To show how angry Baltimore got from the move, from 1996-2012 whenever the colts played the ravens in Baltimore the scoreboard listed the Colts as "The Indianapolis Football Team" not the colts.
@@jessemarano5644 Yup, it's completely true. When the Colts ran out of the tunnel in Baltimore, they were introduced as the "Indianapolis Professional Football Team," and while every other team got their team name displayed on the scoreboard during the game, the Colts were only shown as "Indy" instead of "Colts."
This move was so bizarre and unique that several of its aftershocks are unique in and of themselves: - Until 2012, Baltimore refused to use the name "Colts" whenever the Colts played in the city. They were introduced as the "Indianapolis Professional Football Team," and the scoreboard would only show them as "Indy" instead of "Colts." - The Baltimore Colts Marching Band was left behind (someone warned them in advance of the move, and they got their equipment out before the trucks came in) and somehow stayed as one entity in the twelve-year absence of professional football. When the Browns moved in and became the Ravens, they were adopted by the new team and renamed "Baltimore's Marching Ravens." - Former Colts legends such as Johnny Unitas (among others) have cut off all ties to the Colts and considered the Ravens as their team. - The lone Super Bowl trophy the Baltimore Colts won (1970 season, the first after the AFL-NFL merger and the first to be named the Vince Lombardi Trophy) did not go with the team to Indianapolis. Instead, a settlement was reached that allowed the city of Baltimore to keep the trophy. This is the only instance in which a franchise did not get to keep a championship trophy after relocation.
At the time, the uniforms were being dry cleaned. They ultimately became the marching band for the Baltimore Stallions in the short lived CFL experiment. When the Browns’ team was announced as moving to Baltimore, and the Browns were in suspended operations for 3 years, they became the Marching Ravens. The Stallions became the third version of the Montreal Alouettes.
I don't even have to watch the video. Saw the Mayflower van and immediately knew. But it worked out in the end. We got the Ravens later and they have been a great team.
Nick George, I was glad to get an NFL team but, I hated that it was a storied franchise as The Browns. As a city we got teased all the time by teams especially the Cardinals. But when then time came for us to earn an expansion team Baltimore had the best publicly funded package and the NFL chose Jacksonville. The Commission said "Why don't they take that money and build a museum"
@@nickgeorge7637 For Christ sake GET OVER IT! Cleveland got a team 3 years later. Baltimore waited 12 years, never got the team name, never got the colors etc. Cleveland fans STILL whine about how they got screwed to this day and they got EVERYTHING back. Team name, history, etc. Let it go. You have the Browns.
Rick K. Yeah that were shit for 20 years while we get to watch you win 2 Super Bowls. Relocation is fucking bullshit period shouldn’t have happened with the colts or browns people won’t just get over that especially when it keeps on fucking happening to this day the chargers moved for no fucking reason. It needs to stop especially after they rip these cities with taxes just to bounce.
@Lewis 970 The ironic thing about this statement, the Cardinals have been to the Superbowl more often than the Ravens have since the move to Baltimore. The Rams also won the Superbowl for the first time the year prior to the Ravens' first time there.
Something a lot of people don't realize is the Colts now have more years in Indy than Baltimore. The tipping point was 2014. Robert Irsay was a prick but Jim Irsay is a much different person. More like a stoner/hippie
I agree. But Jim Irsay is also a prick.. Jim is the reason why him and Peyton Manning didn’t get along and that’s also the reason why Manning left in free agency to play in Denver and declined a one day contract with the Colts to retire as a member of that team
Appreciate the Winnipeg Jets shout out. I grew up there and when they sent our team to the Arizona desert 🌵 of all places, that was the biggest slap in the ass of all. Thankfully we got our team back in 2011.
Wouldn’t it have been great to get the Coyotes back? It’s crazy that they haven’t relocated yet. The Jets being back in Winnipeg was and is great for the NHL.
@@SaveznaRepublikaJugoslavija as much as I and every single Winnipeg Jets fan in the world HATES the Oilers, we are damn glad they never moved to Houston.
Actually, John Elway didn't want to play for Colts' coach Frank Kush, not Robert Irsay. Also, you forgot to mention that the Lakers, before they played in Minneapolis, played in Detroit and were called the Gems, and The New York Yankees were also called The Highlanders.
@@nickiaryee-annan6626 Baker is due a playoff appearance and maybe a SB ring of his own, if things work out. Don't hate the Browns or Cleveland, they honestly deserve something after decades of crap.
@@blonde8953 Not the Pats fault that the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets suck. Maybe if the NFL redistributed the teams like put Steelers or Ravens in AFC East and shift Jets of Bill off.
@@adnjxn6465 actually, St. Louis was abandoned TWICE. (Cardinals to Phoenix/Arizona, and Rams back to Los Angeles akin to Al Davis doing the same with the Raiders.)
Do a video on belichick resigning after only a day as the jets head coach. This was a cool and insightful video and you’d have a field day with that story about belichick
I live in Baltimore. The 2pm starts at Memorial Stadium for churches didn't help. They were almost never on TV. Also they had been playing pre-season games in other cities. Both Irsay and the governments of Baltimore and the state of Maryland share blame.
I'm from Baltimore and when I was a kid the loss of the team was heartbreaking. However, the facts show that Irsay had no choice. He warned politicians for 10 years that he was going to take the team, but they never made any reasonable offers. The idea that he made a surprise move in the middle of the night is not true. The fans also bear responsibility for voting against stadium funding and supporting politicians who refused to build a new stadium. Isn't interesting that suddenly Baltimore came up with a beautiful new stadium just 11 years later? They could have done it before and kept the Colts. But hey we have the Ravens now, so something bad turned into something great, including 2 Super Bowls.
Jake Alden Looking back on it, Baltimore Deserved to Lose the Colts, and why, The City of Baltimore no longer supported the team, and also, because Baltimore was stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts, no wonder they moved to Indianapolis!!!!
I think these billionaire owners extracting stadiums from taxpayers so they can make more money in their closed monopoly is the root of many of these franchise moves. What other private businesses get their factories paid for by taxpayers?
@@markgrice8214 you have no idea what you’re talking about. Stadiums back then cost more to build than what nfl franchises were worth back then. Colts and orioles paid rent to the city of Baltimore to play there. Would you like to educate us on why renters are obligated to pay for repairs on their landlords properties?
Very true. You couldn't explained it better. Indianapolis give him a gold mine, and it was an offer lrasy couldn't refuse. At that time Indianapolis was the only city that could give him the okay right at that moment.
Irsay is like ever NFL team owner. He's in business to make 💰. Team owners are not in business for fan enjoyment. Baltimore and it's fans didn't want to spend tax payers money to keep the team. Indianapolis just finished building a brand new stadium with no team. Naturally the city was looking to steal a team. Indianapolis gave Irsay a gold mine. Escaping in the middle of the 🌙 saved Irsay a lot of 💰 fighting eminent domain. The Baltimore 📻 broadcasters for the first couple years broadcast the Colts home and away games. There was some people in Baltimore that actually thought for the first couple years that the Colts were going to move back to Baltimore. It cost a whole lot more to get the Browns than it ever would have to kept the Colts. In 1995 Art Modell tried to get Irsay to sell him the teams name, colors, and records Irsay said they weren't for sale.
Very thorough video. All the history that lead up to relocation in the middle of the night. I remember it well. I was 10 when the Indianapolis Colts were born.
I have lived and died (figuratively) with the New Orleans Saints who came into existence when I was 5yo in 1968. When Katrina struck San Antonio’s mayor made gestures that the temporary move of playing our home games there while the Dome was repaired should be made permanent. Tom Benson, the team owner, was originally from New Orleans (owning the Saints and Pelicans) but had made most of his fortune in San Antonio. I was already quite upset over loosing everything I owned due to the flood, but now MY beloved Saints might be taken. All turned out for the best, and I will never forget that first game back in the Dome playing the Falcons, with U2 performing ‘The Saints’ are coming.’ But, I cannot imagine what the Colt fans in Baltimore must have felt.
I remember that like yesterday. I live in Austin, which is right around the corner for Sa Town. Even though they have a NFL sized stadium San Antonio will probably always be used as a pawn by other teams to either get what they want from their current city or one with a more attractive market. The Raiders are the most recent example. They would constantly bring up San Antonio as a possible destination before landing in Las Vegas.
You know what would’ve been funny if the colts waited till game day on Sunday when everyone was headed to the stadium and then they announced that they moved to Indy
Actually I was told that John Elway didn't want to play for the Colts because he didn't want to be coached by then-Colts coach Frank Kush. But after hearing about how big a jerk Robert Irsay was, I wouldn't be surprised that he also didn't want to play for him as well.
I still believe John Elway not going to the Colts seal the deal for Baltimore's fate. Irsay was a cuck. After 30 years, Baltimore got a better deal rather than stuck with the Irsays
Y'all should watch the ESPN 30 for 30 "The Band that never Stopped Playing". It talked about the time between the Move and when Art Rooney established the Baltimore Ravens.
Knowing the entire story, while you can’t blame Baltimore folks for hating Bob Irsay, most of their anger should’ve been directed at their elected officials. Eminent domain...a pro football team?
Even though its biggest effect was arguably on another sport: with no NFL team to share a stadium with, the Orioles got all of the attention, and the result changed baseball.
Excellent background story. As a Baltimore Colts fan, this remains the darkest day in Baltimore Sports history. I like how he showed how irrational Irsay was. It was nearly impossible to deal with him. He would say one thing one day, and deny he said it the next. The former GM of the Colts said that he had to talk to Irsay before noon, because he was usually drunk by then. Irsay was impossible to deal with.
The final straw was an attempt to seize the team by eminent domain. With the Hoosier Dome construction nearly completed, they vacated the Owings Mills headquarters overnight. The 15 trucks took different ways out of Maryland and all met at the state line of Indiana.
How many video will there be about the Colts move to Indianapolis be made this year? (Still watching it to see your take) (knew about this for a long time)
@@derrickgoodman8434 Art Modell fired two all-time great head coaches in Paul Brown (1962) and Bill Belichick (1995). Belichick's full potential was never realized in Cleveland because of Modell. Jim Brown hated playing for him so much, he prematurely retired 2 years after Modell bought the Browns. Modell does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
I remember seeing those trucks on the news in the middle of the night, with the snow coming down. The older generation is still angry over Irsay backstabbing Baltimore. The rest of us don't really care. But, the Colts are one of my most hated teams...
All the TV news stations in Baltimore, Maryland, WMAR-TV 2 (NBC, now ABC), WBAL-TV 11 (CBS, now NBC) and WJZ-TV 13 (ABC, now CBS), as well as all the TV news stations in Indianapolis, Indiana, WTTV 4 (Independent, now CBS), WRTV 6 (ABC), WISH-TV 8 (CBS, now The CW) and WTHR 13 (NBC), were all drawn to this story like moths to a flame...it was controversial on Baltimore's end, while it seemed like good news on Indianapolis's end...
At first, when the NFL year started, they were called just the Colts. At the draft and early in the season, they weren’t referred as the Indianapolis Colts, just the Colts.
I believe Ken Behring actually did move the team to CA, then the league went “What do you think you’re doing?” and forced Behring to send the moving trucks back to Seattle.
The worst relocation of NFL football team of all time the Baltimore colts moving Baltimore on the Mayflower that stab a dagger in the heart of Baltimore colts fans and let's talk about the relocation 95 Cleveland browns to Baltimore it's kind of strange and weird at the same time we did get a football team back here in Baltimore for the 96 season but as an expansion team known as the Baltimore Ravens two super bowls and a 17-year. And 11 playoff appearances it's not bad for an expansion franchise but art modell did do the city of Cleveland wrong the anger in the frustration I've seen the new Cleveland browns struggle 20 years and hadn't had a good quarterback since Bernie kosar. hopefully Cleveland browns fans can be happy with Baker Mayfield
And I wonder how many times the Oakland/Los Angeles/ Oakland AGAIN Raiders!! Stab people in the back. Trust me when I say this but your team is last to say or call another out for back stabbing.
Removing the browns from Cleveland was so wrong on so many levels. One of the founding teams of the league in the state where football started. Art was in major debt and to bail himself out he moved the team that was loved by Cleveland.
Listen up smartass football has been around for since longer than the NFL. The founding representatives made football in a mechanic shop in canton Ohio. All the teams in the first professional league were from OHIO teams. So next time you think you know something look it up.
@@shawnm9237 still doesn't mean the Browns founded the league but I get what you're saying, yes football started in Ohio. Nice gratuitous potshot at CA btw 😝
at 6:48, John Elway didn't necessarily want to play for Irsay; he didn't want to play for Frank Kush. He hated Kush's no-nonsense, no-mercy coaching style.
“It doesn't belong there. Those things should be left in Baltimore, and when we get another team, the great things that Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti and people like Arthur did can all become part of the Baltimore tradition again." - Johnny Unitas
It definitely had to sting for Colts fans, but what Irsay did was totally justified. Having the local government threatening to seize your team is so messed up. Colts fans should blame the state of Maryland, not Irsay.
@@dnasty312 which also lead to the NY Baseball Giants to move from Upper Manhattan to San Francisco; mainly to keep the classic Dodgers-Giants Rivalry intact. Only thing was it took the Giants 52 years (and two ballparks) to win their first World Series since relocating, while the Dodgers have won four WS titles in the same time period.
5 reasons they succeed 1.OBJ 2.baker Mayfield 3.kareem hunt (halfway) 4. Defense (ward. Greedy. Myles.) 5. Their division (Pitt. Bal. CIN.) All took a step back wards. Reason they flop 1. CUZ THEY'RE THE BROWNS.
So, I guess file this under "looking from the other side". I've been a Colts fan ever since they moved to Indianapolis. I thought it was pretty cool that we have a NFL team now, says 7 year old me back in 1984. Looking back today, Sure Bob Irsay was a jerk, but you had 14 years from the first whispers of new stadium or else to get something done and Baltimore didn't! Indianapolis sure made a huge gamble building a stadium with no permanent tenant, and boy did that pay off. True then and true now, build and they will come (or stay)
That’s Because Baltimore Deserved to Lose the Colts, and why, The City of Baltimore no longer supported the team, and also, Because Baltimore was Stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts!!!!
The Colts moving to Indy and the old Browns leaving Cleveland are definitely the worst of relocations. A close third would be the LA Rams going to St Louis so soon after the Arizona Cardinals left that market.
Rusty Shackelford if they wanted to keep the team that bad, they should’ve give the Colts the new stadium that they needed. The desire for a new stadium for the Baltimore Colts had pre-dated Bob Irsay’s ownership of the Colts.
Baltimore tried to get an expansion team, and had a great offer. Tagliabue steered he expansion to Charlotte and Jacksonville. He wanted Baltimore to support the Redskins. They waited thirteen years. The only way to get back into the NFL was to entice a team move. The NFL awarded a franchise to Baltimore, like they did with Cleveland, the Browns moving o Baltimore could have been avoided. If Cleveland did not get a team, they would probably do the same thing Baltimore did.
It's always funny how fans and legislature always vote against government funding on big stadium projects and then throw a fit when the team threatens to leave
I'm so glad that my hometown pats didn't leave foxboro. Robert Kraft practically saved the pats from bankruptcy and relocation thanks to him buying the team in 94 and getting Gillette stadium approved in 99.
@@pizzas4599 IMO James White deserved MVP the man along with Tom Singlehandedly brought the Pats back. He had the most receiving yards as a running back
The recent Chargers move is ironic....they started originally in LA in 1958, then moved to San Diego in 1961....only to literally pack the trucks and move back to LA overnight.
To show how angry Baltimore got from the move, from 1996-2012 whenever the colts played the ravens in Baltimore the scoreboard listed the Colts as "The Indianapolis Football Team" not the colts.
No way
Yup, it's says Indy whenever they each other.
@@jessemarano5644 Yup, it's completely true. When the Colts ran out of the tunnel in Baltimore, they were introduced as the "Indianapolis Professional Football Team," and while every other team got their team name displayed on the scoreboard during the game, the Colts were only shown as "Indy" instead of "Colts."
Yup that's true. I lived across the street from memorial stadium. I remember when the Mayflower Van's pulled out that snowy night.
Baltimore is still butthurt to this day 😂😂😂
This move was so bizarre and unique that several of its aftershocks are unique in and of themselves:
- Until 2012, Baltimore refused to use the name "Colts" whenever the Colts played in the city. They were introduced as the "Indianapolis Professional Football Team," and the scoreboard would only show them as "Indy" instead of "Colts."
- The Baltimore Colts Marching Band was left behind (someone warned them in advance of the move, and they got their equipment out before the trucks came in) and somehow stayed as one entity in the twelve-year absence of professional football. When the Browns moved in and became the Ravens, they were adopted by the new team and renamed "Baltimore's Marching Ravens."
- Former Colts legends such as Johnny Unitas (among others) have cut off all ties to the Colts and considered the Ravens as their team.
- The lone Super Bowl trophy the Baltimore Colts won (1970 season, the first after the AFL-NFL merger and the first to be named the Vince Lombardi Trophy) did not go with the team to Indianapolis. Instead, a settlement was reached that allowed the city of Baltimore to keep the trophy. This is the only instance in which a franchise did not get to keep a championship trophy after relocation.
They got another trophy however
At the time, the uniforms were being dry cleaned. They ultimately became the marching band for the Baltimore Stallions in the short lived CFL experiment. When the Browns’ team was announced as moving to Baltimore, and the Browns were in suspended operations for 3 years, they became the Marching Ravens. The Stallions became the third version of the Montreal Alouettes.
Actually its not the only instance of not taking a trophy, Oklahoma Thunder didn't take the 79 trophy from Seattle when they moved.
@@alexisborden3191 I stand corrected. Thanks!
This was really interesting and made me think it would be neat to see a video of: 5 Best Sports Teams Owners and 5 Worst Sports Teams Owners
Indianapolis building an NFL Stadium for a team they didn't have is another great story on it's own.
I don't even have to watch the video. Saw the Mayflower van and immediately knew.
But it worked out in the end. We got the Ravens later and they have been a great team.
Rick K. It should’ve been an expansion team you ripped the heart out of Cleveland
Nick George, I was glad to get an NFL team but, I hated that it was a storied franchise as The Browns. As a city we got teased all the time by teams especially the Cardinals. But when then time came for us to earn an expansion team Baltimore had the best publicly funded package and the NFL chose Jacksonville. The Commission said "Why don't they take that money and build a museum"
@@nickgeorge7637 For Christ sake GET OVER IT! Cleveland got a team 3 years later.
Baltimore waited 12 years, never got the team name, never got the colors etc.
Cleveland fans STILL whine about how they got screwed to this day and they got EVERYTHING back. Team name, history, etc.
Let it go. You have the Browns.
Rick K. Yeah that were shit for 20 years while we get to watch you win 2 Super Bowls. Relocation is fucking bullshit period shouldn’t have happened with the colts or browns people won’t just get over that especially when it keeps on fucking happening to this day the chargers moved for no fucking reason. It needs to stop especially after they rip these cities with taxes just to bounce.
@Lewis 970 The ironic thing about this statement, the Cardinals have been to the Superbowl more often than the Ravens have since the move to Baltimore. The Rams also won the Superbowl for the first time the year prior to the Ravens' first time there.
5 NFL Teams we had no clue would make the playoffs and 5 NFL Teams We Had no clue wouldn’t make the playoffs
VloggerPlayz HD that’s a good idea but after week 16 so we know
Steelers and colts last year
Swift ns vita all time not just this season
You are a great storyteller! Thanks for explaining this event in a way that was both entertaining and easily understood.
I knew it was the colts by the title
I knew it by the truck 😂
Do "Ranking all 32 NFL Teams' Stadiums from Worst to First"
How would they rank the raiders? I like the idea I want to be clear it would be a really cool video idea
@@joshuacalandrino542 technically they still playing in their trash stadium
@@joshuacalandrino542 last lol
Lambeau Field at #1, then figure the rest out.
@@Tyrunner0097 Lambeau field is the most outdated piece of shit in the NFL. When was it built? The 1950s?
Something a lot of people don't realize is the Colts now have more years in Indy than Baltimore. The tipping point was 2014. Robert Irsay was a prick but Jim Irsay is a much different person. More like a stoner/hippie
I agree. But Jim Irsay is also a prick.. Jim is the reason why him and Peyton Manning didn’t get along and that’s also the reason why Manning left in free agency to play in Denver and declined a one day contract with the Colts to retire as a member of that team
Appreciate the Winnipeg Jets shout out. I grew up there and when they sent our team to the Arizona desert 🌵 of all places, that was the biggest slap in the ass of all. Thankfully we got our team back in 2011.
Wouldn’t it have been great to get the Coyotes back? It’s crazy that they haven’t relocated yet. The Jets being back in Winnipeg was and is great for the NHL.
My Edmonton Oilers almost moved to Houston in 1998, thankfully they stayed
@@SaveznaRepublikaJugoslavija as much as I and every single Winnipeg Jets fan in the world HATES the Oilers, we are damn glad they never moved to Houston.
And the rumors are out they could move somewhere else because of declining attendance as of March 2024
@@michaelleroy9281 and you also are aware Gary Bettman himself was in Winnipeg last week and personally endorsed Winnipeg ?
Actually, John Elway didn't want to play for Colts' coach Frank Kush, not Robert Irsay. Also, you forgot to mention that the Lakers, before they played in Minneapolis, played in Detroit and were called the Gems, and The New York Yankees were also called The Highlanders.
And don’t forget that the Colorado Avalanche once was the Quebec Nordiques before they relocated to Colorado in the Summer of 1995
Do “teams that have the easiest 2019/2020 schedules”
Hayden Owen Browns
Patriots
@@nickiaryee-annan6626 Baker is due a playoff appearance and maybe a SB ring of his own, if things work out. Don't hate the Browns or Cleveland, they honestly deserve something after decades of crap.
@@blonde8953 Not the Pats fault that the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets suck.
Maybe if the NFL redistributed the teams like put Steelers or Ravens in AFC East and shift Jets of Bill off.
@@time391 No one said it was their fault.
Going along with relocations,10 teams a relocation was needed and 10 teams that abandoned a supportive city
Jeff Simmons St. Louis and San Diego got abandoned
Vancouver Grizzlies --> Memphis (needed)
St. Louis Rams --> Los Angeles (abandoned)
Jeff Simmons Hartford was abandoned
@@sebastianpurcell1834 same with Quebec (with the Nordiques going to Colorado).
@@adnjxn6465 actually, St. Louis was abandoned TWICE.
(Cardinals to Phoenix/Arizona, and Rams back to Los Angeles akin to Al Davis doing the same with the Raiders.)
As a colts fan, I couldn’t appreciate Jim Irsay enough after hearing all the stories about old Bob.
The Yankees were called the Highlanders, not the Hilltoppers. They played at a stadium called Hilltop Park, though.
As a Redskins fan, I remember this happened in the fog at night, down in DC we were think WTF is going on up there. Totally a scumbag move.
Do a video on belichick resigning after only a day as the jets head coach. This was a cool and insightful video and you’d have a field day with that story about belichick
I live in Baltimore. The 2pm starts at Memorial Stadium for churches didn't help. They were almost never on TV. Also they had been playing pre-season games in other cities. Both Irsay and the governments of Baltimore and the state of Maryland share blame.
I'm from Baltimore and when I was a kid the loss of the team was heartbreaking. However, the facts show that Irsay had no choice. He warned politicians for 10 years that he was going to take the team, but they never made any reasonable offers. The idea that he made a surprise move in the middle of the night is not true. The fans also bear responsibility for voting against stadium funding and supporting politicians who refused to build a new stadium. Isn't interesting that suddenly Baltimore came up with a beautiful new stadium just 11 years later? They could have done it before and kept the Colts. But hey we have the Ravens now, so something bad turned into something great, including 2 Super Bowls.
Jake Alden Looking back on it, Baltimore Deserved to Lose the Colts, and why, The City of Baltimore no longer supported the team, and also, because Baltimore was stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts, no wonder they moved to Indianapolis!!!!
I think these billionaire owners extracting stadiums from taxpayers so they can make more money in their closed monopoly is the root of many of these franchise moves. What other private businesses get their factories paid for by taxpayers?
@@markgrice8214 you have no idea what you’re talking about. Stadiums back then cost more to build than what nfl franchises were worth back then. Colts and orioles paid rent to the city of Baltimore to play there. Would you like to educate us on why renters are obligated to pay for repairs on their landlords properties?
Very true. You couldn't explained it better. Indianapolis give him a gold mine, and it was an offer lrasy couldn't refuse. At that time Indianapolis was the only city that could give him the okay right at that moment.
Irsay is like ever NFL team owner. He's in business to make 💰. Team owners are not in business for fan enjoyment. Baltimore and it's fans didn't want to spend tax payers money to keep the team. Indianapolis just finished building a brand new stadium with no team. Naturally the city was looking to steal a team. Indianapolis gave Irsay a gold mine. Escaping in the middle of the 🌙 saved Irsay a lot of 💰 fighting eminent domain. The Baltimore 📻 broadcasters for the first couple years broadcast the Colts home and away games. There was some people in Baltimore that actually thought for the first couple years that the Colts were going to move back to Baltimore. It cost a whole lot more to get the Browns than it ever would have to kept the Colts. In 1995 Art Modell tried to get Irsay to sell him the teams name, colors, and records Irsay said they weren't for sale.
Very thorough video. All the history that lead up to relocation in the middle of the night. I remember it well. I was 10 when the Indianapolis Colts were born.
I have lived and died (figuratively) with the New Orleans Saints who came into existence when I was 5yo in 1968. When Katrina struck San Antonio’s mayor made gestures that the temporary move of playing our home games there while the Dome was repaired should be made permanent. Tom Benson, the team owner, was originally from New Orleans (owning the Saints and Pelicans) but had made most of his fortune in San Antonio. I was already quite upset over loosing everything I owned due to the flood, but now MY beloved Saints might be taken. All turned out for the best, and I will never forget that first game back in the Dome playing the Falcons, with U2 performing ‘The Saints’ are coming.’ But, I cannot imagine what the Colt fans in Baltimore must have felt.
I remember that like yesterday. I live in Austin, which is right around the corner for Sa Town. Even though they have a NFL sized stadium San Antonio will probably always be used as a pawn by other teams to either get what they want from their current city or one with a more attractive market. The Raiders are the most recent example. They would constantly bring up San Antonio as a possible destination before landing in Las Vegas.
Fun Fact: the mayor of Indianapolis who facilitated this move ( William Hudnut) later retired to Baltimore and would pass away several years ago.
I know Irsay & Hudnutt we’re very best friends until the very end Hudnutt was at bedside of Irsay the day he passed.
You know what would’ve been funny if the colts waited till game day on Sunday when everyone was headed to the stadium and then they announced that they moved to Indy
‘Mayflower’s Fifteen’ would be a great title for a docudrama about this strange incident.
Yeah, a mini series perhaps?
Actually I was told that John Elway didn't want to play for the Colts because he didn't want to be coached by then-Colts coach Frank Kush. But after hearing about how big a jerk Robert Irsay was, I wouldn't be surprised that he also didn't want to play for him as well.
You’re right about that!!!!
I still believe John Elway not going to the Colts seal the deal for Baltimore's fate.
Irsay was a cuck.
After 30 years, Baltimore got a better deal rather than stuck with the Irsays
I thought elway didn’t want to play for the colts because of how the team was in limbo and not knowing where there going to play
All I saw was Mayflower and I already knew what it was. -Colts Fan
Y'all should watch the ESPN 30 for 30 "The Band that never Stopped Playing". It talked about the time between the Move and when Art Rooney established the Baltimore Ravens.
Ummmm . . . Art Rooney owned the Steelers. You're thinking of Art Modell.
And it was "The Band That Wouldn't Die."
You mean Art Modell!!!
Thank you for Correcting that.
Anew-Wiseman You’re welcome, and you take care!!!!
Excellent report, thank you!
I just became a subscriber
I'm 41 and from Baltimore and I remember that day the Colts moved vividly.
Top 10 Most Savage Sports Fans Signs. (Ex. Colts fan with a sign says “Cheaters exit here" to the Patriots.)
Knowing the entire story, while you can’t blame Baltimore folks for hating Bob Irsay, most of their anger should’ve been directed at their elected officials. Eminent domain...a pro football team?
i actually watched the national news the next day. big mayflower trucks driving away into the night in baltimore.
Wow now I see why John Elway REFUSED to play for the Colts. Did the NFL vet these guys? Or could just anyone buy a team back then?
That's an excellent example of a NFL sports history video.
Even though its biggest effect was arguably on another sport: with no NFL team to share a stadium with, the Orioles got all of the attention, and the result changed baseball.
Excellent background story. As a Baltimore Colts fan, this remains the darkest day in Baltimore Sports history. I like how he showed how irrational Irsay was. It was nearly impossible to deal with him. He would say one thing one day, and deny he said it the next. The former GM of the Colts said that he had to talk to Irsay before noon, because he was usually drunk by then. Irsay was impossible to deal with.
The final straw was an attempt to seize the team by eminent domain. With the Hoosier Dome construction nearly completed, they vacated the Owings Mills headquarters overnight. The 15 trucks took different ways out of Maryland and all met at the state line of Indiana.
@@AEMoreira81 we watched the video.
He verbally abused the Colts players during one season. In today's NFL, that WOULD NOT slide.
How many video will there be about the Colts move to Indianapolis be made this year? (Still watching it to see your take) (knew about this for a long time)
Bottom Line: Drugs/Alcohol are the great Irsay family tradition.
It certainly appears that way
You nailed that one on the head
I believe that is called" All in the Family"
Drugs and alcohol are no excuse for lying about a move and then sneaking out of town.
Can you do the reason why the original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Ravens
@@robertcramer5559
Really? Art Modell belongs in the HOF
@@derrickgoodman8434 Art Modell fired two all-time great head coaches in Paul Brown (1962) and Bill Belichick (1995). Belichick's full potential was never realized in Cleveland because of Modell.
Jim Brown hated playing for him so much, he prematurely retired 2 years after Modell bought the Browns. Modell does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
@Philip Chapman Cleveland is just salty that's all. Its because of Modell that the NFL got the tv promotion deals
@@derrickgoodman8434 no he doesn't
Great story I’m from Baltimore and love Baltimore sports but never new this
I remember seeing those trucks on the news in the middle of the night, with the snow coming down.
The older generation is still angry over Irsay backstabbing Baltimore. The rest of us don't really care. But, the Colts are one of my most hated teams...
You right!
Oh, I will *NEVER* forget that. The media pounced on that one.
All the TV news stations in Baltimore, Maryland,
WMAR-TV 2 (NBC, now ABC),
WBAL-TV 11 (CBS, now NBC)
and WJZ-TV 13 (ABC, now CBS),
as well as all the TV news stations in Indianapolis, Indiana,
WTTV 4 (Independent, now CBS),
WRTV 6 (ABC),
WISH-TV 8 (CBS, now The CW)
and WTHR 13 (NBC),
were all drawn to this story like moths to a flame...it was controversial on Baltimore's end, while it seemed like good news on Indianapolis's end...
10 Best Undrafted players in the NFL right now
At first, when the NFL year started, they were called just the Colts. At the draft and early in the season, they weren’t referred as the Indianapolis Colts, just the Colts.
Wow I live in Winnipeg, well sourced bro!
Liked subscribed, hit the bell and shared this one!
You should do a video on stadium/arena proposals that fell through!
That would be a good one. Considering the Baltimore Bullets left after the proposed arena in Columbia, Maryland fell through.
@@Cosmicslopman Abe Pollin started playing a few game a year in College Park at Cole Field House, he was drawing more fans there and moved.
There is also the hawks. The Atlanta hawks were in st Louis before they moved to Atlanta.
Also the Kings (Rochester to Cincinnati to Omaha to Kansas City to Sacramento)
jasonfire34 Yes, now that you mentioned it!!!
Great photo of Tiger Stadium in the background 0:15.
Excellent video. No one has ever educated the public on this.
Atlanta thrashers - Winnipeg Jets
Seattle already had things loaded for Anaheim before Paul Allen stepped in.
I believe Ken Behring actually did move the team to CA, then the league went “What do you think you’re doing?” and forced Behring to send the moving trucks back to Seattle.
Do Ken berings attempt to move the Seahawks to California.
The first Seahawks team was the Miami Seahawks. That's a piece of history. Everyone knew about the Colts move.
@@tonycumming7756 what do you mean the first seahawk team
@@davidhollenbeck9227 yes the first one 1946 if I remember correctly they were only in the league one year.
@@tonycumming7756 I did not know that thanks
He was told to get his ass back to Seattle by the commissioner 1996
Before watching this, it was the Baltimore Colts in 1984 and the owner was Robert Irsay
Here's the man to really blame:
*Hyman Pressman*
Agreed!!!!
0:28-1:00 And lets not forgot the Dodgers started in Brooklyn New York, New York before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1958.
You’re right about that!!!
The worst relocation of NFL football team of all time the Baltimore colts moving Baltimore on the Mayflower that stab a dagger in the heart of Baltimore colts fans and let's talk about the relocation 95 Cleveland browns to Baltimore it's kind of strange and weird at the same time we did get a football team back here in Baltimore for the 96 season but as an expansion team known as the Baltimore Ravens two super bowls and a 17-year. And 11 playoff appearances it's not bad for an expansion franchise but art modell did do the city of Cleveland wrong the anger in the frustration I've seen the new Cleveland browns struggle 20 years and hadn't had a good quarterback since Bernie kosar. hopefully Cleveland browns fans can be happy with Baker Mayfield
G-MAC Johnson the new browns were an expansion team not the ravens
And I wonder how many times the Oakland/Los Angeles/ Oakland AGAIN Raiders!! Stab people in the back. Trust me when I say this but your team is last to say or call another out for back stabbing.
This Guy The Raiders moved again, this time to Las Vegas!!!
Maryland should probably use the eminent domain clause for the Redskins because the owner is also exactly like Irsay and the fans can’t stand him
Have you guys done a video on the browns moving to Baltimore?
6:22 Why does he look like Ted Turner lmao
maybe the oakland athletics in baseball could try the same thing if they can't get a new stadium built
Great video 😀
Wow...I had no idea all this happened.
Yes, it’s true!!!!
Do a video on the Baltimore Colts Band a.k.a. The Band That Would Never Die
Removing the browns from Cleveland was so wrong on so many levels. One of the founding teams of the league in the state where football started. Art was in major debt and to bail himself out he moved the team that was loved by Cleveland.
Founding teams of the league? They didn't even become an NFL team until the 40s (They were in the AAFC before then)
Listen up smartass football has been around for since longer than the NFL. The founding representatives made football in a mechanic shop in canton Ohio. All the teams in the first professional league were from OHIO teams. So next time you think you know something look it up.
jasonfire34 dumb Californians think they know everything bc they live in a state that is out of water and on fire
@@shawnm9237 still doesn't mean the Browns founded the league but I get what you're saying, yes football started in Ohio. Nice gratuitous potshot at CA btw 😝
WOW incredible how it wotked out
at 6:48, John Elway didn't necessarily want to play for Irsay; he didn't want to play for Frank Kush. He hated Kush's no-nonsense, no-mercy coaching style.
lakebay972 Yes, now that you mentioned it!!!!
I heard also that irsay would call plays to the coaches in the press box.
rob mush Yes, now that you mentioned it!!!!
Best 5-7 daft picks that became stars
Tom Brady
Antonio Brown
Richard Sherman
Robert Mathis
Nathan Peterman
My dad still hates the colts to this day because of this move. Went from die hard fan to despising the team.
Because Baltimore was Stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts, no wonder they moved to Indianapolis!!!!
“It doesn't belong there. Those things should be left in Baltimore, and when we get another team, the great things that Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti and people like Arthur did can all become part of the Baltimore tradition again." - Johnny Unitas
My dad always told me the colts moved to Indy overnight i never knew he was serious
Listen to Pops. I hurt alot when it happened
top 10 tragic player deaths.
QuackAttack Sean taylor
@@mav367 Pat Tillman, Junior Seau, Derrick Thomas
Len Bias
Yeaaa
Steve McNair
Now that was informative!
True!!!
I wonder if Elway’s hatred for the Colts had something to do with Manning coming to Denver? 🤔
Lee Howard Iam not sure!!
Or, you know, the fact that manning is the greatest of all time....
It definitely had to sting for Colts fans, but what Irsay did was totally justified. Having the local government threatening to seize your team is so messed up. Colts fans should blame the state of Maryland, not Irsay.
True!!!!
The worst relocation (but best for me and everyone out west) was the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
Damn that Robert Moses!
@@dnasty312 which also lead to the NY Baseball Giants to move from Upper Manhattan to San Francisco; mainly to keep the classic Dodgers-Giants Rivalry intact. Only thing was it took the Giants 52 years (and two ballparks) to win their first World Series since relocating, while the Dodgers have won four WS titles in the same time period.
@@dnasty312 the bastard ill never forget what he did to the dodgers and by default the giants
I see why Elway didn’t want to play there
I know Right!!!!
Awesome video!
5 reasons why the Cleveland browns will succeed and 5 reasons why they flop
5 reasons they succeed
1.OBJ
2.baker Mayfield
3.kareem hunt (halfway)
4. Defense (ward. Greedy. Myles.)
5. Their division (Pitt. Bal. CIN.) All took a step back wards.
Reason they flop
1. CUZ THEY'RE THE BROWNS.
I could easily them make the AFC Championship Game, if not the Super Bowl...I could just as easily see them go 4-12.
@@TPTGopher the browns have two have 1 year for them to get along and get better for the 2021 season
Everyone forgets 7 13 72 the day Rosenbloom traded the Colts for the Rams and Irsay
Yes, now that you mentioned it!!!!!!
So, I guess file this under "looking from the other side". I've been a Colts fan ever since they moved to Indianapolis. I thought it was pretty cool that we have a NFL team now, says 7 year old me back in 1984. Looking back today, Sure Bob Irsay was a jerk, but you had 14 years from the first whispers of new stadium or else to get something done and Baltimore didn't! Indianapolis sure made a huge gamble building a stadium with no permanent tenant, and boy did that pay off. True then and true now, build and they will come (or stay)
That’s Because Baltimore Deserved to Lose the Colts, and why, The City of Baltimore no longer supported the team, and also, Because Baltimore was Stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts!!!!
People really didn't know this. The Hell.
Cool video
Great job man very informational
It was March 1984...The Colts were fed up with Baltimore, fleeing in the dead of the night for greener pastures in Indianapolis...
Because Baltimore was Stupid enough not to build a new stadium for the Colts, no wonder they moved to Indianapolis!!!!
The Colts moving to Indy and the old Browns leaving Cleveland are definitely the worst of relocations. A close third would be the LA Rams going to St Louis so soon after the Arizona Cardinals left that market.
What do you mean by that market? Az cards fan here lol
@@ares1469 I meant the Cards leaving STL to move to AZ.
They could make a movie with this story. Title it Irsay.
If there's anything to learn from this whole saga, it's that you can't trust anyone who owns a sports club.
Can a Colts fan switch to become a Ravens fan???
I love this story
“Packed its things”? How about “packed its bags”?
Needs to be a movie
Dayum! Credit to Indiana State Police with that escort tho lol!
I know Right!!!!
They were sure heartbroken in Baltimore... But that didn't stop them from stealing CLEVELAND'S team when the opportunity came up. 😫
Rusty Shackelford in order words, Baltimore did for the Browns what they should have done for the Colts in the first place to keep them in Baltimore
Rusty Shackelford if they wanted to keep the team that bad, they should’ve give the Colts the new stadium that they needed. The desire for a new stadium for the Baltimore Colts had pre-dated Bob Irsay’s ownership of the Colts.
Baltimore tried to get an expansion team, and had a great offer. Tagliabue steered he expansion to Charlotte and Jacksonville. He wanted Baltimore to support the Redskins. They waited thirteen years. The only way to get back into the NFL was to entice a team move. The NFL awarded a franchise to Baltimore, like they did with Cleveland, the Browns moving o Baltimore could have been avoided. If Cleveland did not get a team, they would probably do the same thing Baltimore did.
Heard this story many times.
It seems that a relocation always comes down to a new stadium
It's always funny how fans and legislature always vote against government funding on big stadium projects and then throw a fit when the team threatens to leave
Yep that's mostly the case
I'm so glad that my hometown pats didn't leave foxboro. Robert Kraft practically saved the pats from bankruptcy and relocation thanks to him buying the team in 94 and getting Gillette stadium approved in 99.
Please do Players that should have won MVP for their championship but didn't, like James White SB51, Kyrie 2016
James white did not deserve mvp. If you're a qb and lead a 28 to 3 comeback I don't care if you throw for 50 yards you're gonna get mvp.
@@pizzas4599 IMO James White deserved MVP the man along with Tom Singlehandedly brought the Pats back. He had the most receiving yards as a running back
Kyrie in 2016? Lol no
Please more of this stories with ¨MI Theme¨ remix, I F**** love them!!!!!!
Video idea: best free agency signings of all time (all sports)
The recent Chargers move is ironic....they started originally in LA in 1958, then moved to San Diego in 1961....only to literally pack the trucks and move back to LA overnight.
in the end it worked for both team.. both got winning seasons and super bowls under their belt