Baltimore Colts (1947–1950)
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name, it was a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 and then joined the National Football League (NFL) for one season before folding. The Colts were one of the least successful teams in the AAFC and NFL both on and off the field, winning only 11 of their 54 games in their history. In 1953, Baltimore was granted an expansion team that revived the Colts name. That franchise moved in 1984 and became the Indianapolis Colts.
| Founded | 1947 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1950 |
| Based in | Baltimore, Maryland |
| League | All-America Football Conference (1947–1949) National Football League (1950) |
| Division | National Conference |
| Team history | Miami Seahawks (1946) (de facto) Baltimore Colts (1947–50) |
| Team colors | Green, silver, white |
| Head coaches | Cecil Isbell (1947–49) Walter Driskill (1949) Clem Crowe (1950) |
| General managers | Jack Espey (1947) Walter Driskill (1948–1950) Al Ennis (1950) |
| Home field(s) | Municipal Stadium (1947–1949), Memorial Stadium (1950) |
This Colts team's origin lies with the Miami Seahawks, one of the charter franchises of the AAFC. After playing a single disastrous season, the Seahawks were seized by the league, and were purchased and reorganized by a group of businessmen as the Baltimore Colts. The new team struggled through the next three seasons, but managed to grow a sizable fan base in Baltimore. In 1949, the Colts were one of three AAFC teams, along with the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns, to be brought into the NFL following the AAFC–NFL merger. They played only during the 1950 season before financial pressures forced them to fold.