Jim Mutscheller, Former Baltimore Colt, Dies At 85

Jim Mutscheller, who helped the Baltimore Colts to back-to-back NFL titles in 1958 and 1959, died April 10 at the age of 85.

Mutscheller was a tight end, who played for the Colts from 1954-1961. He also earned a spot in the 1957 Pro Bowl and nearly became famous because of something that almost happened during overtime of the 1958 title game with the New York Giants.

Quarterback Johnny Unitas threw a short pass to Mutscheller, something the former tight end talked about in an article on the Ravens’ Web site in 2009. He said Unitas had him run a diagonal route and threw the ball. But the field in New York was frozen in that spot, and Mutscheller slid out of bounds at the 1-yard line.

Unitas raised a few eyebrows by gambling and trying to throw a pass deep in New York territory at that point of overtime, but he often took such risks. Mutscheller said he didn’t regret not being the one to score the touchdown, which Alan Ameche did the next play, on a 1-yard run.

Mutscheller joked in that Ravens’ web site article that Ameche was better suited for the publicity that came with the big touchdown.

Mutscheller actually began preparing for his post-football career while playing with the Colts. He started working with National Life Insurance Company of Vermont in 1956, something many pro players did then, when salaries weren’t as big as they are today. Mutscheller remained with the same company for more than 50 years.

Mutscheller also told the Ravens’ Web site that he took the advice of Bert Bell, who was the NFL commissioner during the ’50s. Bell told players that if they wanted to play football, they should remain in the town of their team and try to work there.

When playing, Mutscheller was effective, catching 220 passes — 40 of which went for touchdowns. He twice scored eight touchdowns during a season — leading the NFL in that stat in 1957, the year he earned Pro Bowl honors — before retiring after the 1961 season at the age of 31.

Jeff Seidel

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