Indianapolis Colts

Inaugural season: 1953

Home field: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Owner: Jim Irsay

Team colors: Royal blue and white

Overview

The Indianapolis Colts are an American football team that plays in the South division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The team was originally the Baltimore Colts before moving to Indianapolis in 1984. This move occurred after Baltimore was unwilling to meet the demands of owner Robert Irsay regarding a new stadium. The city moved to legally seize control of the team under the terms of eminent domain. Under this principle, the team would have been deemed public property and thus legally required to remain in Baltimore regardless of the owner’s wishes. Meanwhile, the city of Indianapolis was eager to have its own NFL team and had built the Hoosier Dome specifically for this purpose. Irsay moved the team virtually overnight to Indianapolis before Baltimore had any chance to make a legal claim on it. Lawsuits between Baltimore, Indianapolis, Irsay, and the NFL dragged on for two years before a settlement was reached in 1986 that would bring a new expansion team back to Baltimore. As the new Indianapolis franchise elected to retain the Colts nickname, Baltimore named its new team the Baltimore Ravens.

While initial ticket sales for the team were immense, over the intervening years, ticket sales fell despite a relatively consistent on-the-field performance. Between 2015 and 2018, attendance dropped each season, reaching a low of 59,199 fans per home game in 2018, the fifth lowest of any NFL franchise. These losses marked a steady decline in attendance after 2010 when the new 67,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium was sold out for every game. By 2024, attendance had rebounded to an average of 65,230 per game. In 2024, Forbes rated the Colts as the twenty-second most valuable professional sports team in the NFL, with an estimated worth of $4.35 billion.

Despite the turmoil resulting from the change in cities, the Colts have been among the most consistent NFL teams. Among its highlights, the Colts have won or shared sixteen division and seven conference championships in their history. The team won two Super Bowls in 1970 and 2006. Known for its strong quarterback play, the Colts have featured such talented signal callers as Johnny Unitas (1956-1972), Jim Harbaugh (1994–1997), Peyton Manning (1998–2011), and Andrew Luck (2011-2018).

History

The 1953 Baltimore Colts were the city's second incarnation of an NFL Colts team. In 1947, a different franchise with the same name began play as a member of the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), an upstart league hoping to challenge the NFL's growing dominance. When the AAFC and the NFL agreed to merge in 1950, the Colts were among three AAFC teams selected to join the NFL. However, poor finances quickly doomed the team, and it went defunct after only a single season in the NFL.

In 1953, Baltimore approached the NFL for another opportunity for a team. The NFL agreed to award the city the remaining assets of the now-folded Dallas Texans, a team that itself had emerged from the remains of the Boston Yanks. The team's new majority owner was Carroll Rosenbloom, a businessperson who had briefly retired at thirty-two after amassing a textile manufacturing fortune. Rosenbloom dedicated himself to professional football, first as the owner of the Colts and then in 1972 as the owner of the Los Angeles Rams. Rosenbloom elected to keep the Colt's name, which had been initially chosen to honor the city's horseracing legacy. He promised the town he would put a winning product on the field within five years. Under initial coach Weeb Ewbank, the Colts reached .500 by 1957, matching Rosenbloom's promise. The team remained successful and did not have another losing season for fourteen years when it fell to 5–9 in 1972. During this period, the Colts won two League Championships—in 1958 and 1959, respectively—beating the New York Giants both times. The 1958 game, in particular, has been nicknamed "The Greatest Game Ever Played" after a closely fought game went into overtime.

The Colts struggled between 1960 and 1962, and Rosenbloom fired Ewbank and replaced him with thirty-three-year-old Don Shula. Under Shula, the team finished first or second in its division every year between 1964 and 1969. It lost a league championship to the Cleveland Browns in 1964 and 1968's Super Bowl III to the underdog New York Jets. After the 1969 season, Shula was lured to the Miami Dolphins for a $750,000 payday, which the league later ruled resulted from unfair tampering. Rosenbloom replaced Shula with Don McCafferty, who led the Colts to a 1970 Super Bowl win over the Dallas Cowboys. Rosenbloom had become disenchanted with Baltimore by the early 1970s due to meddling by city officials and the declining condition of the city's Memorial Stadium. 1972, he traded his franchise for Robert Irsay's Los Angeles Rams.

While the Colts managed to reach the playoffs during the 1975, 1976, and 1977 seasons under coach Ted Marchibroda, the team began a steady decline in the late 1970s, eventually leading to the embarrassment of a 0–8–1 season in 1982 in which they set records for offensive futility. The team was so bad that 1983 draft pick John Elway refused to play for the Colts after being the first player taken overall. He leveraged his selection as a pick in the Major League Baseball draft to get out of playing for the Colts.

Meanwhile, Irsay was engaged in tense negotiations with Baltimore over the poor condition of Memorial Stadium, with the sometimes volatile discussions eventually leading to his decision to move the team to an eager Indianapolis fan base in 1984. However, the Colts struggled in their new surroundings and only reached the playoffs three times over the next thirteen seasons. Beginning in 1995, the team engineered a reversal of fortunes, becoming a near-perennial playoff team. Between 1995 and 2018, the Colts only missed the playoffs seven times. During this period, they won their second Super Bowl in 2006 with a 29–17 win over the Chicago Bears in Miami. The decade of the 2010s was the high water mark for the franchise, spurred primarily by the quarterback play of Peyton Manning.

The latter part of Manning's career in Indianapolis was marked by injury. Manning spent the entire 2011 season on injured reserve while the Colts hit rock bottom without their star quarterback. The team finished the 2011 season with a record of 2-11. In 2012, Manning was released and departed Indianapolis for the Denver Broncos.

The Colts selected quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in the 2012 draft. Luck had an immediate impact on the Colts, as the team rebounded to an 11-5 season in 2012. With Luck as its signal-caller, the Colts enjoyed a resurgence. Three consecutive 11-5 seasons (2012-2014) followed, as well as success in the playoffs. The 2014 Colts reached the AFC Championship game before being routed 45-7 by the New England Patriots, led by quarterback Tom Brady.

From 2015 to 2017, the Colts settled into mediocrity, posting seasons of 8-8, 8-8, and 4-12. In 2018, the Colts returned to the playoffs and won the Wild Card game 21-7 against the Houston Texans before losing to Kansas City in the Divisional round. The end of the 2018 season also saw the end of Andrew Luck's career. Citing injuries, Luck unexpectedly retired.

Since Luck's retirement, the Colts have been mostly a subpar team, although they had a promising 2020 season, posting an 11-5 record and winning the AFC South Division. The Colts reached the playoffs, where they lost in the first round of the Wild Card game to the Buffalo Bills 27-24. From 2021-2023, the Colts compiled a record of 22 wins versus 28 losses and one tie. In 2024, the Colts were coached by Shane Steichen, the third coach since 2022.

Notable Players

In their history as both the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts, the team has placed twenty-one players into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among the Colts enshrined in the hall are quarterback Johnny Unitas (1956-1972); running backs Eric Dickerson (1987–1991) and Marshall Faulk (1994–1998); wide receivers Raymond Berry (1955–1967) and Marvin Harrison (1996–2008); defensive linemen Art Donovan (1953–1961), Gino Marchetti (1953–1964, 1966), and Ted Hendricks (1969–1973).

After being drafted as the first overall pick in 1998, Peyton Manning served as the face of the franchise for over a decade and is often regarded as the best player in Colts history. Under his leadership, the Colts recorded 141 regular season wins in thirteen seasons compared to only sixty-seven losses, suitable for a .678 winning percentage. The team twice won fourteen games in the regular season with Manning under center (2005, 2009) and a Super Bowl title in 2006. During his time with the Colts, Manning was named a Pro Bowler twelve times and selected as the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) four times. He eventually became the team's all-time leader in wins, passing touchdowns, passing yards, and completions. His mantle was subsequently picked up by quarterback Andrew Luck (2011-2018), who led the team to four playoff appearances.

Among Manning's most potent tools was wide receiver Marvin Harrison, whose career achievements include eight Pro Bowls, 1,102 receptions, 14,580 receiving yards, and 128 total touchdowns. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne (2001– ) was also a key part of the high-powered Colts' offense under both Manning and Luck. Edgerrin James (1999–2005) ran the ball for Manning, who accounted for a franchise record 9,226 yards and appeared in four Pro Bowls.

Other key players during this era were defensive ends Dwight Freeney (2002–2012) and Robert Mathis (2003-2016), center Jeff Saturday (1999–2011), tight ends Marcus Pollard (1995–2004) and Dallas Clark (2003–2011), offensive tackle Tarik Glenn (1997–2006), safety Bob Sanders (2004–2010), defensive back Ray Buchanan (1993–1996), kicker Mike Vanderjagt (1998–2005), and linebacker Cato June (2003–2006)

Historical greats for the Colts on the offense have included quarterback Jim Harbaugh (1994-1997), wide receivers Raymond Berry (1955–1967) and Bill Brooks (1986–1992), running back Buddy Young (1953–1955), fullback Joe Perry (1961–1962), halfback Lenny Moore (1956–1967), offensive lineman Jim Parker (1957–1967), and tight end John Mackey (1963–1971).

On the defensive side, fan favorites include linebackers included Ted Hendricks (1969–1973) and Duane Bickett (1985–1993).

Four coaches have entered the Colts' Hall of FameWeeb Ewbank (1954–1962), Mike Shula (1963–1969), Mike McCormack (1980–1981), and Tony Dungy (2002–2008).

Bibliography

Bremer, George. “Colts Appear on Falling Attendance List.” Norman Transport, 11 Jul. 2019, www.normantranscript.com/cnhi‗network/colts-appear-on-falling-attendance-list/article‗5807e689-7cd8-5859-aae3-a9d60e0d92e9.html. Accessed 24 July 2019.

Brooke, Tyler. “The 25 Greatest Players in Indianapolis Colts History.” Bleacher Report, 24 May 2013, bleacherreport.com/articles/1649039-the-25-greatest-players-in-indianapolis-colts-history. Accessed 24 July 2019.

Chappell, Mike, and Phil Richards. Tales from the Indianapolis Colts Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Colts Stories Ever Told. Sports Publishing, 2017.

Dunlevy, Nate. Blue Blood: The History of the Indianapolis Colts. Madison House, 2017.

Freedman, Lew. Indianapolis Colts: The Complete Illustrated History. MVP Books, 2013.

Ozanian, Mike and Justin Teitelbaum. "2023 Team Valuations." Forbes, www.forbes.com/lists/nfl-valuations. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

"For the Shoe." Indianapolis Colts Web Site, 2024, www.colts.com. Accessed 22 July 2024.

“Indianapolis Colts Team History.” Pro Football Hall of Fame, www.profootballhof.com/teams/indianapolis-colts/team-history. Accessed 22 July 2024.

“NFL Attendance – 2023.” ESPN, 2024, www.espn.com/nfl/attendance. Accessed 21 July 2024.