List of Indianapolis Colts seasons

Then-U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates the Colts on their Super Bowl XLI victory.

The Indianapolis Colts, formerly the Baltimore Colts, are an American football team playing in the National Football League (NFL). This list documents the season-by-season records of the Colts franchise from 1953 to present, including postseason records and league awards for individual players or head coaches. In 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom gained the rights to a new Baltimore franchise. Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team, and was awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization, the descendant of the last remaining Ohio League founding APFA member Dayton Triangles.[1] The new team kept the Triangles' blue and white color scheme and was named the Colts after the unrelated previous team that folded after the 1950 NFL season.[2] After 31 seasons in Baltimore, Colts owner Robert Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis, Indiana.[3]

The Colts have won two Super Bowl championships (Super Bowl V and Super Bowl XLI). They also played in and lost Super Bowl III and Super Bowl XLIV. Before the AFL and NFL merged in 1970,[4] they won three NFL Championships (1958, 1959, and 1968). By winning Super Bowl XLI the Colts became the first team that played its home games in a domed stadium to win a Super Bowl held in an outdoor stadium.[5][6]

After the Colts owner Jim Irsay hired Tony Dungy in 2002,[7] the Colts made the playoffs for nine straight seasons. They won five straight AFC South titles from 2003 to 2007 and had seven consecutive seasons of 12 or more victories from 2003 to 2009, the first time that has been achieved in the NFL's 90-year history.[8] Much of the team's success throughout the 2000s was attributed to the trio of general manager Bill Polian, coach Dungy, and quarterback Peyton Manning.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

In the 2013 season, the Colts secured their first division championship since Manning's departure and first under quarterback Andrew Luck and head coach Chuck Pagano. As of 2023, they are the only team in the AFC South to win a Super Bowl (the Tennessee Titans have not won any Super Bowls either in Tennessee or in their previous incarnation as the Houston Oilers, while the Colts won the Super Bowl in 1970 while in Baltimore and the 2006 title while in Indianapolis).

  1. ^ MacCambridge, Michael (2004). America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation. New York City: Random House. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.
  2. ^ "Baltimore Colts Back In League". The Times-News. United Press. February 4, 1953. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  3. ^ "Colts: Team History". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
  4. ^ "This Day In History – Jun 8, 1966: NFL and AFL announce merger". History. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  5. ^ Trotter, Jim (February 5, 2007). "Colts prove naysayers wrong: Indianapolis becomes first dome team to win Super Bowl". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  6. ^ Byrne, Kerry (January 13, 2010). "Kerry J. Byrne: Why dome teams struggle in playoffs". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Dungy hired as Colts head coach". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 22, 2002. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  8. ^ Banks, Don (August 6, 2010). "Colts' history shows team should avoid Super Bowl hangover". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  9. ^ Richard, Phil. "Greatness by Design". Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  10. ^ Keefer, Zak. "Dungy and Harrison: Hall of Famers, together". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Wilson, Josh (May 27, 2013). "ESPN Ranks Dungy as NFL's 20th Best Coach Ever". Stampede Blue. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Tony Dungy on Building Relationships With Athletes". SportsEngine. April 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bill Polian Lends His Expertise To Colts About General Manager Opening". www.colts.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ^ Miller, Matt. "Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts and the End of a Dynasty". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Smedley, Kyle (May 13, 2022). "Peyton Manning's 13 Seasons With The Indianapolis Colts, Ranked Worst To Best". TheSportster. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Peyton Manning latest of 2000s Colts to reach Canton; more to come?". Fox 59. February 7, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  17. ^ Staff Writer. "Colts, Patriots still the gold standard". Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  18. ^ "Colts, Patriots Make Arguments For Decade's Best Team". www.cbsnews.com. November 18, 2010. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.