Quotes from Players, Coaches etc.
"Mike was the best outside linebacker I've ever seen, bar none." Bobby Boyd, Defensive Backfield Coach
" The Best I've Ever Seen Middle Linebackers Dick Butkus, Mike Curtis, Willie Lanier, Ray Nitschke" Coach Madden - Linebacker Instincts
"Mike Curtis is the best MLB in professional Football. Shuts down run better than any MLB in game...hits everything that moves on the field, including a fan a couple of years ago...is called 'Mad Dog' but not to his face."Joe Thomas, Colts GM early 1970s
"If Mike Curtis is healthy he's as good a LB as there is in the game." Don Kosleman Rams EVP & GM
"He chews the face bars right off his helmet." Billy Ray Smith, Colts Football Player
“Curtis is almost the ideal middle linebacker. He never makes a mental lapse… He makes our defense more flexible.” Coach McCafferty quote during interview with Steve Bisheff, Herald Examiner Staff Writer
"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
“Mike’s the best in the business… Curtis is the best there is… it’s harder to play outside linebacker.” said Dennis Gaubatz to Bill Tanton, The Baltimore Sun Magazine Writer, September 21, 1969
"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
"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
"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 -AP Interview
"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
The following quotes are from www.Wikipedia.org and the following selected references: Vince Bagli and Norman Macht, Sundays at 2:00 with the Baltimore Colts (Tidwater, 1995); NFL.com; Paul Zimmerman, New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football (Simon & Schuster, 1985); NFL Films, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", "All the Horses: The 1968 Baltimore Colts"; The 1970 Baltimore Colts"; and "Super Bowl Highlights: Super Bowl V".
"My God, we put those Seahawks uniforms on for the first time and there I was playing with Mike Curtis. This was the best linebacker I had ever played with, a great guy and a man I continue to be friends with today. The fans loved us, and we loved the fans. We'd go to those Seahawkers (booster club) meetings, not because it was a payday - we didn't even ask to be paid - we went because they were our fans and we wanted to help them out." Bob Lurtsema, Seattle Teammate
"Mike Curtis is going to be the greatest middle linebacker in the game. I've seen him make plays that I thought were humanly impossible." Gino Marchetti, DE Baltimore Colts (HOFF)
“Mike Curtis has been a help. He’s my friend. In practice if I get complacent he’ll come up and pop me and say, “Watch yourself.:, He’s quick and he hits just like you think he does.” quote from Baltimore Colts Teammate Roosevelt Leaks to David Casstevens, Houston Post Staff Writer. September 6, 1975
“ We knew all along Mike Curtis had tremendous potential” Coach Shula said when asked about Coach Shula’s decision to switch Curtis from fullback to linebacker. Article by Kenneth Denlinger, Washington Post Staff Writer December 20, 1968
"One guy took my helmet and yanked it clear across my face. It wasn't accidental. It was Mike Curtis." 1972 Josh Ashton Patriot RB
" The Best I've Ever Seen Middle Linebackers Dick Butkus, Mike Curtis, Willie Lanier, Ray Nitschke" Coach Madden - Linebacker Instincts
"Mike Curtis is the best MLB in professional Football. Shuts down run better than any MLB in game...hits everything that moves on the field, including a fan a couple of years ago...is called 'Mad Dog' but not to his face."Joe Thomas, Colts GM early 1970s
"If Mike Curtis is healthy he's as good a LB as there is in the game." Don Kosleman Rams EVP & GM
"He chews the face bars right off his helmet." Billy Ray Smith, Colts Football Player
“Curtis is almost the ideal middle linebacker. He never makes a mental lapse… He makes our defense more flexible.” Coach McCafferty quote during interview with Steve Bisheff, Herald Examiner Staff Writer
"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
“Mike’s the best in the business… Curtis is the best there is… it’s harder to play outside linebacker.” said Dennis Gaubatz to Bill Tanton, The Baltimore Sun Magazine Writer, September 21, 1969
"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
"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
"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 -AP Interview
"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
The following quotes are from www.Wikipedia.org and the following selected references: Vince Bagli and Norman Macht, Sundays at 2:00 with the Baltimore Colts (Tidwater, 1995); NFL.com; Paul Zimmerman, New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football (Simon & Schuster, 1985); NFL Films, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", "All the Horses: The 1968 Baltimore Colts"; The 1970 Baltimore Colts"; and "Super Bowl Highlights: Super Bowl V".
"My God, we put those Seahawks uniforms on for the first time and there I was playing with Mike Curtis. This was the best linebacker I had ever played with, a great guy and a man I continue to be friends with today. The fans loved us, and we loved the fans. We'd go to those Seahawkers (booster club) meetings, not because it was a payday - we didn't even ask to be paid - we went because they were our fans and we wanted to help them out." Bob Lurtsema, Seattle Teammate
"Mike Curtis is going to be the greatest middle linebacker in the game. I've seen him make plays that I thought were humanly impossible." Gino Marchetti, DE Baltimore Colts (HOFF)
“Mike Curtis has been a help. He’s my friend. In practice if I get complacent he’ll come up and pop me and say, “Watch yourself.:, He’s quick and he hits just like you think he does.” quote from Baltimore Colts Teammate Roosevelt Leaks to David Casstevens, Houston Post Staff Writer. September 6, 1975
“ We knew all along Mike Curtis had tremendous potential” Coach Shula said when asked about Coach Shula’s decision to switch Curtis from fullback to linebacker. Article by Kenneth Denlinger, Washington Post Staff Writer December 20, 1968
"One guy took my helmet and yanked it clear across my face. It wasn't accidental. It was Mike Curtis." 1972 Josh Ashton Patriot RB
