Piloted by quarterbacks
Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall, the Colts captured four NFL championships
from 1958 to 1971. (The Super Bowl was not played until 1967, so
only one of these championships was a Super Bowl victory.) Unitas
was one of several future Hall of Fame members who played in the
talented lineups of head coaches Weeb Ewbank and Don Shula. The
Colts earned three consecutive division titles during the mid-1970s
under head coach Ted Marchibroda. Defensive end John Dutton, quarterback
Bert Jones, and running back Lydell Mitchell starred on these teams.
Professional football
in Maryland dates to 1947, when the Miami Seahawks of the All-America
Football Conference (AAFC) moved to Baltimore and became the Colts.
In 1948 quarterback Y. A. Title won the league’s passing championship
as Baltimore tied for the Eastern Division crown. A year later the
AAFC folded and the Colts joined the NFL, but after two consecutive
seasons with 1-11 win-loss records, the franchise was dissolved.
The Colts were reborn
in 1953 when the NFL’s Dallas Texans moved to Baltimore and
took the name Colts. Owner and business executive Carroll Rosenbloom
promptly engineered the biggest trade in league history—a
deal that sent five Colts to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for
ten players, including defensive back Don Shula.
Following four seasons
of rebuilding, the Colts captured consecutive NFL titles in 1958
and 1959 under head coach Weeb Ewbank. Baltimore assembled the league’s
top offense both years, with teams starring four future Hall of
Fame members. The passing combination of Johnny Unitas to receiver
Raymond Berry became one of the most celebrated in league history.
Lenny Moore was one of the NFL’s most durable running backs,
and guard-tackle Jim Parker anchored a superb offensive line. Linemen
Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti, also future Hall of Fame members,
led a tenacious defense that held 16 of 26 opponents—including
Baltimore’s two championship game foes—to 21 or fewer
points in 1958 and 1959. Baltimore’s overtime defeat of the
New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game is regarded as
one of the greatest NFL contests ever played. A year later, the
Colts again bested the Giants for the NFL crown.
During the 1960s Baltimore
remained a dominant power in the NFL as Unitas continued to power
the team. In 1960 he became the first NFL quarterback to pass for
more than 3,000 yards in one season. Shula replaced Ewbank in 1963,
becoming one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history at age
33. Over the next seven seasons, he steered the Colts to four first-place
finishes in their division. In 1964 Baltimore recorded a club-record
12 victories, and Unitas collected the second of his three most
valuable player (MVP) awards. Although they were favored in the
NFL Championship Game, the Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns.
The Colts enjoyed an
outstanding season in 1968, winning 13 of 14 games. Earl Morrall
replaced the injured Unitas and produced an MVP season, leading
the league in passing while throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. John
Mackey, who was one of the first tight ends in professional football
to catch passes, combined with Morrall to lead a Colt team that
was heavily favored to win the Super Bowl. The NFL-champion Colts,
however, were upset by the American Football League (AFL) champions,
the New York Jets, who were led by quarterback Joe Namath.
Shula left Baltimore
in 1970 to take over the Miami Dolphins. His replacement, Dan McCafferty,
put together the league’s most powerful offense, and the team
won the Eastern Division title. The Colts then advanced to the Super
Bowl, where they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on a last-second field
goal by rookie Jim O’Brien. Three years later, Unitas was
traded for the rights to select quarterback Bert Jones in the 1973
NFL draft. After Unitas’s departure, the Colts suffered two
losing seasons before returning to prominence in 1975 under head
coach Ted Marchibroda. A potent offense starring Jones, wide receiver
Roger Carr, and running back Lydell Mitchell powered Baltimore to
three consecutive Eastern Division crowns from 1975 to 1977. The
Colts lost in the first round of the playoffs each season.
After having endured
seven straight losing seasons from 1978 to 1984, and faced with
dwindling fan support, the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Led by running
back Marshall Faulk and quarterback Jim Harbaugh, the Colts reached
the AFC Championship Game in 1995, but they lost to the Pittsburgh
Steelers. In 1999 wide receiver Marvin Harrison, running back Edgerrin
James, and quarterback Peyton Manning led the team to the Eastern
Division championship, but the Colts lost to the Tennessee Titans
in the playoffs.
1969 Super Bowl III Lost
to New York Jets, 16-7
1971 Super Bowl V Defeated
Dallas Cowboys, 16-13
