Indianapolis Colts
Encyclopedia
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football
team based in Indianapolis
. They are currently members of the South Division
of the American Football Conference
(AFC) in the National Football League
(NFL).
The club was officially founded in Baltimore
, Maryland
in 1953, but can trace its history to the Dayton Triangles
, a founding member of the NFL that was originally created in 1913. After a series of changes, it assumed the name Baltimore Colts, replacing a previous team of that name that folded in 1950. Playing at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
, the Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. The team then relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, first playing at the Hoosier Dome, which was then renamed the RCA Dome
, before moving to Lucas Oil Stadium
in 2008.
The Colts won four NFL championships (three NFL Championships in 1958
, 1959
, 1968
; and Super Bowl V
in 1971) while in Baltimore. Since moving to Indianapolis, they won Super Bowl XLI
in 2007.
, a founding member of the NFL that was originally created in 1913. That team went through the following changes:
of the All-America Football Conference
were purchased and relocated in Baltimore by a group headed by Bob Rodenberg. As the result of a contest in Baltimore, won by Charles Evans of Middle River, Md., the team was renamed the Colts. On September 7, 1947, wearing the green and silver uniforms, the Colts
, under Head Coach Cecil Isbell
, won their initial AAFC game, 16–7, over the Brooklyn Dodgers
. The team concluded its inaugural season before a record Baltimore crowd of 51,583 by losing to the New York Yankees
, 21–7. The Colts finished with a 2–11–1 record, good for a fourth place finish in the Eastern Division. The Colts
completed the 1948 season with a 7–8 record, tying the Buffalo Bills
for the division title. The Colts
compiled a 1–11 mark in 1949. Y. A. Tittle
was the Colts starting quarterback.
The AAFC and NFL merged in 1950
, and the Colts joined the NFL. After posting a 1–11 record
for the second consecutive year, the franchise was dissolved by the league on January 18, 1951, because of its failing financial condition. Many Baltimore fans protested the loss of their team and continued to support the marching band
(the second in professional football, after that of their local rivals, the Washington Redskins
). Both the band and the fan club
remained in operation and worked for the team's revival.
challenged Baltimore in December 1952 to sell 15,000 season tickets within six weeks in order to re-enter the NFL. That 15,000-ticket quota was reached in four weeks and three days. On January 23, 1953, under the principal ownership of Carroll Rosenbloom
, the NFL’s Dallas Texans
franchise was moved to Baltimore and assumed the Colts nickname while retaining the Texans' team colors of blue and white. This is the franchise that exists today in Indianapolis.
The Texans had a long and winding history; they started as the Boston Yanks
in 1944
and merged with the Brooklyn Tigers (previously known as the Dayton Triangles
, an original NFL team established in the 1910s) for the 1945 season
before moving to New York
as the Bulldogs in 1949
. The team then became the Yanks
in 1950, and many of the players from the New York Yankees
of the All-America Football Conference
were added to the team. The Yanks moved to Dallas after the 1951 season
, but played their final two home games of the 1952 season
at the Rubber Bowl
in Akron, Ohio
.
Note: This team should not be confused with the Dallas Texans of the AFL; they were a founding member of the AFL in 1960 and in 1963 moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs.
on September 27, with coach Keith Molesworth
. The Colts stunned the Bears
that day 13–9 to get the new franchise off on the right foot. However, the Colts struggled to a 3–9 season in their inaugural year.
faced the New York Giants
in the NFL Championship game at Yankee Stadium. The Colts went to halftime with a 14–3 lead after scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. The fourth quarter ended with the teams tied at 17, meaning the NFL would have to use sudden death overtime for the first time ever. In the overtime, Johnny Unitas
hit wide receiver Raymond Berry
with a pass that gave the Colts a first down in Giants territory. Baltimore continued to drive down to the 1-yard line, with first and goal. Unitas handed off to Alan Ameche
who dove across the goal line to give Baltimore a 23–17 win, in what many call the greatest game ever played
. The game became a launching point for the NFL's remarkable boom in popularity.
had a Championship Game rematch
with the New York Giants
, with the game this time being played at Memorial Stadium. In the first three quarters the Colts fell behind 9–7. Unitas led the Colts back in the fourth quarter as Baltimore scored 24 unanswered points, and went on to claim their second straight NFL Championship with a 31–16 victory.
, after losing the first game of the season to the Vikings
, the Colts
went on a 10-game winning streak on the way to winning the Western Division Championship with a 12–2 record. Unitas won the NFL MVP award after amassing 2,824 yards passing. The Colts faced the Cleveland Browns
in the Championship Game
. However, nothing would go right in Cleveland as the Colts were defeated 27–0.
with 3,428 yards passing as the Colts
went undefeated through the first 13 games of the season with a record of 11–0–2. However, the Colts still needed to beat the Rams
in Los Angeles to claim the Coastal Division Championship. The Rams would win the game 34–10 to win the Division title and advance to the postseason, as the Colts went home despite an 11–1–2 record.
with an elbow injury. Backup quarterback Earl Morrall
stepped in and won the NFL MVP award, while leading the Colts
to a 13–1 season. While Morrall led the offense, the Colts defense shut out three opponents and allowed a record low 144 points for the season. In the Divisional Playoff the Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings
24–14 before a sold out crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Super Bowl III
was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name Super Bowl. (The two previous AFL-NFL Championship Games would retroactively be called Super Bowls as well.) This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The underdog American Football League (AFL) champion New York Jets
(11–3) defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Baltimore Colts (13–1) by a score of 16–7. It was the first Super Bowl victory for the AFL.
The game was played on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida – the same location as Super Bowl II. Entering Super Bowl III, the NFL champion Colts were heavily favored to defeat the AFL champion Jets. Although the upstart AFL had successfully forced the long-established NFL into a merger agreement three years earlier, the AFL was not generally respected as having the same caliber of talent as the NFL. In addition, the NFL's Green Bay Packers
, coached by Vince Lombardi
, had easily defeated the AFL representatives (Kansas City
and Oakland
)in the first two Super Bowls.
After boldly guaranteeing a victory prior to the game, Jets quarterback Joe Namath
completed 17 out of 28 passes for 206 yards, and was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player, despite not throwing a touchdown pass in the game or any passes at all in the fourth quarter.
Following the next season, coach Don Shula
, who fell out of favor with owner Carroll Rosenbloom
, was allowed to resign and took the coaching job with Miami Dolphins
. Assistant Coach Don McCafferty
replaced Shula.
, Rosenbloom, Art Modell
of the Browns
, and Art Rooney
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
agreed to have their teams join the ten AFL teams in the AFC as part of the AFL-NFL merger
giving each conference an equal number of teams and divisions. The Colts won the Eastern Division while posting an 11–2–1 record. During the season the Colts got revenge for Super Bowl III by beating the New York Jets
, who were now a division rival. In the Divisional Playoffs
, the Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals
17–0 at Memorial Stadium. The Colts then defeated the Raiders
27–17 to advance to the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl V
against the Dallas Cowboys
, the Cowboys jumped out to a 6–0 lead on 2 field goals before Baltimore tied it on a 75-yard pass from Unitas to John Mackey
. However, Baltimore's PAT was blocked and the game remained tied. The Cowboys regained the advantage and went into the 4th quarter holding a 13–6 lead into halftime. Earl Morrall relieved an injured Unitas in the 2nd half the game as the two teams kept fumbling the ball back-and-forth in a game that got the nickname "The Blunder Bowl" as both teams combined had 11 turnovers. Baltimore tied the game midway through the final period on a 2-yard plunge by running back Tom Nowatzke
. With less than 2 minutes left Cowboys RB Dan Reeves
fumbled the ball setting up the Colts in Dallas territory. Baltimore won the game on a 32-yard field goal from Jim O'Brien
with 5 seconds left.
, McCafferty was fired. The Colts
went 4–5 in their final 9 games under John Sandusky
to finish with a 5–9 record, their first losing mark in 16 years. Following the season Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers
. However, Unitas would not leave without coming off the bench during his final game at Memorial Stadium and leading the Colts on a 55-yard touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter to help beat the Buffalo Bills
35–7. Memorial Stadium gave the legend a standing ovation as a small plane flying overhead carried a banner reading "Unitas We Stand." After a 4–10 season in 1973
and a 0–3 start in 1974
, head coach Howard Schnellenberger
was fired and replaced by Joe Thomas
. The Colts
did not perform any better under Thomas, compiling a miserable 2–12 season.
Under new coach Ted Marchibroda
the Colts
got off to a 1–4 start in 1975
. However, the Colts started winning as quarterback Bert Jones
and running back Lydell Mitchell
came of age and led the Colts on a seven game winning streak. The Colts went on to win their last game of the season to claim the AFC East with a 10–4 record. However, in the Divisional Playoffs
the young Colts were no match for the Steelers
in Pittsburgh, suffering a season ending 28–10 loss. Marcibroda resigned as head coach but was re-hired for the 1976 season. The Colts went on to have a stellar season, led by Jones who won the NFL MVP by passing for 3,104 yards. The Colts
put together a solid season
and won the AFC East with an 11–3 record; however, in the Divisional Playoffs
, the Colts were defeated again by the Pittsburgh Steelers
, this time at Memorial Stadium, 40–14. In 1977
, the Colts were again defeated in the Divisional Playoffs
by the Oakland Raiders
, 37–31. Following the 1979 season
, Marchibroda was fired and replaced by Mike McCormack.
After two losing seasons, McCormack was fired and Bert Jones was traded to the Los Angeles Rams
. In 1982
, attendance began to dwindle at Memorial Stadium as the Colts
struggled during a season interrupted by a two-month strike. Actually the strike provided relief for the John Elway negotiations. However, Elway refused to play for owner Robert Irsay
and threatened to play minor league baseball or in the newly formed USFL. Fearful the Colts would get nothing for his rights, the Colts traded Elway to the Denver Broncos
. On December 18, 1983, unbeknownst to the team or fans, the Colts played their final home game (against the then Houston Oilers
) in the city of Baltimore. 27,934 fans showed up, 516 more fans than the crowd that had turned out for their first home game in 1947.
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In May 1969 the city of Baltimore announced it would seek a “substantial” increase in Memorial Stadium
rental fees from Carol Rosenbloom and the Colts. Rosenbloom had already called Memorial Stadium “antiquated” and had threatened to move all Colts home games out of the stadium unless improvements were made. Rosenbloom even considered using $12–20 million of his own money to help fund the building of a new football-only stadium on land in adjoining Baltimore County. By November 1971, Rosenbloom announced that the Colts would not return to Memorial Stadium when their lease ran out following the 1972 season and that he was not interested in negotiating with the city anymore. He wanted out of Baltimore for several reasons — team revenue, problems with Baltimore Orioles
ownership relating to Memorial Stadium and food sales/parking fees, a running feud with the Baltimore press, and his new wife's
desire to move to the West Coast. Will Keland, a real estate investor, was originally slated to buy the Colts from Rosenbloom. However, Keland could not generate the funds necessary to purchase the team. His golfing buddy, Robert Irsay
, who originally was slated to own only 1 percent of the team, did have the money available and he moved in to make the purchase. On July 13, 1972, Irsay became the owner of the Colts. Under the terms of the arrangement, Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams for $19 million, then traded them to Rosenbloom for the Colts and $3 million in cash. The players for each team remained in their respective cities.
In 1971, Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer
and Maryland governor Marvin Mandel
created a stadium committee to examine the city's stadium needs. Their report was a blow to Memorial Stadium. Some of the problems mentioned: 10,000 stadium's seats had views that were "less than desirable"; 20,000 seats were out-dated bench seats that had no back support; 7,000 so called seats were actually poorly constructed temporary bleachers that were installed for football games only. Also, there was inadequate office space for the front offices of either the Orioles or Colts by themselves, much less for both teams combined. Both teams had to share locker rooms. The upper deck of Memorial Stadium did not circle the field, ending instead at the 50-yard line, meaning that thousands of potential seats (and added revenue) were missing. Any expansion plans for the stadium had usually mentioned less attractive (and less expensive) end-zone seats, not upper deck seating. Lastly, the amount of bathroom facilities in Memorial Stadium was deemed inadequate.
Maryland's planners came up with an ambitious project. Nicknamed the Baltodome, the original plan was to create a facility near the city's Inner Harbor known as Camden Yards. The new stadium would host 70,000 fans for football games, 55,000 for baseball and 20,000 as an arena for hockey or basketball. For an estimated $78 million, the city would build a facility that would have kept all parties happy; Orioles owner Hoffberger, Colts owner Irsay, the Stadium Complex Authority (whose Chairman Edmond Rovner reiterated in 1972 that "A major consideration in Mr. Irsay's trading of franchises, was the city's firm commitment to proceed with these plans."), Baltimore Mayor Schaefer and the Maryland governor Mandel.
However, the proposal did not receive sufficient support to pass the Maryland legislature, in spite of assurances that contributions from taxpayers would be limited strictly to city and state loans. On February 27, 1974 Governor Mandel pulled the plug on the idea. Orioles owner Jerrold Hoffberger was blunt "I will bow to the will of the people. They have told us what they want to tell us. First, they don't want a new park and second, they don't want a club." Robert Irsay
was willing to wait. "It's not a matter of saying that there will be no stadium. It's a matter of getting the facts together so everybody is happy when they build the stadium. I'm a patient man. I think the people of Baltimore
are going to see those new stadiums in New Orleans
and Seattle
opening in a year or two around the country, and they are going to realize they need a stadium ... for conventions and other things besides football."
Hyman Pressman, Baltimore's comptroller, was against using any public funds to build a new stadium. During the 1974 elections, Pressman had an amendment to the city's charter placed on the fall ballot. Known as Question P, the amendment called for declaring "the 33rd Street stadium as a memorial to war veterans and prohibiting use of city funds for construction of any other stadium." The measure passed 56 percent to 44 percent, and the same jingoistic ideas that had been used to upgrade the then Baltimore Stadium (originally built in 1922) in the late 1940s and rename it Memorial Stadium, effectively destroyed any chance of a new, modern sports complex being built in Baltimore.
Although the Colts made the playoffs for three straight years from 1975–77, there had still been no progress made on a new park for the team. Robert Irsay first spoke with Phoenix
, Arizona
in 1976 and then Indianapolis
, Indiana
in 1977 about the possibility of relocating his team to one of those cities. In 1976 he acknowledged publicly that he had received an "attractive offer" to move the franchise to Phoenix. Then in 1977 said "I like Baltimore and want to stay there, but when are we going to find out something about our stadium? I'm getting offers from towns like Indianapolis
to build me a new stadium and give me other inducements to move there. I don't want to but I'd like to see some action in Baltimore". In 1979 Jerrold Hoffberger sold the Orioles to Washington D.C. attorney Edward Williams
who declared 1980 to be a trial year for the fans of Baltimore. He then went on to explain his concerns with Memorial Stadium, saying it had "inadequate parking and inadequate access and egress. Frankly, I don't know if those problems will ever be solvable at that location,". Irsay began shopping the Colts around in earnest, talking first to officials from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Commission, Memphis
, Tennessee
and Jacksonville
, Florida
where he visited the Gator Bowl packed with 50,000 cheering fans trying to convince him that Jacksonville would be the best home for the Colts. That same year Irsay presented Maryland's Governor Harry Hughes
with a request for $25 million in renovation to the dilapidated 64,124 seat Memorial Stadium. Irsay's request for $25 million in improvements was decreased to $23 million by the Maryland legislature. The plan would add more seats (but none of the revenue-generating skyboxes), improve the plumbing, and have provided both teams with better office space. The plan's approval was contingent on both the Colts and the Orioles
signing long term leases. The Orioles challenged the requested football improvements and refused to sign anything more than a one year lease. Irsay also refused to sign long term lease. As a result, the funds and improvements never came.
Under the administration of Mayor Richard Lugar and then continuing with Mayor William Hudnut, Indianapolis was making a serious effort to reinvent itself into a "Great American City". In 1979, Indianapolis community leaders created the Indiana Sports Corporation to attract major sports events to central Indiana. The next year, Mayor Hudnut appointed a committee to study the feasibility of building a new stadium that could serve primarily as a boon to the city's convention business and, secondarily, as a lure for an NFL team.
In 1982, construction on the Hoosier Dome (later renamed the RCA Dome
) began. Deputy Mayor David Frick, who would later lead the negotiations with the Colts and then go on to become chairman of the Indiana state commission overseeing construction of the RCA Dome
's replacement, Lucas Oil Stadium
, has said that the RCA Dome was a key to changing the city's image. "Sports was an element in our game plan to change the image of the city back in the late 1970s, early 1980s."
In February 1983, after relations between Irsay and the city of Baltimore had deteriorated significantly, Baltimore Mayor Schaefer asked the Maryland General Assembly to approve $15 million for renovation to Memorial Stadium. The legislature did not approve the request until the following spring, after the Colts' lease had expired, and only half of that $15 million would go towards improvements that the Colts were seeking; the other half was for the Orioles Major League Baseball team. However, Baltimore reportedly did offer Irsay a $15 million loan at 6.5%, a guarantee of at least 43,000 tickets sold per game for six years, and the purchase of the team's Owings Mills
training facility for $4 million.
On March 2, NFL owners voted to give Irsay permission to move his franchise to the city of his choosing. Irsay continued discussions with several cities hungry for an NFL franchise (New York
, Phoenix
, Indianapolis
, Birmingham
, Jacksonville
and Memphis
) eventually narrowing the list of cities to two, Phoenix and Indianapolis. In January 1984 Baltimore's Mayor Schaefer stated "We're not going to build a new stadium. We do not have the bonding capacity. We don't have the voters or taxpayer who can support a $60 million stadium. One-third of the people in Baltimore pay taxes. Unless private enterprise builds it, we won't build it." The Phoenix Metropolitan Sports Foundation, headed by real estate developer Eddie Lynch, along with Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt
and other top Arizona officials, had secretly met with Irsay early in January 1984. Preliminary talks seemed promising. Phoenix
was offering a below market rate $15,000,000.00 loan and rent free use of the 71,000 seat Sun Devil Stadium
on the campus of Arizona State University
. A second meeting was scheduled between Irsay and the Phoenix group. But when word of a second scheduled meeting leaked out and was reported by the media on the Friday before the Super Bowl
, Irsay canceled. Meanwhile, Indianapolis and local real estate developer Robert Welch
, were lobbying the NFL to bring an expansion team to the city, with Welch as team owner. Welch also had personal discussions with New Orleans Saints
owner John Mecom about buying the team and moving it to Indianapolis. In January 1984, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
announced that expansion had been put on hold. As a result of that announcement, Indiana Pacers
' owner Herb Simon contacted Colts officials in order to take negotiations between the club and Indianapolis to the next level. Mayor Hudnut then assigned deputy mayor David Frick to begin secret negotiations with Colts counsel Michael Chernoff. On February 13, Colts representatives came to town to look at the Hoosier Dome construction. Colts owner Robert Irsay visited on February 23.
"He [Irsay] was visibly moved," former deputy mayor Dave Frick said in commenting on Irsay's reaction to entering the brand new domed stadium. "Emotionally, he was making the move." Meanwhile in Baltimore, the situation worsened. Eventually, the Maryland
legislature intervened and, on March 27, the Maryland Senate passed legislation giving the city of Baltimore the right to seize ownership of the team by eminent domain
– an idea first floated in a memo written by Baltimore mayoral aide Mark Wasserman. Robert Irsay said that his move was "a direct result" of the eminent domain bill and Colts counsel Michael Chernoff later said of the move by the Maryland legislature: "They not only threw down the gauntlet, but they put a gun to his head and cocked it and asked, 'Want to see if it's loaded?' They forced him to make a decision that day".
On March 28, Phoenix businessmen withdrew their offer citing the recent legislative moves in Maryland. Irsay called the Indianapolis mayor that afternoon and began serious negotiations in order to move the team before the Maryland legislature's other chamber could pass similar legislation. The city of Indianapolis offered the Colts owner a $12,500,000 loan, a $4,000,000 training complex, and the use of the brand new $77.5 million, 60,127 seat Hoosier Dome. After Irsay agreed to the deal, the Indianapolis Mayor called John B. Smith, his friend, neighbor and chief executive officer of Mayflower Transit
, and 15 trucks were dispatched to the team's Owings Mills, Maryland training complex at 2:00 AM on March 29 because it was feared the franchise would be seized early the following morning. Workers loaded all of the team's belongings and the trucks left for Indianapolis. By 10:00 AM, the Colts were completely gone from Baltimore. Later that day the Maryland House of Delegates also passed the Eminent Domain
bill by a vote of 103–19 and the legislation taking control of the Colts was sent to Maryland Governor Harry Hughes
and signed.
Departing Maryland, each of the Mayflower trucks took a slightly different route on the way to Indianapolis. This was done to confuse the Maryland State Police
, who might have been called on to put a stop to the move. Once each van was at the Indiana state line, it was met by Indiana State Troopers
, who escorted each van to the Colts new home in Indianapolis. Later John Moag, Jr., chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, stated in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee responsible for the Fan Freedom and Community Protection Act: "It was the failure of our local (Baltimore) and state elected officials in Maryland to provide the Colts with a firm proposal for a new stadium that led Mr. Irsay to accept an offer from Indianapolis to play in a new dome in that city."
Baltimore's Mayor Schaefer, who had been promised a call by Irsay if the team was to move (but never received one) appeared on the front page of The Baltimore Sun
in tears. After the Colts left, and in spite of his earlier stance that the city of Baltimore would not build a new stadium, he placed the building of a new stadium at the top of his legislative agenda.
Indianapolis Mayor Hudnut held a press conference March 29 to announce that an agreement had been reached and the team was on its way to Indianapolis. The deal was sealed March 30 with approval by the Capital Improvement Board, which operated the Hoosier Dome. Two days later, 20,000 new Colts fans cheered as Mayor Hudnut proclaimed March 29, 1984, "one of the greatest days in the history of this city."
judge threw out the lawsuit which sought to return the team to Maryland. Later, representatives of the city of Baltimore and the Colts organization reached a settlement in March 1986 in which all lawsuits regarding the relocation were dismissed, and the Colts would endorse a new NFL team for Baltimore.
On November 6, 1995, Cleveland Browns
owner Art Modell
announced his intention to move the Browns team to Baltimore after a stadium dispute in Cleveland. The decision, which involved secret discussions with the state of Maryland, also triggered a flurry of legal activity. Ironically, Modell had previously been staunchly against the relocation of sports teams, having heavily criticized Irsay's move in 1986.
As part of the agreement to end all litigation between Modell and Cleveland, Modell left the Browns' name, colors, and history of the franchise in Cleveland. Modell was allowed to take his players and organization to Baltimore, but it would be technically regarded as an expansion team. The new Baltimore team was named the Ravens
after a fan vote.
The Colts' final game in Baltimore was played on December 18, 1983 against the Houston Oilers
. The Colts won 20–10. The Colts did not play another game in Baltimore until 1998. Since then, the Colts have played in Baltimore several more times during the regular season (most recently in 2009
). The teams have had two playoff matchups during that time, one in Baltimore (2006) and one in Indianapolis (2009), where in the 2006–07 playoffs
, the Ravens
hosted the Colts
in an AFC Divisional Playoff game (2006) and Colts hosted Ravens in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The Colts won the 2006 game en route to their first Super Bowl
win since moving to Indianapolis. When the Colts play a game in Baltimore the name Colts is not used. The Colts are introduced as the Indianapolis professional football team and referred to as Indy on the stadium scoreboards.
was named general manager of the team. Frank Kush
was head coach until the final game, when he was replaced by Hal Hunter
. Prior to the start of the season the team received 143,000 requests in two weeks for season tickets. The Colts had two first-round draft picks in 1984
. They chose Leonard Coleman
and Ron Solt
. Coleman could not reach an agreement with the Colts until early in 1985, and spent 1984 playing in the USFL
. Other notable picks that year included Kevin Call
in the 5th round and Eugene Daniel
in the 8th. The Colts
finished the 1984 season
with 4 wins and 12 losses. Rod Dowhower
was named head coach in 1985, but after two losing seasons, Dowhower was replaced by Ron Meyer
in December 1986.
Two weeks into the 1987 regular season
the players went on a 24-day strike. One week of games was canceled, and for three weeks the teams played with replacement players. On October 31, the Colts obtained running back Eric Dickerson
from the Los Angeles Rams for six draft picks and two players. The deal also involved Buffalo, sending Cornelius Bennett
from the Colts to the Bills while Chuck Banks
came to Indianapolis from the Houston Oilers. The Colts
finished the season 9–6 and clinched the AFC East title but lost to the Cleveland Browns
in the divisional playoff game.
Because of the Dickerson trade, the Colts had no draft pick until the third round in the 1988 NFL Draft
when they took quarterback Chris Chandler
. In the Colts' first Monday Night Football
appearance they defeated Denver
55–23 before a Halloween
night crowd. Dickerson became the first Colt since Alan Ameche
in 1955 to win the NFL rushing title. The Colts
finished the season
9–7, and did not make the playoffs
.
, 1989 first-round pick Andre Rison
and draft picks to the Atlanta Falcons
for the first pick of the 1990 draft
so they could choose Indianapolis native and quarterback Jeff George
. Eric Dickerson, after boycotting training camp and refusing to take physicals, was placed on the non-football injury list for six weeks. He was subsequently suspended four weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and forfeited $750,000 in wages and fines. The team
finished the season
7–9. The team further declined into 1991 and Meyer was fired on October 1 and replaced by Rick Venturi
, his defensive coordinator. The Colts
won only once in the 1991 season
, scoring a total of only 146 points. Their lone win came against the playoff-bound New York Jets
in Week 11. The Colts became the third consecutive team to finish a season at 1–15 (joining the 1989 Cowboys
and 1990 Patriots
).
On January 28, 1992, the Colts hired Ted Marchibroda, who had been serving as an assistant with the Buffalo Bills
for the past five seasons, for his second stint as the team's head coach. In April, the Colts traded Eric Dickerson to the Los Angeles Raiders
, ending his sometimes rocky 4½ years with the team. On May 3, 1992, second-year defensive end Shane Curry
was shot to death outside a Cincinnati nightclub in a dispute over a car blocking the nightclub's driveway. The Colts
finished the season
9–7, marking the second time that Marchibroda led the Colts to an eight-game turnaround in his first year as their coach. It wasn't enough, however, for the Colts to make the playoffs
as they finished one game behind two of the AFC wild card teams.
Following a 4–12 season in 1993
, running back Marshall Faulk
was drafted second overall and linebacker Trev Alberts
fifth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft
. In March, Jeff George was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Despite going undefeated in the preseason the Colts
opened the regular season with an all-time low attendance of 47,372. The Colts, behind starting quarterback Jim Harbaugh
, improved to 8–8, which was good enough for second place in the AFC East but not good enough to advance to the playoffs.
, the Colts acquired Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Craig Erickson
in a trade and signed him to a long term deal, but after three weeks Harbaugh regained the starting quarterback position. The move paid off as Harbaugh ended the season as the NFL's top-rated passer. The Colts advanced to the playoffs with a 9–7 record and earned the nickname "Cardiac Colts" thanks to their four come from behind victories and close games.
The Colts surprised many when they defeated the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers
in their first playoff game 35–20. They then came from behind to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs
, who finished the season with the NFL's best record, the following week. This advanced the Colts to their first conference championship game since 1972, when they still played in Baltimore. Having defeated the AFC's #1 seed in the Chiefs, the Colts then traveled to Pittsburgh to face the AFC's #2 seed, the Steelers
. Harbaugh and the Colts again were involved in a close game and held the lead three separate times in the game, but lost 20–16 after Harbaugh's attempted 29-yard Hail Mary pass
on the final play of the game was dropped by Aaron Bailey
in the end zone.
A month after the Colts' loss in the AFC Championship Game, trouble began brewing. Team owner Robert Irsay
had suffered a stroke during the season that left him incapacitated, and while he convalesced a battle ensued for control of the team between Irsay's wife Nancy and his son, Colts general manager Jim Irsay
. To further complicate matters, the Colts were forced to search for a new coach after Ted Marchibroda resigned following a contract dispute with the team, who had only offered him a one year extension. The team ended up promoting offensive coordinator Lindy Infante
to the position while keeping him on as coordinator.
With the draft pick the Colts obtained in the Jeff George trade, the team selected wide receiver Marvin Harrison
with the 19th pick in the 1996 NFL Draft
. The Colts continued their winning ways from the previous year, starting at 4–0 in 1996
. However, injuries began to plague the team and they went 5–7 following that. Their 9–7 record was enough to get them into the playoffs
for the second consecutive year, and they faced the Steelers
in the opening round. The Colts lost again, however, as Pittsburgh throttled them 42–14.
In the offseason prior to the Colts' 1997 season, Jim Irsay won his legal battle and became sole owner of the team. Irsay, who was 37 at the time, became the youngest owner of an NFL team in history. He had been working with the team since 1982, and has become known as "The best small-market owner in the NFL." After his father died, Jim immediately began to put his own seal on the team. Other NFL team owners "credit his work as an owner and his personality as a significant reason for awarding Indianapolis the 2012 Super Bowl, a rare honor for a cold-weather city." Patriots Owner Robert Kraft: "I voted for Indianapolis because of Jim, because I like him and respect what he's done there."
Irsay's first year as sole owner did not go well, however, as the Colts finished with the worst record in the NFL. The Colts
only won three times in the 1997 season
(although all three of those wins came against teams with winning records, including the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers
), and wholesale changes were made following the season. Irsay hired Carolina Panthers
general manager Bill Polian
, who had won NFL Executive of the Year four times with the Panthers and Buffalo Bills
, as the team's president and general manager. Polian promptly fired Infante as coach, released Harbaugh, and hired Jim Mora, Sr.
as the team's new head coach.
, Polian used the first pick in the draft to select University of Tennessee
quarterback Peyton Manning
, son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning
.
While the Colts
finished their first season
under Polian at 3–13 again, success would come quickly after that.
The Colts traded Marshall Faulk to St. Louis
two days before the draft and used their first-round draft pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
to select running back Edgerrin James
out of Miami
, a surprise to many who thought they would take Texas
running back Ricky Williams
, the Heisman Trophy
winner who was available. James caught on quickly and Manning and Marvin Harrison clicked as a potent passing combination.
, tying a franchise record for most wins in a season, and won the AFC East. They finished tied for the second best record in the conference with the Tennessee Titans
(who did not win their division), the second best record in the NFL with the Titans and St. Louis Rams
, and earned a first-round bye. In the first ever playoff game in Indianapolis, however, the Colts fell 19–16 to the eventual AFC Champion Titans. Manning, James and Harrison earned Pro Bowl honors, while kicker Mike Vanderjagt
won the NFL scoring title and James took home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
the Colts were 6–2, though some of the wins had been heart-stoppers with last-minute heroics overcoming earlier mistakes. Then they lost four of the next five games, and suddenly even making it into playoffs was in doubt. With three games left in the season the Colts only chance was to win all three, which they did. The back-to-back 10-plus victory seasons were a first for the club since 1976–77. Manning (4,413) and James (1,709, 2,303) won the NFL passing, rushing and scrimmage yards titles. They earned a wild-card spot in the playoffs, but lost the game 23–17 to the Miami Dolphins
. The organization entered the off-season knowing the area most in need of attention was the defense.
was selected with the 30th pick in the 2001 NFL Draft
. In 2001
, Manning passed for 4,131 yards and Harrison caught 109 passes. However, despite starting the year with two wins, the Colts finished the season 6–10 and Manning was plagued by turnovers. The team was also hurt by injuries throughout the season, the most serious occurring on October 25, when running back Edgerrin James tore his ACL in the sixth game of the 2001 season. Further, the Colts' defense ranked at or near the bottom in yards allowed (30th), takeaways (26th), and points allowed (31st). While backup Dominic Rhodes
proved a capable starter in becoming the first undrafted rookie to rush for over 1000 yards the loss of James, a lack of special teams coherence, and the defense's shortcomings proved to be too much for Indianapolis to overcome. Mora was fired with one year remaining on his contract, reportedly over a disagreement with general manager Bill Polian regarding defensive coordinator Vic Fangio
(although others point to his infamous rant concerning the Colts' playoff chances following a Week 11 loss to San Francisco
where the offense turned the ball over five times including four interceptions by Manning).
Shortly after Mora's firing, Tony Dungy
, who had been coaching for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, became available after he was fired for failing to advance the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. Irsay was so committed to bringing Dungy aboard that he, not Polian, initiated the contact. Late on January 19, 2002, Irsay phoned Dungy at his home in Tampa: "I just wanted him to know from the start that there was no other coach on the planet I wanted to coach my football team," Irsay said. "Not Steve Spurrier
. Not Bill Parcells
."
In the draft that year the Colts selected Dwight Freeney
, a defensive end from Syracuse, at number 11 overall. In a continuation of Polian's building through the draft philosophy that he had employed so well with Manning, James, and Wayne, Freeney became a defensive leader for the Colts and made an immediate impact. Because of the NFL realignment
that took place following the addition of the Houston Texans
to the league, the Colts moved from their longtime place in the AFC East to the AFC South. Marvin Harrison had a stellar year, breaking several club and NFL records, but Edgerrin James was hampered by injuries again. Freeney set an NFL rookie record in 2002
with ten forced fumbles, three of which occurred in a single game against former Syracuse football teammate, Donovan McNabb
. However, despite all this not all the news was positive—Manning threw 19 interceptions, most of them in games the Colts went on to lose, and in a troubling pattern, the Colts repeatedly squandered the first half of a game, often falling so far behind that despite second half rallies, they could not overcome the deficit. Still, at 10–6 the Colts qualified for the playoffs and faced their former division rivals, the AFC East champion New York Jets, in their first game. Although the Colts were favored in the game, the Jets
blew them out 41–0, with Manning still having yet to win a playoff game in what was now his fifth season.
by winning the AFC South with a regular season record of 12–4. Manning was named co-MVP of the NFL, along with Tennessee Titans
quarterback Steve McNair
. In the playoffs, Manning and the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos
41–10, for their first playoff win since 1995 and Manning's first ever. They then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
in Kansas City the next week in a high-scoring affair, 38–31. However, the Colts were unable to defeat the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots
in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots won the game 24–14 putting an end to the hopes of the team and the fans that this was the season the Colts would go all the way.
was selected in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft
. The 2004 season
saw the Colts win the AFC South again with a 12–4 record, but as in 2003 the Colts' season ended at the hands of the Patriots. After a year in which the offense broke numerous team and league records, the Colts could manage to score only one field goal in their final game, losing 20–3 in the Divisional Playoffs. For the second year in a row, Manning was named the league's MVP and his 49 regular-season touchdowns broke a record that Dan Marino
had held since 1984. The wide receiving trio of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne
and Brandon Stokley
each had at least 10 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards for the season—also a league first. Edgerrin James ended the season ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,548 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. And although questions continued to surround the defense, Freeney led the league with 16 sacks.
, Dungy led the Colts to a franchise-record 14 wins and a third consecutive divisional title, the fifth for the club in its 22-year Indianapolis era. Manning and Marvin Harrison
broke Steve Young and Jerry Rice
's NFL record for most touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver tandem, notching their 86th in a Monday night home game against St. Louis Rams
in week 6. Two weeks later Peyton Manning logged his first victory at New England against the Patriots
, ending a six game New England win streak. After defeating Jacksonville
in week 14 they became only the fourth team in NFL history to reach a record of 13–0 and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The dream of a perfect record for the Colts ended the next week however as the San Diego Chargers
defeated the Colts 26–17. In Week 16, the Colts played without coach Tony Dungy following the suicide of his son James earlier in the week. With the team resting most of their key players, the Colts lost their second straight to the eventual NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks
. Dungy returned to the sidelines for the last regular season game as the Colts beat the Arizona Cardinals
17–13 while resting most of the team's usual starters. The team's final record of 14–2 marked the best 16-game season in the franchise's history.
However, the Colts failed to capitalize on their record-setting season and lost their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers
, 21–18. Trailing 21–10 late in the game, the Colts regained possession and put 8 points on the board to make it 21–18. After a Jerome Bettis
fumble on the goal line, Nick Harper
picked up the fumble and almost ran it back, but was tackled at the 40 yard line by Ben Roethlisberger
. The Colts then drove down the field, only to have Mike Vanderjagt
miss a 46-yard field goal attempt wide right.
After becoming the first team in NFL history to begin two consecutive seasons by winning nine games to begin 2006
, the Colts proceeded to lose three of the next four, largely because of the league's worst run defense. However, they still captured their fourth consecutive AFC South
title by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals
on Monday Night Football
in week 15 of the season with, ironically, a strong showing from their defense. The Colts finished the season with a 12–4 record, giving them the number three seed in the playoffs. The record also marked their fifth consecutive season with ten victories or more. In week 13, against the Titans
, the quarterback-wide receiver combination of Manning to Harrison became the all time leader in touchdowns in NFL history.
In the Colts' first-round playoff game, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
23–8, despite Manning throwing three interceptions. The Colts defense managed to hold the Chiefs to 44 yards on the ground and 2 yards passing in the first half. The Chiefs did not earn a first down until 3:33 remained in the third quarter. The Colts then defeated the AFC's #2 seed, the Baltimore Ravens
, 15–6 in the divisional playoff round in Baltimore. Adam Vinatieri kicked five field goals and the defense did not allow a touchdown.
The Colts advanced to their second AFC Championship Game in four seasons, and thanks to their arch-rivals, the Patriots
, defeating the AFC's top-seeded San Diego Chargers
, the Colts would host the game in the RCA Dome. This marked the first time an AFC Championship game had taken place inside a domed stadium. After trailing 21–3 late in the first half, the Colts stormed back, defeating the arch-rival Patriots 38–34. The 18-point comeback was the largest ever in an NFL conference championship game, and tied the record for the fourth largest NFL postseason comeback.
The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears
29–17 on February 4, 2007 in Dolphin Stadium. Rain fell throughout the game for the first time in Super Bowl history, significantly contributing to the six turnovers committed by both teams in the first half. Peyton Manning
was awarded the Super Bowl MVP
after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, caught by Wayne.
Indianapolis became the first dome team to win a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium, the first to win in the rain, and the first to win after having the statistically worst rushing defense in the league during the regular season. Tony Dungy
became only the third man to have won the Super Bowl as both a head coach (Super Bowl XLI
) and a player (Super Bowl XIII
) (along with Tom Flores
IV
-player, XV
and XVIII
-coach and Mike Ditka
VI
-player, XX
-coach), as well as the first African-American Head Coach to win a Super Bowl (a distinction that would have occurred regardless of which team won, as the Bears were coached by another African-American coach, Lovie Smith
).
With the win the Colts became the first team from the AFC South to win a Super Bowl.
, the Colts finished 13–3, winning a club-record fifth straight division title and becoming the first NFL team with five consecutive seasons with 12+ victories and became one of four NFL teams to open three consecutive seasons with 5–0 starts in topping Tampa Bay
, 33–14. Indianapolis joined Green Bay
(1929–31), Minnesota
(1973–75) and St. Louis
(1999–2001) with three straight 5–0 starts. And then becoming the first team in 76 years to start three consecutive seasons with 7–0 starts. Peyton Manning
(288) broke the club record for career touchdown passes held by Johnny Unitas
(287), while Tony Dungy notched his 74th win to break the franchise record he had shared with Don Shula
(73) and Ted Marchibroda
(73). The club fell in the Divisional Playoffs to the San Diego Chargers
, 28–24. Dungy became the only coach in Colts history to post 10+ wins and earn playoff appearances in six straight seasons.
. Indianapolis lost its first home game ever at Lucas Oil Stadium 29–13 to the Chicago Bears
on Sunday Night Football
on the opening weekend of the 2008 NFL Season
. It was the first season that the Colts did not win the AFC South title since 2002. After a 3–4 start on the season, the Colts went on a nine-game winning streak and finished the season at 12–4 and earned a wild card berth in the playoffs
. They extended their league mark with six consecutive 12+ victory seasons. The club became the first in NFL history to win at least seven consecutive games in five consecutive seasons. Manning won his third NFL MVP award, but Indianapolis fell in the Wild Card Playoffs in overtime to the Chargers
at San Diego, 23–17.
retired on January 12, 2009 and on January 13, Jim Caldwell who had been named his successor previously, was formally announced as the new head coach.
Under their new coach, the Colts started off the season with 14 consecutive wins. On December 13, 2009, by virtue of a win over the Denver Broncos
, the Colts won their 22nd consecutive regular season game, setting a new NFL record for consecutive regular season wins. The Colts suffered their first loss to the New York Jets
, 29–15, a game in which Caldwell made the controversial decision to rest his starters after the team took a slim lead rather than keep them in to play for a chance at a 16–0 season. Indianapolis finished the season at 14–2 following a loss to the Buffalo Bills
, in which they rested their starters with the stated purpose of having their team healthy for the playoffs. The Colts locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens
by the score of 20–3 on January 16, 2010. The Colts defeated the New York Jets
30–17 on January 24, 2010 in the 2009 AFC Championship Game
.
On February 7, 2010 the Indianapolis Colts played in Super Bowl XLIV
against the New Orleans Saints
. The game was played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. All four of the Colts' Super Bowl games have been played in Miami, with their first two games in the former Miami Orange Bowl and the last two in the current Miami stadium (which has changed names several times since its opening, most recently in January 2010). The Colts moved out to an early lead and went into halftime leading 10–6. The Saints came out of the half by recovering an onsides kick, and scored the go ahead touchdown to make it 13–10. The teams would exchange blows, making the score 24–17 late in the 4th quarter. Peyton Manning was leading the potential game tying drive with just over 3 minutes to play, but threw a game ending interception that was returned for a TD to seal the upset for the Saints.
, and 22nd overall, the Colts selected offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo
from Boston College
. Peyton Manning was unable to play in the 2011 season due to neck surgery. The Colts signed Kerry Collins
out of retirement and named him interim starting quarterback. He was placed on the injured reserve on October 26, 2011. They have started the season 0-11 and were eliminated from playoff contention.
On November 29th, the Colts fired defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and promoted linebacker's coach Mike Murphy to the DC position.
It is a seven-level stadium which seats 63,000 for football. It can be reconfigured to seat 70,000 or more for NCAA basketball and football and concerts. It covers 1800000 square feet (167,225.5 m²). The stadium features a retractable roof allowing the Colts to play home games outdoors for the first time since arriving in Indianapolis. Using FieldTurf
, the playing surface is roughly 25 ft (7.6 m) below ground level. In addition to being larger than the RCA Dome, the new stadium features: 58 permanent concession stands, 90 portable concession stands, 13 escalators, 11 passenger elevators, 800 restrooms, high definition video displays from Daktronics
and replay monitors and 142 luxury suites. The stadium also features a retractable roof
, with electrification technology developed by VAHLE, Inc. Other than being the home of the Colts, the stadium will host games in both the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament
s and will serve as the back up host for all NCAA Final Four
Tournaments. The stadium will host the Super Bowl for the 2011 season (Super Bowl XLVI
) and has a potential economic impact estimated at $286,000,000. Lucas Oil Stadium will also host the Drum Corps International
World Championships from 2009 until 2018.
From 1982 through 1986, the Colts wore gray pants with their blue jerseys. The gray pants featured a horseshoe on the top of the sides with the player's number inside the horseshoe. The Colts continued to wear white pants with their white jerseys throughout this period, and in 1987, the gray pants were retired.
The Colts wore blue pants with their white jerseys for the first three games of the 1995
season, but then returned to white pants with both the blue and white jerseys. The team made some minor uniform adjustments before the start of the 2004 season
, including reverting from blue to the traditional gray face masks, darkening their blue colors from a royal blue to speed blue, as well as adding two white stripes to the socks. In 2006, the stripes were removed from the socks.
In 2002, the Colts made a minor striping pattern change on their jerseys, having the stripes only on top of the shoulders then stop completely. Previously, the stripes used to go around to underneath the jersey sleeves. This was done because the Colts, like many other football teams, were beginning to manufacture the jerseys to be tighter to reduce holding calls and reduce the size of the sleeves. Although the white jerseys of the Minnesota Vikings
at the time also had a similar striping pattern and continued as such (as well as the throwbacks
the New England Patriots
wore in the Thanksgiving game
against the Detroit Lions
in 2002
, though the Patriots later wore the same throwbacks in 2009
with truncated stripes and in 2010
became their official alternate uniform
), the Colts and most college
teams with this striping pattern did not make this adjustment. Replica jerseys sold for retail still have the original striping pattern, though authentic game-day worn jerseys do have the partial striping pattern of the current jerseys.
The 2010 season will see the Colts with an “updated” third jersey.
is one of the NFL's newest rivalries. The rivalry is fueled by the quarterback comparison between Peyton Manning
and Tom Brady
. The Patriots owned the beginning of the series, defeating the Colts in six consecutive contests, including the 2003 AFC Championship game and a 2004 AFC Divisional game. The Colts won the next three matches, notching two regular season victories and a win in the 2006 AFC Championship game on the way to their win in Super Bowl XLI
. On November 4, 2007 the Patriots defeated the Colts 24–20; in the next matchup, on November 2, 2008, the Colts won 18–15 in a game that was one of the reasons the Patriots failed to make the playoffs; in the 2009 meeting, the Colts staged a spirited comeback to beat the Patriots 35–34; in the most recent 2010 game, the Colts almost staged another comeback, pulling within 31–28 after trailing 31–14 in the fourth quarter, but fell short due to a Patriots interception of a Manning pass late in the game. The nature of this rivalry is ironic because while the Colts and Patriots were division rivals from 1970 to 2001, it did not become prominent in league circles until after Indianapolis was relocated into the AFC South
.
franchises Green Bay
, Detroit Lions
, Chicago Bears
, and after 1961, the Minnesota Vikings
. The closest team to Baltimore was the Washington Redskins
, but they were not in the same division, and they were not very competitive at that time.
Baltimore played its first NFL Championship Game against the 10–3 New York Giants
. The Giants qualified for the championship after a tie-breaking playoff against the Cleveland Browns
. Having already been defeated by the Giants in the regular season, Baltimore was not favored to win, yet proceeded to take the title in sudden death overtime
. The Colts then repeated the feat by posting an identical record and routing the Giants in the 1959
final. Up until the Colts' back-to-back titles, the Giants had been the premier club in the NFL, and would continue to be post-season stalwarts the next decade losing three straight finals. The situation was reversed by the end of the decade, with Baltimore winning the 1968 NFL title
while New York would arrive at continuously less impressive results.The Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning and the Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning are brothers.
, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills
, and Boston Patriots. Powered by QB Earl Morrall
Baltimore would be the first non-AFL franchise to win a division title in the conference, outlasting the Miami Dolphins by one game, and leading the division since Week 3 of 1970
. The two franchises were denied a playoff confrontation by Miami's first-round defeat to the Oakland Raiders
, whereas Baltimore would win its first Super Bowl title that year.
Yet in 1971 the teams were engaged in a heated race that went down to the final week of the season, where Miami won its first division title with a 10–3–1 title compared to the 10–4 Baltimore record after the Colts won the Week 13 matchup between them at home, but proceeded to lose the last game of the season to Boston. In the playoffs Baltimore advanced to the AFC title game after a 20–3 rout of the Cleveland Browns, whereas Miami survived a double-overtime nailbiter against the Kansas City Chiefs
. This set up a title game that was favored for the defending league champion Colts. Yet Miami won the AFC championship with a 21–0 shutout and advanced to lose Super Bowl VI
to Dallas. In 1975 Baltimore and Miami tied with 10–4 records, yet the Colts advanced to the playoffs based on a head-to-head sweep of their series. In 1977 Baltimore tied for first for the third straight year (in 1976 they tied with Boston) with Miami, and this time advanced to the playoffs on even slimmer pretences, with a conference record of 9–3 compared to Miami's 8–4, as they had split the season series. The rivalry would in the following years be virtually negated by very poor play of he Colts, including a 0–8–1 record during the NFL's strike shortened 1982 season. In 1995, now as Indianapolis, the two both posted borderline 9–7 records to tie for second against Buffalo, yet the Colts once again reached the post-season having swept the season series. The following season they edged out Miami by posting a 9–7 record and winning the ordinarily meaningless 3rd place position, but qualifying for the wild card. The last meaningful matchup between the two franchises would be in the 2000 season, when Miami edged out Indianapolis with an 11–5 record for the division championship. The two then met in the wild-card round where the Dolphins won 23–17 before being blown out by Oakland 27–0. In 2002 Indianapolis moved to the newly created AFC South
division and the rivalry was effectively retired. Yet until then the two had had a lively history, based usually on Indianapolis owning slightly better regular season records, but Miami winning both post-season meetings.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts Ring of Honor includes:
is WIBC 1070AM (renamed WFNI
as of December 26, 2007); under the new contract, games are simulcast on WLHK
97.1 FM. From 1998 through 2006, the Colts' flagship station was WFBQ
94.7FM (with additional programming on WNDE
1260AM). Bob Lamey
is the team's play-by-play announcer, holding that title from 1984 to 1991 and again since 1995. Former Colts offensive lineman Will Wolford
serves as color commentator. Former head coach Ted Marchibroda
of both Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts franchises, who served as color commentator from 1999 to 2006, serves as an analyst on their pre-game show. Mike Jansen serves as the public address announcer at all Colts home games. Mike has been the public address announcer since the 1998 season.
Preseason games not shown on national television were seen locally on WTTV-4
, Indiana's 4. Beginning in 2011, the preseason games will be shown on WNDY-23
except for those carried nationally by the networks. Indiana Hoosiers
announcer Don Fischer provides play-by-play. Regular-season Monday Night
games are simulcast on WNDY-23
and those from NFL Network on simulcasted on an approved station announced by NFL Network which has been WTHR-13
and WXIN-59
in the past with FOX 59 simulcasting the latest games in 2010.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. They are currently members of the South Division
AFC South
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...
of the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL).
The club was officially founded in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1953, but can trace its history to the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
, a founding member of the NFL that was originally created in 1913. After a series of changes, it assumed the name Baltimore Colts, replacing a previous team of that name that folded in 1950. Playing at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
, the Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders. The team then relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, first playing at the Hoosier Dome, which was then renamed the RCA Dome
RCA Dome
RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
, before moving to Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...
in 2008.
The Colts won four NFL championships (three NFL Championships in 1958
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
, 1959
NFL Championship Game, 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 27, 1959 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game...
, 1968
NFL Championship Game, 1968
The 1968 National Football League championship game was the 36th annual championship game. The winner of the game would represent the NFL in the 3rd AFL-NFL World Championship Game also called the Super Bowl...
; and Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
in 1971) while in Baltimore. Since moving to Indianapolis, they won Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
in 2007.
Origin of the Colts
The Colts franchise was officially created in 1953, but can trace its history to before the NFL actually began; its earliest predecessor was the Dayton TrianglesDayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
, a founding member of the NFL that was originally created in 1913. That team went through the following changes:
- The Dayton TrianglesDayton TrianglesThe Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
relocated to BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and were renamed the Brooklyn DodgersBrooklyn Dodgers (NFL)The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks...
in 1930. - The Brooklyn Dodgers changed their name to the Brooklyn Tigers in 1944. In the same year, the Boston YanksBoston YanksThe Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
were founded. - The Brooklyn Tigers and the Boston Yanks merged on a temporary basis in 1945, becoming the wartime "Yanks".
- The Brooklyn Tigers were canceled by the league as a separate franchise at the end of the 1945 season, and the team's temporary merger with the Boston Yanks was made permanent. The Tigers' former owner founded a parallel team in the rival All-America Football ConferenceAll-America Football ConferenceThe All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
(AAFC), the New York YankeesNew York Yankees (AAFC)The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...
. - The Miami SeahawksMiami SeahawksThe Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, before folding...
of the AAFC were purchased and relocated to Baltimore and renamed the Baltimore Colts in 1947. This version of the Colts wore green and silver and were brought into the NFL in 1950, but the franchise folded at the end of the season. - The Boston Yanks moved to New York in 1949 and became the New York YanksNew York YanksThe New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
. They absorbed much of the roster of the AAFC's New York Yankees team the next year. - The New York Yanks moved to Dallas in 1952 and were renamed the Dallas TexansDallas Texans (NFL)The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...
. - The Texans become a road team halfway through the 1952 season and were dissolved shortly thereafter.
- The Dallas Texans franchise was reorganized and moved to Baltimore on January 23, 1953. They adopted the name Baltimore Colts, but kept the Texans' team colors of blue and white.
The AAFC Baltimore Colts
On December 28, 1946, the bankrupt Miami SeahawksMiami Seahawks
The Miami Seahawks were a professional American football team based in Miami, Florida. They played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, before folding...
of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
were purchased and relocated in Baltimore by a group headed by Bob Rodenberg. As the result of a contest in Baltimore, won by Charles Evans of Middle River, Md., the team was renamed the Colts. On September 7, 1947, wearing the green and silver uniforms, the Colts
1947 Baltimore Colts season
The 1947 Baltimore Colts season was their inaugural season in the AAFC. In their first season as a franchise, they finished last in their division, winning only two games.-Season schedule:-Division standings:-References:...
, under Head Coach Cecil Isbell
Cecil Isbell
-Pro:-External links:...
, won their initial AAFC game, 16–7, over the Brooklyn Dodgers
1947 Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) season
The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers season was their second in the All-America Football Conference. The team matched their previous output of 3-10-1. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.-Season schedule:-Division standings:...
. The team concluded its inaugural season before a record Baltimore crowd of 51,583 by losing to the New York Yankees
1947 New York Yankees (AAFC) season
The 1947 New York Yankees season was their second in the All-America Football Conference. The team improved on their previous output of 10-3-1, winning eleven games. For the second consecutive season, they lost to the Cleveland Browns in the AAFC Championship....
, 21–7. The Colts finished with a 2–11–1 record, good for a fourth place finish in the Eastern Division. The Colts
1948 Baltimore Colts season
The 1948 Baltimore Colts season was their second in the AAFC. The team improved on their previous season's output of 2-11-1, winning seven games. They qualified for the playoffs for the first and only time in franchise history.-Season schedule:...
completed the 1948 season with a 7–8 record, tying the Buffalo Bills
1948 Buffalo Bills (AAFC) season
The 1948 Buffalo Bills season was their third in the All-America Football Conference. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 8-4-2, winning only seven games. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the AAFC...
for the division title. The Colts
1949 Baltimore Colts season
The 1949 Baltimore Colts season was their third as a franchise and last season in the AAFC before moving to the NFL. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 7-7, winning only one game.-Season schedule:-League standings:...
compiled a 1–11 mark in 1949. Y. A. Tittle
Y. A. Tittle
Yelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants...
was the Colts starting quarterback.
The AAFC and NFL merged in 1950
1950 NFL season
The 1950 NFL season was the 31st regular season of the National Football League. The merger with the All-America Football Conference expanded the league to 13 teams. Meanwhile, television brought a new era to the game. The Los Angeles Rams became the first NFL team to have all of its games – both...
, and the Colts joined the NFL. After posting a 1–11 record
1950 Baltimore Colts season
The 1950 Baltimore Colts season was their fourth as a franchise and lone season in the NFL. The team matched their previous season's output of 1-11. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:...
for the second consecutive year, the franchise was dissolved by the league on January 18, 1951, because of its failing financial condition. Many Baltimore fans protested the loss of their team and continued to support the marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
(the second in professional football, after that of their local rivals, the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
). Both the band and the fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
remained in operation and worked for the team's revival.
The NFL Dallas Texans
After two seasons without professional football, NFL Commissioner Bert BellBert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
challenged Baltimore in December 1952 to sell 15,000 season tickets within six weeks in order to re-enter the NFL. That 15,000-ticket quota was reached in four weeks and three days. On January 23, 1953, under the principal ownership of Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
, the NFL’s Dallas Texans
Dallas Texans (NFL)
The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...
franchise was moved to Baltimore and assumed the Colts nickname while retaining the Texans' team colors of blue and white. This is the franchise that exists today in Indianapolis.
The Texans had a long and winding history; they started as the Boston Yanks
Boston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
in 1944
1944 NFL season
The 1944 NFL season was the 25th regular season of the United States National Football League. The Boston Yanks joined the league as an expansion team. Also, the Brooklyn Dodgers changed their name to Brooklyn Tigers. Meanwhile, both the Cleveland Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their...
and merged with the Brooklyn Tigers (previously known as the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
, an original NFL team established in the 1910s) for the 1945 season
1945 NFL season
The 1945 NFL season was the 26th regular season of the National Football League. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals resumed their traditional operations....
before moving to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as the Bulldogs in 1949
1949 NFL season
The 1949 NFL season was the 30th regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins asked the league to fold his team due to financial woes, and give him a new one in New York City...
. The team then became the Yanks
New York Yanks
The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
in 1950, and many of the players from the New York Yankees
New York Yankees (AAFC)
The New York Yankees were a professional American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. The team played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and often played in front of sold-out crowds . They were owned by Dan Topping, who brought many of his Brooklyn...
of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
were added to the team. The Yanks moved to Dallas after the 1951 season
1951 NFL season
The 1951 NFL season was the 32nd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, Baltimore Colts owner Abraham Watner faced financial difficulties, and thus gave his team and its player contracts back to the league for $50,000. However, many Baltimore fans started to protest...
, but played their final two home games of the 1952 season
1952 NFL season
The 1952 NFL season was the 33rd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, New York Yanks owner Ted Collins sold his team back to the NFL...
at the Rubber Bowl
Rubber Bowl
The Rubber Bowl is a stadium in Akron, Ohio primarily used for American football. From 1940 to 2008, it served as the home field of the University of Akron's Zips football team...
in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
.
Note: This team should not be confused with the Dallas Texans of the AFL; they were a founding member of the AFL in 1960 and in 1963 moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs.
1953–1970
The second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts first took the field at Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
on September 27, with coach Keith Molesworth
Keith Molesworth
Keith Frank Molesworth was an American football player and coach. He also played and managed in minor league baseball....
. The Colts stunned the Bears
1953 Chicago Bears season
The 1953 Chicago Bears season was their 34th regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a dismal 3-8-1 record under head coach George Halas placing them in fourth place in the NFL's newly formed Western Conference.-Schedule:...
that day 13–9 to get the new franchise off on the right foot. However, the Colts struggled to a 3–9 season in their inaugural year.
1958
On December 28, 1958, Baltimore1958 Baltimore Colts season
The 1958 Baltimore Colts season was the 6th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1958 season with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses and finished first in the Western Conference....
faced the New York Giants
1958 New York Giants season
The 1958 New York Giants season was the 34th season for the club in the National Football League.-Transactions:*The Giants obtained Lindon Crow and Pat Summerall from the Chicago Cardinals in exchange for Dick Nolan, Bobby Joe Conrad, and the Giants first round pick.*The Giants acquired Carl...
in the NFL Championship game at Yankee Stadium. The Colts went to halftime with a 14–3 lead after scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. The fourth quarter ended with the teams tied at 17, meaning the NFL would have to use sudden death overtime for the first time ever. In the overtime, Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
hit wide receiver Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
with a pass that gave the Colts a first down in Giants territory. Baltimore continued to drive down to the 1-yard line, with first and goal. Unitas handed off to Alan Ameche
Alan Ameche
Lino Dante "Alan" Ameche , nicknamed "The Horse", was an American football player who played six seasons with the Baltimore Colts in the National Football League after winning the Heisman Trophy in college at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first...
who dove across the goal line to give Baltimore a 23–17 win, in what many call the greatest game ever played
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
. The game became a launching point for the NFL's remarkable boom in popularity.
1959
The next season, Baltimore1959 Baltimore Colts season
The 1959 Baltimore Colts season was the 7th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 40th season with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses and finished first in the Western Conference....
had a Championship Game rematch
NFL Championship Game, 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 27, 1959 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game...
with the New York Giants
1959 New York Giants season
The 1959 New York Giants season was the 35th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants' defense became the second defense in the history of the NFL to lead the league in fewest rushing yards, fewest passing yards and fewest total yards. The 1959 Giants scored 284 points...
, with the game this time being played at Memorial Stadium. In the first three quarters the Colts fell behind 9–7. Unitas led the Colts back in the fourth quarter as Baltimore scored 24 unanswered points, and went on to claim their second straight NFL Championship with a 31–16 victory.
1964
In 19641964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
, after losing the first game of the season to the Vikings
1964 Minnesota Vikings season
The 1964 Minnesota Vikings season was the fourth year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 45th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of eight wins, five losses, and one tie under head coach Norm Van Brocklin...
, the Colts
1964 Baltimore Colts season
The 1964 Baltimore Colts season was the 12th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1964 season with a record of 12 wins and 2 losses and finished first in the Western Conference....
went on a 10-game winning streak on the way to winning the Western Division Championship with a 12–2 record. Unitas won the NFL MVP award after amassing 2,824 yards passing. The Colts faced the Cleveland Browns
1964 Cleveland Browns season
The 1964 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 15th season with the National Football League. The Browns' championship is the most recent championship by a professional sports team in the Cleveland area.-The Upset Heard 'Round Pro Football World:...
in the Championship Game
NFL Championship Game, 1964
The 1964 National Football League championship game was the 32nd annual championship game. The NFL title game was held on December 27, 1964 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio before a crowd of 79,544...
. However, nothing would go right in Cleveland as the Colts were defeated 27–0.
1967
Unitas won his second NFL MVP award in 19671967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
with 3,428 yards passing as the Colts
1967 Baltimore Colts season
The 1967 Baltimore Colts season was the 15th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1967 season with a record of 11 wins, 1 loss, and 2 ties. They tied for first in the Western Conference's Coastal division with the Los...
went undefeated through the first 13 games of the season with a record of 11–0–2. However, the Colts still needed to beat the Rams
1967 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1967 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 30th year with the National Football League and the 22nd season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: -Playoffs: -References:...
in Los Angeles to claim the Coastal Division Championship. The Rams would win the game 34–10 to win the Division title and advance to the postseason, as the Colts went home despite an 11–1–2 record.
1968
Unitas missed most of the 1968 season1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
with an elbow injury. Backup quarterback Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
stepped in and won the NFL MVP award, while leading the Colts
1968 Baltimore Colts season
The 1968 Baltimore Colts season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1968 season with a record of 13 wins and 1 loss...
to a 13–1 season. While Morrall led the offense, the Colts defense shut out three opponents and allowed a record low 144 points for the season. In the Divisional Playoff the Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
24–14 before a sold out crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name Super Bowl. (The two previous AFL-NFL Championship Games would retroactively be called Super Bowls as well.) This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The underdog American Football League (AFL) champion New York Jets
1968 New York Jets season
The 1968 New York Jets season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League . The team had the most successful season in franchise history. Trying to improve upon their 8–5–1 record in 1967, they won the AFL Eastern Division with an 11–3 record...
(11–3) defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Baltimore Colts (13–1) by a score of 16–7. It was the first Super Bowl victory for the AFL.
The game was played on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida – the same location as Super Bowl II. Entering Super Bowl III, the NFL champion Colts were heavily favored to defeat the AFL champion Jets. Although the upstart AFL had successfully forced the long-established NFL into a merger agreement three years earlier, the AFL was not generally respected as having the same caliber of talent as the NFL. In addition, the NFL's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, coached by Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
, had easily defeated the AFL representatives (Kansas City
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and Oakland
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
)in the first two Super Bowls.
After boldly guaranteeing a victory prior to the game, Jets quarterback Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
completed 17 out of 28 passes for 206 yards, and was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player, despite not throwing a touchdown pass in the game or any passes at all in the fourth quarter.
Following the next season, coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
, who fell out of favor with owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
, was allowed to resign and took the coaching job with Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Assistant Coach Don McCafferty
Don McCafferty
Donald William McCafferty was an American football coach who, in his first year as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, led the team to a victory in Super Bowl V....
replaced Shula.
1970, Super Bowl V Champions
Prior to the 1970 season1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
, Rosenbloom, Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
of the Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Art Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
agreed to have their teams join the ten AFL teams in the AFC as part of the AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
giving each conference an equal number of teams and divisions. The Colts won the Eastern Division while posting an 11–2–1 record. During the season the Colts got revenge for Super Bowl III by beating the New York Jets
1970 New York Jets season
The 1970 New York Jets season was the 11th season for the team and the first in the National Football League, following the AFL-NFL merger. It began with the team trying to maintain or improve upon its 10–4 record from 1969 under head coach Weeb Ewbank...
, who were now a division rival. In the Divisional Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1970-71
The NFL playoffs following the 1970 NFL season led up to Super Bowl V.This was the first playoff tournament after the AFL-NFL Merger. An eight-team playoff tournament was designed, with four clubs from each conference qualifying...
, the Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals
1970 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 1970 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 3rd year in professional football and its 1st with the National Football League.The NFL-AFL merger took place before the season, and the Bengals made their first NFL campaign a memorable one...
17–0 at Memorial Stadium. The Colts then defeated the Raiders
1970 Oakland Raiders season
-Awards and honors:*George Blanda, Associated Press Athlete of the Year*George Blanda, Bert Bell Award-References:**...
27–17 to advance to the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
against the Dallas Cowboys
1970 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1970 Dallas Cowboys season was their 11th in the NFL. The club scored 299 points and allowed 221 points. For the fifth consecutive season, the Cowboys finished first in their division. In 1970, the club made its debut on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 38–0...
, the Cowboys jumped out to a 6–0 lead on 2 field goals before Baltimore tied it on a 75-yard pass from Unitas to John Mackey
John Mackey (American football)
John Mackey was an American Football tight end who grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island and played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers . He played college football at Syracuse University...
. However, Baltimore's PAT was blocked and the game remained tied. The Cowboys regained the advantage and went into the 4th quarter holding a 13–6 lead into halftime. Earl Morrall relieved an injured Unitas in the 2nd half the game as the two teams kept fumbling the ball back-and-forth in a game that got the nickname "The Blunder Bowl" as both teams combined had 11 turnovers. Baltimore tied the game midway through the final period on a 2-yard plunge by running back Tom Nowatzke
Tom Nowatzke
Thomas Matthew "Tom" Nowatzke was a National Football League running back from 1965 through 1972. He scored a touchdown for the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V. He was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.-References:...
. With less than 2 minutes left Cowboys RB Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves
Daniel Edward Reeves is a former American football player and head coach. He has participated in more Super Bowls as player/assistant coach/Head Coach than anyone else...
fumbled the ball setting up the Colts in Dallas territory. Baltimore won the game on a 32-yard field goal from Jim O'Brien
Jim O'Brien (American football)
Jim O'Brien is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played for the Baltimore Colts from 1970 to 1972 and the Detroit Lions in 1973. He also played wide receiver, catching the bulk of his career passes during the 1972 season while still performing his kicking...
with 5 seconds left.
1971–1983
Following a 1–4 start in 19721972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
, McCafferty was fired. The Colts
1972 Baltimore Colts season
The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1972 season with a record of 5 wins and 9 losses, and finished third in the AFC East.-Offseason:...
went 4–5 in their final 9 games under John Sandusky
John Sandusky
John Thomas Sandusky, Jr. was an American football offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers ....
to finish with a 5–9 record, their first losing mark in 16 years. Following the season Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. However, Unitas would not leave without coming off the bench during his final game at Memorial Stadium and leading the Colts on a 55-yard touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter to help beat the Buffalo Bills
1972 Buffalo Bills season
The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the 13th season for the club and its 3rd in the National Football League. It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which has been their home field since 1960.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:- Standings :...
35–7. Memorial Stadium gave the legend a standing ovation as a small plane flying overhead carried a banner reading "Unitas We Stand." After a 4–10 season in 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
and a 0–3 start in 1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
, head coach Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...
was fired and replaced by Joe Thomas
Joe Thomas (football coach)
Joe Thomas was a former National Football League general manager and also served as the head coach of the Baltimore Colts for part of the 1974 season....
. The Colts
1974 Baltimore Colts season
The 1974 Baltimore Colts season was the 22nd season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1974 season with a record of 2 wins and 12 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East.- Schedule :...
did not perform any better under Thomas, compiling a miserable 2–12 season.
Under new coach Ted Marchibroda
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
the Colts
1975 Baltimore Colts season
The 1975 Baltimore Colts season was the 23rd season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1975 season with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins...
got off to a 1–4 start in 1975
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
. However, the Colts started winning as quarterback Bert Jones
Bert Jones
Bertram Hays "Bert" Jones is a former LSU and NFL quarterback who played for the then Baltimore Colts and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle"...
and running back Lydell Mitchell
Lydell Mitchell
Lydell Douglas Mitchell , is a former professional American football player. He played running back in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams spanning 1972-1980....
came of age and led the Colts on a seven game winning streak. The Colts went on to win their last game of the season to claim the AFC East with a 10–4 record. However, in the Divisional Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1975-76
The NFL playoffs following the 1975 NFL season led up to Super Bowl X. This was the first season in which the league used a seeding system in the playoffs. Thus, the surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round...
the young Colts were no match for the Steelers
1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 1975 season defending their AFC Central and Super Bowl IX titles from the 1974 season. Throughout the 1975 season they not only improved on their 10–3–1 record from the previous year, but once again won the AFC Central Division Title and their second franchise...
in Pittsburgh, suffering a season ending 28–10 loss. Marcibroda resigned as head coach but was re-hired for the 1976 season. The Colts went on to have a stellar season, led by Jones who won the NFL MVP by passing for 3,104 yards. The Colts
1976 Baltimore Colts season
The 1976 Baltimore Colts season was the 24th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1976 season with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots...
put together a solid season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
and won the AFC East with an 11–3 record; however, in the Divisional Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1976-77
The NFL playoffs following the 1976 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XI.-Bracket:-AFC: Oakland Raiders 24, New England Patriots 21:The Patriots scored first after an 86-yard drive was capped by running back Andy Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run...
, the Colts were defeated again by the Pittsburgh Steelers
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers started the season looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three-straight league championships...
, this time at Memorial Stadium, 40–14. In 1977
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
, the Colts were again defeated in the Divisional Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1977-78
The NFL playoffs following the 1977 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XII.Due to Christmas, the Divisional playoff games were held in a span of three days. The AFC playoff games were played on December 24 while the NFC games were held on December 26...
by the Oakland Raiders
1977 Oakland Raiders season
-Regular season:-Playoffs:Oakland won the wild card playoffs in 1977 and later won the divisional playoffs in a game against the Baltimore Colts when Errol Mann tied the game with a field goal...
, 37–31. Following the 1979 season
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
, Marchibroda was fired and replaced by Mike McCormack.
After two losing seasons, McCormack was fired and Bert Jones was traded to the Los Angeles Rams
History of the St. Louis Rams
The following is a detailed history of the St. Louis Rams a professional American football team and member of the National Football League .-AFL Cleveland Rams :...
. In 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
, attendance began to dwindle at Memorial Stadium as the Colts
1982 Baltimore Colts season
The 1982 Baltimore Colts season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League, and the Colts' penultimate season in Baltimore. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1982 season with a record of 0 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie. They finished fifth in the AFC East...
struggled during a season interrupted by a two-month strike. Actually the strike provided relief for the John Elway negotiations. However, Elway refused to play for owner Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
and threatened to play minor league baseball or in the newly formed USFL. Fearful the Colts would get nothing for his rights, the Colts traded Elway to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On December 18, 1983, unbeknownst to the team or fans, the Colts played their final home game (against the then Houston Oilers
1983 Houston Oilers season
The 1983 Houston Oilers season was the 24th season the team was with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 1–8, winning two games, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:...
) in the city of Baltimore. 27,934 fans showed up, 516 more fans than the crowd that had turned out for their first home game in 1947.
Ownership's discontent
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
rental fees from Carol Rosenbloom and the Colts. Rosenbloom had already called Memorial Stadium “antiquated” and had threatened to move all Colts home games out of the stadium unless improvements were made. Rosenbloom even considered using $12–20 million of his own money to help fund the building of a new football-only stadium on land in adjoining Baltimore County. By November 1971, Rosenbloom announced that the Colts would not return to Memorial Stadium when their lease ran out following the 1972 season and that he was not interested in negotiating with the city anymore. He wanted out of Baltimore for several reasons — team revenue, problems with Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
ownership relating to Memorial Stadium and food sales/parking fees, a running feud with the Baltimore press, and his new wife's
Georgia Frontiere
Georgia Frontiere was the majority owner and chairman of the St. Louis Rams football team and the most prominent female owner in a league historically dominated by males....
desire to move to the West Coast. Will Keland, a real estate investor, was originally slated to buy the Colts from Rosenbloom. However, Keland could not generate the funds necessary to purchase the team. His golfing buddy, Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
, who originally was slated to own only 1 percent of the team, did have the money available and he moved in to make the purchase. On July 13, 1972, Irsay became the owner of the Colts. Under the terms of the arrangement, Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams for $19 million, then traded them to Rosenbloom for the Colts and $3 million in cash. The players for each team remained in their respective cities.
In 1971, Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. A Democrat, he was mayor of Baltimore from 1971 to 1987, the 58th Governor of Maryland from January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995, and the Comptroller of...
and Maryland governor Marvin Mandel
Marvin Mandel
Marvin Mandel , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 56th Governor of Maryland in the United States from January 7, 1969, to January 17, 1979. He was Maryland's first, and, to date, only Jewish governor.- Early life :...
created a stadium committee to examine the city's stadium needs. Their report was a blow to Memorial Stadium. Some of the problems mentioned: 10,000 stadium's seats had views that were "less than desirable"; 20,000 seats were out-dated bench seats that had no back support; 7,000 so called seats were actually poorly constructed temporary bleachers that were installed for football games only. Also, there was inadequate office space for the front offices of either the Orioles or Colts by themselves, much less for both teams combined. Both teams had to share locker rooms. The upper deck of Memorial Stadium did not circle the field, ending instead at the 50-yard line, meaning that thousands of potential seats (and added revenue) were missing. Any expansion plans for the stadium had usually mentioned less attractive (and less expensive) end-zone seats, not upper deck seating. Lastly, the amount of bathroom facilities in Memorial Stadium was deemed inadequate.
Maryland's planners came up with an ambitious project. Nicknamed the Baltodome, the original plan was to create a facility near the city's Inner Harbor known as Camden Yards. The new stadium would host 70,000 fans for football games, 55,000 for baseball and 20,000 as an arena for hockey or basketball. For an estimated $78 million, the city would build a facility that would have kept all parties happy; Orioles owner Hoffberger, Colts owner Irsay, the Stadium Complex Authority (whose Chairman Edmond Rovner reiterated in 1972 that "A major consideration in Mr. Irsay's trading of franchises, was the city's firm commitment to proceed with these plans."), Baltimore Mayor Schaefer and the Maryland governor Mandel.
However, the proposal did not receive sufficient support to pass the Maryland legislature, in spite of assurances that contributions from taxpayers would be limited strictly to city and state loans. On February 27, 1974 Governor Mandel pulled the plug on the idea. Orioles owner Jerrold Hoffberger was blunt "I will bow to the will of the people. They have told us what they want to tell us. First, they don't want a new park and second, they don't want a club." Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
was willing to wait. "It's not a matter of saying that there will be no stadium. It's a matter of getting the facts together so everybody is happy when they build the stadium. I'm a patient man. I think the people of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
are going to see those new stadiums in New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
and Seattle
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
opening in a year or two around the country, and they are going to realize they need a stadium ... for conventions and other things besides football."
Hyman Pressman, Baltimore's comptroller, was against using any public funds to build a new stadium. During the 1974 elections, Pressman had an amendment to the city's charter placed on the fall ballot. Known as Question P, the amendment called for declaring "the 33rd Street stadium as a memorial to war veterans and prohibiting use of city funds for construction of any other stadium." The measure passed 56 percent to 44 percent, and the same jingoistic ideas that had been used to upgrade the then Baltimore Stadium (originally built in 1922) in the late 1940s and rename it Memorial Stadium, effectively destroyed any chance of a new, modern sports complex being built in Baltimore.
Although the Colts made the playoffs for three straight years from 1975–77, there had still been no progress made on a new park for the team. Robert Irsay first spoke with Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1976 and then Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in 1977 about the possibility of relocating his team to one of those cities. In 1976 he acknowledged publicly that he had received an "attractive offer" to move the franchise to Phoenix. Then in 1977 said "I like Baltimore and want to stay there, but when are we going to find out something about our stadium? I'm getting offers from towns like Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
to build me a new stadium and give me other inducements to move there. I don't want to but I'd like to see some action in Baltimore". In 1979 Jerrold Hoffberger sold the Orioles to Washington D.C. attorney Edward Williams
Edward Williams
Edward, Ed or Eddie Williams may refer to:*Iolo Morganwg , Welsh antiquarian*Edward Williams , English painter*Edward Ellerker Williams , British Army officer...
who declared 1980 to be a trial year for the fans of Baltimore. He then went on to explain his concerns with Memorial Stadium, saying it had "inadequate parking and inadequate access and egress. Frankly, I don't know if those problems will ever be solvable at that location,". Irsay began shopping the Colts around in earnest, talking first to officials from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
Commission, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where he visited the Gator Bowl packed with 50,000 cheering fans trying to convince him that Jacksonville would be the best home for the Colts. That same year Irsay presented Maryland's Governor Harry Hughes
Harry Hughes
Harry Roe Hughes , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 57th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1979 to 1987.-Early life and family:...
with a request for $25 million in renovation to the dilapidated 64,124 seat Memorial Stadium. Irsay's request for $25 million in improvements was decreased to $23 million by the Maryland legislature. The plan would add more seats (but none of the revenue-generating skyboxes), improve the plumbing, and have provided both teams with better office space. The plan's approval was contingent on both the Colts and the Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
signing long term leases. The Orioles challenged the requested football improvements and refused to sign anything more than a one year lease. Irsay also refused to sign long term lease. As a result, the funds and improvements never came.
Relocation to Indianapolis
In 1982, construction on the Hoosier Dome (later renamed the RCA Dome
RCA Dome
RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
) began. Deputy Mayor David Frick, who would later lead the negotiations with the Colts and then go on to become chairman of the Indiana state commission overseeing construction of the RCA Dome
RCA Dome
RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
's replacement, Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...
, has said that the RCA Dome was a key to changing the city's image. "Sports was an element in our game plan to change the image of the city back in the late 1970s, early 1980s."
In February 1983, after relations between Irsay and the city of Baltimore had deteriorated significantly, Baltimore Mayor Schaefer asked the Maryland General Assembly to approve $15 million for renovation to Memorial Stadium. The legislature did not approve the request until the following spring, after the Colts' lease had expired, and only half of that $15 million would go towards improvements that the Colts were seeking; the other half was for the Orioles Major League Baseball team. However, Baltimore reportedly did offer Irsay a $15 million loan at 6.5%, a guarantee of at least 43,000 tickets sold per game for six years, and the purchase of the team's Owings Mills
Owings Mills, Maryland
Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 20,193 at the 2000 census. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus for the Baltimore Metro Subway and to Owings Mills Mall....
training facility for $4 million.
On March 2, NFL owners voted to give Irsay permission to move his franchise to the city of his choosing. Irsay continued discussions with several cities hungry for an NFL franchise (New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
and Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
) eventually narrowing the list of cities to two, Phoenix and Indianapolis. In January 1984 Baltimore's Mayor Schaefer stated "We're not going to build a new stadium. We do not have the bonding capacity. We don't have the voters or taxpayer who can support a $60 million stadium. One-third of the people in Baltimore pay taxes. Unless private enterprise builds it, we won't build it." The Phoenix Metropolitan Sports Foundation, headed by real estate developer Eddie Lynch, along with Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt
Bruce Babbitt
Bruce Edward Babbitt , a Democrat, served as United States Secretary of the Interior and as the 16th governor of Arizona, from 1978 to 1987.-Biography:...
and other top Arizona officials, had secretly met with Irsay early in January 1984. Preliminary talks seemed promising. Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
was offering a below market rate $15,000,000.00 loan and rent free use of the 71,000 seat Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
on the campus of Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. A second meeting was scheduled between Irsay and the Phoenix group. But when word of a second scheduled meeting leaked out and was reported by the media on the Friday before the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, Irsay canceled. Meanwhile, Indianapolis and local real estate developer Robert Welch
Robert Welch
Robert Welch may refer to:*Robert Stanley Welch , politician in Ontario, Canada*Robert W. Welch, Jr. , American anti-communist and co-founder of the John Birch Society*Robert Welch , British designer and silversmith...
, were lobbying the NFL to bring an expansion team to the city, with Welch as team owner. Welch also had personal discussions with New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
owner John Mecom about buying the team and moving it to Indianapolis. In January 1984, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle was the commissioner of the National Football League from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world....
announced that expansion had been put on hold. As a result of that announcement, Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
' owner Herb Simon contacted Colts officials in order to take negotiations between the club and Indianapolis to the next level. Mayor Hudnut then assigned deputy mayor David Frick to begin secret negotiations with Colts counsel Michael Chernoff. On February 13, Colts representatives came to town to look at the Hoosier Dome construction. Colts owner Robert Irsay visited on February 23.
"He [Irsay] was visibly moved," former deputy mayor Dave Frick said in commenting on Irsay's reaction to entering the brand new domed stadium. "Emotionally, he was making the move." Meanwhile in Baltimore, the situation worsened. Eventually, the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
legislature intervened and, on March 27, the Maryland Senate passed legislation giving the city of Baltimore the right to seize ownership of the team by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
– an idea first floated in a memo written by Baltimore mayoral aide Mark Wasserman. Robert Irsay said that his move was "a direct result" of the eminent domain bill and Colts counsel Michael Chernoff later said of the move by the Maryland legislature: "They not only threw down the gauntlet, but they put a gun to his head and cocked it and asked, 'Want to see if it's loaded?' They forced him to make a decision that day".
On March 28, Phoenix businessmen withdrew their offer citing the recent legislative moves in Maryland. Irsay called the Indianapolis mayor that afternoon and began serious negotiations in order to move the team before the Maryland legislature's other chamber could pass similar legislation. The city of Indianapolis offered the Colts owner a $12,500,000 loan, a $4,000,000 training complex, and the use of the brand new $77.5 million, 60,127 seat Hoosier Dome. After Irsay agreed to the deal, the Indianapolis Mayor called John B. Smith, his friend, neighbor and chief executive officer of Mayflower Transit
Mayflower Transit
Mayflower Transit, LLC is a moving company, now part of UniGroup, Inc. Founded in 1927, it is the nation's oldest van line and has the most recognized name in moving.- History :...
, and 15 trucks were dispatched to the team's Owings Mills, Maryland training complex at 2:00 AM on March 29 because it was feared the franchise would be seized early the following morning. Workers loaded all of the team's belongings and the trucks left for Indianapolis. By 10:00 AM, the Colts were completely gone from Baltimore. Later that day the Maryland House of Delegates also passed the Eminent Domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
bill by a vote of 103–19 and the legislation taking control of the Colts was sent to Maryland Governor Harry Hughes
Harry Hughes
Harry Roe Hughes , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 57th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1979 to 1987.-Early life and family:...
and signed.
Departing Maryland, each of the Mayflower trucks took a slightly different route on the way to Indianapolis. This was done to confuse the Maryland State Police
Maryland State Police
The Maryland State Police is the official state police force of the state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.-Organizational structure:...
, who might have been called on to put a stop to the move. Once each van was at the Indiana state line, it was met by Indiana State Troopers
Indiana State Police
The Indiana State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency for the state of Indiana. Indiana was the 12th state to offer protection to its citizens with a state police force.-History:...
, who escorted each van to the Colts new home in Indianapolis. Later John Moag, Jr., chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, stated in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee responsible for the Fan Freedom and Community Protection Act: "It was the failure of our local (Baltimore) and state elected officials in Maryland to provide the Colts with a firm proposal for a new stadium that led Mr. Irsay to accept an offer from Indianapolis to play in a new dome in that city."
Baltimore's Mayor Schaefer, who had been promised a call by Irsay if the team was to move (but never received one) appeared on the front page of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
in tears. After the Colts left, and in spite of his earlier stance that the city of Baltimore would not build a new stadium, he placed the building of a new stadium at the top of his legislative agenda.
Indianapolis Mayor Hudnut held a press conference March 29 to announce that an agreement had been reached and the team was on its way to Indianapolis. The deal was sealed March 30 with approval by the Capital Improvement Board, which operated the Hoosier Dome. Two days later, 20,000 new Colts fans cheered as Mayor Hudnut proclaimed March 29, 1984, "one of the greatest days in the history of this city."
Baltimore moves on
Understandably, Colts fans in Baltimore were heartbroken. In elections that year, city voters repealed Question P by a measure of 62 percent to 38 percent. However, the amendment's author, Hyman Pressman, remained as an elected City Comptroller for 28 years (7 terms in a row) until retiring in 1991. The team's move triggered a flurry of legal activity, which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court and bills were filed in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate seeking to block the move. In December 1985, a Federal District CourtUnited States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judge threw out the lawsuit which sought to return the team to Maryland. Later, representatives of the city of Baltimore and the Colts organization reached a settlement in March 1986 in which all lawsuits regarding the relocation were dismissed, and the Colts would endorse a new NFL team for Baltimore.
On November 6, 1995, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
announced his intention to move the Browns team to Baltimore after a stadium dispute in Cleveland. The decision, which involved secret discussions with the state of Maryland, also triggered a flurry of legal activity. Ironically, Modell had previously been staunchly against the relocation of sports teams, having heavily criticized Irsay's move in 1986.
As part of the agreement to end all litigation between Modell and Cleveland, Modell left the Browns' name, colors, and history of the franchise in Cleveland. Modell was allowed to take his players and organization to Baltimore, but it would be technically regarded as an expansion team. The new Baltimore team was named the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
after a fan vote.
The Colts' final game in Baltimore was played on December 18, 1983 against the Houston Oilers
1983 Houston Oilers season
The 1983 Houston Oilers season was the 24th season the team was with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 1–8, winning two games, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:...
. The Colts won 20–10. The Colts did not play another game in Baltimore until 1998. Since then, the Colts have played in Baltimore several more times during the regular season (most recently in 2009
2009 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2009 Indianapolis Colts season was the 57th season for the team in the National Football League and the 26th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not have Tony Dungy on their coaching staff, due to his retirement from coaching...
). The teams have had two playoff matchups during that time, one in Baltimore (2006) and one in Indianapolis (2009), where in the 2006–07 playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2006-07
The National Football League playoffs for the 2006 season began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.-AFC: Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8:...
, the Ravens
2006 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2006 Baltimore Ravens season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 2005. The Ravens, for the first time in franchise history, started 4–0. The Ravens' ended the regular season with a team-best 13–3 record. The Ravens clinched the AFC North title, 1st-round bye...
hosted the Colts
2006 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the 54th season for the team in the National Football League and 23rd in Indianapolis. The 2006 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, and advance farther into the playoffs....
in an AFC Divisional Playoff game (2006) and Colts hosted Ravens in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The Colts won the 2006 game en route to their first Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
win since moving to Indianapolis. When the Colts play a game in Baltimore the name Colts is not used. The Colts are introduced as the Indianapolis professional football team and referred to as Indy on the stadium scoreboards.
1984–1989
In 1984, the Colts' first season in Indianapolis, Jim IrsayJim Irsay
James Irsay is the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.-Biography:...
was named general manager of the team. Frank Kush
Frank Kush
Frank Joseph Kush is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1...
was head coach until the final game, when he was replaced by Hal Hunter
Hal Hunter
Harold T. Hunter is the current offensive line coach of the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. He has held positions at the University of North Carolina, Indiana University, and LSU. In 1999, he served as the head coach of LSU's football team for one game, a 35–10 win over rival Arkansas,...
. Prior to the start of the season the team received 143,000 requests in two weeks for season tickets. The Colts had two first-round draft picks in 1984
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
. They chose Leonard Coleman
Leonard Coleman
Leonard Coleman is a former American football player who played cornerback in the National Football League in the 1980s. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1984 NFL Draft, the first player drafted by the team, following its...
and Ron Solt
Ron Solt
Ronald Matthew Solt is a former American football guard in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Maryland and was drafted in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft...
. Coleman could not reach an agreement with the Colts until early in 1985, and spent 1984 playing in the USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
. Other notable picks that year included Kevin Call
Kevin Call
Kevin Bradley Call is a former American football tackle who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts....
in the 5th round and Eugene Daniel
Eugene Daniel
Eugene Daniel, Jr. is a former professional American football cornerback who played 14 seasons in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens from 1984 to 1997. Daniel attended Louisiana State University. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 8th round of the 1984 NFL Draft...
in the 8th. The Colts
1984 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1984 Indianapolis Colts season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 1st in Indianapolis, as they moved from Baltimore after the 1983 NFL season...
finished the 1984 season
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
with 4 wins and 12 losses. Rod Dowhower
Rod Dowhower
-External links:...
was named head coach in 1985, but after two losing seasons, Dowhower was replaced by Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...
in December 1986.
Two weeks into the 1987 regular season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
the players went on a 24-day strike. One week of games was canceled, and for three weeks the teams played with replacement players. On October 31, the Colts obtained running back Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
from the Los Angeles Rams for six draft picks and two players. The deal also involved Buffalo, sending Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius O'Landa Bennett is a former American football linebacker who played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998, and the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2000...
from the Colts to the Bills while Chuck Banks
Chuck Banks
Charles Edward Banks is a former professional American football player who played fullback in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers and the Indianapolis Colts...
came to Indianapolis from the Houston Oilers. The Colts
1987 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1987 Indianapolis Colts season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 4th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the strike-shortened National Football League's 1987 season with a record of 9 wins and 6 losses, and won the AFC East division...
finished the season 9–6 and clinched the AFC East title but lost to the Cleveland Browns
1987 Cleveland Browns season
-References:...
in the divisional playoff game.
Because of the Dickerson trade, the Colts had no draft pick until the third round in the 1988 NFL Draft
1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
when they took quarterback Chris Chandler
Chris Chandler
Christopher Mark Chandler is a retired American football player, who played as a quarterback in the National Football League for 17 seasons. He is known for leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 14-2 season in 1998, followed up with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII.-Early years:Chris Chandler was...
. In the Colts' first Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
appearance they defeated Denver
1988 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *...
55–23 before a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
night crowd. Dickerson became the first Colt since Alan Ameche
Alan Ameche
Lino Dante "Alan" Ameche , nicknamed "The Horse", was an American football player who played six seasons with the Baltimore Colts in the National Football League after winning the Heisman Trophy in college at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first...
in 1955 to win the NFL rushing title. The Colts
1988 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1988 Indianapolis Colts season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 5th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1988 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with...
finished the season
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
9–7, and did not make the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1988-89
The NFL playoffs following the 1988 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIII.Due to Christmas, the two wild card playoff games were held in a span of three days....
.
1990–1995
In 1990, the Colts traded Chris HintonChris Hinton
Christopher Hinton is a former American football tackle and guard who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the Indianapolis Colts. He was traded from the Denver Broncos for John Elway. He went to seven Pro Bowls, six with the Colts and one with the Atlanta Falcons...
, 1989 first-round pick Andre Rison
Andre Rison
Andre Previn Rison is a retired American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's...
and draft picks to the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for the first pick of the 1990 draft
1990 NFL Draft
The 1990 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990...
so they could choose Indianapolis native and quarterback Jeff George
Jeff George
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" George is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft...
. Eric Dickerson, after boycotting training camp and refusing to take physicals, was placed on the non-football injury list for six weeks. He was subsequently suspended four weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and forfeited $750,000 in wages and fines. The team
1990 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1990 Indianapolis Colts season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 7th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses, and finished third in the AFC East division.-NFL...
finished the season
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
7–9. The team further declined into 1991 and Meyer was fired on October 1 and replaced by Rick Venturi
Rick Venturi
-External links:...
, his defensive coordinator. The Colts
1991 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1991 Indianapolis Colts season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 8th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of 1 win and 15 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East division...
won only once in the 1991 season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
, scoring a total of only 146 points. Their lone win came against the playoff-bound New York Jets
1991 New York Jets season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-External links:*...
in Week 11. The Colts became the third consecutive team to finish a season at 1–15 (joining the 1989 Cowboys
1989 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1989 Dallas Cowboys season was the first year of the franchise under the ownership of Jerry Jones as well as under the helm of head coach Jimmy Johnson, who had compiled a 44–4 record in his last 4 years as coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes....
and 1990 Patriots
1990 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of one win and fifteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division...
).
On January 28, 1992, the Colts hired Ted Marchibroda, who had been serving as an assistant with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for the past five seasons, for his second stint as the team's head coach. In April, the Colts traded Eric Dickerson to the Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, ending his sometimes rocky 4½ years with the team. On May 3, 1992, second-year defensive end Shane Curry
Shane Curry
Shane Clifton Curry was an American football player in the NFL. He graduated from Princeton High School in Sharonville, Ohio. He played for the Georgia Tech and the Miami college football teams...
was shot to death outside a Cincinnati nightclub in a dispute over a car blocking the nightclub's driveway. The Colts
1992 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1992 Indianapolis Colts season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 9th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished third in the AFC East division.Football...
finished the season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
9–7, marking the second time that Marchibroda led the Colts to an eight-game turnaround in his first year as their coach. It wasn't enough, however, for the Colts to make the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1992-93
The NFL playoffs following the 1992 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVII.-Bracket:-NFC: Washington Redskins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7:Running back Brian Mitchell led the Redskins to the 24-7 victory with 109 rushing yards and 100 total yards on receptions and punt returns...
as they finished one game behind two of the AFC wild card teams.
Following a 4–12 season in 1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
, running back Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
was drafted second overall and linebacker Trev Alberts
Trev Alberts
Trev Kendall Alberts is the director of athletics for the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Before assuming this position, he was an American television and print college football commentator, most notably working alongside Mark May on the ESPN's College GameDay Scoreboard show.-Collegiate:Alberts...
fifth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
. In March, Jeff George was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Despite going undefeated in the preseason the Colts
1993 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1993 Indianapolis Colts season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 10th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of 4 wins and 12 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East division...
opened the regular season with an all-time low attendance of 47,372. The Colts, behind starting quarterback Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
, improved to 8–8, which was good enough for second place in the AFC East but not good enough to advance to the playoffs.
1995
For the 1995 season1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, the Colts acquired Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Craig Erickson
Craig Erickson
Craig Neil Erickson is a former professional quarterback who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round of the 1991 NFL Draft and also by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He is one of the few NFL players to be drafted twice, most famously Bo...
in a trade and signed him to a long term deal, but after three weeks Harbaugh regained the starting quarterback position. The move paid off as Harbaugh ended the season as the NFL's top-rated passer. The Colts advanced to the playoffs with a 9–7 record and earned the nickname "Cardiac Colts" thanks to their four come from behind victories and close games.
The Colts surprised many when they defeated the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers
1995 San Diego Chargers season
The 1995 San Diego Chargers season began with the team as reigning AFC champions and trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 1994. It ended in the first round with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts....
in their first playoff game 35–20. They then came from behind to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs
1995 Kansas City Chiefs season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-References:...
, who finished the season with the NFL's best record, the following week. This advanced the Colts to their first conference championship game since 1972, when they still played in Baltimore. Having defeated the AFC's #1 seed in the Chiefs, the Colts then traveled to Pittsburgh to face the AFC's #2 seed, the Steelers
1995 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1995 season saw the Steelers return to the Super Bowl for the first time in sixteen years . The team's 11–5 finish was good enough for the AFC Central championship and the second seed in the conference...
. Harbaugh and the Colts again were involved in a close game and held the lead three separate times in the game, but lost 20–16 after Harbaugh's attempted 29-yard Hail Mary pass
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
on the final play of the game was dropped by Aaron Bailey
Aaron Bailey (American football)
Aaron Bailey is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for five seasons for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League....
in the end zone.
1996
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
had suffered a stroke during the season that left him incapacitated, and while he convalesced a battle ensued for control of the team between Irsay's wife Nancy and his son, Colts general manager Jim Irsay
Jim Irsay
James Irsay is the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.-Biography:...
. To further complicate matters, the Colts were forced to search for a new coach after Ted Marchibroda resigned following a contract dispute with the team, who had only offered him a one year extension. The team ended up promoting offensive coordinator Lindy Infante
Lindy Infante
Gelindo "Lindy" Infante is a former American college football player and assistant coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League and the United States Football League...
to the position while keeping him on as coordinator.
With the draft pick the Colts obtained in the Jeff George trade, the team selected wide receiver Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
with the 19th pick in the 1996 NFL Draft
1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
. The Colts continued their winning ways from the previous year, starting at 4–0 in 1996
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
. However, injuries began to plague the team and they went 5–7 following that. Their 9–7 record was enough to get them into the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1996-97
The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion...
for the second consecutive year, and they faced the Steelers
1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Bill Cowher's fifth season as head coach of the Steelers resulted in yet another trip to the playoffs for the team, as Pittsburgh won the AFC Central Division championship for the fourth time under Cowher. However, the team's 10–6 record was not good enough to earn the Steelers a first-round bye...
in the opening round. The Colts lost again, however, as Pittsburgh throttled them 42–14.
In the offseason prior to the Colts' 1997 season, Jim Irsay won his legal battle and became sole owner of the team. Irsay, who was 37 at the time, became the youngest owner of an NFL team in history. He had been working with the team since 1982, and has become known as "The best small-market owner in the NFL." After his father died, Jim immediately began to put his own seal on the team. Other NFL team owners "credit his work as an owner and his personality as a significant reason for awarding Indianapolis the 2012 Super Bowl, a rare honor for a cold-weather city." Patriots Owner Robert Kraft: "I voted for Indianapolis because of Jim, because I like him and respect what he's done there."
Irsay's first year as sole owner did not go well, however, as the Colts finished with the worst record in the NFL. The Colts
1997 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1997 Indianapolis Colts season was the 45th season for the team in the National Football League and 14th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1997 season with a record of 3 wins and 13 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East division.- Schedule...
only won three times in the 1997 season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
(although all three of those wins came against teams with winning records, including the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
), and wholesale changes were made following the season. Irsay hired Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
general manager Bill Polian
Bill Polian
Bill Polian is the Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. He rose to league prominence as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls, losing each time...
, who had won NFL Executive of the Year four times with the Panthers and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, as the team's president and general manager. Polian promptly fired Infante as coach, released Harbaugh, and hired Jim Mora, Sr.
Jim E. Mora
James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...
as the team's new head coach.
The Peyton Manning Era (1998–present)
Polian employed a strategy of rebuilding the Colts through the draft, and his first two first round picks as GM proved to be keys in the Colts' rise to their current status in the NFL. In 19981998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
, Polian used the first pick in the draft to select University of Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
, son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...
.
While the Colts
1998 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1998 Indianapolis Colts season was the 46th season for the team in the National Football League and 15th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1998 season with a record of 3 wins and 13 losses, and finished fifth in the AFC East division.-NFL...
finished their first season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
under Polian at 3–13 again, success would come quickly after that.
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
two days before the draft and used their first-round draft pick in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
to select running back Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James
Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami....
out of Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
, a surprise to many who thought they would take Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
running back Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
, the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner who was available. James caught on quickly and Manning and Marvin Harrison clicked as a potent passing combination.
1999
In what was the greatest one-year turnaround in NFL history, the Colts went 13–3 in 19991999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, tying a franchise record for most wins in a season, and won the AFC East. They finished tied for the second best record in the conference with the Tennessee Titans
1999 Tennessee Titans season
The 1999 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 40th season and their 30th in the National Football League. It was the first season for the club under the moniker "Titans," while the nickname "Oilers" was retired by the NFL...
(who did not win their division), the second best record in the NFL with the Titans and St. Louis Rams
1999 St. Louis Rams season
The 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13-3, and the NFC West Championship. The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973. On the...
, and earned a first-round bye. In the first ever playoff game in Indianapolis, however, the Colts fell 19–16 to the eventual AFC Champion Titans. Manning, James and Harrison earned Pro Bowl honors, while kicker Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
won the NFL scoring title and James took home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
2000
Both the team and their fans entered the 2000 season with high expectations after winning the AFC East with a 13–3 record in 1999. Eight games into the season2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
the Colts were 6–2, though some of the wins had been heart-stoppers with last-minute heroics overcoming earlier mistakes. Then they lost four of the next five games, and suddenly even making it into playoffs was in doubt. With three games left in the season the Colts only chance was to win all three, which they did. The back-to-back 10-plus victory seasons were a first for the club since 1976–77. Manning (4,413) and James (1,709, 2,303) won the NFL passing, rushing and scrimmage yards titles. They earned a wild-card spot in the playoffs, but lost the game 23–17 to the Miami Dolphins
2000 Miami Dolphins season
The 2000 season was the 33rd in franchise history. Dave Wannstedt was named the fourth head coach in franchise history on January 16, 2000.-NFL Draft:-Preseason:-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-Awards and honors:...
. The organization entered the off-season knowing the area most in need of attention was the defense.
2001
Wide receiver Reggie WayneReggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
was selected with the 30th pick in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. In 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, Manning passed for 4,131 yards and Harrison caught 109 passes. However, despite starting the year with two wins, the Colts finished the season 6–10 and Manning was plagued by turnovers. The team was also hurt by injuries throughout the season, the most serious occurring on October 25, when running back Edgerrin James tore his ACL in the sixth game of the 2001 season. Further, the Colts' defense ranked at or near the bottom in yards allowed (30th), takeaways (26th), and points allowed (31st). While backup Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Rhodes
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
proved a capable starter in becoming the first undrafted rookie to rush for over 1000 yards the loss of James, a lack of special teams coherence, and the defense's shortcomings proved to be too much for Indianapolis to overcome. Mora was fired with one year remaining on his contract, reportedly over a disagreement with general manager Bill Polian regarding defensive coordinator Vic Fangio
Vic Fangio
Vic Fangio is an American football coach. He is the current defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to being named the 49ers Defensive Coordinator, Fangio was defensive coordinator for the Stanford Cardinal, linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens and defensive coordinator for...
(although others point to his infamous rant concerning the Colts' playoff chances following a Week 11 loss to San Francisco
2001 San Francisco 49ers season
-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-NFC Wild Card - January 13, 2002:*Green Bay Packers 25, San Francisco 49ers 15at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI-Milestones:*Jeff Garcia named to second consecutive Pro Bowl...
where the offense turned the ball over five times including four interceptions by Manning).
2002
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, who had been coaching for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, became available after he was fired for failing to advance the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. Irsay was so committed to bringing Dungy aboard that he, not Polian, initiated the contact. Late on January 19, 2002, Irsay phoned Dungy at his home in Tampa: "I just wanted him to know from the start that there was no other coach on the planet I wanted to coach my football team," Irsay said. "Not Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
. Not Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
."
In the draft that year the Colts selected Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney
Dwight Jason Freeney is an American football defensive end who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse University.-Early years:Freeney attended Bloomfield High School...
, a defensive end from Syracuse, at number 11 overall. In a continuation of Polian's building through the draft philosophy that he had employed so well with Manning, James, and Wayne, Freeney became a defensive leader for the Colts and made an immediate impact. Because of the NFL realignment
Realignment (sports)
In North American sports, realignment occurs in sports when a league decides to change which teams are in which divisions, usually by creating new divisions. In all of the four major North American sports leagues, all of the teams are grouped into one of two conferences, while each...
that took place following the addition of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to the league, the Colts moved from their longtime place in the AFC East to the AFC South. Marvin Harrison had a stellar year, breaking several club and NFL records, but Edgerrin James was hampered by injuries again. Freeney set an NFL rookie record in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
with ten forced fumbles, three of which occurred in a single game against former Syracuse football teammate, Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
. However, despite all this not all the news was positive—Manning threw 19 interceptions, most of them in games the Colts went on to lose, and in a troubling pattern, the Colts repeatedly squandered the first half of a game, often falling so far behind that despite second half rallies, they could not overcome the deficit. Still, at 10–6 the Colts qualified for the playoffs and faced their former division rivals, the AFC East champion New York Jets, in their first game. Although the Colts were favored in the game, the Jets
2002 New York Jets season
The 2002 New York Jets season was the 43rd season for the team, and the 33rd in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 10–6 record from 2001...
blew them out 41–0, with Manning still having yet to win a playoff game in what was now his fifth season.
2003
The Colts finished the 20032003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
by winning the AFC South with a regular season record of 12–4. Manning was named co-MVP of the NFL, along with Tennessee Titans
2003 Tennessee Titans season
The 2003 Tennessee Titans season was the team's 44th season and their 34th in the National Football League. At 12–4 the Titans posted the 15th season with at least ten wins in the franchise's history dating to their Houston Oilers days...
quarterback Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
. In the playoffs, Manning and the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos
2003 Denver Broncos season
The 2003 Denver Broncos season was the team's 44th year in professional football and its 34th with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:* *...
41–10, for their first playoff win since 1995 and Manning's first ever. They then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
2003 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2003 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 13–3 record, beginning with a nine-game winning streak—the franchise’s best start in their 40-year history. The Chiefs won the AFC West and clinched the second seed in the playoffs...
in Kansas City the next week in a high-scoring affair, 38–31. However, the Colts were unable to defeat the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots won the game 24–14 putting an end to the hopes of the team and the fans that this was the season the Colts would go all the way.
2004
Safety Bob SandersBob Sanders
Demond "Bob" Sanders is a professional American football safety who is currently on the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. Sanders was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts...
was selected in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. The 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
saw the Colts win the AFC South again with a 12–4 record, but as in 2003 the Colts' season ended at the hands of the Patriots. After a year in which the offense broke numerous team and league records, the Colts could manage to score only one field goal in their final game, losing 20–3 in the Divisional Playoffs. For the second year in a row, Manning was named the league's MVP and his 49 regular-season touchdowns broke a record that Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
had held since 1984. The wide receiving trio of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne
Reggie Wayne
Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...
and Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
each had at least 10 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards for the season—also a league first. Edgerrin James ended the season ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,548 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. And although questions continued to surround the defense, Freeney led the league with 16 sacks.
2005
In 20052005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, Dungy led the Colts to a franchise-record 14 wins and a third consecutive divisional title, the fifth for the club in its 22-year Indianapolis era. Manning and Marvin Harrison
Marvin Harrison
Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
broke Steve Young and Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
's NFL record for most touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver tandem, notching their 86th in a Monday night home game against St. Louis Rams
2005 St. Louis Rams season
The 2005 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 68th year with the National Football League and the 11th season in St. Louis.-Schedule:-Standings:...
in week 6. Two weeks later Peyton Manning logged his first victory at New England against the Patriots
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
, ending a six game New England win streak. After defeating Jacksonville
2005 Jacksonville Jaguars season
After a 9–7 season in 2004 the Jaguars came out of the gates prepared to become a dominant force in the AFC. They achieved that task, going 12–4 in the regular season, but did not manage to win their own division, getting swept by the Indianapolis Colts as they went 14–2...
in week 14 they became only the fourth team in NFL history to reach a record of 13–0 and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The dream of a perfect record for the Colts ended the next week however as the San Diego Chargers
2005 San Diego Chargers season
The 2005 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 12–4 record in 2004. They finished the campaign 3rd in their division and as a result missed out on the playoffs. Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was named rookie of the Year at the end of the season.-NFL...
defeated the Colts 26–17. In Week 16, the Colts played without coach Tony Dungy following the suicide of his son James earlier in the week. With the team resting most of their key players, the Colts lost their second straight to the eventual NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks
2005 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season saw them advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history. They were the NFC representative in Super Bowl XL, a game they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks compiled a 13-3 record in the regular season, easily winning the NFC West and...
. Dungy returned to the sidelines for the last regular season game as the Colts beat the Arizona Cardinals
2005 Arizona Cardinals season
The 2005 Arizona Cardinals season was the team's 86th in the NFL. The team was unable to improve upon their previous season's output of 6-10, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season....
17–13 while resting most of the team's usual starters. The team's final record of 14–2 marked the best 16-game season in the franchise's history.
However, the Colts failed to capitalize on their record-setting season and lost their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers
2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 15–1 record from 2004 in which they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. The Steelers, with the sixth and final seed to the playoffs, became just the second team ever to win...
, 21–18. Trailing 21–10 late in the game, the Colts regained possession and put 8 points on the board to make it 21–18. After a Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
fumble on the goal line, Nick Harper
Nick Harper
Nick Harper is an English singer-songwriter/guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper.-Early life:Nick Harper was born in London in 1965 to the famous folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper...
picked up the fumble and almost ran it back, but was tackled at the 40 yard line by Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
. The Colts then drove down the field, only to have Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
miss a 46-yard field goal attempt wide right.
2006, Super Bowl XLI Champions
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, the Colts proceeded to lose three of the next four, largely because of the league's worst run defense. However, they still captured their fourth consecutive AFC South
AFC South
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...
title by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals
2006 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star...
on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
in week 15 of the season with, ironically, a strong showing from their defense. The Colts finished the season with a 12–4 record, giving them the number three seed in the playoffs. The record also marked their fifth consecutive season with ten victories or more. In week 13, against the Titans
2006 Tennessee Titans season
The 2006 Tennessee Titans season began with the team trying to improve on their 4–12 record in 2005.-Offseason:In 2006, exciting news for the future came when in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Titans, with the third overall pick, chose Vince Young, star quarterback out of the University of Texas, and with...
, the quarterback-wide receiver combination of Manning to Harrison became the all time leader in touchdowns in NFL history.
In the Colts' first-round playoff game, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
2006 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2006 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 10–6 record in 2005 under new head coach Herman Edwards.The team battled many obstacles during the 2006 season, including the loss of starting quarterback Trent Green in the first game, the readjustment of a...
23–8, despite Manning throwing three interceptions. The Colts defense managed to hold the Chiefs to 44 yards on the ground and 2 yards passing in the first half. The Chiefs did not earn a first down until 3:33 remained in the third quarter. The Colts then defeated the AFC's #2 seed, the Baltimore Ravens
2006 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2006 Baltimore Ravens season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 2005. The Ravens, for the first time in franchise history, started 4–0. The Ravens' ended the regular season with a team-best 13–3 record. The Ravens clinched the AFC North title, 1st-round bye...
, 15–6 in the divisional playoff round in Baltimore. Adam Vinatieri kicked five field goals and the defense did not allow a touchdown.
The Colts advanced to their second AFC Championship Game in four seasons, and thanks to their arch-rivals, the Patriots
2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
, defeating the AFC's top-seeded San Diego Chargers
2006 San Diego Chargers season
The 2006 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005. They finished the campaign as the #1 seed in the AFC ending the season at 14–2, best record in the NFL...
, the Colts would host the game in the RCA Dome. This marked the first time an AFC Championship game had taken place inside a domed stadium. After trailing 21–3 late in the first half, the Colts stormed back, defeating the arch-rival Patriots 38–34. The 18-point comeback was the largest ever in an NFL conference championship game, and tied the record for the fourth largest NFL postseason comeback.
The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears
2006 Chicago Bears season
The 2006 Chicago Bears season was their 87th regular season and 25th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the NFC, improving on their previous year’s record of 11-5...
29–17 on February 4, 2007 in Dolphin Stadium. Rain fell throughout the game for the first time in Super Bowl history, significantly contributing to the six turnovers committed by both teams in the first half. Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
was awarded the Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, caught by Wayne.
Indianapolis became the first dome team to win a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium, the first to win in the rain, and the first to win after having the statistically worst rushing defense in the league during the regular season. Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
became only the third man to have won the Super Bowl as both a head coach (Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
) and a player (Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
) (along with Tom Flores
Tom Flores
Thomas R. "Tom" Flores is a retired American football quarterback and coach. Flores and Mike Ditka are the only two people in the National Football League history to win a Super Bowl as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach...
IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
-player, XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
and XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
-coach and Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
VI
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1971 regular season...
-player, XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
-coach), as well as the first African-American Head Coach to win a Super Bowl (a distinction that would have occurred regardless of which team won, as the Bears were coached by another African-American coach, Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
).
With the win the Colts became the first team from the AFC South to win a Super Bowl.
2007
In 20072007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, the Colts finished 13–3, winning a club-record fifth straight division title and becoming the first NFL team with five consecutive seasons with 12+ victories and became one of four NFL teams to open three consecutive seasons with 5–0 starts in topping Tampa Bay
2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the 32nd season for the club in the National Football League. On December 16, 2007, they cliched the NFC South division title, and returned to the playoffs after missing it in 2006....
, 33–14. Indianapolis joined Green Bay
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(1929–31), Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
(1973–75) and St. Louis
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
(1999–2001) with three straight 5–0 starts. And then becoming the first team in 76 years to start three consecutive seasons with 7–0 starts. Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
(288) broke the club record for career touchdown passes held by Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
(287), while Tony Dungy notched his 74th win to break the franchise record he had shared with Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
(73) and Ted Marchibroda
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
(73). The club fell in the Divisional Playoffs to the San Diego Chargers
2007 San Diego Chargers season
The 2007 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to equal their 2006 regular season success and avoid another early departure in the playoffs. After a disappointing start under new head coach Norv Turner , they finished the regular season strong, with six straight wins, an overall...
, 28–24. Dungy became the only coach in Colts history to post 10+ wins and earn playoff appearances in six straight seasons.
2008
The 2008 season was the Colts' inaugural season playing at the newly completed Lucas Oil StadiumLucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...
. Indianapolis lost its first home game ever at Lucas Oil Stadium 29–13 to the Chicago Bears
2008 Chicago Bears season
The 2008 Chicago Bears season is the franchise's 89th regular season in the National Football League. They finished the 2008 season with a 9-7 record, improving upon their 7-9 record from the 2007 season...
on Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
on the opening weekend of the 2008 NFL Season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. It was the first season that the Colts did not win the AFC South title since 2002. After a 3–4 start on the season, the Colts went on a nine-game winning streak and finished the season at 12–4 and earned a wild card berth in the playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2008–09
The National Football League playoffs for the 2008 season began on January 3, 2009 and led up to Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.-NFC: Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24:...
. They extended their league mark with six consecutive 12+ victory seasons. The club became the first in NFL history to win at least seven consecutive games in five consecutive seasons. Manning won his third NFL MVP award, but Indianapolis fell in the Wild Card Playoffs in overtime to the Chargers
2008 San Diego Chargers season
The 2008 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 49th overall season and their 39th in the NFL. While they completed the regular season with only an 8–8 record, they nonetheless captured their third consecutive AFC West championship...
at San Diego, 23–17.
2009
Tony DungyTony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
retired on January 12, 2009 and on January 13, Jim Caldwell who had been named his successor previously, was formally announced as the new head coach.
Under their new coach, the Colts started off the season with 14 consecutive wins. On December 13, 2009, by virtue of a win over the Denver Broncos
2009 Denver Broncos season
The 2009 Denver Broncos season was their 40th season in the NFL and 50th season overall. The Broncos matched their 8–8 regular season record from 2008 but did not make the playoffs. The Broncos welcomed many new defensive players signed during free agency, including veteran Eagles safety Brian...
, the Colts won their 22nd consecutive regular season game, setting a new NFL record for consecutive regular season wins. The Colts suffered their first loss to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 29–15, a game in which Caldwell made the controversial decision to rest his starters after the team took a slim lead rather than keep them in to play for a chance at a 16–0 season. Indianapolis finished the season at 14–2 following a loss to the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, in which they rested their starters with the stated purpose of having their team healthy for the playoffs. The Colts locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens
2009 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise's 14th season as a team in the National Football League . The franchise entered the season off an 11–5 record in their previous season, a playoff berth, but a loss in the American Football Conference Championship game against the eventual Super...
by the score of 20–3 on January 16, 2010. The Colts defeated the New York Jets
2009 New York Jets season
The 2009 New York Jets season was the 50th season for the club and the 40th season in the National Football League and the last season at Giants Stadium. While they did not improve their 9–7 record from 2008, this time the team headed to the playoffs. The Jets fired head coach Eric Mangini on...
30–17 on January 24, 2010 in the 2009 AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
.
On February 7, 2010 the Indianapolis Colts played in Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
against the New Orleans Saints
2009 New Orleans Saints season
The 2009 New Orleans Saints season is the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League and the most successful in franchise history in which they won Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 victories, an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth place finish in the...
. The game was played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. All four of the Colts' Super Bowl games have been played in Miami, with their first two games in the former Miami Orange Bowl and the last two in the current Miami stadium (which has changed names several times since its opening, most recently in January 2010). The Colts moved out to an early lead and went into halftime leading 10–6. The Saints came out of the half by recovering an onsides kick, and scored the go ahead touchdown to make it 13–10. The teams would exchange blows, making the score 24–17 late in the 4th quarter. Peyton Manning was leading the potential game tying drive with just over 3 minutes to play, but threw a game ending interception that was returned for a TD to seal the upset for the Saints.
2010
The Colts finished the season with a record of (10–6). The 2010 season marked the end of their consecutive seasons with at least 12 wins. This was largely due to the number of injuries the Colts suffered throughout the season. As the 3rd seed in the playoffs in the AFC, they played in a Wild Card game against the 6th seeded New York Jets. They lost on a game winning field goal as time expired by a score of 17–16.2011
For their first pick in the 2011 NFL draft2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
, and 22nd overall, the Colts selected offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo
Anthony Castonzo
Anthony Salvatore Castonzo is an American football offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts. After a college career at Boston College, Castonzo was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with their first round draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.-High school career:Castonzo attended Fork Union...
from Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
. Peyton Manning was unable to play in the 2011 season due to neck surgery. The Colts signed Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
out of retirement and named him interim starting quarterback. He was placed on the injured reserve on October 26, 2011. They have started the season 0-11 and were eliminated from playoff contention.
On November 29th, the Colts fired defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and promoted linebacker's coach Mike Murphy to the DC position.
Lucas Oil Stadium
After 24 years of playing at the RCA Dome, the Colts moved to their new home Lucas Oil Stadium in the fall of 2008. In December 2004, the City of Indianapolis and Jim Irsay agreed to a new stadium deal at an estimated cost of $1 billion (Including Indianapolis Convention Center upgrades). In a deal estimated at $122 million, Lucas Oil Products won the naming rights to the stadium for 20 years.It is a seven-level stadium which seats 63,000 for football. It can be reconfigured to seat 70,000 or more for NCAA basketball and football and concerts. It covers 1800000 square feet (167,225.5 m²). The stadium features a retractable roof allowing the Colts to play home games outdoors for the first time since arriving in Indianapolis. Using FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
, the playing surface is roughly 25 ft (7.6 m) below ground level. In addition to being larger than the RCA Dome, the new stadium features: 58 permanent concession stands, 90 portable concession stands, 13 escalators, 11 passenger elevators, 800 restrooms, high definition video displays from Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
and replay monitors and 142 luxury suites. The stadium also features a retractable roof
Retractable roof
A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable material can readily be mechanically deployed from some retracted or open position into a closed or extended position that completely covers the field of play and spectator areas...
, with electrification technology developed by VAHLE, Inc. Other than being the home of the Colts, the stadium will host games in both the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
s and will serve as the back up host for all NCAA Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
Tournaments. The stadium will host the Super Bowl for the 2011 season (Super Bowl XLVI
Super Bowl XLVI
Super Bowl XLVI will be the 46th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 42nd annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League . It will be held on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be the first Super Bowl to be...
) and has a potential economic impact estimated at $286,000,000. Lucas Oil Stadium will also host the Drum Corps International
Drum Corps International
Drum Corps International , formed in 1972, is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps, whose members are between the ages of 14 and 21. It is the counterpart of Drum Corps Associates which governs senior or all-age drum corps...
World Championships from 2009 until 2018.
Logos and uniforms
The Colt's helmets in 1953 were white with a blue stripe. In 1954-55 they were blue with a white stripe and a pair of horseshoes at the rear of the helmet. For 1956 the colors were reversed. white helmet, blue stripe and horseshoes at the rear. In 1957 the horseshoes moved to their current location, one per side The blue jerseys have white shoulder stripes while the white jerseys have blue stripes. The team also wears white pants with blue stripes down the sides.From 1982 through 1986, the Colts wore gray pants with their blue jerseys. The gray pants featured a horseshoe on the top of the sides with the player's number inside the horseshoe. The Colts continued to wear white pants with their white jerseys throughout this period, and in 1987, the gray pants were retired.
The Colts wore blue pants with their white jerseys for the first three games of the 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
season, but then returned to white pants with both the blue and white jerseys. The team made some minor uniform adjustments before the start of the 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, including reverting from blue to the traditional gray face masks, darkening their blue colors from a royal blue to speed blue, as well as adding two white stripes to the socks. In 2006, the stripes were removed from the socks.
In 2002, the Colts made a minor striping pattern change on their jerseys, having the stripes only on top of the shoulders then stop completely. Previously, the stripes used to go around to underneath the jersey sleeves. This was done because the Colts, like many other football teams, were beginning to manufacture the jerseys to be tighter to reduce holding calls and reduce the size of the sleeves. Although the white jerseys of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
at the time also had a similar striping pattern and continued as such (as well as the throwbacks
Throwback uniform
Throwback uniforms and jerseys are one-time or limited-time variations on a sports team's uniforms styled to resemble uniforms from that team's past. They have proven popular in all major pro and college sports in the USA, not only with fans, but with the teams' marketing and merchandising...
the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
wore in the Thanksgiving game
Thanksgiving Classic
The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, though the Patriots later wore the same throwbacks in 2009
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
with truncated stripes and in 2010
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
became their official alternate uniform
Third jersey
A third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate and/or throwback design for the previously established other two jerseys, the home and away outfits. Alternate jerseys are used in all four of the North American major professional sports leagues as well as college sports, semipro...
), the Colts and most college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
teams with this striping pattern did not make this adjustment. Replica jerseys sold for retail still have the original striping pattern, though authentic game-day worn jerseys do have the partial striping pattern of the current jerseys.
The 2010 season will see the Colts with an “updated” third jersey.
New England Patriots
The rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
is one of the NFL's newest rivalries. The rivalry is fueled by the quarterback comparison between Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
and Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
. The Patriots owned the beginning of the series, defeating the Colts in six consecutive contests, including the 2003 AFC Championship game and a 2004 AFC Divisional game. The Colts won the next three matches, notching two regular season victories and a win in the 2006 AFC Championship game on the way to their win in Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
. On November 4, 2007 the Patriots defeated the Colts 24–20; in the next matchup, on November 2, 2008, the Colts won 18–15 in a game that was one of the reasons the Patriots failed to make the playoffs; in the 2009 meeting, the Colts staged a spirited comeback to beat the Patriots 35–34; in the most recent 2010 game, the Colts almost staged another comeback, pulling within 31–28 after trailing 31–14 in the fourth quarter, but fell short due to a Patriots interception of a Manning pass late in the game. The nature of this rivalry is ironic because while the Colts and Patriots were division rivals from 1970 to 2001, it did not become prominent in league circles until after Indianapolis was relocated into the AFC South
AFC South
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...
.
Earliest rivalries
In the years 1953–66 the Colts played in the NFL Western Conference (also known as division), but were never known to have a significant rivalry with any of the other franchises in that alignment, seeing as they were the eastern-most team and the rest of the division included the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
franchises Green Bay
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and after 1961, the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. The closest team to Baltimore was the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, but they were not in the same division, and they were not very competitive at that time.
New York Giants
In 19581958 NFL season
The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League.The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants, 23–17, in the first sudden-death overtime in an NFL Championship Game...
Baltimore played its first NFL Championship Game against the 10–3 New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Giants qualified for the championship after a tie-breaking playoff against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Having already been defeated by the Giants in the regular season, Baltimore was not favored to win, yet proceeded to take the title in sudden death overtime
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
. The Colts then repeated the feat by posting an identical record and routing the Giants in the 1959
NFL Championship Game, 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 27, 1959 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The 1959 game was the 27th annual NFL championship game...
final. Up until the Colts' back-to-back titles, the Giants had been the premier club in the NFL, and would continue to be post-season stalwarts the next decade losing three straight finals. The situation was reversed by the end of the decade, with Baltimore winning the 1968 NFL title
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
while New York would arrive at continuously less impressive results.The Colts starting quarterback Peyton Manning and the Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning are brothers.
Miami Dolphins
Baltimore's post NFL-AFL merger passage to the AFC saw them thrust into a new environment with little in common with its fellow divisional teams, the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Boston Patriots. Powered by QB Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
Baltimore would be the first non-AFL franchise to win a division title in the conference, outlasting the Miami Dolphins by one game, and leading the division since Week 3 of 1970
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
. The two franchises were denied a playoff confrontation by Miami's first-round defeat to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, whereas Baltimore would win its first Super Bowl title that year.
Yet in 1971 the teams were engaged in a heated race that went down to the final week of the season, where Miami won its first division title with a 10–3–1 title compared to the 10–4 Baltimore record after the Colts won the Week 13 matchup between them at home, but proceeded to lose the last game of the season to Boston. In the playoffs Baltimore advanced to the AFC title game after a 20–3 rout of the Cleveland Browns, whereas Miami survived a double-overtime nailbiter against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. This set up a title game that was favored for the defending league champion Colts. Yet Miami won the AFC championship with a 21–0 shutout and advanced to lose Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1971 regular season...
to Dallas. In 1975 Baltimore and Miami tied with 10–4 records, yet the Colts advanced to the playoffs based on a head-to-head sweep of their series. In 1977 Baltimore tied for first for the third straight year (in 1976 they tied with Boston) with Miami, and this time advanced to the playoffs on even slimmer pretences, with a conference record of 9–3 compared to Miami's 8–4, as they had split the season series. The rivalry would in the following years be virtually negated by very poor play of he Colts, including a 0–8–1 record during the NFL's strike shortened 1982 season. In 1995, now as Indianapolis, the two both posted borderline 9–7 records to tie for second against Buffalo, yet the Colts once again reached the post-season having swept the season series. The following season they edged out Miami by posting a 9–7 record and winning the ordinarily meaningless 3rd place position, but qualifying for the wild card. The last meaningful matchup between the two franchises would be in the 2000 season, when Miami edged out Indianapolis with an 11–5 record for the division championship. The two then met in the wild-card round where the Dolphins won 23–17 before being blown out by Oakland 27–0. In 2002 Indianapolis moved to the newly created AFC South
AFC South
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...
division and the rivalry was effectively retired. Yet until then the two had had a lively history, based usually on Indianapolis owning slightly better regular season records, but Miami winning both post-season meetings.
Players
Baltimore Colts- Raymond BerryRaymond BerryRaymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
(1973) 1955–1967 - George BlandaGeorge BlandaGeorge Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
(1981) 1950 - Art DonovanArt DonovanArthur Donovan, Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle, better known as Art 'How much does dat guy weigh?' Donovan, who played for three National Football League teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts...
(1968) 1950,1953–1961 - Ted HendricksTed HendricksTheodore Paul Hendricks is a Hall of Fame former American football linebacker who logged 15 seasons for the Baltimore Colts , the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
(1990) 1969–1973 - John MackeyJohn Mackey (American football)John Mackey was an American Football tight end who grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island and played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers . He played college football at Syracuse University...
(1992) 1963–1971 - Gino MarchettiGino MarchettiGino John Marchetti is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. A defensive end, he played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.-Early years:...
(1972) 1953–1964,1966 - Lenny MooreLenny MooreLeonard Edward Moore is a former American football halfback who played for Penn State in college and the Baltimore Colts. He came to the Colts in 1956, and had a productive first pro season and was named the NFL Rookie of The Year...
(1975) 1956–1967 - Jim ParkerJim Parker (American football)James Thomas "Jim" Parker was a college and professional American football player in the 1950s and '60s. He is a member of the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame.-College career:...
(1973) 1957–1967 - Joe PerryJoe PerryJoe Perry may refer to:*Joe Perry *Joe Perry **Joe Perry *Joe Perry...
(1969) 1961–1962 - Y. A. TittleY. A. TittleYelberton Abraham Tittle , better known as Y. A. Tittle, is a former football quarterback in the National Football League and All-America Football Conference who played for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants...
(1971) 1948–1950 - Johnny UnitasJohnny UnitasJohn Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
(1979) 1956–1972
Indianapolis Colts
- Richard DentRichard DentRichard Lamar Dent is a former American football defensive end, who played primarily for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XX...
(2011) 1996 - Eric DickersonEric DickersonEric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
(1999) 1987–1991 - Marshall FaulkMarshall FaulkMarshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
(2011) 1994–1998
Retired numbers
- 19 Johnny UnitasJohnny UnitasJohn Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
- 22 Buddy YoungBuddy YoungClaude "Buddy" Young was an American football player. A native of Chicago, the 5'4" Claude "Buddy" Young, also known as the "Bronze Bullet," had exceptional quickness and acceleration. He is one of the shortest men ever to play NFL football...
- 24 Lenny MooreLenny MooreLeonard Edward Moore is a former American football halfback who played for Penn State in college and the Baltimore Colts. He came to the Colts in 1956, and had a productive first pro season and was named the NFL Rookie of The Year...
- 70 Art DonovanArt DonovanArthur Donovan, Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle, better known as Art 'How much does dat guy weigh?' Donovan, who played for three National Football League teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts...
- 77 Jim ParkerJim Parker (American football)James Thomas "Jim" Parker was a college and professional American football player in the 1950s and '60s. He is a member of the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame.-College career:...
- 82 Raymond BerryRaymond BerryRaymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
- 89 Gino MarchettiGino MarchettiGino John Marchetti is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. A defensive end, he played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.-Early years:...
The Colts Ring of Honor includes:
- 4 Jim HarbaughJim HarbaughJames Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
, QB - 75 Chris HintonChris HintonChristopher Hinton is a former American football tackle and guard who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the Indianapolis Colts. He was traded from the Denver Broncos for John Elway. He went to seven Pro Bowls, six with the Colts and one with the Atlanta Falcons...
, OT - 80 Bill BrooksBill Brooks (American football)William T. Brooks, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'1",...
, WR - 88 Marvin HarrisonMarvin HarrisonMarvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse...
, WR - Tony DungyTony DungyAnthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, head coach - Robert IrsayRobert IrsayRobert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
, owner - Ted MarchibrodaTed MarchibrodaTheodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
, head coach - 12th Man12th Man (football)The 12th man or 12th player is a term used to describe the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured...
, a tribute to the fans
First-round draft picks
Season-by-Season record
- This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Colts. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see List of Indianapolis Colts seasons.
| Super Bowl Champions (1970–present) | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Wild Card Berth |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular Season Regular season (NFL) The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday... |
Post Season NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the... Results |
Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Won | Lost | Ties | |||||||
| 2006 2006 Indianapolis Colts season The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the 54th season for the team in the National Football League and 23rd in Indianapolis. The 2006 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, and advance farther into the playoffs.... |
NFL ‡ | AFC * | South § | 1st § | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Chiefs) 23–8 Won Divisional Playoffs (Ravens Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... ) 15–6 Won Conference Championship (Patriots) 38–34 Won Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season... (Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... ) 29–17 ‡ |
Peyton Manning (SB MVP) | |
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
2007 2007 Indianapolis Colts season The 2007 Indianapolis Colts season was the 55th season for the team in the National Football League and 24th in Indianapolis. The 2007 Indianapolis Colts improved upon their 12–4 record from 2006 as well as winning their 5th straight AFC South Championship. They finished the season 13–3 and lost to... |
NFL | South § | 1st § | 13 | 3 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Chargers) 28–24 | Bob Sanders Bob Sanders Demond "Bob" Sanders is a professional American football safety who is currently on the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League. Sanders was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts... (DPOY) |
|
| 2008 2008 Indianapolis Colts season The 2008 Indianapolis Colts season was the 56th season for the team in the National Football League and the 25th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not win the AFC South title. However, after a 3–4 start on the season Peyton Manning led the Colts to a nine-game... |
NFL | AFC | South | 2nd ¤ | 12 | 4 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Chargers) 23–17 (OT) | Peyton Manning (MVP) | |
| 2009 2009 Indianapolis Colts season The 2009 Indianapolis Colts season was the 57th season for the team in the National Football League and the 26th in Indianapolis. It was the first season since 2002 that the Colts did not have Tony Dungy on their coaching staff, due to his retirement from coaching... |
NFL | AFC * | South § | 1st § | 14 | 2 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Ravens) 20–3 Won Conference Championship (Jets) 30–17 Lost Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of... (Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... ) 31–17 |
Peyton Manning (MVP) | |
| 2010 2010 Indianapolis Colts season The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the 58th season for the team in the National Football League, the 27th in Indianapolis, and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell... |
NFL | South § | 1st § | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Jets) 17–16 | |||
| Total | 439 | 390 | 7 | (1953–2009, includes only regular season) | ||||||
| 19 | 18 | - | (1953–2010, includes only playoffs) | |||||||
| 458 | 408 | 7 | (1953–2009, includes both regular season and playoffs) | |||||||
Records
| Leader | Player | Record Number | Years on Colts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Peyton Manning Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the... |
54,828 passing yards | 1998–present |
| Rushing | Edgerrin James Edgerrin James Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.... |
9,226 rushing yards | 1999–2005 |
| Receiving | Marvin Harrison Marvin Harrison Marvin Daniel Harrison is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse... |
14,580 receiving yards | 1996–2008 |
| Coaching Wins | Tony Dungy Tony Dungy Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008... |
85 wins | 2002–2008 |
Radio and television
The Colts' flagship station from 1984 to 1998 and again starting in the 2007 season2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
is WIBC 1070AM (renamed WFNI
WFNI
WFNI, known as 1070 The Fan, is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana owned by Emmis Communications. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1070 kHz. The studios are located at 40 Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis...
as of December 26, 2007); under the new contract, games are simulcast on WLHK
WLHK
WLHK -- "97-1 Hank FM" -- is an FM radio station owned by Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 97.1 mHz, FM channel 246. The studios are located on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The transmitters, according to the FCC, are...
97.1 FM. From 1998 through 2006, the Colts' flagship station was WFBQ
WFBQ
WFBQ is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 94.7 MHz, FM channel 234. The studios are located at 6161 Fall Creek Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are...
94.7FM (with additional programming on WNDE
WNDE
WNDE, branded as "SportsRadio 1260 WNDE", is an AM radio station owned by Clear Channel Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1260 kHz...
1260AM). Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey is an American sportscaster, currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League...
is the team's play-by-play announcer, holding that title from 1984 to 1991 and again since 1995. Former Colts offensive lineman Will Wolford
Will Wolford
William Charles Wolford is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers....
serves as color commentator. Former head coach Ted Marchibroda
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
of both Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts franchises, who served as color commentator from 1999 to 2006, serves as an analyst on their pre-game show. Mike Jansen serves as the public address announcer at all Colts home games. Mike has been the public address announcer since the 1998 season.
Preseason games not shown on national television were seen locally on WTTV-4
WTTV
WTTV is a CW-affiliated television station licensed to Bloomington, Indiana, serving the Indianapolis television market. WTTV is owned by the Tribune Company, and is one-half of a duopoly with WXIN , the market's Fox affiliate. The two stations share a studio at 6910 Network Place on the northwest...
, Indiana's 4. Beginning in 2011, the preseason games will be shown on WNDY-23
WNDY-TV
WNDY-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Marion. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in White River Township north of Strawtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Bright House Networks channel 10...
except for those carried nationally by the networks. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
announcer Don Fischer provides play-by-play. Regular-season Monday Night
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
games are simulcast on WNDY-23
WNDY-TV
WNDY-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Marion. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in White River Township north of Strawtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Bright House Networks channel 10...
and those from NFL Network on simulcasted on an approved station announced by NFL Network which has been WTHR-13
WTHR
WTHR, channel 13, is a full-service television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. An affiliate of the NBC television network, its studios at 1000 N. Meridian Street anchor the south end of Indy's Television Row...
and WXIN-59
WXIN
WXIN, channel 59, is the Fox affiliated television station in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 45, using its former analog channel 59 as its virtual channel via PSIP...
in the past with FOX 59 simulcasting the latest games in 2010.
Radio Affiliates
Colts Radio Affiliates| City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on... |
WASK-FM WASK-FM WASK-FM, "98.7 WASK" is an FM radio station licensed to the city of Battle Ground, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 98.7 MHz, FM channel 254. . The studios are located at 3575 McCarty Lane in Lafayette, Indiana... |
98.7 FM |
| Santa Claus, Indiana Santa Claus, Indiana Santa Claus is a town in Carter, Clay and Harrison townships, Spencer County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, between Interstate 64 and the Ohio River. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census.Santa Claus was established in 1854... |
WAXL WAXL WAXL is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Dubois County Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio .-History:... -FM |
103.3 FM |
| Bedford, Indiana Bedford, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile... |
WBIW WBIW WBIW is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Bedford, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Bloomington IN area. The station is currently owned by Ad-Venture Media, Inc... -AM |
1340 AM |
| Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown, Kentucky As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of... |
WBRT WBRT WBRT is a radio station broadcasting a Country format. Licensed to Bardstown, Kentucky, USA. The station is currently owned by Central Kentucky Broadcasting, Inc..... -AM |
1320 AM |
| Effingham, Illinois Effingham, Illinois Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County.... |
WCRA WCRA WCRA 1090 AM is a radio station broadcasting a news talk format. Licensed to Effingham, Illinois, USA, the station is currently owned by Cromwell Group, Inc. WCRA also airs on FM in Effingham at 104.7.... -AM |
1090 AM |
| Danville, Illinois Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of... |
WDAN-AM | 1490 AM |
| Decatur, Illinois Decatur, Illinois Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,... |
WDZQ WDZQ WDZQ is a radio station broadcasting a country format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Decatur IL area. The station is currently owned by Neuhoff Media, Inc. The station is known to locals as 95Q... -FM |
95.1 FM |
| Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder.... |
WEFM-FM | 95.9 FM |
| Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S... |
WFNI WFNI WFNI, known as 1070 The Fan, is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana owned by Emmis Communications. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1070 kHz. The studios are located at 40 Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis... -AM |
1070 AM |
| Evansville, Indiana Evansville, Indiana Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the... |
WGBF WGBF (AM) WGBF is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Evansville, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Evansville area... -AM |
1280 AM |
| Henderson, Kentucky Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more... |
WGBF-FM WGBF-FM WGBF-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Active Rock format. Licensed to Henderson, Kentucky, USA, the station serves the Evansville area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media and features programing from Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One. The station is also broadcast on... |
103.1 FM |
| Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census.... |
WGCL WGCL (AM) WGCL is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format to the Bloomington, Indiana, USA area. The station is owned by Sarkes Tarzian, Inc and features programming from ABC Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One.... -AM |
1370 AM |
| Oxford, Indiana Oxford, Indiana Oxford is a town in Oak Grove Township, Benton County, Indiana. The population was 1,162 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... |
WIBN WIBN WIBN is an FM radio station licensed to the city of Earl Park, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 98.1 MHz, FM channel 251. The studios are located at 130 E. McConnell Street in Oxford, Indiana... -FM |
98.1 FM |
| Rushville, Indiana Rushville, Indiana Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,341 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Rush County. It was the campaign headquarters for Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential campaign against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Willkie is buried... |
WIFE-FM | 94.3 FM |
| Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County... |
WIMC-FM | 103.9 FM |
| North Vernon, Indiana North Vernon, Indiana North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,728 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Vernon is located at .... |
WJCP-AM | 1460 AM |
| Wabash, Indiana Wabash, Indiana Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County.... |
WJOT-FM | 105.9 FM |
| Richmond, Indiana Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city... |
WKBV WKBV WKBV is a radio station broadcasting a Sports Talk Information format to the Richmond, Indiana, USA area. The station is licensed to Rodgers Broadcasting Corporation and features programing from ABC Radio , ESPN Radio , Network Indiana and Westwood One.... -AM |
1490 AM |
| Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S... |
WLHK WLHK WLHK -- "97-1 Hank FM" -- is an FM radio station owned by Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 97.1 mHz, FM channel 246. The studios are located on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The transmitters, according to the FCC, are... -FM |
97.1 FM |
| Angola, Indiana Angola, Indiana Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Steuben County . Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore. Angola is home to Trine University... |
WLKI WLKI WLKI is an American FM radio station licensed to and based in Angola, Indiana, and serving portions of northeastern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, and south-central Michigan... -FM |
100.3 FM |
| Alexandria, Indiana Alexandria, Indiana Alexandria is a city in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is about northeast of Indianapolis. It is part of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area... |
WMXQ WMXQ WXXJ is a modern rock radio station in the Jacksonville, Florida market , broadcasting at 102.9 FM. It is owned by Atlanta-based Cox Radio, Inc.-History:... -FM |
96.7 FM |
| Marion, Indiana Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County... |
WMRI WMRI WMRI is a radio station broadcasting a Sports format. Licensed to Marion, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Muncie-Marion area. The station is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC and features programing from ESPN Radio.-History:... -AM |
860 AM |
| Monticello, Indiana Monticello, Indiana Monticello is a city in White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of White County.... |
WMRS WMRS WMRS/Sunny 107.7 FM beat out heavy competition in 2006 and won Station of the Year honors during the Indiana Broadcasters Association 19th Annual Spectrum Awards in market 3. WMRS plays the best music of the '70s, '80s, '90s, and today. WMRS is the home of the very popular Super Trading Post and... -FM |
107.7 FM |
| Louisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... |
WNDA WNDA (AM) WNDA is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk music format. Licensed to New Albany, Indiana, USA, the station is currently owned by New Albany Broadcasting Co., Inc... -AM |
1570 AM |
| Sullivan, Indiana Sullivan, Indiana Sullivan is a city in Hamilton Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,617 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is the county seat of Sullivan County... |
WNDI-FM | 95.3 FM |
| Madison, Indiana Madison, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile... |
WORX-FM WORX-FM WORX-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Madison, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Dubois County Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from Jones Radio Network. The station is also broadcast on HD radio.-History:The station was... |
96.7 FM |
| Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana... |
WOWO WOWO Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WOWO is an independent news/talk radio station transmitting on 1190 kHz at 50,000 watts during the daylight hours and 9,800 watts during the nighttime hours. An application is on file with the Federal Communications Commission to add a fourth tower to the three... -AM |
1190 AM |
| Portland, Indiana Portland, Indiana -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,437 people, 2,739 households, and 1,750 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.8 people per square mile . There were 2,928 housing units at an average density of 712.7 per square mile... |
WPGW WPGW (AM) WPGW is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Portland, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Wpgw, Inc... -AM |
1440 AM |
| Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania... |
WREB WREB WREB is a radio station licensed to Greencastle, Indiana, broadacasting at 94.3 MHz in FM. Although primarily a music broadcaster, WREB serves as a source of local information, weather and sports broadcasting for Putnam County, Indiana... -FM |
94.3 FM |
| Rochester, Indiana Rochester, Indiana Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rochester is located at .... |
WROI-FM | 92.1 FM |
| Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Cradled among Winona Lake, Pike Lake, Hidden Lake and Center Lake, Warsaw is nicknamed "Lake City," though other cities in the surrounding area are also referred to by that nickname... |
WRSW WRSW (AM) WRSW is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format to the Warsaw, Indiana, USA area. The station is owned by Talking Stick Communications, LLC and features programming from ESPN Radio.... -AM |
1480 AM |
| Columbus, Indiana Columbus, Indiana Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest... |
WRZQ-FM | 107.3 FM |
| Loogootee, Indiana Loogootee, Indiana -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,741 people, 1,226 households, and 712 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,750.5 people per square mile . There were 1,337 housing units at an average density of 853.8 per square mile... |
WRZR WRZR WRZR is a radio station broadcasting a rock music format. Licensed to Loogootee, Indiana, USA, the station is currently owned by Hembree Communications, Inc. and features programing from Dial Global.... -FM |
94.5 FM |
| South Bend, Indiana South Bend, Indiana The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663... |
WSMM WSMM WSMM is an FM radio station licensed to New Carlisle, Indiana. The station broadcasts at 102.3 MHz and broadcasts an oldies format branded as Oldies 102.3, The Stream. The station's programming is derived from Dial Global Local's Oldies Plus format. It is owned by Artistic Media Partners. On... -FM |
102.3 FM |
| Goshen, Indiana Goshen, Indiana Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern... |
WSSM-FM | 97.7 FM |
| Plymouth, Indiana Plymouth, Indiana -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,840 people, 3,838 households, and 2,406 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,414.0 people per square mile . There were 4,100 housing units at an average density of 589.2 per square mile... |
WTCA WTCA WTCA is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Hits format. Licensed to Plymouth, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Community Service Broadcasters.... -AM |
1050 AM |
| Tell City, Indiana Tell City, Indiana Tell City is a city in Troy Township, Perry County, Indiana, along the Ohio River, Indiana's southern border. The population was 7,272 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Perry County.-History:... |
WTCJ-AM | 1230 AM |
| Eminence, Kentucky Eminence, Kentucky Eminence is a city in Henry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2000 census. Eminence is the largest city in Henry County. Eminence is home to the world's largest loudspeaker manufacturing company, Eminence Speaker... |
WTSZ WTSZ WTSZ is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Eminence, Kentucky, USA, the station serves the Louisville, Kentucky, area. The station is currently owned by New Albany Broadcasting Co., Inc.-History:... -AM |
1600 AM |
| Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's... |
WVJS-AM | 1420 AM |
| Olney, Illinois Olney, Illinois Olney is a city in Richland County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richland County.-History:... |
WVLN WVLN WVLN 740 AM is a radio station broadcasting a sports talk format. Licensed to Olney, Illinois, USA, the station is owned by V.L.N. Broadcasting, Inc., and features programing from Fox Sports Radio.... -AM |
740 AM |
| Washington, Indiana Washington, Indiana Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,509 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County.-History:... |
WWBL-FM | 106.5 FM |
| Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and... |
WWVR WWVR WWVR is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock music format. Licensed to West Terre Haute, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Terre Haute area. The station is currently owned by Emmis Radio License, LLC.-External links:... -FM |
105.5 FM |
| Muncie, Indiana Muncie, Indiana Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769... |
WXFN WXFN WXFN is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Muncie, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Muncie-Marion area. The station is currently owned by Backyard Broadcasting Indiana Licensee, LLC and features programing from ABC Radio and Fox Sports Radio.Originally WLBC ... -AM |
1340 AM |
| Mount Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon is a city in southern Indiana along the Ohio River and the county seat of Posey County. It is located in Black Township. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 6,687... |
WYFX WYFX (FM) WYFX is a Class A FM station licensed to Mount Vernon, Indiana, serving the Evansville, Indiana market. The format became ESPN Radio on 2007-01-01. The station is owned by the Original Company, based in Vincennes, Indiana. It airs Indiana Pacers basketball, Indianapolis Colts football, and St.... -FM |
106.7 FM |
| Mount Carmel, Illinois Mount Carmel, Illinois Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount... |
WYNG WYNG WYNG is a radio station licensed to Mount Carmel, Illinois and serving the Evansville, IN market at 94.9 FM. The current format is Adult Contemporary.- History :... -FM |
94.9 FM |
| Portland, Indiana Portland, Indiana -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,437 people, 2,739 households, and 1,750 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,566.8 people per square mile . There were 2,928 housing units at an average density of 712.7 per square mile... |
WZBD WZBD WZBD is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Berne, Indiana, USA. The station is currently owned by Adams County Radio, Inc and features programing from CNN Radio and Westwood One.-Programming:... -FM |
92.7 FM |
| Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census... |
WZDM-FM | 92.1 FM |