All-Time Colts QBs Ranked: Manning #1, Unitas #2

Marty Domres

Retired 8 Years In The NFL
🏆 Second-team All-Eastern (1968)
Marty's
HAIR
5.5
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Marty Domres or the Colts?

Marty Domres Legacy

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Marty Domres was the Ivy League gunslinger from Columbia who shocked the NFL world as the No. 9 pick in 1969, backing up legends like John Hadl before stepping into Johnny Unitas' colossal shadow with the Colts in '72. The upstate New York kid rewrote Columbia's record books with arm talent and legs that led the Ivy in total offense, then earned NFL Offensive Player of the Week honors torching foes for four scores in a 35-7 rout. Sure, the pros brought tough sledding—trades to the Niners and Jets, battles with Bert Jones—but Domres held his own, a scrappy pro with nine seasons of grit. He passed away in October 2025 at 78.
Marty Domres passed away on October 13, 2025 at the age of 78.

Marty Domres Rating Breakdown

Season
Non-Factor
Fantasy
Non-Factor
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
Cooked
4 years with the Colts

Marty Domres Career Stats via Wikipedia

4,904 Pass Yards
10 Touchdowns
50 INTs
49.3% Comp %
5.5 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Marty Domres

How does Daniel Jones compare to Marty Domres?

Daniel Jones, the current Colts starter, edges Marty Domres in raw yards with over 11,000 to Domres's 4,904, but both hover around that gritty 49% completion rate from the Unitas-era trenches—Jones at 49.1% career. Domres stepping in after Johnny U in '72 feels like Jones's endless audition; neither lit up scoreboards, yet Domres's legs (679 rush yards) might give him the nod in a pure survivor bowl.

Is Marty Domres in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Marty Domres never made it to Canton—no bust waiting there for the Columbia gunslinger who followed Unitas in Baltimore. With just 4,904 yards, 27 TDs, and a 53.8 rating across nine seasons, he's revered more in Ivy League lore than pro immortality, though replacing Johnny U alone earns eternal barstool cred.

How would Marty Domres perform in today's NFL?

Domres's cannon arm from Columbia—396 yards in a game—and scrambling chops (679 NFL rush yards) would've feasted under today's pass-happy rules with nickel defenses and no bump-and-run. That 49.3% completion jumps to relevance with quick releases; picture him as a poor man's young Josh Allen, dodging sacks in shotgun spread.

How does Marty Domres compare to Peyton Manning?

Peyton Manning's 55.59 rating with the Colts towers over Domres's measly 5.49 in those two Baltimore seasons—talk about replacing Unitas with a sequel nobody ordered. Both franchise QBs, sure, but Peyton dropped dime after dime while Marty grinded 4,904 career yards amid 50 picks; it's like comparing a Ferrari to a '72 Pinto with guts.