The Baltimore Colts left an indelible mark on the league and the city of Baltimore. The Colts were a beloved team, especially in the late 1950s through the 1960s, a period during which the franchise likely had its best teams.
Colts Origins
The stories of how the Colts were founded are a bit complicated. The Baltimore Colts were a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Colts were one of three AAFC teams that formed a partial merger with the NFL before the 1950 season. The other two AAFC teams that joined the NFL were the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.
The team that was once the AAFC Colts is not fully related to today’s Indianapolis Colts, although the AAFC Colts franchise is indirectly related to today’s Colts. Again, it’s a bit complicated. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is that the AAFC Colts went bankrupt multiple times in different cities under different names, including as the Miami Seahawks and Dallas Texans.
Baltimore Colts AAFC
The AAFC Colts first played in 1947, the AAFC’s second season. The team colors were green and silver. Legendary quarterback Cecil Isbell coached the original AAFC Colts. He couldn’t reproduce the championship magic he had with the Green Bay Packers throwing passes to the great Don Hutson. The Colts finished 2-11-1 in 1947.
The team’s president was 38 year-old Robert Rodenberg, the son of a U.S congressman, William A. Rodenberg. Robert Rodenberg purchased the rights to the defunct and bankrupt Miami Seahawks from the AAFC to form the Colts. Rodenberg and his investors reportedly lost about $250,000 in their first season.
The team reorganized in 1948, with Charles McCormack listed in the press guide as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Rodenberg’s name doesn’t appear in the 1948 press guide.
This 1948 photo shows AAFC owners at a meeting. The Colts owner is listed as Walter Driskill, seated on the far right. Also note baseball luminaries Dan Topping (Yankees) and Branch Rickey (Dodgers) standing next to each other on the far left.
By the time the AAFC Baltimore Colts merged into the NFL before the 1950 season, the team’s president was Abe Watner. Watner originally applied to form an NFL team in Baltimore in 1941, but the league didn’t approve the expansion franchise.
The Year the Colts Joined NFL
When did the Colts join the NFL? In 1950. The Colts were one of three AAFC teams that merged into the NFL. Although the 1950 Colts aren’t completely related to today’s Indianapolis Colts, their origins indirectly align.
The 1950 Colts won only one game. In 1952, the abandoned franchise became the Dallas Texans. The 1952 Dallas Texans weren’t financially solvent even during midseason and were taken over by the NFL before season’s end. A book called “Wards of the League” chronicles the 1952 Dallas Texans. I spoke with author Mike Coburn about the book and the history of the 1952 Dallas Texans on the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast.
It is important to note that the 1952 Dallas Texans are completely unrelated to Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans of the American Football League. Hunt’s Dallas Texans team is now known as the Kansas City Chiefs.
Carroll Rosenbloom Colts Owner
Bert Bell, NFL commissioner at the time, contacted Carroll Rosenbloom in the hopes that he’d restore the franchise to Baltimore. In an incredible deal for the reluctant Rosenbloom, Bell offered Rosenbloom the franchise if he could sell a certain number of season tickets. The low quota was easily met, backed by a “Bring Back the Colts” movement which pledged $25,000 in season tickets in less than 24 hours.
1950s Baltimore Colts
The Colts history under owner Carroll Rosenbloom might stand as the most beloved years of the franchise. By the end of the 1950s, the Colts had won two championships under head coach Weeb Ewbank. They also had some of the biggest stars in pro football on their team. This included Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, and Gino Marchetti. The team was hugely popular in the city.
Led by quarterback Johnny Unitas. Unitas, known for his pinpoint passing and leadership, guided the Colts to several successful seasons, including a victory in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, often referred to as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” This landmark victory against the New York Giants helped solidify the NFL’s popularity and catapulted the Colts to national recognition.
Johnny Unitas Colts QB
Johnny Unitas’ career with the Baltimore Colts was a transformative era in the history of the franchise and the NFL as a whole. From 1956 to 1972, Unitas redefined the quarterback position and left an enduring legacy. Although fans associate Unitas with the Colts, he eventually ended his career with the San Diego Chargers.
Unitas was known for his exceptional leadership, pinpoint passing, and clutch performances. He guided the Colts to multiple NFL Championships, including the historic 1958 Championship Game, often referred to as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” His cool composure and ability to rally his team in crucial moments became his trademark. Receiver Raymond Berry also played a huge part in the Colts victory. You can listen to Raymond Berry share stories about the game and Johnny Unitas in the podcast episode below.
Unitas was a 10-time Pro Bowler and earned three NFL MVP awards. He set numerous passing records during his career, establishing himself as one of the most prolific quarterbacks of his time. Unitas’ ability to read defenses, make quick decisions, and deliver accurate passes with a powerful arm revolutionized the game.
Unitas’ impact extended beyond his statistics, as he became a cultural icon and helped popularize the passing game in an era dominated by running plays.
Johnny Unitas’ career with the Colts established him as an iconic figure in football history, forever remembered as one of the greatest quarterbacks to have played the game and an emblem of the franchise’s storied legacy. Below is a photo of Unitas with Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom taken in 1965.
1960s Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts hired Don Shula to replace Weeb Ewbank in 1963, following a 7-7 campaign in 1962. Shula was a hot commodity after he found a way to shut down the powerful Packers offense as a Detroit Lions assistant. Under Shula’s guidance, the Colts were perennial contenders, appearing in multiple playoff games and consistently boasting one of the league’s top defenses.
Yet the Colts under Shula are a bit of a heartbreak story. Despite enormous regular season success, the Colts failed to win a championship under Shula. Although heavily favored going into the 1964 NFL Championship Game, the Colts were shut out by the Cleveland Browns, 27-0. In 1965, the Colts lost a divisional playoff that was marred by a controversial field goal. The worst loss came at the hands of the AFL’s New York Jets in Super Bowl 3, which Rosenbloom defined as an embarrassment that he would never repeat.
Super Bowl 3 marked the beginning of the end of Shula’s time in Baltimore. He soon left for Miami after his assistant coach Chuck Noll found a head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Colts Super Bowl Champions
The Colts’ success continued into the 1970s, highlighted by their victory in Super Bowl 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, under first-year head coach Don McCafferty. The game was marked by a dramatic finish, with kicker Jim O’Brien sealing the win with a field goal in the final seconds.
Super Bowl 5 was the first Super Bowl after the full merger of the AFL and NFL. Both the Colts and Cowboys were NFL teams in 1969; the Colts accepted a reported $3-5 million dollars to compete in the AFC with original AFL teams.
After the AFL/NFL merger, the Colts defeated the Raiders in the first-ever AFC Championship Game en route to their Super Bowl 5 championship. Below is a photo of Jim O’Brien celebrating the winning field goal.
After the Super Bowl, Colts Director of Player Personnel, Upton Bell, left Baltimore to serve as the Patriots GM. He drafted many players essential to the Colts Super Bowl championship, including Mike Curtis, who many think should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Upton shared stories of the Colts NFL Draft strategies in the 1960s on The Game Before the Money Podcast.
Colts Traded for Rams
In 1972, owner Carroll Rosenbloom traded the Colts franchise for the Los Angeles Rams franchise. Robert Irsay became the owner of the Colts.
Colts of the 70s and 80s
The Colts were unable to return to Super Bowl form through the remainder the 1970s, despite having star quarterback Bert Jones at the helm. Jones led the Colts into the playoffs three times in the mid-1970s, but injuries limited his career. After Jones’ career ended, the Colts’ hopes faded more and more.
In 1984, the Colts moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night, marking a new chapter in the franchise’s history. The team faced initial struggles but found success in the late 1990s under the leadership of quarterback Peyton Manning.
Colts History Timeline
1946: The Baltimore Colts are founded as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
1950: The AAFC merges with the NFL, Colts become an NFL franchise.
1958: The Colts win their first NFL Championship by defeating the New York Giants in the famous “Greatest Game Ever Played” in sudden-death overtime.
1959: The Colts win their second-straight NFL championship. A 24-point fourth-quarter explosion proved the difference.
1963: The Colts hire Don Shula as head coach to replace Weeb Ewbank.
1964: Baltimore earns a spot in the NFL Championship Game but the Colts lose to the Cleveland Browns.
1965: The Colts lose to the Packers in the playoffs after a controversial field goal sends the game into overtime.
1968: The Colts win their third NFL Championship by defeating the Cleveland Browns. The victory is followed by a loss in Super Bowl 3 against the New York Jets, coached by Weeb Ewbank.
1970: The NFL and AFL merge and the Colts become part of the AFC East division.
1970: The Colts win the first-ever AFC Championship Game. The team wins Super Bowl 5 on a last-second field goal by Jim O’Brien.
1984: During the offseason, the Colts move in the middle of the night to Indianapolis.
