60 Fun Facts About Indianapolis Colts

In which city did the Colts play before moving to Indianapolis in 1984?

The name came from a fan contest and the city's horse-breeding and racing heritage; Indianapolis kept it despite having no such tradition.

Which moving company's vans famously carried the Colts out of Maryland overnight on March 29, 1984?

The trucks were dispatched before the Maryland legislature could pass a bill letting the city seize the team by eminent domain; even the marching band's gear nearly went.

Which quarterback, once cut by the Steelers and playing semi-pro for $6 a game, led the Colts to 1958 and 1959 titles?

He got his Colts tryout in 1956 by tagging along with a Bloomfield Rams teammate; his 47-game touchdown-pass streak stood for half a century.

The 1958 NFL Championship, 'the Greatest Game Ever Played', was the first decided how?

Alan Ameche's one-yard plunge ended it in front of an estimated 45 million TV viewers, a moment often credited with making the NFL a national obsession.

Which coach led the Colts to their 1958 and 1959 titles and then beat them with the Jets in Super Bowl III?

The 18-point-favourite Colts lost 16–7 after Joe Namath's famous guarantee; Namath was MVP without throwing a touchdown.

How many points were the Colts favoured by when they lost Super Bowl III to the Jets?

It was the first Super Bowl win for the upstart AFL and remains one of the great upsets in American sport.

The Colts won Super Bowl V 16–13 on a last-second field goal by which kicker?

The turnover-strewn 'Blunder Bowl' is the only Super Bowl whose MVP came from the losing side, Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley.

Super Bowl V is unique for what?

Chuck Howley intercepted two passes for Dallas; he was also the first non-quarterback to win the award.

In 1972 Carroll Rosenbloom traded the entire Colts franchise to Robert Irsay in exchange for what?

It remains the only straight swap of NFL franchises; Unitas was traded to San Diego after the following season.

Which Stanford quarterback refused to play for the Colts after going first overall in 1983 and forced a trade to Denver?

He used the leverage of a New York Yankees baseball contract; the Colts had gone 0–8–1 in the strike-shortened 1982 season to earn the pick.

Which future Hall of Fame running back did the Colts acquire by trade in 1987?

The three-team deal with the Rams and Bills brought the reigning rushing champion; the Colts went 9–6 and won the AFC East.

The Colts' 1991 team went 1–15, one point away from what?

The 1981 defence had already given up an NFL-record 533 points; both marks led to coaching changes.

The 1995 Colts came within a Hail Mary of Super Bowl XXX, losing the AFC Championship Game to which team?

Jim Harbaugh's final heave was batted around the end zone as time expired; it was the franchise's first playoff win in Indianapolis.

Which GM, hired in 1997, drafted Peyton Manning first overall and built the Super Bowl XLI team?

He was fired after the 2–14 season of 2011, ending a 14-year tenure, weeks before Manning was released.

Peyton Manning played his college football at which school?

He was the son of Saints legend Archie Manning; as a rookie he threw a league-high 28 interceptions but 26 touchdowns.

Peyton Manning holds the NFL record for most MVP awards. How many did he win?

Four came with the Colts and a fifth with Denver in 2013; he also holds the record for 4,000-yard passing seasons.

Which Colts receiver set the single-season record with 143 catches in 2002?

He and Manning became the most prolific touchdown tandem in history; Michael Thomas finally broke the mark with 149 in 2019.

Which running back did the Colts draft fourth overall in 1999 to complete their offensive triplets?

He was picked fourth overall out of Miami and won the rushing title in each of his first two seasons.

Tony Dungy took over the Colts in 2002 after being fired as head coach of which team?

He retired after 2008; the Colts finished the 2000s with the most regular-season wins of any team, 115.

Who coached the Bears against Tony Dungy's Colts in Super Bowl XLI?

Smith had been Dungy's assistant in Tampa; the two friends made it the first Super Bowl with two Black head coaches.

Which team did the Colts beat 29–17 in Super Bowl XLI, the franchise's first title in Indianapolis?

Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the first Super Bowl played in rain, but Manning was named MVP.

In the 2006 AFC Championship Game the Colts came back from what deficit to beat the Patriots 38–34?

It was their first AFC title game since 2003 and finally beat Tom Brady when it mattered; Super Bowl XLI followed two weeks later.

The 2005 Colts started 13–0 and finished with what record, the franchise's best in a 16-game season?

They still lost their first playoff game, to Pittsburgh; Manning and Harrison broke the record for QB-receiver touchdowns that year.

The Colts lost Super Bowl XLIV 31–17 to which team after a 14–0 regular season start?

Jim Caldwell's team rested starters at 14–0 and finished 14–2; an onside kick to open the second half turned the game.

The Colts had the most regular-season wins of any NFL team in the 2000s decade. How many?

That worked out to a .719 winning percentage from 2000 to 2009, ahead of even the Patriots.

Who made eight starts at quarterback for the 2-14 Colts in 2011 while Manning was out?

Kerry Collins started the season but was hurt in Week 3; Painter took over, lost all eight starts and was benched for Dan Orlovsky. The collapse earned the first overall pick and, in March 2012, Manning's release.

Which Stanford quarterback did the Colts take first overall in 2012 to replace Peyton Manning?

He led an 11–5 turnaround while his head coach fought leukaemia, and beat Manning's undefeated Broncos in 2013.

In the 2013 wild-card round the Colts beat Kansas City 45–44 after trailing by how much?

They outscored the Chiefs 35–13 in the second half in what was then the second-biggest comeback in playoff history.

The Colts' loss to New England in the 2014 AFC Championship Game became infamous under what name?

The Patriots were accused of under-inflating footballs; the Colts had already lost 59–24 to them in 2012 and 42–20 that regular season.

What reason did the Colts' franchise quarterback give for retiring in August 2019 at 29?

He had missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury and been Comeback Player of the Year in 2018; the news broke during a preseason game.

Which head coach withdrew from the Colts job in 2018 hours after being announced, returning to the Patriots?

The Colts hired Eagles coordinator Frank Reich three days later; McDaniels' U-turn is one of the odder episodes in NFL hiring history.

Which two Colts rookies were named first-team All-Pro in 2018, a feat last managed by Butkus and Sayers?

Guard Nelson and linebacker Leonard were both drafted by Chris Ballard that April.

Which longtime Chargers quarterback signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Colts in 2020?

He led an 11–5 season and a wild-card loss to Buffalo; Wentz in 2021 and Ryan in 2022 followed as one-year stopgaps.

Which former Colts centre with no coaching experience was named interim head coach in November 2022?

He went 1–7 after Frank Reich's firing and was not retained; Shane Steichen got the job in February 2023.

Which Florida quarterback did the Colts select fourth overall in 2023?

A shoulder injury ended his rookie year after four games; Gardner Minshew took over and the team finished 9–8.

Who became the Colts' principal owner and CEO in June 2025 after her father's death?

Irsay's three daughters inherited equal stakes; the eldest took charge, with her sisters as executive VP and chief brand officer.

The Colts' late owner paid $2.43 million in 2001 for the original manuscript of which book?

Kerouac's 120-foot 'scroll' joined a collection that Guitar Magazine later called the greatest guitar collection on Earth.

Which stadium was the Colts' home from 1984 to 2007?

Built as the Hoosier Dome to lure an NFL team, it was ready before the Colts even arrived; the last game there was a 2007 playoff loss to San Diego.

Which annual NFL event has Indianapolis hosted since 1987?

Prospects run their 40-yard dashes each February at Lucas Oil Stadium, which seats 63,000 for football.

The Colts' horseshoe logo moved to its familiar spot, one on each side of the helmet, in which year?

In 1954–55 the pair of horseshoes sat at the rear of a blue helmet; the classic look has barely changed since.

Which kicker won Super Bowls with the Patriots and Colts and retired as the NFL's all-time leading scorer?

He scored 2,673 points and made 599 field goals, 14 seasons of them in Indianapolis.

Which Colts pass rusher from Syracuse made the spin move his Hall of Fame trademark?

He and Robert Mathis bookended the defensive line of the Super Bowl XLI team.

Which team did the Colts beat 27–17 in the first-ever AFC Championship Game, in January 1971?

The Colts, Steelers and Browns were the three NFL clubs that agreed to join the AFC after the merger, and the Colts promptly won the new conference.

Which Colts quarterback was the 1976 NFL MVP, playing behind a defensive line nicknamed the 'Sack Pack'?

Those teams won three straight AFC East titles from 1975 to 1977 but lost in the divisional round each time, the last on the 'Ghost to the Post'.

Which running back did the Colts take second overall in 1994, sparking their mid-90s revival?

GM Bill Tobin also brought in Jim Harbaugh; Faulk later won a Super Bowl and an MVP with the Rams.

Which head coach's fight with leukaemia rallied the 2012 Colts to an unexpected 11–5 playoff season?

He was fired after a 4–12 season in 2017; his replacement-to-be famously changed his mind within hours.

Which defunct team's assets did Carroll Rosenbloom purchase in 1953 to create the Baltimore Colts?

The NFL still counts the Colts as a 1953 expansion team rather than a continuation of that franchise.

Who was the Colts' first head coach, going 3-9 in the inaugural 1953 season?

The franchise did not post a winning record until 1957, its fifth season in Baltimore.

Which team shut out Don Shula's 12-2 Colts 27-0 in the 1964 NFL Championship Game?

Shula had replaced Weeb Ewbank in 1963 and later left for Miami.

Along with Rosenbloom's Colts, which two owners agreed to move their teams to the AFC in the 1970 merger?

The Browns and Steelers joined the Colts and the ten AFL teams to form the new conference.

Against which team did the Baltimore Colts play their final home game on December 18, 1983?

Robert Irsay kept demanding upgrades to Memorial Stadium before the overnight move to Indianapolis.

Roughly how many season-ticket requests did the Colts receive in two weeks after arriving in Indianapolis?

The team kept the Colts name even though Indianapolis had no history of horse breeding or racing.

Whom did Jim Irsay fire as head coach in 1998 before hiring Bill Polian as general manager?

Polian then hired Jim E. Mora and drafted Peyton Manning first overall.

How many interceptions did Peyton Manning throw as a rookie in 1998, the most in the league that year?

He still passed for 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns and made the All-Rookie First Team.

Which team ended the Colts' 9-0 start to the 2006 season?

The Colts had drafted running back Joseph Addai that spring and went on to win Super Bowl XLI.

Which veteran quarterback was signed to start for the 2011 Colts after Manning was ruled out?

He was brought in after the team lost confidence in backups Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky.

How many fans does Lucas Oil Stadium seat for football?

It can be reconfigured for 70,000 or more for NCAA basketball and concerts, and its retractable roof lets the Colts play outdoors.

For which quarterback did the Colts trade a third-round and a conditional second-round pick in March 2021?

Despite an All-Pro year from Jonathan Taylor, the team finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs after a loss in Jacksonville.

What tertiary colour did the Colts add to their identity in 2020, initially only on the Nike swoosh?

A black alternate helmet followed in July 2023 alongside the 'Indiana C' shoulder logo.

Which AFC South rival has the oldest rivalry with the Colts, dating to the 1970 season?

It began as Baltimore Colts versus Houston Oilers; the Colts led the series 37-22 through 2023.