National Football League

Former Baltimore Colts tight end Mutscheller dies at 85

Published Apr. 13, 2015 5:39 p.m. ET

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TOWSON, Md. (AP) Baltimore Colts tight end Jim Mutscheller, who caught a 6-yard pass from Johnny Unitas to set up the overtime touchdown that won the 1958 NFL championship game, has died. He was 85.

He died Friday of kidney failure at St. Joseph's Hospital in Towson, according to Ruck Funeral Home.

Mutscheller played for the Colts from 1954-61 and made the Pro Bowl in 1957. His most memorable play was the sideline catch to the 1-yard line against the New York Giants, with Mutscheller's block on the next snap helping clear the way for Alan Ameche to barrel into the end zone for the title.

Mutscheller caught five passes in the 1959 NFL title game as the Colts beat the Giants to repeat as champions.

The 6-1, 198-pound native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, also played at Notre Dame under coach Frank Leahy on the 1949 national championship team. He set a school record in 1950 with 35 pass receptions.