Tragic History Of The Indianapolis Colts

By 1984, the Baltimore Colts had devolved into the early '80s equivalent of meme fodder. Instead of young, talented John Elway at quarterback, they had journeyman-caliber Mike Pagel, who never became a regular starter again after his stint with the Colts ended (via Pro Football Reference). And while they did improve to a 7-9 record

By 1984, the Baltimore Colts had devolved into the early '80s equivalent of meme fodder. Instead of young, talented John Elway at quarterback, they had journeyman-caliber Mike Pagel, who never became a regular starter again after his stint with the Colts ended (via Pro Football Reference). And while they did improve to a 7-9 record in the 1983 season, that was still a losing record — their sixth consecutive. As noted by Forbes, attendance was also dwindling, as fans preferred to stay home than watch their hometown team get clobbered on any given Sunday. Through it all, owner Robert Irsay kept insisting that he had no plans to move the Colts to another city, despite myriad rumors suggesting otherwise.

Then, in the "cover of darkness," as many sources have since put it, Irsay loaded up 15 trucks late at night on March 28 and literally moved the Colts to Indianapolis, where they remain to this day. Just a day before this infamous event, the Maryland Senate voted to allow Baltimore to seize the Colts and prevent them from leaving. However, Irsay had other ideas, as he accepted an 11th-hour deal to move his club instead of forcibly giving it up. Supposedly, the owner was at loggerheads with Baltimore officials over improvements to the Colts' home field, the Memorial Stadium, in the lead-up to the move to Indianapolis (via History). 

In an interesting case of deja vu, pro football returned to Baltimore in 1996 when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, also mired in a similar dispute with his team's home city, moved the team and renamed it the Ravens.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCDkWlvamlfqb%2Bis8icZKGho6m8s8WMqJ1mrJiaeqq6w6KYp5mgpLmqv4ycpqWso2Q%3D

 Share!