| Baltimore Colts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| General information | |||||
| Established | 1953 | ||||
| Ended | 1983 | ||||
| Colors | Royal blue, white, silver | ||||
| Personnel | |||||
| Owners | Carroll Rosenbloom (1953–1972) Robert Irsay (1972–1983) | ||||
| Head coach | Keith Molesworth (1953) Weeb Ewbank (1954–1962) Don Shula (1963–1969) Don McCafferty (1970–1972) John Sandusky (1972) Howard Schnellenberger (1973–1974) Joe Thomas (1974) Ted Marchibroda (1975–1979) Mike McCormack (1980–1981) Frank Kush (1982–1983) | ||||
| Team history | |||||
| |||||
| Home fields | |||||
| |||||
| League / conference affiliations | |||||
National Football League (1953–1983)
| |||||
| Championships | |||||
League championships: 3†
| |||||
| Conference championships: 5 | |||||
| Division championships: 5 | |||||
| Playoff appearances (10) | |||||
TheBaltimore Colts were a professionalAmerican football team based inBaltimore, United States from1953 to1983, when its ownerRobert Irsay moved the franchise toIndianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts,the first having played for three years in theAll-America Football Conference and one in theNational Football League (NFL). This Baltimore Colts played their home games atMemorial Stadium.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
As the result of a fan contest in Baltimore, won by Charles Evans ofMiddle River in suburban easternBaltimore County, the team was renamed the "Baltimore Colts". On September 7, 1947, wearing the green and silver uniforms, the Colts, under Head CoachCecil Isbell, won their initialAll-America Football Conference game in the A.A.F.C.'s second season, 16–7, over theBrooklyn Dodgers.
Home site for the new AAFC games in "The Monumental City" was the old 1922Municipal Stadium (also known as "Baltimore Stadium" or "Venable Stadium" - located in previous Venable Park) on the north side of 33rd Street boulevard in northeast Baltimore, later renovated and rebuilt with an upper tier added the following year for use also by the newAmerican League of major league baseball's relocated franchise, theBaltimore Orioles). The football team concluded its inaugural season before a record Baltimore crowd of 51,583 by losing to theNew York Yankees, 21–7. The Colts finished with a 2–11–1 record, good for a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Division of the A.A.F.C. The Colts completed the 1948 season with a 7–8 record, tying theBuffalo Bills for the division title. The Colts compiled a 1–11 mark in their third season of 1949.Y. A. Tittle, later to gain Hall of Fame status a decade later with the NFL'sNew York Giants, was the Colts starting quarterback.
After four years of inter-league rivalry, competition, and player contract raiding, the A.A.F.C. and N.F.L. merged in 1950, and the Colts joined the reorganized new NFL, along with theSan Francisco 49ers and theCleveland Browns. After posting a 1–11 record for the second consecutive year, the NFL franchise of just one season was dissolved by the League on January 18, 1951. But many Baltimore fans protested the loss of their team and continued to support themarching band (the second in professional football, after that of theWashington Redskins) andfan club, both of which remained in operation ("in exile" status) and worked for the team's revival.
After two seasons without professional football,NFL CommissionerBert Bell challenged theCity of Baltimore under MayorThomas L. J. D'Alesandro Jr., 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 just four weeks and three days.
The 1953 iteration of the Baltimore Colts traces its original roots to theDayton Triangles of the NFL, and eventually theNew York Yanks who played in Yankee Stadium in 1950 and 1951. Owner Ted Collins then turned the money-losing franchise back to the league, which sold it to Texan oil millionaire Giles Miller.
Miller moved the team to Dallas, where it played the1952 NFL season as theDallas Texans, with team colors of blue and white. This marked the first expansion of the NFL intoTexas and thesouthern part of the United States. Fans stayed away from the bad Texans team in droves and on November 14, 1952, the Texans owner returned ownership of the NFL during mid-season.
On January 23, 1953, with the encouragement of the city's civic and business leaders, under the principal ownership ofCarroll Rosenbloom, the NFL sold the assets of the defunct Dallas Texans franchise to Baltimore where, keeping the "Colts" nickname, the Texans team colors of blue and white were used. This is the franchise that exists today in Indianapolis in the modern National Football League.[1]
In 1953, the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts took the field for the first time atMemorial Stadium (also used temporarily by the oldBaltimore Orioles minor league team in theInternational League since the burning in July 1944 of theirOriole Park home farther southeast atGreenmount Avenue and 29th Street inWaverly). The stadium was being rebuilt and adding a second upper tier to old Municipal Stadium for use by the following year ofMajor League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles franchise in theAmerican League, which moved that November fromSt. Louis, Missouri, where it had been theSt. Louis Browns. The 33rd Street field was sometimes called "Baltimore Stadium" or "Venable Stadium" for its location in the former Venable Park along the north side of the 33rd Street boulevard. It was built as a football-only bowl in 1922 in only seven months and later expanded to hold almost 100,000 fans for the frequent high school and local collegiate/university games there during the following three decades), on September 27 to face off against the Chicago Bears. The Colts would go on to win the game 13–9 and stun the Bears. The team's lack of experience showed as the team finished 3–9. In 1955, the Colts had 12 rookies make the team. In 1956, quarterback George Shaw went down with a serious injury in the fourth game of the season. The Colts' unproven backup,Johnny Unitas, would go on to win half the remaining eight games to give the Colts a record of 5–7 for the season.
The Colts won their first NFL Championship in 1958, in a game widely known as the "Greatest Game Ever Played" for its dramatic conclusion.Quarterback Johnny Unitas marched the Colts downfield in sudden death overtime andAlan Ameche scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run. Much of the credit for Baltimore's success went to Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas,halfbackLenny Moore, andwide receiverRaymond Berry.
After the Colts' first NFL championship, the team once again posted a 9–3 record during the1959 season and once again defeated the Giants in theNFL Championship Game to claim their second title in back to back fashion.[2] After the two championships in 1958 and 1959, the Colts did not return to the NFL Championship for four seasons. Tn1963,Don Shula succeeded Ewbank as head coach.[3] In Shula's second season, the Colts compiled a 12–2 record, but lost 27–0 to theCleveland Browns in theNFL Championship. In 1965 the Colts played the Green Bay Packers in a playoff to determine who would go to the NFL Championship game. The Colts were leading 10–7 over theGreen Bay Packers with two minutes left to play when the Packers' kicker,Don Chandler seemed to barely miss a field goal.[4] The referee called it good and the Packers went on to win the game in overtime. The error precipitated changes to the rules: the NFL decided two referees would judge future field goals, and that the uprights should be raised by ten feet. In1968 the Colts returned with the continued leadership of Unitas and Shula and went on to win the Colts' third NFL Championship and made an appearance inSuper Bowl III. In 1968, Unitas was injured and replaced byEarl Morrall who became the league's MVP.
Leading up to the Super Bowl and following the 34–0 trouncing of the Cleveland Browns in theNFL Championship, many were calling the 1968 Colts team one of the "greatest pro football teams of all time"[5] and were favored by 18 points against their counterparts from theAmerican Football League, theNew York Jets.[6] The Colts were stunned by the Jets, who won the game 16–7 in the first Super Bowl victory for the young AFL. The result of the game surprised many in the sports media[7] asJoe Namath andMatt Snell led the Jets to the Super Bowl victory under head coachWeeb Ewbank, who had previously won two NFL Championships with the Colts.
Rosenbloom of the Colts,Art Modell of the Browns, andArt Rooney of thePittsburgh Steelers agreed to have their teams join the ten AFL teams in theAFC as part of theAFL–NFL merger in 1970.[2] Rosenbloom hired AFL expert and hugely successful General Manager Don Klosterman who was the architect of both the KC Chiefs' Super Bowl '60s victory teams, the Oilers turnaround from bottom dweller to division champion in '67, and the original Chargers' personnel man whose teams took 2nd the first two years in the new AFL and won the AFL in 1963. The Colts immediately went on a rampage in the new league, as new head coachDon McCafferty led the1970 team to an 11–2–1 regular-season record, winning theAFC East title. In the first round of the NFL Playoffs, the Colts beat theCincinnati Bengals 17–0; one week later in the first-everAFC Championship Game, they beat theOakland Raiders 27–17. Baltimore went on to win the first post-merger Super Bowl (Super Bowl V), defeating theNFC'sDallas Cowboys 16–13 on a Jim O'Brien field goal with five seconds left to play.[8] The victory gave the Colts their fourth NFL championship and first Super Bowl victory. Following the championship, the Colts returned to the playoffs in1971, winning their opening playoff game against the Browns 20–3, but lost in the second AFC Championship Game in Miami 21–0.
Citing friction with the City of Baltimore and the local press, Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise toRobert Irsay on July 13, 1972, and received theLos Angeles Rams in return.[9] Under the new ownership, the Colts did not reach the postseason for three consecutive seasons after 1971, and after the1972 season, starting quarterback and legend Johnny Unitas was traded to theSan Diego Chargers.[2] Following Unitas' departure, the Colts made the playoffs three consecutive seasons from 1975 to 1977, losing in the divisional round each time. The Colts' 1977 playoff loss in double overtime against the Oakland Raiders was famous in that it was the last playoff game for the Colts in Baltimore and is also known for theGhost to the Post play. These consecutive playoff teams featured 1976 NFL Most Valuable PlayerBert Jones at quarterback and an outstanding defensive line, nicknamed the "Sack Pack."
Following this relative success in the 1970s, the Colts suffered a string of disappointing seasons, often finishing in last place in their division. Attendance began to dwindle in the early 1970s and remained that way for the rest of the team's tenure in Baltimore. The Colts would endure nine consecutive losing seasons beginning in1978. In1981, the Colts defense allowed an NFL-record 533 points, set an all-time record for fewest sacks (13), and also set a modern record for fewest punt returns (12).[10] The following year, the offense collapsed, including a game against theBuffalo Bills where the Colts' offense did not cross mid-field the entire game. The Colts finished 0–8–1 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, thereby earning the right to selectStanford quarterbackJohn Elway with the first overall pick. Elway refused to play for the Colts, and using leverage as a draftee of theNew York Yankees baseball club, forced a trade to theDenver Broncos.[11] Behind an improved defense the team finished 7–9 in1983, but that would be their last season in Baltimore.
The city ofIndianapolis,Indiana, made an offer for the Colts franchise to move there. Baltimore was unsuccessful at persuading them to stay, so the city government attempted to get the state legislature to condemn the Colts franchise and give ownership to another group that would promise to keep the Colts in Baltimore.Oakland, California, had just had some success in court trying the same tactic with theOakland Raiders. Under the threat of eminent domain from the city of Baltimore,the franchise moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night on March 29, 1984.
The city of Baltimore did not give up and sued to condemn the franchise anyway and seize ownership. Baltimore did not prevail in court,[12] but eventually acquired a new NFL team in 1996 with the establishment of theBaltimore Ravens following theCleveland Browns relocation controversy.
Many former Colts players were infuriated by the move. Among the most notable was Johnny Unitas, who opted to cut all ties with his former team after the incident.[13] Unitas aligned himself with the Ravens when they moved to Baltimore, and a statue of him was placed outside ofM&T Bank Stadium.[14] On the other hand, Colts ownerJim Irsay held a reunion for the 1975 AFC East champion Baltimore Colts in Indianapolis atLucas Oil Stadium in 2009. 39 of the 53 members of that team attended the ceremony, includingBert Jones,Lydell Mitchell, andMike Curtis.
The NFL treats the Baltimore Colts and the Indianapolis Colts (including logos, history, and records) as one continuous franchise since 1953. Despite this, many former Baltimore Colts players, led by Johnny Unitas, disowned the Colts franchise after the move to Indianapolis, instead choosing to remain loyal to the City of Baltimore. These former players embraced the newBaltimore Ravens franchise when it arrived in Baltimore in 1996.[14][15][16] The Ravens do claim the history of the Baltimore Colts as part of their own and have added the Baltimore Colt Hall of Famers to theBaltimore Ravens Ring of Honor. The Ravensofficially have no retired numbers,[17] but out of respect for Unitas, only quarterbackScott Mitchell has worn the number 19, which he did in his lone season in Baltimore in 1999. The Baltimore Colts Marching Band, which continued to operate after the Colts moved, becameBaltimore's Marching Ravens.
On the other hand, there have been many former Baltimore Colts players who have embraced the franchise as continuous, from Baltimore to Indianapolis. In 2009, Jim Irsay held a reunion of his favorite Colts team ever, the 1975 AFC East champions. Thirty-nine of the 50 players on that roster attended the reunion atLucas Oil Stadium, including quarterbackBert Jones and running backLydell Mitchell. Also, on February 5, 2012, atSuper Bowl XLVI, Hall-of-Fame Baltimore Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry carried theVince Lombardi Trophy to midfield to present it to theNew York Giants, who had just defeated theNew England Patriots.[18] He was given the honor due to the game being played at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts have played since 2008.
Although theretired numbers of the Indianapolis Colts officially includes Unitas and others dating back to the Baltimore days,[17] theIndianapolis Colts Ring of Honor currently only includes players who have played in Indianapolis, with the exception ofChris Hinton, who played for the Baltimore Colts in his rookie season in 1983.
| NFL champions (1920–1969) | Super Bowl champions (1970–present) | Conference champions | Division champions | Wild card berth | One-game playoff berth |
| Statistic | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts regular season record (1953–1983) | 222 | 194 | 7 | .533 |
| Baltimore Colts post-season record (1953–1983) | 8 | 7 | — | .533 |
| All-time regular and post-season record | 230 | 201 | 7 | .533 |
Includes players thatonly played in Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts retired numbers | |||
| No. | Player | Position | Years played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Johnny Unitas | QB | 1956–1972 |
| 22 | Buddy Young | RB | 1953–1955 |
| 24 | Lenny Moore | HB | 1956–1967 |
| 70 | Art Donovan | DT | 1953–1961 |
| 77 | Jim Parker | OL | 1957–1967 |
| 82 | Raymond Berry | WR | 1955–1967 |
| 89 | Gino Marchetti | DE | 1953–1966 |
| Baltimore Colts Hall of Famers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | |||||||||
| No. | Name | Positions | Seasons | Inducted | No. | Name | Positions | Seasons | Inducted |
| 82 | Raymond Berry | WR | 1955–1967 | 1973 | 24 | Lenny Moore | HB | 1956–1967 | 1975 |
| 70 | Art Donovan | DT | 1953–1961 | 1968 | 77 | Jim Parker | OL | 1957–1967 | 1973 |
| 83 | Ted Hendricks | LB | 1969–1973 | 1990 | 34 | Joe Perry | FB | 1961–1962 | 1969 |
| 88 | John Mackey | TE | 1963–1971 | 1992 | 19 | Johnny Unitas | QB | 1956–1972 | 1979 |
| 89 | Gino Marchetti | DE | 1953–1964 1966 | 1972 | |||||
| Coaches and executives | |||||||||
| Name | Positions | Tenure | Inducted | Notes | |||||
| Weeb Ewbank | Coach | 1954–1962 | 1978 | ||||||
| Mike McCormack | Coach | 1980–1981 | 1984 | Inducted for playing Offensive tackle | |||||
| Don Shula | Coach | 1963–1969 | 1997 | Shula was also a defensive back for Baltimore (1953–1956) | |||||
| |
| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
|
