Never will forget in the mid 70's when the fan ran on the field and stole the football.Mike Curtis made him regret that with a slobber knocker of a hit.
Mike Curtis, a hard-hitting, no-nonsense linebacker who helped the Colts win a Super Bowl during a 14-year NFL career spent predominantly in Baltimore, died April 20 in St. Petersburg, Fla. He was 77.
The cause was complications from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head, his son Clay Curtis said on Twitter.
Mr. Curtis earned the nickname “Mad Dog” because of his fierce play in the middle of a strong Baltimore defense.
He was selected 14th overall in the 1965 draft by the Colts after starring as a fullback at Duke University. He started out with Baltimore as a fullback but rose to stardom in his second season when he switched to linebacker.
A four-time Pro Bowl player, Mr. Curtis had his best season in 1970, when he intercepted five passes for the Colts. Then, in Super Bowl V against Dallas, he picked off a pass in the waning minutes to set up a winning field goal by Jim O’Brien.
The following year, Mr. Curtis delivered what some believe to be his most memorable hit. When an intoxicated fan ran onto the field in Baltimore and snatched the football between plays in a game against the Dolphins on Dec. 11, 1971, Mr. Curtis applied a jolting hit that sent the interloper onto the turf of Memorial Stadium.
“The way I see it, he was invading my place of business,” Mr. Curtis said