Thursday marks 40 years since Colts moved to Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — It has now officially been 40 years since the Colts moved to the Circle City, becoming Indy’s very own NFL team. This time 40 years ago, before Lucas Oil Stadium was even… The Indianapolis Colts have been officially commemorating 40 years since their move from Baltimore to the Circle City, becoming the city's first NFL team. The move was made on March 28, 1984, when Colts owner Jim Irsay informed Pete Ward that the team was moving to Indianapolis. Ward, who has been with the team for over 40 years, recalls the moment the Mayflower trucks transported the Colts from Baltimore and the rest is history. The team's relocation helped elevate Indianapolis to a new level of entertainment and economic impact. The Colts have since become known for hosting the Super Bowl and hosting major events like the NFL Combine each year.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Michael Van Schoik in
INDIANAPOLIS — It has now officially been 40 years since the Colts moved to the Circle City, becoming Indy’s very own NFL team.
This time 40 years ago, before Lucas Oil Stadium was even a thought and before Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl with the Colts, a group of Mayflower trucks were getting ready to move the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
“Late in the day on March 28, [1984], Jim Irsay told me we were moving to Indianapolis,” recalled Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward. “And the rest is history.”
Ward has been with the team for more than 40 years now. He still remembers the exact moment when these old yellow and green Mayflower trucks arrived in Baltimore for the long haul to Indy.
“It’s written on my brain and there’s no way I will ever forget that moment,” Ward said during an interview with FOX59/CBS4. “It was so unbelievable. I couldn’t believe we were actually leaving.”
Ward would eventually become the team’s chief operating officer. But in the moment, he was an assistant helping pack up anything and everything belonging to the Colts as they made the trek to their new home.
“To relocate a sports franchise is not an easy task,” he said. “And certainly not an easy task on three or four hours of notice and doing it in the middle of the night.”
Those freight trucks drove through a blizzard in the middle of the night. Our Colts insider Mike Chappell remembers when they returned to the Hoosier State, this time unloading the Circle City’s future NFL team.
“I was there when Bill Hudnut, the mayor, who should be given tons of credit for this, and Robert Irsay walked into the Hoosier Dome arms raised and there’s thousands of people in the stands and then all of a sudden Indy is a part of the NFL,” Chappell described.
Now four decades later, Chappell said there is no question the Colts helped elevate Indianapolis to a new level. A diehard fan base was born, and a new element of entertainment and economic impact began.
“It was really kind of cool,” Chappell said. “The early years the fan base they had something to do on Sunday. They were part of the bigger picture. To be a part of it, to be one of 32 teams, it just lifts the city to another level.”
From hosting the Super Bowl to welcoming major events like the NFL Combine each year, Chappell said the future remains bright for Indianapolis. A great deal of that is thanks to the Colts’ relocation all those years ago, he added.
“The Colts just had that booster to what the city is and what it can be,” Chappell said.
Ward said the Colts had 34 staff members and 9 coaches back in 1984. Now, he said the team has 235 full-time employees and nearly 30 coaches. Ward also said the Colts organization has enjoyed the chance to give back to the Indianapolis community over the last 40 years.