Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis

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Baltimore

Indianapolis

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Following the 1983 season, the Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis

The Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis was a successful effort by the then-owner of the Baltimore Colts (Robert Irsay) to relocate the American football team from Baltimore, Maryland, to Indianapolis, Indiana, after the 1983 National Football League (NFL) season. The team began play as the Indianapolis Colts in the 1984 NFL season.

Irsay moved the team in the dead of night on March 28–29, 1984, after the city of Baltimore proved unwilling to replace Memorial Stadium and the Maryland General Assembly was on the verge of passing legislation allowing the city to seize the team via eminent domain. The move embittered many Baltimoreans for decades,^[1] and has had a lasting impact on the NFL, including a similar controversy 12 years later that brought Baltimore its current NFL franchise, the Ravens.