- 1953
- 1958
- 1959
- 1968
- 1970
- 1972
- 1984
-
Leaving for Baltimore
In 1953, a Baltimore based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore National Football League franchise. Rosenbloom was awarded the remains of the Dallas Texans. The Colts were the first NFL team to have cheerleaders and a marching band. The Colts were named after Baltimore’s annual Preakness Stakes which is why many fans are bitter ... -
National Football League Championship Winner 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to go into sudden-death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17, and the game has since become widely known as “The Greatest Game Ever ... -
National Football League Championship Winner 1959
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was the 27th NFL championship game, played on December 27 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The defending champion Baltimore Colts (9–3) again won the Western Conference, while the New York Giants (10–2) repeated as Eastern Conference champions. The Colts ... -
National Football League Championship Winner 1968
The 1968 National Football League championship game was the 36th annual championship game. The winner of the game represented the NFL in the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game also called the Super Bowl. The NFL title game was held on December 29 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. -
Super Bowl V Winner 1970
Super Bowl V, the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and first modern-era National Football League (NFL) championship game, was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the NFL champion for the 1970 season. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of ... -
Owners Trading Teams
Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise to Robert Irsay on July 13, 1972, and received the Los Angeles Rams in return. 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. Irsay assumed ownership of the ... -
Relocate to Indianapolis
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, however, 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 finished 7–9 in 1983, but ...
History of the Colts
The Colts have been a member club of the NFL since their founding in 1953 in Baltimore. The Colts were one of three NFL teams to join the teams of the American Football League (AFL) to form the AFC following the 1970 merger. While in Baltimore, the team advanced to the playoffs 10 times and won three NFL Championship games: in 1958, 1959, and 1968. The Colts played in two Super Bowl games while it was based in Baltimore, losing to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III while defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V.
Established
1952
City
Dallas - Baltimore - Indianapolis
League History
1952 – Present / National Football League
Team History
1984 - Present / Indianapolis Colts
1953 - 1983 / Baltimore Colts
1952 / Dallas Texans
Nickname
Colts - Charles Evans of Middle River, Md., won a name contest by submitting Colts. His reasoning? “Colts are the youngest entry in the league, Maryland is famous for its race horses and it is short, easily pronounced and fits well in newspaper headlines.”
Championship
Super Bowl 1
2007, 1971
NFL Championships 2
1959, 1958
Stadium
2008 - Present / Lucas Oil Stadium
1994 - 2007 / RCA Dome
1984 - 1993 / Hoosier Dome
*Baltimore*
1953 - 1983 / Memorial Stadium
*Dallas*
1952 / Cotton Bowl
Owner
1997 - Present / Jim Irsay
1972 - 1997 / Robert Irsay
1953 - 1972 / Carroll Rosenbloom
1952 / Giles Miller (games 1–7), NFL (games 8–12)
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
18 / Peyton Manning
19 / Johnny Unitas
22 / Buddy Young
24 / Lenny Moore
70 / Art Donovan
77 / Jim Parker
82 / Raymond Berry
89 / Gino Marchetti
*Blue is this team’s history