Professional American football team in Baltimore, Maryland, from 1953 to 1983
The
Baltimore Colts
were a professional
American football
team that played in
Baltimore
from
1953
to
1983
, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to
Indianapolis
. 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 the
All-America Football Conference
and one in the
National Football League
(NFL). This Baltimore Colts played their home games at
Memorial Stadium
.
Franchise history
[
edit
]
The Baltimore Colts were one of the first NFL teams to have
cheerleaders
, a
marching band
and a team "fight song" (along with the nearby
Washington Redskins
, forty miles southwest in the nation's capital).
[1]
The Baltimore Colts were named after Baltimore's long-running annual
Preakness Stakes
, a premier
thoroughbred horse racing
event, and the second jewel of the famous
Triple Crown
championship series of the sport run at the historic
Pimlico Race Course
every May since 1873.
This third, most famous Baltimore Colts pro football franchise was officially created in 1953, but can trace its history much earlier than this, to before the NFL itself actually began in 1920: its earliest predecessor was the old
Dayton Triangles
, a founding member of the reorganized and renamed
National Football League
of 1922 (from the old previous
American Professional Football Conference
, later renamed
A.P.F. Association
a few months later in 1920) that was originally created in 1913.
Because of this link to the
Dayton Triangles
, the Baltimore Colts can arguably claim to have played and won, on October 3, 1920, what could be considered the first A.P.F.A./N.F.L. professional football game, with a 14?0 defeat of the rival
Columbus Panhandles
at
Triangle Park
in
Dayton, Ohio
. The team underwent the following changes:
- Dayton Triangles
pro football team moved to New York City to the
Borough of Brooklyn, New York
and was renamed
Brooklyn Dodgers
(separate from the more famous
Brooklyn Dodgers
of
major league baseball
's
National League
) in 1930.
- Changed name to
Brooklyn Tigers
in 1944; in the same year, the
Boston Yanks
are founded.
- Merged with
Boston Yanks
in 1945 as the World War II-era "The Yanks".
- The Brooklyn franchise was canceled in 1945 by the League and the team's players were given to the Boston Yanks, as a parallel team, the (
New York Yankees
of the new competing post-war
All-America Football Conference
) was founded by the Tigers' former owner,
Dan Topping
.
- The
Miami Seahawks
of the A.A.F.C. were shut down and replaced in the Conference's second season by a new franchise in Baltimore given the name of the "Colts" after a name selection contest among the new Baltimore fans. The Colts later joined the reorganized NFL in 1950, following the merger of the A.A.F.C. with the older league, along with the addition of teams
San Francisco 49ers
and the
Cleveland Browns
. This second Baltimore Colts franchise was later dissolved by the NFL for financial reasons after only the one 1950 season on January 18, 1951.
- The Boston Yanks were officially canceled upon request of the team owner for tax purposes, but the team did not actually fold. The owner, Ted Collins was officially given a new franchise for New York City in 1949, now named the
New York Bulldogs
. The name was then changed to the New York Yanks the following season in 1950, and absorbed much of the previous football Yankees' roster the next year.
- The
New York Yanks
of the NFL played in Yankee Stadium in 1950 and 1951. Owner Ted Collins then turned the franchise back to the league, which sold it to Texan oil millionaire Giles Miller. He moved the team to Dallas, where it played as the
Dallas Texans
, in 1952, with the first expansion of the League into
Texas
and first into the
southern part of the United States
.
- The Texans owner returned the team leadership to the League ownership of the NFL during mid-season. The Texans become a "road" team halfway through the 1952 season with no "home base", playing only "away" games and folded after the one 1952 season.
The Dallas Texans franchise was returned to the league November 14, 1952. The league sold the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom, who moved the team to Baltimore, where it began play as the Colts.
To date, the NFL's records consider the Colts to be a 1953 expansion team; it does not consider the Colts to be a continuation of the Triangles/Dodgers/Tigers/Yanks/Bulldogs/Yanks/Texans franchise, despite the assets of the franchise never missing a season in some form.
AAFC Baltimore Colts
[
edit
]
As the result of a fan contest in Baltimore, won by Charles Evans of
Middle River
in suburban eastern
Baltimore County
, the team was renamed the "
Baltimore Colts
". On September 7, 1947, wearing the green and silver uniforms, the Colts, under Head Coach
Cecil Isbell
, won their initial
All-America Football Conference
game in the A.A.F.C.'s second season, 16?7, over the
Brooklyn Dodgers
. Home site for the new AAFC games in "The Monumental City" was the old 1922
Municipal 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 new
American League
of major league baseball's relocated franchise, the
Baltimore Orioles
). The football 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 of the A.A.F.C. 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 their third season of 1949.
Y. A. Tittle
, later to gain Hall of Fame status a decade later with the NFL's
New 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 the
San Francisco 49ers
and the
Cleveland 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 the
marching band
(the second in professional football, after that of the
Washington Redskins
) and
fan club
, both of which remained in operation ("in exile" status) and worked for the team's revival.
NFL Dallas Texans
[
edit
]
After two seasons without professional football,
NFL Commissioner
Bert Bell
challenged the
City of Baltimore
under Mayor
Thomas 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.
On January 23, 1953, with the encouragement of the city's civic and business leadership, under the principal ownership of
Carroll Rosenbloom
, the NFL sold the assets of the defunct
Dayton Triangles-Dallas Texans
franchise to Baltimore where, keeping the "Colts" nickname, the Triangles-Texans team colors of blue and white were used. This is the franchise that exists today in Indianapolis in the modern National Football League.
[2]
In Baltimore
[
edit
]
1953?1967: Johnny Unitas era
[
edit
]
Pro Football Hall of Fame
inductee
Johnny Unitas
was the Baltimore Colts' starting quarterback and famed "Number 19", from 1956 to 1972. Unitas was raised in the
Pittsburgh
area and played earlier for the
University of Louisville
in
Louisville, Kentucky
In 1953, the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts took the field for the first time at
Memorial Stadium
(also used temporarily by the old
Baltimore Orioles
minor league team in the
International League
since the burning in July 1944 of their
Oriole Park
home farther southeast at
Greenmount Avenue
and 29th Street in
Waverly
). The stadium was being rebuilt and adding a second upper tier to old Municipal Stadium for use by the following year of
Major League Baseball
's
Baltimore Orioles
franchise in the
American League
, which moved that November from
St. Louis, Missouri
, where it had been the
St. 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 and
Alan 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,
halfback
Lenny Moore
, and
wide receiver
Raymond Berry
.
Following the Colts' first NFL championship, the team once again posted a 9?3 record during the
1959 season
and once again defeated the Giants in the
NFL Championship Game
to claim their second title in back to back fashion.
[3]
Following the two championships in 1958 and 1959, the Colts did not return to the NFL Championship for four seasons and saw a transition from head coach Ewbank to a young
Don Shula
in
1963
.
[4]
In Shula's second season the Colts compiled a 12?2 record, but lost 27?0 to the
Cleveland Browns
in the
NFL 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 the
Green Bay Packers
with two minutes left to play when the Packers' kicker,
Don Chandler
seemed to barely miss a field goal.
[5]
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. In
1968
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 in
Super Bowl III
. In 1968, Unitas was injured and replaced by
Earl Morrall
who became the league's MVP.
1968?1972: Merger and Super Bowl V
[
edit
]
The Colts against Dallas in their first Super Bowl championship (V)
Leading up to the Super Bowl and following the 34?0 trouncing of the Cleveland Browns in the
NFL Championship
, many were calling the 1968 Colts team one of the "greatest pro football teams of all time"
[6]
and were favored by 18 points against their counterparts from the
American Football League
, the
New York Jets
.
[7]
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
[8]
as
Joe Namath
and
Matt Snell
led the Jets to the Super Bowl victory under head coach
Weeb Ewbank
, who had previously won two NFL Championships with the Colts.
Rosenbloom of the Colts,
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
in 1970.
[3]
The Colts immediately went on a rampage in the new league, as new head coach
Don McCafferty
led the
1970
team to an 11?2?1 regular-season record, winning the
AFC East
title. In the first round of the NFL Playoffs, the Colts beat the
Cincinnati Bengals
17?0; one week later in the first-ever
AFC Championship Game
, they beat the
Oakland Raiders
27?17. Baltimore went on to win the first post-merger Super Bowl (
Super Bowl V
), defeating the
NFC
's
Dallas Cowboys
16?13 on a Jim O'Brien field goal with five seconds left to play.
[9]
The victory gave the Colts their fourth NFL championship and first Super Bowl victory. Following the championship, the Colts returned to the playoffs in
1971
, winning their opening playoff game against the Browns 20?3, but lost in the second AFC Championship Game in Miami 21?0.
1972?1976: Bob Irsay arrives and “Shake n’ Bake”
[
edit
]
Citing friction with the City of Baltimore and the local press, Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise to
Robert Irsay
on July 13, 1972, and received the
Los Angeles Rams
in return.
[10]
Under the new ownership, the Colts did not reach the postseason for three consecutive seasons after 1971, and after the
1972 season
, starting quarterback and legend Johnny Unitas was traded to the
San Diego Chargers
.
[3]
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 the
Ghost to the Post
play. These consecutive playoff teams featured 1976 NFL Most Valuable Player
Bert Jones
at quarterback and an outstanding defensive line, nicknamed the "Sack Pack."
1976?1983: Last days
[
edit
]
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 in
1978
. In
1981
, 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).
[11]
The following year, the offense collapsed, including a game against the
Buffalo 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 select
Stanford
quarterback
John Elway
with the first overall pick. Elway refused to play for Baltimore, and using leverage as a draftee of the
New York Yankees
baseball club, forced a trade to
Denver
.
[12]
Behind an improved defense the team finished 7?9 in
1983
, but that would be their last season in Baltimore.
Move to Indianapolis
[
edit
]
The city of
Indianapolis
,
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 the
Oakland 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,
[13]
but eventually acquired a new NFL team in 1996 with the establishment of the
Baltimore Ravens
following the
Cleveland 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.
[14]
Unitas aligned himself with the Ravens when they moved to Baltimore, and a statue of him was placed outside of
M&T Bank Stadium
.
[15]
On the other hand, Colts owner
Jim Irsay
held a reunion for the 1975 AFC East champion Baltimore Colts in Indianapolis at
Lucas Oil Stadium
in 2009. 39 of the 53 members of that team attended the ceremony, including
Bert Jones
,
Lydell Mitchell
, and
Mike Curtis
.
Continuity
[
edit
]
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 new Baltimore Ravens franchise when it arrived in Baltimore in 1996.
[15]
[16]
[17]
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 the
Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor
. The Ravens
officially have no retired numbers
,
[18]
but out of respect for Unitas, only quarterback
Scott 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, became
Baltimore'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 at
Lucas Oil Stadium
, including quarterback
Bert Jones
and running back
Lydell Mitchell
. Also, On February 5, 2012, at
Super Bowl XLVI
, Hall-of-Fame Baltimore Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry carried the
Vince Lombardi Trophy
to midfield to present it to the
New York Giants
, who had just defeated the
New England Patriots
.
[19]
He was given the honor due to the game being played at
Lucas Oil Stadium
, where the Colts have played since 2008.
Although the
retired numbers of the Indianapolis Colts
officially includes Unitas and others dating back to the Baltimore days,
[18]
the
Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor
currently only includes players who have played in Indianapolis, with the exception of
Chris Hinton
, who played for the Baltimore Colts in his rookie season in 1983.
Records
[
edit
]
All-time records
[
edit
]
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
|
Retired numbers
[
edit
]
Includes players that
only
played in Baltimore
Notes
[
edit
]
- a
The Finish, Won, Lost, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular season and postseason results are combined only at the bottom of the list.
- b
All regular season MVPs listed are the Associated Press MVP. For the full list of other MVPs see
National Football League Most Valuable Player Award
.
- c
All Coach of the Year Awards listed are the Associated Press award. For the full list of other coaching awards see
National Football League Coach of the Year Award
.
- d
This game would be later known as
The Greatest Game Ever Played
.
[29]
- e
The
1967 NFL season
marks the first season in the league's history where the league was divided into two conferences which were subdivided into two divisions. Up to 1967, the league was either divided into two divisions, two conferences, or neither.
[30]
- f
The Colts and Dolphins finished tied. However, the Colts finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on a head-to-head sweep (2?0).
[31]
- g
The Colts and Patriots finished tied. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England based on a better division record (7?1 to Patriots' 6?2).
[32]
- h
The Colts and Dolphins finished tied. However, the Colts finished ahead of Miami based on better conference record (9?3 to Dolphins' 8?4).
[32]
- i
The game involved the infamous
Ghost to the Post
play.
[33]
- j
1982 was a strike-shortened season so the league was divided up into two conferences instead of its normal divisional alignment.
[34]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Gibbons, Michael (August 7, 2006).
"Baltimore's Colts: A Team for the Ages"
. Press Box Online
. Retrieved
August 19,
2007
.
- ^
"A look at the history of the Indianapolis Colts"
. Archived from
the original
on December 25, 2010
. Retrieved
July 10,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Baltimore Colts: Historical Moments"
.
Sports Encyclopedia
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
Cole, Jason (December 30, 2009).
"Ewbank overlooked figure of AFL glory"
.
Yahoo! Sports
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
John F. Steadman,
From Colts to Ravens
. 1997 Tidewater Publishers, pp 164-167
- ^
"Top 15 Team Not to Win the Super Bowl:1968 Baltimore Colts (13?1)"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
July 4,
2012
.
- ^
Shaughnessy, Dan (January 19, 2010).
"There's plenty of history between AFC finalists Jets and Colts"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
Brady, Dave (January 13, 1969).
"Jets Shock Colts in Super Bowl, 16?7"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
July 4,
2012
.
- ^
Milian, Jorge (February 1, 2010).
"Remembering Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts' Jim O'Brien got a win and a future wife"
. The Palm Beach Post
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
Maule, Tex (August 14, 1972).
"Nay on the neighs, yea on the baas; Fed up with his Colts, Carroll Rosenbloom traded for the Rams"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
"1981 Baltimore Colts Statistics"
.
Pro Football Reference
. Retrieved
July 4,
2012
.
- ^
Blanchat, Jack.
"Football: A look back at Stanford's other No. 1 picks"
.
The Stanford Daily
. Retrieved
July 5,
2012
.
- ^
Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. Indianapolis Colts
, 624 F. Supp. 278 (D. Md. 1985)
- ^
SIMERS, T. J. (January 13, 1996).
"Scratch These Colts : Unitas and Matte Don't Think About How Their Former Team Is Doing, Because They Don't Consider Indianapolis Their Former Team"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
January 12,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Kuttler, Hillel (January 24, 2013).
"Ravens Maintain Ties to Baltimore Colts"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
January 12,
2017
.
- ^
"ESPN Classic - Unitas dies of heart attack at 69"
.
www.espn.com
.
- ^
Raffel, Bruce (October 8, 2011).
"Indy Disses Unitas By Still Using #19 Jersey"
.
Baltimore Beatdown
.
- ^
a
b
"NFL Retired Player Numbers"
.
www.nfl.com
.
- ^
Klingaman, Mike (February 6, 2012).
"Raymond Berry's 'Super' Walk"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. Archived from
the original
on February 2, 2017
. Retrieved
January 20,
2017
.
- ^
"Alan Ameche Named Pro Rookie of Year"
.
The Pittsburgh Press
. United Press. December 19, 1955
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
"Lenny Moore Pro Rookie of the Year"
.
The Newburgh News
. United Press. January 3, 1957
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
"Johnny Unitas"
. Pro Football Reference. Archived from
the original
on November 15, 2013
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Shula Is Top Boss"
.
Ocala Star-Banner
. December 19, 1968
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
"Earl Now Number 1"
.
Ocala Star-Banner
. Associated Press. December 19, 1968
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
"Unitas Voted NFL's Man Of The Year"
.
The Morning Record
. Associated Press. January 11, 1971
. Retrieved
December 20,
2010
.
- ^
"Marchibroda is top coach"
.
Rome News-Tribune
. Associated Press. January 11, 1976
. Retrieved
December 19,
2010
.
- ^
"Colts' quarterback Bert Jones named 'Most Valuable Player'
"
.
Daily Union
. Associated Press. December 30, 1976
. Retrieved
December 19,
2010
.
- ^
"Colts' linebacker named Defensive Rookie of Year"
.
The Sumter Daily Item
. Associated Press. December 22, 1983
. Retrieved
December 19,
2010
.
- ^
"History Release: Greatest game ever played"
. Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
January 1,
2011
.
- ^
2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book
. New York City: Workman Publishing Company. 2000. pp.
295?299
.
ISBN
0-7611-1982-5
.
- ^
2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book
, p. 294.
- ^
a
b
2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book
, p. 293.
- ^
Reid, Ron (January 2, 1978).
"The Ghost To The Post"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
January 2,
2011
.
- ^
2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book
, p. 292.
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Rivalries
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Division championships (16)
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Conference championships (7)
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League championships (5)
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