National Football League
Indianapolis Colts
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Colts History
One late night in 1984, the Baltimore Colts snuck out after midnight and arrived in Indianapolis to great fanfare. The franchise would sell 143,000 season tickets in just two weeks. The first game was played on September 2, 1984 against the New York Jets, losing 23-14. Head Coach Frank Kush was fired even before the final game of a 4-11 season. Assistant Hal Hunter took over Interim Head Coaching duties. In 1985 the franchise hires Rod Dowhower and the team suffers a near total collapse as they lose their first 13-games. Adding fuel to the fire, the team was blown out in all but two games. Coach Dowhower was replaced by Ron Meyer after loss # 13 and the team won the final 3 games of the season to finish 3-13.
The strike of 1986 was probably a good thing for the regular players of the colts as the scabs performed better than the original team, which lost the first two games of the season before the strike occurred. The scabs won 2 of 3 games then the franchise acquired star RB Eric Dickerson. The following day, without Dickerson playing, the Colt beat the New York Jets to improve to 4-3. When the regular players returned, the team continued to win and took their division with a 9-6 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Colts were dispatched by the Cleveland Browns 38-21.
In 1990, the Colts draft # 1 Pick Jeff George who had a breakout season passing for 2,152 yards while connecting on 16 TD passes. RB Eric Dickerson holds out of training camp because of a contract dispute forcing the franchise to suspend the HB for 4 games for detrimental conduct to the team. When he finally returned, he rushed for 677 yards as the Colts again found themselves out of playoff contention with a 7-9 record.
After losing the first 5 games of the 91 season, the franchise fires Coach Ron Meyer and replaced him with Rick Venturi. The Colts losing continues for and pick up only 1 victory, a 1-point win over the NY Jets. The team goes 1-15 and scores a horrible 143 points for the entire season.
The franchise, in 1992, and in an attempt to regain some of the grandeur of decades past, hire Ted Marchibroda who coached the Baltimore Colts to 3-Division Titles in the 70’s. The team would finish 9-7 and failed to make the playoffs. The next year, the team has no running game and the defense was shoddy. The fans began to show their disapproval by not attending the games. The team finishes 4-12.
1994 was the year of the shake up as Colts management trade QB Jeff George to Atlanta and drafted RB Marshall Faulk who would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,804 All-Purpose Yards yet the team finishes a dismal 8-8.
The 1995 season would prove to be an up down affair. QB Jim Harbaugh takes the starting job back after game 3 and leads them to a 9-7 regular season and managing a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Matched up against the San Diego Chargers, the Colts hand the favored Bolts a 35-20 defeat. The next round pitted the Colts against the Kansas City Chief who were also heavily favored. The game is a defensive battle and the Colts manage a slim 10-7 victory to advance to the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game is close and with the score at 20-16 Pittsburgh, the Colts had one last shot at the Super Bowl. Harbaugh fires up a Hail Mary Pass into the end zone but is caught by the Colts’ Aaron Bailey, ending the Colts season.
Head Coach Marchibroda is insulted in 1996 as the franchise only offers him a 1-year contract extension which he promptly turns down. He bolts from the Colts to the Baltimore Ravens and the Colts name Lundy Infante as Head Coach. After a string of injuries, Coach Infante is happy to get the team to the 6th seed with a 9-7 record. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers quickly end any hopes of Super Bowl contention with a 42-14 whipping.
1997 saw the death of beloved Colts Owner Robert Irsay and son Jim Irsay becomes the youngest Owner in the NFL . His franchise drafts Syracuse WR Marvin Harrison with the 19th pick of the draft but the team suffers with an anemic 3-13 record. Indicative of the season, QB Jim Harbaugh gets into an argument with Buffalo QB Jim Kelly and walks away with a broken hand.
GM Jim Irsay takes full responsibility for the teams performance and fires both Coach Infante and Director of Football Operations Bill Tobin. He then reaches out to Carolina Panthers GM Bill Polian and hires him as President of Operations and immediately releases QB Harbaugh who took them to the AFC Championship game 2-years earlier. Polian decided to upgrade via the draft as they had the #1 pick again. Out of the two QB’s coming out of college (Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning) were much hyped. Polian picked Manning which turned out to be the right choice as Leaf only completed 3 seasons, appeared in 25 games making 21 starts. In those starts, he completed 315 of 655 passes for 3,666 yards, 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. The Colts also trade RB Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams and they drafted RB Edgerrin James and all was well in the Colts world.
Manning would immediately be thrust into the starters role and he did not disappoint as he racks up 4,135 passing yards even as James picks up the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award with 2,159 All-Purpose Yards along with 17-touchdowns. The Colts manage the biggest turnaround in NFL History as the team finishes 13-3, the exact opposite of the prior year. The Colts faced the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Playoffs and were outgunned 19-16 ending their season.
The new millennium saw the Colts Payton Manning have another outstanding season as he passes for over 4-thousand yards again. Edgerrin James also picked up 2,303 All-Purpose Yards but the Colts Defense was suspect and erratic. With 3-games left in the season, the Colts had to win out in order to ascend into the playoffs. The team does just that and finishes the year at 10-6. In the Playoffs, the Colts faced the Dolphins and led by as much as 14 through the 3rd quarter. However, the Dolphins managed a well conceived comeback and knock the Colts out of the playoffs with a 23-17 win.
2001 saw the Colts finish a dismal 6-10 even as Manning had another monster season (4,131 yards). The franchise requested that Coach Mora fire his defensive assistants and when Mora refused, it cost him his job. He was replaced by Defensive Coach Tony Dungy who had been fired as Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Tony Dungy era begins with a series of positive seasons (10-6 in 2002, 12-4 in both 2003 & 2004). Payton’s 2004 49-regular season touchdowns breaks the record held by Dan Marino since 1984. The ’05 season proved yet another stepping stone in the right direction as the team finished the season with a spectacular 14-2 record. One sad note on week 16 is the suicide death of Head Coach Tony Dungy’s son. Rocked, the team lost the opening game of the playoffs to eventual Super Bowl Champions Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Colts would use their draft pick to acquire RB Joseph Addai out of Louisiana State University and finish the year at 12-4 and a match up against the Kansas City Chiefs which they handled 23-8. The Colts then progressed and matched up against the Baltimore Ravens which they dispatched 16-6, progressing to the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots. Things started out bad for the Colts as Tom Brady and the Patriots storm to a 21-3 and going into the 4th the score was 28-21 Pats. The Colts continue the comeback scoring a recorded 18-points in the largest comeback in NFL Conference Championship History. The Colts were on the way to Super Bowl XLI.
Super Bowl XLI matched the Colts against the Chicago Bears in Miami, Florida and was the first Super Bowl in which both head coaches were African-American. The game opened with Devin Hester returning the opening kick 92-yards for a touchdown.
Manning, maneuvering a drive of his own, hits WR Reggie Wayne on a 53-yard TD strike though the extra point kick is bungled due to rainy conditions and the score is 7-6 Bears. The Bears defense strikes as Colts RB Joseph Addai fumbles on a handoff. Bears Defensive End Mark Anderson recovers the ball. The first Bears possession results in RB Thomas Jones scampering 52-yards up to the Colts 5-yard line. QB Rex Grossman hits WR Muhsin Muhammad for a 4-yard TD strike.
The 2nd Quarter saw the Colts score on an Adam Vinatieri FG and later a handoff to RB Dominic Rhodes for a 1-yard TD run bringing the score to 16-14.
The Colts dominance continues in the 2nd half as K Adam Vinatieri connects on 2 more FG’s to Chicago’s only points a 44-yard FG. By the end of the 3rd quarter, the score is 22-17 Colts. The Colts defense again steps up in the 4th as Kelvin Hayden intercepts a pass meant for Muhammad. Hayden returns the pick 56 yards for a touchdown.
The final score for Super Bowl XLI was Colts 29, Bears 17 as Indianapolis wins its first Super Bowl Title. Payton Manning is named the MVP of the game as he completed 25 of 38 passes for 247-yards and a touchdown
2007 saw the franchise dominate the league as the Colts attempted to go throughout the season undefeated but finished at 14-3, losing the last game of the season to the Tennessee Titans 16-10. In the playoffs, the Colts matched up against the San Diego Chargers and were handed a defeat with a score of 28-24, knocking the Colts out of the Playoffs.
The Colts have made the playoffs 12 times in 25 seasons. They have won their Division 7 times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), they have won the Conference Championship 1 time (2006) and won the Super Bowl 1time (2006).
The Colts have had 1 Hall of Famer on their Rosters, Eric Dickerson (1987-1991).
Team Awards include 1 Defensive Rookie of the Year (1985 Duane Bickett), 2 Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1994 Marshall Faulk & 1999 Edgerrin James), 1 Defensive Player of the Year (2007 Bob Sanders), 1 Offensive Player of the Year (2004 Peyton Manning) and 3-NFL MVP Awards (2003, 2004 and 2008 Payton Manning)
The Colts have retired 7 Jerseys: # 19-Johnny Unitas, #22-Buddy Young, #24-Lenny Moore, #70 Art Donovan, #77 Jim Parker, #82 Raymond Berry and #89 Gino Marchetti.
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