Current season: 2024 Indianapolis Colts | |||||
Indianapolis Colts | |||||
Established January 23, 1953[1] Play in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | |||||
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League/Conference affiliations | |||||
National Football League (1953–present)
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Current uniform | |||||
Team colors | Speed Blue, White, Facemask Gray, and Anvil Black[2] | ||||
Mascot | Blue | ||||
Personnel | |||||
Owner(s): | Jim Irsay | ||||
Team President | |||||
General Manager | Chris Ballard | ||||
Head Coach | Shane Steichen | ||||
Team history | |||||
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Championships | |||||
League Championships (5)
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Conference Championships (5)
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Division Championships (16)
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Playoff Appearances (29) | |||||
NFL: 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020 | |||||
Home fields | |||||
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The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are 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 have won three NFL championships and two Super Bowls (three NFL Championships in 1958, 1959, 1968; Super Bowl V in 1971 and Super Bowl XLI in 2006.)
Franchise history[]
Main article: History of the Indianapolis Colts
The AAFC Baltimore Colts[]
There have been two football teams named the "Baltimore Colts". The original incarnation of the Baltimore Colts started in the All-America Football Conference in 1946 as the Miami Seahawks. After a 3-11 season, The team was purchased by local Baltimore ownership and moved to Baltimore for the 1947 season, taking the name the Baltimore Colts in 1947. The name came from the team contest. In 1950, they joined the National Football League along with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. They were a surprise addition to the league, being considerably weaker financially than several of the AAFC teams left out of the merger. They played only one season in the NFL, with a record of 1-11. Y. A. Tittle was the old Colts starting quarterback.
Due to financial difficulties after the 1-11 losing season, Colts owner Abraham Watner gave his team and its players contracts back to the NFL for $50,000. But many Baltimore fans protested the loss of their team. Supporting groups such as its marching band (the second in professional football, after that of the Washington Redskins) and fan club, remained in operation and worked for the team's revival. In 1953, the NFL formed another Colts team out of the ashes of the failed Dallas Texans - this is the franchise that exists today in Indianapolis.
The NFL Baltimore Colts[]
For more details on this topic, see History of the Indianapolis Colts. In 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore franchise. Rosenbloom was awarded the remains of the Dallas Texans. 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 New York 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. However, the NFL considers the Texans and Colts to be separate teams, although many of those teams shared the same colors of blue and white.
The Colts were the first NFL team to have cheerleaders, and the old Colts' fan club and marching band (now under the name Baltimore's Marching Ravens) were adopted by the new franchise.
The 1958 team, led by coach Weeb Ewbank and quarterback Johnny Unitas defeated the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium 23-17 in the 1958 NFL Championship Game. The game, the first-ever utilizing the overtime rule, is generally considered to be among the greatest contests in professional football history.
The Colts repeated as NFL champions in 1959, defeating the Giants again, 31-16. In the early 1960s, the Colts continued as an elite NFL team although they lost the NFL championship game in 1964 to the Cleveland Browns, 27-0.
In 1968, after a 13-1 season, the Colts gained a measure of revenge against the Browns, defeating them 34-0 in the NFL championship game. The 13-1 regular season and the trouncing of the Browns led NFL-based media to call the Colts "the greatest pro football team of all time". The Colts went into Super Bowl III (the first in the series to officially be called the Super Bowl) against the American Football League's New York Jets as 17-point favorites, with NFL icons like pro bowlers Bobby Boyd (DB), Mike Curtis (LB), John Mackey (TE), Tom Matte (RB), Fred Miller (DL), Earl Morrall (QB), Willie Richardson (WR), and Bob Vogel (OL).
The result of the game was surprising to many in the sports media as Joe Namath and Matt Snell led the American Football League champion Jets to a world championship over the NFL's Colts, 16–7. The Jets were coached by Weeb Ewbank, the coach of the Colts' first two NFL titles.
Prior to the 1970 season, 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. The 1970 Colts immediately went on a rampage, as new head coach Don McCafferty led the Colts to an 11-2-1 regular season record, winning the AFC East title. In the first round of the NFL Playoffs, they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 17-0; one week later in the AFC Championship, 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 5 seconds left to play. In 1971, the Colts made it back to the playoffs and defeated the Cleveland Browns in the first round 20–3, but lost to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship on January 2, 1972 21–0. The Dolphins were led by former Colts coach Don Shula, who was the Colts' coach from 1963-1969.
On July 13, 1972, Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise to Robert Irsay for the Los Angeles Rams, but the players remained in their respective cities. The Colts made the playoffs three more times in the 1970s which were three consecutive AFC East titles in 1975, 1976, and 1977. These consecutive championship teams featured 1976 NFL Most Valuable Player Bert Jones at quarterback and an outstanding defensive line, nicknamed the "Sack Pack." Following the mid-70s success, the team endured nine consecutive losing seasons beginning in 1978. In 1981, the defense was the main problem as the Colts 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). The following year the offense collapsed. On November 28, 1982, the Colts' offense did not cross mid-field in an entire game against the Buffalo Bills; this would not happen again in an NFL game until 2000. The Colts finished 0–8–1 in the strike-shortened 1982 season. The disastrous 1982 season earned the team the right to select Stanford's John Elway, but Elway refused to play for Baltimore, and using leverage as a draftee of the New York Yankees baseball club, forced a trade to Denver. Behind an improved defense the team would finish 7–9 in 1983, but it would be their last season in Baltimore.
Relocation to Indianapolis[]
By early 1984, after the Colts' lease on the dilapidated 64,124 seat Memorial Stadium had expired. Irsay wanted the city of Baltimore to upgrade the stadium or build a new one. But with attendance dwindling and the team playing poorly, city officials were wary of such an investment and negotiations were slow and contentious. Relations between Irsay and the city of Baltimore deteriorated, and despite numerous public announcements that Irsay's ultimate desire was to remain in Baltimore, he nevertheless began discussions with several cities hungry for an NFL franchise, eventually narrowing the list of cities to two, Phoenix and Indianapolis. Under the administrations of mayors Richard Lugar and William Hudnut, Indianapolis was making an ambitious effort to reinvent itself into a 'Great American City'. The Hoosier Dome (later renamed the RCA Dome) had been built specifically for and was ready to host an NFL expansion team.
Meanwhile in Baltimore, the situation worsened. Eventually, the Maryland legislature intervened and threatened to pass a law giving the city of Baltimore the right to seize ownership of the team by eminent domain. As a result, Irsay began serious negotiations with Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut in order to move the team before the Maryland legislature could pass the bill. The city of Indianapolis provided the Colts owner with a $12,500,000 loan, a $4,000,000 training complex, and the use of the brand new 57,980 seat Hoosier Dome. After agreeing to the deal, Mayflower Transit trucks were dispatched to the team's Maryland training complex at 2:00 AM on March 29, where 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.
Baltimore moves on[]
The move triggered a flurry of legal activity that ended when representatives of Baltimore and the Colts organization reached a settlement on March 1986 in which all lawsuits regarding the relocation were dismissed, and the Colts would endorse a new NFL team for Baltimore. Nonetheless, many of the prominent old-time Colts (many of whom had settled in the Baltimore area) were bitter and chose to cut all ties to the relocated Colts team. Most notable and vocal among them was Johnny Unitas, who recognized himself solely as a player for the Baltimore Colts until the day he died, with his estate defending that stand to this day. However, the NFL officially recognizes his achievements and records as the history of the Colts organization and as such are attributed to the current Colts organization and not the Ravens Organization. Former Baltimore Colts DT Joe Ehrmann (1973–80), has remained close to the team. After football he became an ordained minister who speaks to several NFL teams a year. He is the co-founder of Baltimore's Ronald McDonald House and the founder of a Baltimore inner-city, community-based ministry called "The Door".
The Baltimore Colts' final home game was played on December 18, 1983 against the then [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]. The Indianapolis Colts would not return to Baltimore until 1998. In 2006, the Baltimore Ravens had a chance to stop the Indianapolis Colts on their way to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance since moving; however, the Colts defeated the Ravens 15–6 in the divisional playoff round on their way to winning Super Bowl XLI.
In a bit of irony, Baltimore did eventually land another NFL franchise in a manner similar to Indianapolis. Several years later on November 6, 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to move Cleveland's team to Baltimore. The decision also triggered a flurry of legal activity. Modell originally intended to take the Browns name with him to Baltimore. However, many Cleveland fans, refused to give up the city's NFL franchise name. Finally, representatives of both cities and the NFL reached a settlement on February 9, 1996. It stipulated that the Browns' name, colors, and history of the franchise were to remain in Cleveland. Modell would be allowed to take his players and organization to Baltimore, but it would be technically regarded as an expansion team. The Colts ownership did not grant the city of Baltimore the rights to the Colts' name or colors. Therefore, the new Baltimore team was named the Ravens after a fan vote.
Early struggles in Indianapolis (1984–1997)[]
The newly minted Indianapolis Colts continued to struggle on the field, with 4–12, 5–11 and 3-13 records during the first three seasons. The latter, during the 1986 season, began 0–13, with the team in contention to be the second modern-day team to go winless for an entire season (the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0–14) when they dismissed Rod Dowhower and replaced him with former New England Patriots head coach Ron Meyer. The Colts responded by winning the final three games under his watch.
1987 saw the Colts make the playoffs for the first time in a decade, winning the AFC East with a 9–6 record bolstered by the mid-season arrival of Pro Bowl running back Eric Dickerson. The next few seasons saw Indianapolis wallow in mediocrity before collapsing to a 1–15 in 1991. That team scored the fewest points ever (143) of any NFL team since going to the standard 16-game schedule in 1978.
The Colts did not return to the playoffs until the 1995 season, with Jim Harbaugh at quarterback and Marshall Faulk at running back, clinching a wild card berth with a 9–7 record. They advanced to the AFC Championship Game before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium. Although they won nine games again the following year, and secured another wild card berth, a dismal 3–13 season soon followed in 1997, which earned them the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft and marked a crucial turning point for the franchise.
Peyton Manning era (1998–2011)[]
Jim Irsay began to shape the Colts one year after assuming control from his father by firing coach Lindy Infante and hiring Bill Polian to run the organization. Polian in turn hired Jim E. Mora to coach the team and drafted University of Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning, the son of New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning, with the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Peyton Manning has played for the Colts and won them a Super Bowl in the 2006 season, also picking up the Super Bowl MVP award. Besides winning an MVP in a Super Bowl, Manning has also won four other MVP's.
During the 2011 off-season, Peyton Manning became the focus of controversy because of his advancing age (35 in March) and surgery for a herniated neck disc. The league was faced with a lockout from March–July that prevented Manning from using team training facilities to help recover, and as the preseason began he was left on the PUP list.
After missing the preseason, Manning was ruled out for the Colts' opener game in Houston. Things took a turn for the disastrous when he underwent yet another neck operation on September 7 that ensured he would miss at least 6–8 weeks of play. Taking over as starter was 15-year veteran Kerry Collins, who had been signed to the team after dissatisfaction with backup QBs Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky. Heading down to Houston for Week 1, the Colts were completely lost without Manning and the Houston Texans buried them 34-7. Opening at home against the Cleveland Browns, what would normally be an easy win turned into a 27-14 loss as Indianapolis again proved unable to accomplish anything with Kerry Collins under center. In Week 3, they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Despite all predictions of a one-sided route, the Colts defense battled Pittsburgh hard the whole game until the latter finally edged them in OT. With Kerry Collins benched in favor of Curtis Painter, the team traveled to Tampa for a MNF match. Despite a valiant effort by Painter and the defense, Indianapolis lost 24-17 to remain winless at 0-4. DT Eric Foster and OT Ben Ijalana were lost to season-ending injuries during the game. The Colts' fall into the abyss continued as they lost to Cincinnati Bengals 27-17. The next game saw them play New Orleans in what had been expected to be a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, but instead the latter decided to set a franchise record on the backs of the hapless Colts squad and crushed them 62-7 with five TDs, only the third 62-7 game in NFL history.
From there, the Colts failed to win a game until beating Houston in Week 15 followed by a win against the Tennessee Titans. After losing the finale in Jacksonville, they ended with a 2-14 record; the worst in the league. The franchise came under widespread scrutiny and accusations that they deliberately threw away their season in a quest for the #1 pick in the 2012 draft, as it was projected that the Colts sought to draft Stanford QB Andrew Luck as a replacement for Manning. The Peyton Manning era came to a sudden end on March 8, 2012 when Jim Irsay announced that he was officially being released from the roster after 13 seasons. Although Manning's medical condition and throwing strength continued to improve, Irsay stated that the Colts (who had also cut a substantial part of the roster) were embarking on "an ambitious rebuilding project" and that due to Manning's age (he had just turned 36 the previous week), it was unlikely that he could win another Super Bowl before the rebuilding project was finished. In addition, the Colts would have owed him an additional $20 million if he'd stayed on the roster another week.
Andrew Luck era (2012-present)[]
Owner Jim Irsay started to again rebuild the Colts during the 2012 offseason, hiring a new general manager in Ryan Grigson and a new head coach in Chuck Pagano. The Colts also began to release their veteran players from the Manning era, including RB Joseph Addai, TE Dallas Clark, and LB Gary Brackett. The Colts used their number one overall draft pick in 2012 to draft Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck and also drafted his teammate TE Coby Fleener in the second round. The team also switched to a 3–4 defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky who succeeded Mike Murphy. On September 9, 2012 the Colts kicked off the Andrew Luck era with a 41–21 loss to the Chicago Bears in which Luck completed 23 of his 45 passes. He threw for one touchdown and three interceptions, and also fumbled, finishing with a 52.9 passer rating.
The Colts ended the 2012 season with an 11–5 record, with Colts staff stating that the team had rallied behind a sign that read "Chuck Strong," a rally cry referencing head coach Chuck Pagano and his fight with leukemia; the sign had been left behind at Lucas Oil Stadium by a fan after a home game against the Buffalo Bills. With productive seasons from both quarterback Andrew Luck and veteran receiver Reggie Wayne, the Colts rebounded from the 2–14 season of 2011 to clinch an unexpected playoff spot in the 2012–13 NFL playoffs, the fourteenth playoff berth for the club since 1995. The season ended in a 24–9 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the first playoff loss for the Colts (in three tries) to Baltimore's present NFL squad.
Two weeks into the 2013 season, the Colts traded their 1st round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns for running back Trent Richardson. In week 7, Luck led the Colts to a 39–33 win over his predecessor, Peyton Manning, and the undefeated Denver Broncos. Luck went on to lead the Colts to a 15th division championship later that season. In the first round of the 2013 NFL Playoffs, Andrew Luck led the Colts to a 45-44 victory over Kansas City, outscoring the Chiefs 35-6 in the second half in the second biggest comeback in NFL Playoff history.
Lucas Oil Stadium[]
Main article: 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 1,800,000 square feet. 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 Tournaments and will serve as the back up host for all NCAA Final Four Tournaments. The stadium hosted 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.
Rivalries[]
New England Patriots[]
Main article: Colts–Patriots rivalry The rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots was one of the NFL's best rivalries between 2001 and 2010. The rivalry was 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.
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 Lakes franchises Green Bay Packers, 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.
New York Giants[]
In 1958 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. In recent years, the Colts and Giants featured brothers as their starting quarterbacks (Peyton and Eli Manning) leading to their occasional matchup being referred to as "The Manning Bowl".
New York Jets[]
Super Bowl III became the most famous upset in pro sports history as the American Football League's New York Jets won 16-7 over the overwhelmingly-favored Colts. With the merger of the AFL and NFL the Colts and Jets were placed in the new AFC East. The two teams met twice a year (interrupted in 1982 by a player strike) 1970-2001; with the move of the Colts to the AFC South the two teams' rivalry actually escalated, as they met three times in the playoffs in the South's first nine seasons of existence; the Jets crushed the Colts 41-0 in the 2002 Wild Card playoff round; the Colts then defeated the Jets 30-17 in the 2009 AFC Championship Game; but the next year in the Wild Card round the Jets pulled off another playoff upset of the Colts, winning 17-16.
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 Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Boston Patriots. One angle where the two clubs did have something in common, however, lay in new Miami coach Don Shula. Shula had coached the Colts the previous seven pre-merger seasons (1963-1969) and was signed by Joe Robbie after the merger was consummated; because the signing came after the merger the NFL's rules on tampering came into play, and the Dolphins had to give up their first-round pick to the Colts.
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 the now-New England Patriots) with Miami, and this time advanced to the playoffs on even slimmer pretenses, 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; the Colts would win just 117 games in the twenty-one seasons (1978–98) that bracketed their 1977 playoff loss to the Oakland Raiders and the 1999 trade of star running back Marshall Faulk; this included 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 two clubs' 1999 meetings were dramatic affairs between Hall Of Fame-bound Dan Marino and up-and-coming star Peyton Manning. Marino led a 25-point fourth quarter comeback for a 34-31 Dolphins win at the RCA Dome, then in Miami Marino led another comeback to tie the game 34-34 with 36 seconds remaining; Manning, however, drove the Colts in range for a 53-yard field goal as time expired (37-34 Colts win).
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; the two clubs did meet in a memorable Monday Night Football matchup in 2009 where the Colts, despite having the ball for only fifteen minutes, defeated the Dolphins 27-23. Yet until the formation of the AFC South the two had had a lively history, based usually on Indianapolis owning slightly better regular season records, but Miami winning both post-season meetings.
Logos and uniforms[]
The Colts' logo and uniforms have basically remained the same since the team's 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 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 light 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 reduction of the sleeve length had no impact on the stripes of the Colts jerseys. 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 Classic against the Detroit Lions in 2002), the Colts and most college teams with this striping pattern (most notably the LSU Tigers football team) didn't 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.
In 2017, the Colts brought back the blue pants but paired them with the blue jerseys as part of the NFL Color Rush program.[3]
The club officially revealed an updated wordmark logo, as well as updated numeral fonts, on April 13, 2020. While blue and white remained the team's core colors, they added black as a tertiary color, with its usage restricted to the embroidered Nike swoosh on the white uniforms.[4][5] Despite the wordmark change, the previous wordmarks are still painted on the Lucas Oil Stadium end zones.[6]
On July 20, 2023, the Colts unveiled a new alternate uniform, including a black alternate helmet. The jersey remained blue, but added black trim to the numbers and moved the white sleeve stripes to the shoulders. The "Indiana C" alternate logo was placed on the left shoulder. Blue pants with white stripes are paired with this uniform. In a first for the franchise, the Colts would wear black helmets with the uniform, maintaining almost the same look as the primary white helmet save for the increased usage of black.[7]
Image gallery[]
Players[]
Current roster[]
Indianapolis Colts current roster
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
Unrestricted FAs
Restricted FAs
Exclusive-Rights FAs
Rookies in italics
Roster updated August 20, 2024
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Pro Football Hall of Famers[]
Players[]Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
Coaches[]Baltimore Colts
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Retired numbers[]
The Colts Ring of Honor includes:
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First-round draft picks[]
Main article: List of Indianapolis Colts first-round draft picks
Coaches[]
Head coaches[]
Main article: List of Indianapolis Colts head coaches
Current staff[]
Indianapolis Colts current staff
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Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Support staff
Strength and Conditioning
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Statistics and records[]
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 Post Season Results Awards Finish Won Lost Ties 2009 2009 NFL AFC * South § 1st § 14 2 0 Won Divisional Playoffs (Ravens) 20-3
Won Conference Championship (Jets) 30-17
Lost Super Bowl XLIV (Saints) 31-17Peyton Manning (MVP) 2010 2010 NFL AFC South § 1st § 10 6 0 Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Jets) 17-16 2011 2011 NFL AFC South 4th 2 14 0 2012 2012 NFL AFC South 2nd ¤ 11 5 0 Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Ravens) 24-9 Bruce Arians (COY) 2013 2013 NFL AFC South § 1st § 11 5 0 TBD TBD Total 464 415 7 (1953–2012, includes only regular season) 19 21 – (1953–2012, includes only playoffs) 483 436 7 (1953–2012, includes both regular season and playoffs)
Records[]
Leader | Player | Record Number | Years on Colts |
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Passing | Peyton Manning | 54,828 passing yards | 1998–2011 |
Rushing | Edgerrin James | 9,226 rushing yards | 1999–2005 |
Receiving | Marvin Harrison | 14,580 receiving yards | 1996–2008 |
Coaching Wins | Tony Dungy | 85 wins | 2002–2008 |
Radio and television[]
The Colts' flagship station from 1984 to 1998 and again starting in the 2007 season 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 are 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.
Radio affiliates[]
City | Call Sign | Frenquency |
---|---|---|
Lafayette, Indiana | WASK-FM | 98.7 FM |
Santa Claus, Indiana | WAXL-FM | 103.3 FM |
Bedford, Indiana | WBIW-AM | 1340 AM |
Bardstown, Kentucky | WBRT-AM | 1320 AM |
Effingham, Illinois | WCRA-AM | 1090 AM |
Danville, Illinois | WDAN-AM | 1490 AM |
Decatur, Illinois | WDZQ-FM | 95.1 FM |
Michigan City, Indiana | WEFM-FM | 95.9 FM |
Indianapolis, Indiana | WFNI-AM | 1070 AM |
Evansville, Indiana | WGBF-AM | 1280 AM |
Henderson, Kentucky | WGBF-FM | 103.1 FM |
Bloomington, Indiana | WGCL-AM | 1370 AM |
Oxford, Indiana | WIBN-FM | 98.1 FM |
Rushville, Indiana | WIFE-FM | 94.3 FM |
Crawfordsville, Indiana | WIMC-FM | 103.9 FM |
North Vernon, Indiana | WJCP-AM | 1460 AM |
Wabash, Indiana | WJOT-FM | 105.9 FM |
Richmond, Indiana | WKBV-AM | 1490 AM |
Indianapolis, Indiana | WLHK-FM | 97.1 FM |
Angola, Indiana | WLKI-FM | 100.3 FM |
Eminence, Kentucky | WLUE-AM | 1600 AM |
Alexandria, Indiana | WMXQ-FM | 96.7 FM |
Marion, Indiana | WMRI-AM | 860 AM |
Monticello, Indiana | WMRS-FM | 107.7 FM |
Louisville, Kentucky | WNDA | 1570 AM |
Sullivan, Indiana | WNDI-FM | 95.3 FM |
Madison, Indiana | WORX-FM | 96.7 FM |
Fort Wayne, Indiana | WOWO-AM | 1190 AM |
Portland, Indiana | WPGW-AM | 1440 AM |
Greencastle, Indiana | WREB-FM | 94.3 FM |
Rochester, Indiana | WROI-FM | 92.1 FM |
Warsaw, Indiana | WRSW-AM | 1480 AM |
Columbus, Indiana | WRZQ-FM | 107.3 FM |
Loogootee, Indiana | WRZR-FM | 94.5 FM |
South Bend, Indiana | WSMM-FM | 102.3 FM |
Goshen, Indiana | WSSM-FM | 97.7 FM |
Plymouth, Indiana | WTCA-AM | 1050 AM |
Tell City, Indiana | WTCJ-AM | 1230 AM |
Owensboro, Kentucky | WVJS-AM | 1420 AM |
Olney, Illinois | WVLN-AM | 740 AM |
Washington, Indiana | WWBL-FM | 106.5 FM |
Terre Haute, Indiana | WWVR-FM | 105.5 FM |
Muncie, Indiana | WXFN-AM | 1340 AM |
Mount Vernon, Indiana | WYFX-FM | 106.7 FM |
Mount Carmel, Illinois | WYNG-FM | 94.9 FM |
Portland, Indiana | WZBD-FM | 92.7 FM |
Vincennes, Indiana | WZDM-FM | 92.1 FM |
References[]
- ↑ Indianapolis Colts Team Facts. NFL Enterprises, LLC.
- ↑ Colts 2020 Uniform and Brand Updates. NFL Enterprises, LLC (April 13, 2020).
- ↑ Hollebon, Ross. "Colts To Sport Blue-On-Blue Look For First Time Ever On Thursday", NFL Enterprises, LLC, December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019.
- ↑ Error on call to template:cite news: Parameters archiveurl and archivedate must be both specified or both omittedColts Communications. "New Colts Logos, Looks Join Iconic 'Horseshoe' For 2020 And Beyond", NFL Enterprises, LLC, April 13, 2020. Retrieved on April 13, 2020. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020.
- ↑ Shook, Nick. "Colts add new logo to their look, honor home state", NFL Enterprises, LLC, April 13, 2020.
- ↑ Indianapolis Colts field design history, The Gridiron Fields Database, https://gridiron-uniforms.com/fields/controller/controller.php?action=view-team-all&team_id=IND&city=Indianapolis&name=Colts, retrieved September 16, 2021
- ↑ Baca, Michael. "Indianapolis Colts unveil new 'Indiana Nights' alternate uniform", NFL Enterprises, LLC, July 20, 2023. Retrieved on July 20, 2023.
External links[]
- Indianapolis Colts article at Wikipedia