The Facts

1. The Indianapolis Colts franchise began in 1953 in Baltimore when a group led by Carroll Rosenbloom got the go ahead to form a Baltimore based NFL franchise. He was awarded what remained of the Dallas texans and they played their first season in Baltimore in 1953 where led by Keith Molesworth they finished their first season with a 3-9 record.
2. The Baltimore Colts didn’t achieve a winning season until 1957 and during the 1958 season notched a 9-3 record and for the first time in their history reached the NFL Championship Game where they beat the New York Giants 23-17 which is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in football history and was the first game to use the overtime rule.
3. The Colts finished the 1959 season with a 9-3 record and beat the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game 31-16 recording their second championship in a row with a remarkably similar season to the preceding one. The Colts would wait 4 years before returning to the NFL Championship.
4. Following the back to back championships the Colts went through a transitional phase seeing departing head coach Ewbank to Don Shula in 1963.  In only Shula’s second season in charge the Colts finished with a 12-2 record but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship. In 1968 the Colts beat the Cleveland Browns 34-0 leading up to Superbowl III which led to many calling the 1968 Colts one of the best football teams of all time, however they were defeated at Superbowl III by the unfavored New York Jets by a score of 16-7.
5. In the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 the Colts along with the Browns and the Steelers, the Colts joined the ten AFL teams in the American Football COnference. New coach Don McCafferty started the Colts new status in spectacular fashion finishing the season with a 11-2-1 record and the Colts went on to win the first post merger Superbowl defeating the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 with a Jim O’ Brien field goal with five seconds left on the clock. 
6. On July 13th, 1972 Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise to Robert Irsay receiving the Los Angeles Rams in return. The Colts had a disappointing time under the new ownership, failing to reach the playoffs for the three seasons after 1971. Beginning in 1978 the Colts went through nine consecutive seasons with a losing record. In the strike shortened 1982 season the Colts finished with a 0-8-1 record. This earned the Colts the right to select John Elway in the draft but Elway refused to play for Baltimore and forced a trade to Denver.
7. The Baltimore Colts played their last home fixture in Baltimore against the Houston Oilers on December 18th, 1983. In early 1984 the Colts lease on the Memorial Stadium had expired and attendances were dropping due to the poor form of the team. Irasy and the city of Baltimore found themselves on increasingly bad terms which led to Irsay discussing the relocation of the team with several cities despite his public claims that he wished to remain in Baltimore.
8. The situation in Baltimore took a bad turn for Robert Irsay when the Maryland General Assembly  threatened to bring in a law that would give Baltimore the right to seize ownership of the Colts by eminent domain. This forced Irsay to choose between the two options of Phoenix and Indianapolis that he had narrowed his search of a new home to. Irsay decided on Indianapolis who had just competed the Hoosier Dome that had been built specifically to host an NFL team.
9. Following the deal to move to Indianapolis being reached moving vans from Mayflower transit, an Indianapolis based company were sent to the Colt’s Maryland complex during the early morning hours of March 29th, 1984 and were loaded with all the teams belongings and equipment and by midday left for the Colts new home of Indianapolis leaving nothing for the city of Baltimore to seize.
10. The Colts move from Baltimore to Indianapolis led to much legal activity which only came to an end when the city of Baltimore and the Colts settled in March of 1986 and the Colts agreed to endorse a new NFL team for the Baltimore. Many of the old-time Colts refused to accept the new status including Johnny Unitas who insisted he only was a player for the Baltimore Colts until the day he died, but his records serve as part of the history of the Colts and not the Ravens who are the current team in Baltimore.
11. Following the relocation of the Colts to Indianapolis they received over 140,000 season ticket requests in two weeks, however this failed to turn around the teams bad form and the Indianapolis Colts would appear in the post season only once in their first eleven seasons in their new home. In 1987 following the signing of eventual Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson the Colts would finish the season with a 9-6 record taking them to the post season where they would lose to the Cleveland Browns.
12. Following the 1987 season the Colts went through another period full of struggles. The Colts missed the post season for the seven seasons following 1987 and in 1991 finished with a 1-15 record and were just one point away from becoming the first NFL team to finish the season losing all of their games since the 16 game schedule was introduced. In 1994 the Colts acquired running back Marshall Faulk in the draft and also acquired quarterback Jim Harbaugh. This improved the Colts who made post season in 1995 and 1996. In 1995 the Colts were a Hail Mary pass reception away from appearing in the Superbowl.
13. In January of 1987 Robert Irsay died following years of poor health. The man who replaced the owner that had overseen the relocation of the Colts to Indianapolis was Robert Irsay’s son Jim. Irsay replaced general manager Bill Tobin with Bill Polian and decided to rebuild the team with their number one pick in the 1998 draft.
14. The Colts hired Jim Mora as the new head coach of the team in 1998 and used their number one pick in the draft to sign Tennessee Volunteer quarterback Peyton Manning, son of the New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning. The Colts struggled in Peyton Manning’s first season and only won three games with manning throwing a league high 28 interceptions in his first season but he did also pass for 3,739 yards and threw 26 touchdown passes.
15. In 1999 the Colts drafted running back Edgerrin James and carried on with the improvement to the roster. The Colts finished the season with 13-3 record and finished on top of the AFC East winning their first divisional title for 12 years. The Colts lost in the playoffs to the Tennessee Titans who would go on to win the divisional playoffs.
16. The Colts were less successful come the start of the new millennium. The 2001 season saw the Colts finish with a record of 6-10 and saw increasing pressure on the people running the team. Jim Mora was replaced at the end of the season by Tony Dungy who turned things around quickly and saw the Colts finish the 2002 season with a 10-6 record and a return to the playoffs.
17. 2003 and 2004 saw the Indianapolis Colts reach the playoffs again with 12-4 records and the AFC South Championships. The New England patriots defeated the Colts in the AFC Championship game of 2003 and the 2004 divisional playoffs which was the beginning of a rivalry between the two franchises and their quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
18. The 2005 regular season saw a lot of success for the Colts with them winning their first 13 games and ending the season with a 14-2 record which was the best in the NFL that season and the best over 16 games for the Colts franchise. The NFL record for touchdowns for a quarterback and wide receiver pair was broken by the tandem of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Unfortunately the season ended disappointingly when the Colts were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the play offs.
19. In 2006 the Colts chose running back Joseph Addai out of LSU in the first round of the draft and started the season in spectacular fashion winning their first 9 games and finished the regular season with a record of 12-4 and entered the playoffs as the number 3 seeds in the AFC defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens enrolee to beating the New England Patriots in a classic AFC Championship game overcoming a 21-3 deficit in the first half to win 38-34 and cement their place at Superbowl XLI which they won defeating the the Chicago Bears 29-17 and winning their first Super Bowl title.
20. The 2007 season was not as successful for the Colts. They finished the regular season with an impressive 13-3 record but were defeated in the divisional playoffs by the San Diego Chargers in the final game at the RCA Dome before moving to their current home, the Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts finished the 2008 season with a 12-4 record earning them a spot in the play offs as a wild card team where they were defeated again by the San Diego Chargers in the wild card round. Following seven season as head coach Tony Dungy retired with a record of 92-33 with the Colts.
21. The Indianapolis Colts named Jim Caldwell as their new head coach for the 2009 season and the Colts had an incredible regular season going 14-0 before losing the last 2 games where they benched their starters. The Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in the play offs earning them a spot at Superbowl XLIV where they lost to the New Orleans Saints 31-17. 2010 was a disappointing season for the Colts where they finished the regular season with a 10-6 record and a loss to the New York Jets in the wild card round of the playoffs in what would be Peyton Manning’s last game for the Indianapolis Colts.
22. Peyton Manning missed the entire 2011 season through injury and was replaced in the starting line up as starting quarterback by Kerry Collins but the Colts lost the first 13 games of the season and finished with a 2-14 record which was enough to receive the first pick in the 2012 draft and on March 8,2012 Jim Irsay announced that Peyton Manning would be released from the roster after 13 years in Indianapolis.
23. 2012 saw the Colts enter a rebuilding phase with the hiring of a new General Manager, Ryan Grigson and a new head coach in Chuck Pagano. This time also saw the release of many of the Colts senior players including Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark and Gary Brackett. The Colts used their number one draft pick to recruit quarterback Andrew luck  from Stanford and also signed Stanford’s Coby Fleener in the second round.
24. The Colts ended the 2012 season with an 11-5 record and were further united behind Pagano following the news that Head Coach Cheuck Pagano was battling Leukemia. The team rallied behind a sign left by a fan that said “Chuck Strong”. The Colts reached the play offs where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Baltimore Ravens.
25. The Colts original helmets in 1953 were white with a blue stripe. The next year they were blue with a white stripe and a pair of horseshoes added to the rear. The horseshoes were moved to their current location in 1957. The blue home jerseys have white shoulder stripes whilst the white jerseys have blue stripes. In 2002 the stripes on the shoulders now only sit on the top instead of going all the way around. 
26. The Colts current home, the Lucas Oil Stadium had an estimated cost of $1 billion and in Lucas Oil Products paid around $122 million to acquire the naming rights for the stadium in a 20 year deal. It is a seven level stadium with a capacity of 63,000 but can be changed to house 70,000 for basketball games and concerts. The Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof enabling the Colts to play their home games outside and hosted the 2011 Superbowl game.
27. The Colts have retired the number 19 for quarterback Johnny Unitas. Unitas was born on May 7, 1933 and passed on September 11, 2002. He had the nickname :The Golden Arm” and was the NFL’s MVP in 1959, 1964 and 1967 and Unitas’ record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass stood for 52 years. Unitas was inducted into the American Football Association’s Semi Pro Hall of Fame in 1987.
28. The Colts have retired the number 22 for running back Claude “Buddy” Young who was born on January 5, 1926 and passed in September of 1983. The 5’4” running back had the nickname “The Bronze Bullet” and is one of the shortest men to ever play in the NFL. Over his 10 year professional career Young finished with an average of 4.6 yard per carry as a running back,15 yards per reception as a receiver and just under 28 yards per kick off return.  Young was the first Colt to have his number retired and was the first African American executive hired by the NFL.
29. The Colts have retired the number 24 for halfback Leonard Edward Moore. Moore was born on November 25, 1933 and played for Penn State College before signing for the Colts in 1956 where he was named Rookie of the Year in his first season. Moore excelled as both a runner and receiver from 1957-1961 he would record over 40 catches per season and in 1958 caught a career high 50 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns helping Colts win the NFL Championship.
30. The Colts have retired the number 70 for defensive tackler Art Donovan. Donovan was born on June 5, 1924 and passed on August 4, 2013. His full name was Arthur James Donovan Jr. and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Art was given the nickname “The Bulldog” and was a five time consecutive Pro Bowl Selection, the first Colt to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame and part of the back to back NFL Championship winning Colts of 1958/1959.
31. The Colts have retired the number 77 for Jim Parker. Jim Parker was born in Georgia on April 3rd, 1934 and passed on July 18, 2005. Parker played for the Colts from 1954 to 1956 and was inducted into the Pro football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. Parker was selected as in the first round of the 1957 NFL Draft as the eighth player selected overall. From 1957 to 1962 Parker played as an offensive tackle and was selected to five Pro Bowl Teams and is often mentioned when talk turns to who was the best offensive lineman of all time.
32. The Colts have retired the number 82 for wide receiver Raymond Berry. Berry was born in Corpus Christi in Texas on February 27, 1933. He was part of the Colts team that won two NFL Championships and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973. After becoming permanent starter in his second NFL season and didn’t miss a single game until his eighth year in the league. During his career, Berry led the NFL in receptions three times and only dropped two passes in his career and only fumbled the ball once. He was selected in six Pro Bowl games and in the 1958 Championship Game he caught 12 passes for 178 yards and 1 touchdown. Berry finished his career with a record of 631 receptions for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns.
33. The Colts have retired the number 89 for defensive end Gino Marchetti. Marchetti was a defensive end that played for the Colts between 1953 and 1956. Marchetti was born on January 2, 1927. Marchetti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972 and is regarded by many to be the greatest defensive end in the history of the game. marchetti was a Pro Bowl selection from 1955 to 1965 and an All-NFL selection from 1956 to 1964 and finished 39th in a poll for the NFL 100 Greatest Players in 2010.
34. The Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was a ring around the RCA Dome which now encircles the Lucas Oil Stadium to mark those responsible for making outstanding contributions to the Indianapolis Colts. The Ring of Honor started in 1996 and has seen a new inductee every year since 2010.
35. The first name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was Robert Irsay in 1996. Robert Irsay was born on March 5, 1923 and passed on January 14, 1997. Irsay bought the Rams franchise in 1972 for $19 million so he could trade it for the Baltimore Colts franchise. In 1984 under much controversy Irsay moved the Colts franchise from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Following his death in 1997 the Colts were passed on to his son Jim Irsay.
36. The second name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was William T. Brooks. Added to the Ring in 1998, Brooks became the first player to be inducted. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 6, 1964 Brooks for the Colts as wide receiver from 1986 to 1992 serving as the top receiver in five of his seven seasons in Indianapolis. Brooks finished his career with a record of 583 receptions for 8,001 years and 46 touchdowns.
37. The third name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was Ted Marchibroda in 2000. Marchibroda was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania on March 15, 1931. During his playing days he represented the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals. Marchibroda took over as head coach for the Baltimore Colts in 1975 and won the AFC East  title in his first three years there. He stayed as coach until 1979 but returned for a second spell as the Indianapolis Colts head coach from 1992 to 1995. Marchibroda finished his coaching career with a record of 87-98-1 and now serves as a pre game commentator for the Indianapolis Colts.
38. The fourth name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was Chris Hinton in 2001. Hinton was a tackle and guard who spent most of his 13 year NFL career representing the Colts. Born in Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1961 he was selected by the Denver Broncos as the 4th pick in the 1983 Draft before being traded to the Colts for John Elway. He was selected in seven Pro Bowls, six of which were during his time at the Colts. Hinton once said “I always used to be kidded by the guys on the Colts ‘We could’ve had Elway instead of you’ And I’d say ‘Yeah but you wouldn’t have had anybody to block for him’”.
39. The fifth name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was quarterback Jim Harbaugh in 2005. Harbaugh was born on December 23, 1963 in Toledo Ohio. Harbaugh signed for the Colts on April 7, 1994 where he would play until 1998 when he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. In 1995 during his second season in Indianapolis, Harbaugh led the Colts to the AFC Championship game where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In that season Harbaugh was selected of the Pro Bowl, named Comeback Player of the Year and AFC Player of the year and was runner-up in the NFL MVP. After finishing his playing career and moving into coaching, Harbaugh served as head coach at Stanford University where he had a young Andrew Luck as his quarterback. Harbaugh currently serves as the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach
40. The sixth name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was the 12th Man in 2007. A position as an acknowledgement to the fans and their ongoing support of the Indianapolis Colts. The term twelfth man originated in 1921 where Texas A&M referred to their fan base with it and the term is actually licensed to Texas A&M by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
41. The seventh name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was Tony Dungy in 2010. Dungy was born in Jackson, Michigan on October 6, 1955. Dungy joined the Indianapolis Colts as head coach on January 22, 2002 following his time as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Joining a Colts team with a very effective offence, Dungy focused on improving the somewhat weak defence and by 2005 the Colts won their first 13 games of the season and were tipped to go the whole season undefeated but in the last 2 games Dungy used the starters soaringly to preserve them for the play offs. In 2006 Dungy led the Colts to the AFC Championship and then to Superbowl winners becoming the second African American coach to lead his team to the Superbowl and on December 23, 2007 won his 72nd game as Colts head coach becoming the winningest coach in the history of the franchise. Dungy is also the first NFL head coach to defeat all 32 NFL teams.
42. The eighth name added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was wide receiver Marvin Harrison in 2011. Harrison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 25, 1972. Harrison spent all 13 years of his NFL career at the Colts after being the 19th selection in the 1996 NFL Draft. In 2002 Harrison broke Herman Moore’s single season receptions record by 20 receptions and finished the season with 143 catches. In 2006 Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history with 1000 receptions and is one of only seven wide receivers to score over 100 touchdowns. During a game against the Tennessee Titans in 2008, Harrison moved to 2nd on the all time receivers list with 1,102 receptions.
43. The ninth player added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was running back Edgerrin James in 2012. James was born in Immokalee, Florida on August 1, 1978. James was selected by the Colts as the 4th overall pick in the NFL Draft of 1999. He was named the 1999 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated press and won the NFL rushing title in his first two seasons in the NFL. Following a serious injury where he tore his ACL many believed he wouldn’t return the same player but on his return he rushed over 1,500 yards in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. James left the Colts as their all time leading rusher with 9,226 yards and was given a Super Bowl ring following the Colts 2006 triumph.
44. The tenth player added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was running back Eric Dickerson in 2013. Dickerson was born in Sealy, Texas on September 2, 1960.  Dickerson was traded to the Colts in one of the biggest deals ever at the time which consisted of Cornelius Bennett being traded by the Colts to the Buffalo Bills for the first round pick in the 1988 draft, and first and second round picks in 1989 and running back Greg Bell. The Colts then traded Bell and the picks they had received plus their own first and second round picks in the 1988 draft and running back Owen Gill to the Rams for Dickerson. Despite only playing nine games for the Colts that year Dickerson amassed 1,011 yards finishing the season with 1,288. He became the fastest player ever to pass the 10,000 yard mark, doing so in only 91 games. Dickerson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
45. The eleventh player added to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor was running back Marshall Faulk in 2013. Faulk was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 26, 1973. Faulk was drafted as the 2nd overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Colts. In his first season Faulk rushed for 1,282 yards, 11 touchdowns and one receiving touchdown and became the first NFL player to win both the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and the Pro Bowl’s MVP Award in the same season. In 1998 he set a personal high with 1,319 rushing yards as well as catching 86 passes for 906 yards and was the NFL leader in total yards from scrimmage with an incredible 2,227 yards.
46. Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks and players the Indianapolis Colts have ever had. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 24, 1976, he represented the Colts for 14 seasons following his being drafted by the Colts as the number 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Manning led the Colts through a hugely successful period winning 8 division championships, 2 AFC Championships and 1 Superbowl. During his time at the Colts he won a record 4 most valuable player awards, was the MVP of Superbowl XLI, has been selected in 12 Pro Bowls, has twelve season throwing over 4,000 yards and is the Colts all time leader in passing yards with 54,828 and touchdown passes with 399 and Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated named him as the NFL player of the decade for the 2000’s.
47. Reggie Wayne is a wide receiver that was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 17th, 1978. Wayne was selected by the Indianapolis Colts using the 30th selection in the 2001 NFL Draft. Wayne broke into the starting line up for good in the 2003 season where he caught 68 balls for 838 yards and seven touchdowns. Wayne steadily improved and in the 200y season he caught a then career high of 104 receptions and a career high of 1,510 yards. In 2010 Wayne was second in the NFL receptions with 111 and third in receiving yards with 1,355. Wayne recently broke Cris Carters record of consecutive games with 3 or more receptions with 59 games. As of November 2013 Wayne is 10th in receptions on the NFL’s all time reception list and 14th on the all time receiving yards list.
48. Andrew Luck is the Indianapolis Colts quarterback. Born in Washington D.C. on September 12, 1989, his father was former Houston Oilers quarterback Oliver Luck. Andrew Luck played college football for Stanford University where he won the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award for college football’s player of the year. Luck finished runner up for the Heismann trophy in 2010 and 2011. CBS Sports draft analyst called Luck the best prospect he had ever seen. After finishing the 2011 season with a 2-14 record the Colts got fist pick in the 2012 Draft where they chose Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. In his short time so far a the Colts, Luck has already gained quite the reputation and has set records for most passing yards in a game by a rookie quarterback with 433, most passing yards by a rookie in a single season with 4,374, most 300+ yards passing games by a rookie quarterback, most game-winning drives by a rookie quarterback with 7 and is tied with John Elway for most wins in his first 20 starts with 14.
49. The Indianapolis Colts are a member of the South Division of the AFC in the NFL. They are the only team in the division not actually in the southern United States. The Colts were members of the NFL from their very beginnings and were one of a group of three teams to with to the AFC after the 1970 merger. Since moving to Indianapolis form Baltimore in 1984 the Colts have appeared in the playoffs 14 times, have won two conference championships and one Superbowl. They play their home games at the Lucas Oil Stadium after moving from the RCA Dome in 2008. The Colts record holders are Peyton Manning for passing (54,828 yards), Edgerrin James for rushing (9,226 yards), Marvin Harrison for receiving (14,580 yards) and Tony Dungy for coaching wins (85 wins).
50. And finally some random Colts facts. Frank Kush was the first head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The Baltimore Colts and the Indianapolis Colts have both won a Superbowl held in Miami, Florida. Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning are both sons of former NFL quarterbacks. As of November 2013 the Colts back up quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is the oldest in his position in the NFL at 38 years old playing in his 16th season as an NFL Pro. Peyton Manning’s first ever touchdown pass as a Colt was to legendary receiver Marvin Harrison. Johnny Unitas played the role of an opposing team’s coach in the movie Any Given Sunday. In 1999 the Colts became the first NFL team to win 10 more games than they did in the previous season. The Colts were the first NFL team to have cheerleaders and Superbowl XLI where the Colts defeated the Bears was the first ever Superbowl held in the rain.