Baltimore Colts legend Mike Curtis, the only player in NFL history to be named an All-Pro at middle and outside linebacker, died at his St. Petersburg, Fla., home April 20.
Curtis was 77. The Baltimore Sun was first to report the news of Curtis’ death.
Curtis was taken by the Colts in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft and played for the team until 1975, helping lead Baltimore to a Super Bowl championship in January 1971 and a Super Bowl appearance in January 1969. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 1968 and 1969. He played 166 games in the NFL, finishing his career with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.
It looked like Curtis might be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 as part of the Hall’s expanded centennial class, but he was not one of the 10 senior candidates who were selected for enshrinement. Curtis joined Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 12, 2019, before the class was announced, to discuss what it would have meant to him to get in.
“It would sure mean a lot to me in this part of my life,” Curtis said. “But I don’t let it bug me if I don’t get in.”
Curtis deflected credit to his teammates for his success on the football field, saying that “all the players were friends and they would help do their jobs so that I would look good in my job.” He was also thankful for his 11-year career in Baltimore, particularly because he grew up so close.
“I thought a lot of it,” Curtis said. “I knew I could get traded. I could’ve been traded to Seattle and lost contact with everybody, but I wasn’t, so I was able to enjoy the fans as they were when I was playing there.”
Curtis was born in Washington, D.C., and attended Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md. Curtis played his college football at Duke, serving as a fullback from 1962-1964. He ran for 1,034 yards and 15 touchdowns throughout his three-year career, earning first-team All-ACC honors in 1962 and 1964 and third-team All-America honors in 1964.
He was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
Listen to Curtis’ August 2019 interview with Glenn Clark Radio here: