How They Got Their Name: Indianapolis Colts

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The history of the Indianapolis Colts goes back to 1946 with many changes of scenery along the way.  Before they were known as the Colts, they were the Miami Seahawks of the newly established All-America Football Conference (AAFC).  But after just one season and accruing a lot of debt, the team folded and was bought by a group of entrepreneurs who moved them to Baltimore in 1947.  This is when a name the team contest was held.  Charles Evans was chosen as the winner of the contest, with his entry of the “Colts.”  With a great tradition of horse racing and breeding in the Baltimore area, the name was a good fit.  This didn’t last long, however.  After becoming part of the NFL in 1950, the team folded again, following just a single year in their new league.

The franchise was revived a couple years later, when they relocated to Dallas and became the Texans.  One disastrous season was all it took though, and their time in Dallas came to an abrupt end.  They were sold once again, this time to Carroll Rosenbloom, and moved back to Baltimore where they would play from 1953 until 1983.  In early 1984, owner Robert Irsay decided to move the team to Indianapolis, Indiana after failing to get funding for a new stadium in Baltimore.  There they have settled in ever since, and though Baltimore fans were not very happy with them taking the Colts name with them, it has without a doubt become part of Indianapolis football and the legacy they have created over the last 40 years.

Garett