Rick Volk Richard Robert Volk ( born March 15 , 1945 ) is a former American football player . Volk played college football for the University of Michigan from 1964 to 1966 and was a member of the 1964 team that won the Big Ten Conference championship and defeated Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl . He played as a defensive back for Michigan ' s defensive unit and as a halfback and quarterback for the offensive unit . Volk was also selected by the Sporting News as a first - team All - American in 1967 . In 1989 , Volk was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor ; Volk and Ron Johnson were the first two football players from the 1960s to be so honored . Volk went on to a successful 12 - year career as a safety in the National Football League . He played nine years with the Baltimore Colts from 1967 to 1975 . He was a member of the Colts ' teams that lost Super Bowl III to the New York Jets and won Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys . Volk was selected as an NFL All - Pro four times ( 1968 – 1971 ) and played in three Pro Bowl s ( 1967 , 1969 , 1971 ) . After being released by the Colts in April 1976 , Volk concluded his playing career with the New York Giants in 1976 and the Miami Dolphins from 1977 to 1978 . In 1977 , Volk was selected by Baltimore fans as a starter for the Colts ' 25th anniversary team . Early years . Volk was born in Toledo , Ohio , in 1945 . He attended Wauseon High School in Wauseon , Ohio , where he was a three - sports star . He was an all - league basketball and baseball player and also played quarterback on the football team . University of Michigan . Volk enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1963 . His decision to attend Michigan rather than Ohio State was influenced by family ties , including Bob Chappuis , who was Volk ' s uncle and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting while playing for the undefeated 1947 Wolverines . Volk noted : " I had all these stories growing up . He [ Bob Chappuis ] was my hero , so I always wanted to go to Michigan . . . . And I didn ' t like Woody [ Hayes ] anyway . It was just my Grandpa telling me because he didn ' t like Woody , and he hoped Woody would choke on his Thanksgiving turkey . . . . Because of Uncle Bob going to Michigan , that ' s where I wanted to go . You know , I loved the helmets , loved the uniforms . I said ' Hey , if I could just sit on the bench , that ' s all I care about . ' " Volk did more than sit on the bench at Michigan . He was a three - year starter from 1964 to 1966 . Prior to the start of the 1964 season , Volk was given jersey no . 49 – the same number worn by his uncle when he played for Michigan . During the 1964 season , Volk played at the halfback position on both offense and defense and also served as a backup at quarterback to Bob Timberlake . In his first game for the Wolverines , Volk intercepted a pass in the end zone against Air Force . In his second game , he helped the Michigan defense hold scoreless a high - scoring Navy team led by Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach . He also threw a 33 - yard touchdown pass against Northwestern in October 1964 . In a close victory over Minnesota , after the Golden Gophers had cut Michigan ' s lead to five points and advanced the ball to Michigan ' s 7 - yard line , Volk " smashed through to down the Gopher ball carrier , and save the game on fourth down . " Volk was described by sports writer Joe Hendrickson as " instinctive — usually in the right place to mess things up for the opposition . " Volk helped the 1964 Michigan team win the Big Ten Conference championship and defeat Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl by a score of 34 – 7 . As a junior in 1965 , Volk started all 10 games for Michigan at cornerback and also started four games on offense as the left halfback . He was selected by both the Associated Press and the United Press International as a first - team All - Big Ten defensive back at the end of the 1965 season . As a senior in 1966 , Volk started all 10 games at safety and also started 2 games at fullback , and even started one game as quarterback . At the conclusion of the 1966 season , he was selected as a first - team All - American by the Sporting News . At the conclusion of his college football career at Michigan , the Newspaper Editors Association distributed a feature story on Volk , describing him as follows : " Rick Volk is a safety man who conjures up an image of homemade apple pie and pancakes smothered in maple syrup , Saturday night movies and picnics in a wooded grove . He is clear - eyed and smooth - cheeked , with a short tilted nose and a smile that shows white . He couldn ' t be more pure mid - Americana if he were framed by a billboard . " Volk was invited to play on the College All - Star team following his senior year . At the camp for the All - Star team , Volk was rated by the scouts as " the best all - around athlete among the high - priced talent preparing for pro debuts . " In 1989 , Volk was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor . He joined his uncle , Bob Chappuis , who was inducted into the Hall of Honor five years earlier in 1984 . Volk and Ron Johnson , both inducted in 1989 , were the first two football players from the 1960s to be inducted into the Hall of Honor . Professional football . Baltimore Colts . Volk played as a free safety for twelve seasons in the NFL . He was selected four times as an NFL All - Pro ( 1968 - 1971 ) and played three times in the Pro Bowl ( 1967 , 1969 , 1971 ) . Volk also played in the Super Bowl twice for the Baltimore Colts as a member of the Super Bowl III team and the Super Bowl V winning team . He made a name for himself as a rookie in 1967 by recovering an onside kick to help the Colts defeat the Packers . He also set a Colts team record for the longest interception runback with a 94 - yard touchdown return against Chicago in November 1967 . Volk ' s interception of the pass intended for Brian Piccolo was his third interception in four games . For his performance against the Bears , Volk was named the NFL ' s Defensive Player of the Week . At the end of his rookie season , Volk was chosen to play in his first Pro Bowl game . In his second season with the team , Volk intercepted 6 passes and totaled 154 yards on interception returns . He also returned 25 punts for 198 yards ( 6th best in the NFL ) in 1968 . Volk was selected as a first - team NFL All - Pro player at the end of the 1968 NFL season by the Pro Football Writers , the Newspaper Ent . Association , and the United Press International . The Colts won the NFL championship in 1968 and played Joe Namath ' s AFL champion New York Jets in Super Bowl III . Volk was knocked unconscious during Super Bowl III when he collided helmet - to - helmet with Jets fullback Matt Snell . Volk was rushed to the hospital after he went into convulsions . He was put in the intensive care ward for two days and moved to a regular room on the Tuesday after the game . In 1970 , Volk helped lead the Colts to another Super Bowl appearance , but were now representing the AFC following the merger of the two leagues ( NFL and AFL ) that year . This time , the Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V . Volk was responsible for covering Pro Football Hall of Fame rs Bob Hayes and Mike Ditka in the Super Bowl , and he played a key role in the Colts ' victory . In the fourth quarter , the Colts trailed the Cowboys 13 – 6 . Volk intercepted a pass by Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton at the Dallas 33 - yard line and returned it 30 yards to the 3 - yard line to set up the tying touchdown . Baltimore quarterback Earl Morrall later referred to Volk ' s interception as the play of the game . Interviewed in 2009 , Volk cited Super Bowl V as his fondest memory of playing in Baltimore . He recalled team owner Carroll Rosenbloom flying the whole team , families included , to the Bahamas the day after the game : " The next day we all got on the plane and flew over to the Bahamas . He took the whole family – my wife and one kid , at the time . I remember we were on the beach , Tom Mitchell and I , and we got the paper to make sure it was really true - that we did win . Because this was like a dream come true on the sand beaches in the Bahamas . " Volk had his best season in 1971 when he was picked as a first - team NFL All - Pro by the Associated Press , Pro Football Writers , and the Newspaper Ent . Association . He remained with Colts for nine years and was one of the last players from the Super Bowl V champions to remain with the team . In 1974 , one Maryland sports writer noted that Volk remained a solid performer : " Although the Colts suffered through an overall dismal campaign in 1973 , Volk remained one of the few solid performers in an otherwise lackluster season . " In June 1975 , Volk prepared for his ninth season with the Colts as one columnist wrote : " Rick Volk has seen both ends of the rainbow in his tenure with the Baltimore Colts . The personable veteran defensive back has known the sweet taste of success , attested by the Super Bowl ring he often wears , and also has survived the agony of defeat — especially after people like Don Shula , John Unitas , Bubba Smith and Tom Matte were no longer wanted or appreciated in the Monumental City . " Volk was placed on waivers by the Colts in April 1977 ; he was picked up by the Denver Broncos one week later . With Volk ' s departure , punter David Lee was the sole remaining player on the Baltimore roster from the 1970 Super Bowl team . In October 1977 , Volk was selected as a starter on the Colts ' 25th anniversary team . The team was selected by the fans in Baltimore , and the only players at any position to receive more votes than Volk were David Lee , Johnny Unitas , Raymond Berry , Alan Ameche , Gino Marchetti , John Mackey , Mike Curtis , Art Donovan , Alex Sandusky , Jim Parker and Bobby Boyd . New York Giants . Volk was cut by the Broncos in August 1976 and signed by the Miami Dolphins two weeks later . Volk did not play for the Dolphins in 1976 and was signed mid - season by the New York Giants . Volk played in 8 games for the Giants in 1976 and tallied 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery . Volk was cut by the Giants in early September 1977 , shortly before the start of the regular season . Volk recalled the disappointment at being cut by the Giants at age 32 : " I felt I should have been in New York , but they went with younger people . I was very disappointed , especially to get cut at the end of training camp . I ' d done all the hard training and was ready for the season – the fun time . " Volk returned to his home in Baltimore and worked during the fall as a manufacturer ' s representative . Miami Dolphins . Volk signed with the Miami Dolphins for the final month of the 1977 NFL season . He played in three games for the 1977 Miami Dolphins and had one interception ( off Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson ) . Miami head coach Don Shula , who had worked with Volk in Baltimore , said , " We got him in the last four games , and he showed us some great hitting . He also didn ' t seem to have lost any speed . " During the 1978 NFL season , Volk appeared in all 16 games for the Dolphins , 13 of them as a starter . Volk started the season strong , intercepting a pass in the season opener against the New York Jets . In the second game of the season , the Dolphins played the Colts in Baltimore . Volk intercepted two passes against Baltimore quarterback Bill Troup and helped the Dolphins to a 42 – 0 win . After the game , Volk told reporters , " I wanted to have a good game in Baltimore , and I couldn ' t have asked for anything better than the way it turned out . " While Volk began the 1978 season as a starter , he was replaced by Charlie Babb for the final four games . After the Dolphins lost the AFC wildcard game to the Oilers , Volk announced his retirement . Volk told reporters he had wanted to end his career with a championship team and added , " When the game ' s over , you can ' t worry about it . For most of the guys , there ' ll be another season . For me , this is it . " Career statistics . Volk retired with 38 career interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries . He also totaled 574 yards on interception returns and 548 yards on punt returns . Later years . Volk began working as a manufacturer ' s representative while still playing football . He continued in that business after retiring from football . Interviewed in 2009 , Volk was selling industrial equipment to steel mills .