The Indianapolis Colts, even in their best seasons, have had a difficult time in the postseason. Time after time, the Colts have made the playoffs, but failed to bring home that all-important Super Bowl win. In all of the Colts' storied history, they have only been able to bring home two rings: in Super Bowl V, and Super Bowl XLI. While the latter victory was due to a group of players that are among the greatest of all time, the same can't be said for Super Bowl V, with the Colts victory being owed to a very unlikely champion.
Coming off a disappointing season, the Colts saw the loss of head coach Don Shula, with Dan McCafferty as his replacement. And the team rebounded, to say the least - with an 11-2-1 record, the Colts not only easily won the AFC East, but with the best record in the AFC overall, and moved on to the playoffs.
In the divisional round, Inndianapolis was able to shut out the Cincinnati Bengals 17-0, with the defense holding the Bengals to just 139 yards. The next game, the conference championship against the Oakland Raiders, was a bit more exciting. After starting out with an early lead at 10-3, the Raiders came back in the third quarter to tie the game. But the Colts managed to pull out the win, thanks to an incredible 68-yard touchdown pass from the legendary Johnny Unitas to Ray Perkins, a touchdown from Norm Bulaich, and a field goal from kicker Jim O'Brien.
But O'Brien's moment to shine would come later.
Super Bowl V
Before - and after - the Super Bowl, O'Brien's career was not much to write about. Though he wasn't notoriously terrible, he was inconsistent at best, and he only lasted a few seasons in the NFL. His overall success rate was just over 50%, a far cry from his college career, when he played significantly better.
But O'Brien will always have a spot in Colts history, thanks to a few clutch plays in his rookie season - and his game-winning kick, that brought Indianapolis (then Baltimore) its first Super Bowl title.
Jim O’Brien#Colts pic.twitter.com/eqWjZcjWXF
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) June 12, 2025
The game, against the Dallas Cowboys, initially did not go well for the Colts; both teams committed numerous turnovers, and when Unitas was injured in the second quarter, it only got worse, with Earl Morrell a poor replacement, though he was ultimately able to keep the Colts in the game long enough for the Colts to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter and tie the score at 13-13.
Late in the game, Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton threw a poorly-timed interception, which Mike Curtis ran to the 28-yard line. With nine seconds left in the game, O'Brien stepped in to try for a 32-yard field goal. As every Colts fan knows, that kick was successful, giving them a three-point lead and - more importantly - their first Super Bowl victory.
"I remember everything but not much," O'Brien said later. "I remember concentrating very, very, very, very hard, probably as hard as I've ever concentrated on a kick. It happened so fast and all of a sudden it was over. You look up and the ball was going through the goal posts. I was pretty happy."
O'Brien never had much of a career after that, but for Colts fans, he will always be remembered as the one-shot wonder who brought them a Super Bowl title.