"Why is Mike Curtis of the Baltimore Colts not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? He certainly belongs there. Equally adept against the run or pass, the 6-2, 235lb linebacker used explosive strength, 4.7 speed, good hands (25 career interceptions) and bone-jarring hits to punish offenses from 1965 to 1978. But it was his demeanor and frenzied style of play that made Curtis one of the most physical and intimidating players in NFL history. Curtis should be in the Hall of Fame alone. He figured prominently in the NFL's campaign to glorify the violens of the game, and the national press obliged by calling him Mad Dog and Animal and consistently naming him one of the league's meanest and angriest players. Curtis was a Hall of Fame impact player on a championship team. Who can foregt the blitzing Curtis leaping on to Roman Gabriel's neck against the Los Angeles Rams in 1069? Between 1968 and 1974, he went to four Pro Bowls and was considered one of the best. if not the best, linebacker in the NFL. Baltimore made two Super bowls with him at the heart of its defense, and his accomplishements and longevity compare to peers like Willy Lanier, Dave Wilcox, and former teammate Ted "Mad Stork" Hendricks.

And Curtis played five more seasons and in two more Super Bowls than Butkus, who played in zero. Who knew? Curtis also compares to and in some ways trumps Lewis, another Baltimore linebacker with image problems. Both men, for instance, provided aggressive and physical leadership. Roommate Bill Curry, the union man who likened Curtis to Mussolini, recognized in the volatile enfourcer a "purist - totally dedicated to football and to winning. "He embraced the Colts Family and now supports the effort to raise the pensions and medical benefits of retired NFL players. Curtis, like Lewis, was arguably the best player on a great defense. With (Curtis) roaming the turf, in 1968-1971 Baltimore pitched an incredible nine shutouts, including two in the playoffs, and surrendered just 29 points in Super Bowls III and V losing 16-7 to the Jets and beating the Cowboys 16-13. The Colts allowed just 144 and 140 points over fourteen games in 1968 and 1971, a pace equal to the sixteen game record of 165 set by Lewis' Ravens in 2000. Curtis, like Lewis, excelled in the postseason. He returned a fumble for a touchdown against Minnesota and spearheaded a 34-0 demolition of the Browns in the NFL championship in 1968, a 17-0 spanking of Paul Brown's Bengals in 1970, and another 20-3 pasting of the Browns in 1971. In Super Bowl V, a Colt fumble on the 3rd quarter kickoff gave the ball to the Cowboys deep inside the Red Zone. ON the play that changed the game, Curtis was initailly knocked backwards at the goaline but recovered to help jar the ball loose from Duane Thomas. Then, deep in the fourth quarter, Curtis set up the winning field goal with a tricky intercepton off a deflected pass. Inexplicably, the press awarded MVP honors to Chuck Howley of the defeated Cowboys. The New York chapter of the Professional Football Writers of AMerica corrected this groupthink and voted Curtis, like Lewis, Super Bowl MVP. Cuirtis continued to play hard as the Colts declined, making the Pro Bowl in 1974 despite a 2-12. One wonders if Curtis and a few other Super Bowl veterans cut by Thomas could have helped Bert Jones and the Sack Pack win at least one playoff game in thos years. After all, the young Colts had voted him team MVP as recently as 1974, a clear sign of respect. Instead, Curtis was drafted by expansion Seattle in 1976, became a fan favorite, and blocked a last minute field goal to secure the first-ever victory for the Seahawks. When he retired, Curtis left behind a fearsome reputation and a desire to win that made him a Baltimore icon and one of the most famous, and infamous, men to ever play pro football.

By Ed Thompson, Scout.com Senior NFL Analyst, Posted May 22, 2008 While I'm not a voter for the Hall of Fame, Tippett's five consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl, 100 career sacks, an 18.5-sack season and 17 career fumble recoveries certainly make him a valid choice, even if his first six years were much more memorable than the rest of his career.

That said, out of the four other linebackers mentioned above, I hope the oversite of Mike Curtis is rectified first. During his 14-year career he was one of the morst physical and ferocious middle linebackers I've seen play the position. With his rance and high-motor, Curtis managed to intercept 25 passes during his career. And his no-holds-barred mentality - during an ear when rules weren't quite so protective of quarterbacks - made ball carriers brace themselves when they saw Curtis charging in to make a hit.

If you've never seen the famous photo of Curtis sacking former Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel, you probably won't be able to fully appreciate the crazed energy that Curtis brought to the gridiron every weekend and how he pushed his teammates to excel. In that photo, Curtis is captured in midair hitting Gabriel from his right side, with Curtis' right arm wrapped across the face opening of Gabriel's helmet putting him in a headlock that twists Gabriel's upper body backwards as he begins to crumble under the attack.

Even though his teammates and opponents tagged him with a variety of nicknames that reflected his on-the-field persona, including Mad Dog, Iron Mike and The Animal, Curtis is not remembered as a dirty player by any means. He was as a ferocious player that was truly feared, even by legendary Packers quarterback Bart Starr wo once quoted as saying that Curtis was "scarier than (Bears LB Dick) Butkus."

Mike Curtis is long overdue for induction into the Hall of Fame. He made watching the game of football both exciting and fun.

"Mike was the best outside linebacker I've ever seen, bar none."Bobby Boyd, Defensive Backfield Coach

 

"He chews the face bars right off his helmet."Billy Ray Smith, Colts Football Player

"If we had 22 Mike Curtis' we could send them to the stadium and tell them to bring back a winner while we sat and watched the game on TV."Don McCafferty, Coach

"You won't see a better middle-linebacking performance ever."Don McCafferty, Coach

"Mike eats the panes right out of the bus windows on the way to practice."Don McCafferty, Coach

"What more can you say about Mike Curtis he is the complete football player. He's never down for a game. He's the kind of player whos a pleasure to coach."Don McCafferty, Coach

"Fierce tackler with great pursuit."Unknown Football Scout

"When he steps onto the field he leaves his heart on the bench."Unknown Duke Teammate

"Seattle made some excellent choices. They got a good blend of players like Hoaglin, McMillan, Curtis, Geddes that can come in and lead stability."Gil Brandt, VP Personnel Devlp Dallas

"Curtis is scarier than Butkas."Bart Starr, Football Player

"Metal Mike was my roommate for five years. We started out calling him Iron Mike because he was so tough, and then he tore his knee up, so Don Shinnick demoted him to Metal Mike. Then when he lost a lot of weight and came around with a cast on his leg, Shinnick scaled him down to something like Fabric Mike or Cloth Mike, Paper Mike, I think. It ended up with Shinnick calling him Air Mike the last couple of months. He had withered in the cast during that time. Of course, that's not an impression opposing teams had. He was a devastating player. He drove his own players. He'd kick the linemen in front of him, or shove at them to move over, shouting at them. He wasn't the team captain or even the defensive captain, but in 1970, he stood up in front of the entire team and he said, "I'll make sure that you go all out for the rest of the season because if I ever see anyone who's not giving 10 per cent, I'll beat his ass." We had three games left in the regular season, three in the playoffs, including the Super Bowl, and we won all six."Bill Curry, Teammate - 1977

"As brilliant as he is on the field he's just as brilliant off the field. More importantly he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."Dr. Wm. Futrell, Duke Teammate

NFL-based media called the Colts "the greatest pro football team of all time." The Colts went into Super Bowl III against the New York Jets as 17-point favorites, with NFL icons like Pro Bowlers Bobby Boyd (db), Mike Curtis (lb), John Mackey (te), Tom Matte (rb), Fred Miller (dl), Earl Morrall (qb), Willie Richardson (wr), and Bob Vogel )ol). After the NFL merged with the AFL in 1970, the Colts went on a rampage, as new head coach Don McCafferty and a new, impoved defense led by Mike Curtis, the Colts won 11 games, took the AFC East Title, in the first round of the NFL Playoffs, they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 21-0, one week later in the AFC Championship, they beat the Oakland Raiders 27-17. Baltimore went on to win the first post-merger Super Bowl (Super Bowl V) against NFC's Dallas Cowboys 16-13, on a Jim O'[Brien field goal, with 5 seconds left to play."Wikipedia.org 2007

"Because the core of the team (Seahawks) was so inexperienced, Patera knew he needed some gray-beards with good attitudes to come in and shape the personality of the team in the locker room."Dave Boling, Reporter, The News Tribune - 2000

"They'll win some games. They have more talent than we did with New Orleans. They have guys like Mike Curtis and Ed Bradley who have been with winners."Bill Kilmer -Associated Press Interview 2006

"...I have chronicled the career of 30 great football players... Most of these men should be in the Hall of Fame... Mike Curtis ... (More Distand Memories: Pro Football's Best Ever Players of the '50's, 60's and 70's ISBN 97881425966966)."Danny Jones authorhouse 2007

"On the day of a game, we'd get up and drive over to Memorial Staduim... we'd kind of strut down the ramp into the stadium... I remember the way Mike walked. That was an important part of my own preparation to walk into the stadium with Mike. It was almost as if I could draw on his strength... Just the way he walked helped me get ready to play. When we'd score a touch-down, I'd come off and look for Mike. It was important for me that we win Mike's approval somehow. He'd look at me and he would nod. If I had made a goo play - a good block on a screen pass or something, he might even say something. But never much."Bill Curry, Teammate - George Plimpton interview 1977

"Evil Jack, (nickname for Seahawk Head Coach Jack Patera) brought in a couple old veterans like Mike Curtis and myself to maintain a positive attitude. That was part of the leadership role he wanted. You don't bring 11-year veterans to have a negative attitude in the locker room. You needed positive people because he knew there was going to be a lot of bad games and tough times."Bob Lurtsema, Seattle Teammate