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Baltimore Colts

Highlights

The Baltimore Colts were an NFL franchise from 1953-1983, winning three NFL titles and a Super Bowl. Quarterback John Unitas, the face of the franchise, took the field for injured starter George Shaw in 1956. He led the Colts to a .500 record the rest of that season and would go on to become a Hall of Famer and one of the city's most beloved athletes of all-time. In 1958, the Colts defeated the Giants at Yankee Stadium in what became known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played." The game boosted the NFL's popularity, due largely to the fact that it was broadcast to a national television audience. Running back Alan Ameche scored from 1 yard out to give the Colts a 23-17 win in the first overtime game ever and their first championship. The Colts found themselves in a familiar spot in 1959, facing the Giants again in the NFL championship game, which was played at Memorial Stadium this time. New York took a 9-7 lead, but Unitas led the Colts to 24 fourth-quarter points and a 31-16 victory for their second straight title. Weeb Ewbank coached the Colts from 1954-1962. The franchise's first owner was Carroll Rosenbloom. After the Colts finished 7-7 in 1962, Ewbank was fired and Don Shula was brought in. Shula helped the Colts to a 12-2 record in 1964, and Unitas was named the league's Most Valuable Player. But the Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns in the NFL championship game. The Colts played in Super Bowl III in 1968 behind quarterback Earl Morall, who won the MVP filling in for an injured Unitas. However, they were defeated by quarterback Joe Namath, former Colts coach Ewbank and the Jets in what some consider the biggest upset in NFL history. The Colts were shifted to the AFC in 1970 as part of the NFL-AFL merger. They advanced to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years and won this time, defeating the Dallas Cowboys for the championship. In 1972, the Colts had their first losing record since 1955, and Unitas was traded after the season. The Colts won three straight AFC East titles from 1975-1977 under Ted Marchibroda. The franchise selected future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway with the first pick in the 1983 draft, but he refused to join the team. The Colts played their final game in Baltimore on Dec. 18, 1983. Owner Robert Irsay, who took over the team in 1972, began to think about moving the Colts to another city in the offseason because of poor attendance and an aging Memorial Stadium. The Maryland legislature tried to use eminent domain laws to keep the team in Baltimore, so Irsay used now infamous Mayflower vans to take the team to Indianapolis in the middle of the night. Colts fans woke up the next morning without a football team. The Indianapolis team kept the Colts' records, uniforms and logo, which angers Baltimore fans to this day. Baltimore was without a professional football team until 1996 when the Ravens arrived. The original Baltimore Colts played in Baltimore from 1947-1950 as part of the All-America Football Conference. The following players have had their numbers retired: Unitas, Buddy Young, Lenny Moore, Art Donovan, Jim Parker, Raymond Berry and Gino Marchetti. « Show less

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