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The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana and are the reigning National Football League (NFL) champions since winning Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007.
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana and are the reigning National Football League (NFL) champions since winning Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007. The Colts initially struggled on the playing field after relocating from Baltimore, Maryland in 1984, winning just 90 of 228 games through the 1997 season, including 5 playoff games. Owner Jim Irsay assumed control of the franchise in 1998 after the death of his father Bob Irsay, however, and he immediately changed the direction of the franchise by hiring Bill Polian as President. Polian drafted QB Peyton Manning with the first pick in the 1998 draft and Manning subsequently started every game in his first 9 seasons, leading the Colts to a record of 99 wins and 58 losses, including 50 victories in 64 regular season games from 2003 - 2006. The Colts could achieve an all-time winning percentage since moving to Indy of at least 50% by winning 12 games or more in 2007. The 1984 move from Baltimore was highlighted by an infamous incident in which the organization packed all of its belongings into Mayflower Transit trucks in the middle of a snowy night on March 29, after Baltimore's civic leaders threatened to use Eminent Domain laws to assume ownership of the team. The clandestine move angered many Baltimore fans and former players so much that they completely disassociated themselves from the team. In the rival All-American Football Conference, Baltimore is granted a franchise after the Miami Seahawks fold. The team would be named Colts in honor of Baltimore rich history with racing, and breeding of horses. The Colts would incur moderate success in the rival league before becoming one of 4 teams to join the NFL in 1950. However the team could not make money, and folded after just 1 season. Meanwhile the New York Yankees another former AAFC team that had joined the NFL in 1950 also was having problems, and was about to be sold to Baltimore inventors in 1951. However, the league bought the team instead and had them playing Dallas. The Texans were a miserable failure, and by the middle of the season were operating out of Hershey, PA, and playing all their games on the road. The league would fold at the end of the season. However, it would open the door for Baltimore to get a 2nd chance and to replace the Texans; Baltimore was granted a franchise that would pay homage to the former team by caring the name Colts. The 2nd incarnation of the Baltimore Colts first took the field at Memorial Stadium on September 27th, with Coach Keith Molesworth leading them into battle with the Chicago Bears. The Colts would stun the Bears that day 13-9 to get the new franchise off on the right foot. The Colts would go on to play well in a 3-2 start. However, the team's inexperience caught up with them and they lost their final 7 games of the season to finish at 3-9. Following the season Coach Molesworth is reassigned, to the team's director of scouting while Weeb Ewbank is brought in to lead the team on the field. Little did anyone know on December 18th 1983 the Colts had played their final game in Baltimore. Almost after the season ending win at Memorial Stadium; Colts owner Robert Irsay began talking to other cities about moving the club. On February 13th he toured the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. The Colts also spoke to officials in Phoenix, as the Maryland legislature tried to use eminent domain laws to force the franchise to remain in Maryland. On March 28th Phoenix dropped out of the bidding, at Irsay called up officials in Indiana saying he was on the way. However, he kept the move secret until just after midnight when by cover of darkness on a cold snowy night he used Mayflower moving trucks to pack up the Colts offices, and relocate them in Indianapolis. By the time anyone realized what had happened it was too late to stop. The NFL feeling they could not win in court did not fight the move, as Maryland put up a futile fight before the Colts agreed to support Baltimore getting an expansion team. The city of Baltimore would fail in several attempts at landing a NFL franchise, and even entered the CFL, before landing a new NFL franchise named the Ravens in 1996. However, the Irsay family would not relinquish the name Colts, as they once promised. Many Colt legends were angered by the move including legendary QB Johnny Unitas who refused to acknowledge the franchise for the rest of his life. On February 4, 2007, the Colts won Super Bowl XLI, defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Dolphin Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida in the first-ever Super Bowl played in the rain. Rain was a substantial obstacle to both teams, as a combined total of six turnovers were recorded in the first half, a new Super Bowl high. Quarterback Peyton Manning, after a rocky start that saw him throw an interception, was named the MVP when he recovered to complete 25 of 38 passes, one for a touchdown. Reggie Wayne was the sole receiver of a passing touchdown from the Colts offense, and the running back duo of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined for 190 yards, with Rhodes achieving the only rushing touchdown, and kicker Adam Vinatieri converted on 3 out of 4 field goal attempts. On the defensive side of the ball Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders and cornerback Kelvin Hayden both intercepted Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman towards the end of the game, with Hayden returning his for 56 yards for a touchdown which helped seal the win for the Colts. In winning the game Indianapolis became the first "dome team" to win a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium, and the first to win in the rain. Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl, and as well as only the third man to have won the Super Bowl as both a head coach and a player (along with Tom Flores and Mike Ditka). The Colts' logo and uniforms have basically remained the same since the team's official debut in 1953. The helmet is white with a speed blue horseshoe logo. The blue jerseys have white shoulder stripes while the white jerseys have blue stripes. The team also wears white pants with blue stripes along 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 season, but they were discarded and the team 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 light blue to speed blue, as well as adding two white stripes to the socks. In 2006, the stripes were removed from the socks. |
