My All Time Favorite Indianapolis Colts Players
The Indianapolis Colts, formerly the Baltimore Colts, have a proud history. In 1958, they won the NFL Championship Game between the Colts and the New York Giants which became known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” It was the first game to go into overtime and in front of a large television audience, the Colts triumphed 23-17. Colts fans have been privileged to cheer on two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. The Colts are one of the NFL’s classic teams. Iconic Colts stars like Johnny Unitas, John Mackey, Art Donovan and Raymond Berry all wore the Colts’ blue and white during that game. Unitas is considered by many to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. During the team’s time in Baltimore, the great Colts teams won three NFL championships and a Super Bowl.
Controversially moving to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts had some superstars like Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk, two of the best running backs of all time, but it took until the drafting of Peyton Manning in 1998 for the Colts to acquire its franchise superstar. With Manning at the helm, the Colts were a playoff certainty, even winning Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were on that team and are also some of the best Colts ever.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS
Johnny Unitas
Peyton Manning
Andrew Luck
RUNNING BACKS
Lenny Moore
Edgerrin James
Joseph Addai
Alan Ameche
WIDE RECEIVERS
Marvin Harrison
Reggie Wayne
Raymond Berry
TIGHT ENDS
John Mackey
Dallas Clark
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
OT – Tarik Glenn (1997-2006)
Jim Parker
Ray Donaldson
Chris Hinton
OT – Bob Vogel (1963-1972)
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Gino Marchetti
Art Donovan
Gene Lipscom
Dwight Freeney
LINEBACKERS
LB – Don Shinnick (1957-1969)
Mike Curtis
LB – Bill Pellington (1953-1964)
Ted Hendricks
DEFENSIVE BACKS
CB – Lenny Lyles (1958,1961-1969)
Bruce Laird
Bert Rechichar
Rick Volk
S – Jerry Logan (1963-1972)
Bob Sanders
SPECIAL TEAMS
K – Mike Vanderjagt (1998-2005)
P – Rohn Stark
PR – Clarence Verdin
KR – Lenny Moore
NICKNAME
- Baltimore’s first pro football team was a member of the 1947 AAFC. A fan contest produced the Colts name reflecting the great tradition and proud history of horse breeding and racing in the Baltimore region. The original Colts disbanded after the 1950 season but the name was retained when a new Baltimore franchise began play in 1953. The Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984.
TEAM NAMES
- Baltimore Colts (1953-1983)
- Indianapolis Colts (1984-Present)
HEAD COACHES
- Weeb Ewbank (1954-1962)
- Frank Kush (1984)
- Hal Hunter (1984)
- Rod Dowhower (1985-1986)
- Ron Meyer (1986-1991)
- Rick Venturi (1991)
- Ted Marchibroda (1992-1995)
- Lindy Infante (1996-1997)
- Jim Mora (1998-2001)
- Tony Dungy (2002-2008)
- Jim Caldwell (2009-2011)
- Chuck Pagano (2012-2017)
- Frank Reich (2018-Present)
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS
- Super Bowl V (1970) – Baltimore Colts defeat Dallas Cowboys 16-13
- Super Bowl XLI (2006) – Indianapolis Colts defeat Chicago Bears 29-17
SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES
- Super Bowl III (1968) – Baltimore Cots vs. New York Jets
- Super Bowl V (1970) – Baltimore Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Super Bowl XLI (2006) – Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears
- Super Bowl XLIV (2009) – Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
- 1995, 2003, 2006, 2009
DIVISION CHAMPIONS
- 1987, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014
PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
- 1987, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014
PLAYOFF RECORD
- 22-23 .400
HALL OF FAME PLAYERS
- Richard Dent DE (1996)
- Eric Dickerson RB (1987-1991)
- Marshall Faulk RB (1994-1998)
RETIRED NUMBERS
- 19 Johnny Unitas QB (1956-1972)
- 22 Buddy Young RB (1953-1955)
- 24 Lenny Moore RB (1956-1967)
- 70 Art Donovan OT (1953-1961)
- 77 Jim Parker OT (1957-1967)
- 82 Raymond Berry WR (1955-1967)
- 89 Gino Marchetti DE (1953-64, 66)
PRO BOWL MVP
- 1995 Marshall Faulk RB
AWARDS
COACH OF THE YEAR
- None
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- 1985 Duane Bickett LB
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- 1994 Marshall Faulk RB
- 1999 Edgarine James RB
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- 2007 Bob Sanders S
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- 2004 Peyton Manning QB
NFL MVP
- 2003 Peyton Manning QB
- 2004 Peyton Manning QB
- 2008 Peyton Manning QB
- 2009 Peyton Manning QB
SUPER BOWL MVP
- Super Bowl XLI – Peyton Manning QB (2006)
Colts: a tale of two cities. history of the team in Baltimore, from its woeful start in the 1950s to the building of a powerhouse led by coach Weeb Ewbank, Alan Ameche, and ninth-round draft pick Johnny Unitas. They went on to the 1958 championship, later dubbed “the greatest game ever played,” and were embraced by the blue-collar town. Later years included Super Bowl III under new coach Don Shula, the last-minute thrills of Super Bowl V, Joe Thomas’s subsequent dismantling of the team that led to Unitas’ final game in Baltimore, the dawning of the Bert Jones and Ted Marchibroda era, and, on March 28, 1984, the Mayflower vans that departed for Indianapolis. WR Raymond Berry, DT Art Donovan, DE Gino Marchetti, coach Don Shula, RB Lenny Moore
Colts’ 1984 welcome to Indianapolis and the subsequent development of the team. Again starting with some lean years, the Colts traded for Eric Dickerson and drafted Jeff George, Steve Emtman, and Marshall Faulk. After a run to the 1995 AFC Championship game, the arrival of superstars Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James as well as coach Tony Dungy helped the Colts battle the Steelers in the January 2006 playoffs. Marchibroda, Jim Harbaugh, the 2003 “Monday Night Miracle” when Dungy returned to Tampa Bay, the 2005 Game of the Week in which Manning and Harrison made history