BAL – Zacahry Dixon 11-yard run (Dan Miller kick). Dolphins 10–7.
MIA – Jimmy Cefalo 34-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 17–7.
Third quarter
MIA – Andra Franklin 1-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 24–7.
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 25-yard field goal. Dolphins 27–7.
MIA – Bruce Hardy 4-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 34–7.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays
Top passers
MIA – David Woodley – 14/22, 239 yards, 3 TD
BAL – Mike Pagel – 11/23, 135 yards, INT
Top rushers
MIA – Andra Franklin – 19 rushes, 46 yards, TD
BAL – Randy McMillan – 15 rushes, 67 yards
Top receivers
MIA – Duriel Harris – 4 receptions, 83 yards
BAL – Curtis Dickey – 3 receptions, 50 yards :

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Miami Dolphins$^{(2)}$ | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 6–1 | 6–1 | 198 | 131 | W3 |
| New York Jets$^{(6)}$ | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 245 | 166 | L1 |
| New England Patriots$^{(7)}$ | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 3–1 | 5–3 | 143 | 157 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 150 | 154 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 0 | 8 | 1 | .056 | 0–5–0 | 0–7–0 | 113 | 236 | L2 |
AFCvte :
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| Seeded postseason qualifiers |||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Raiders | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 260 | 200 | W5 |
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 198 | 131 | W3 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 232 | 177 | W2 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 204 | 146 | W2 |
| 5 | San Diego Chargers | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 288 | 221 | L1 |
| 6 | New York Jets | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 245 | 166 | L1 |
| 7 | New England Patriots | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 143 | 157 | W1 |
| 8 | Cleveland Browns | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 140 | 182 | L1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 150 | 154 | L3 |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 127 | 147 | W1 |
| 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 176 | 184 | W1 |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 148 | 226 | L3 |
| 13 | Houston Oilers | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 136 | 245 | L7 |
| 14 | Baltimore Colts | 0 | 8 | 1 | .056 | 113 | 236 | L2 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||
| 1 2 Miami finished ahead of Cincinnati based on better conference record (6–1 to Cincinnati’s 6–2). 1 2 Pittsburgh finished ahead of San Diego based on better record against common opponents (3–1 to Chargers' 2–1). Conference tiebreak was initially used to eliminate New York Jets. 1 2 3 Pittsburgh and San Diego finished ahead of New York Jets based on conference record (Pittsburgh and San Diego 5–3 against Jets’ 2–3) 1 2 3 Cleveland finished ahead of Buffalo and Buffalo ahead of Seattle based on conference record (4–3 to Buffalo’s 3–3 to Seattle’s 3–5). |||||||||