Baltimore Colts (1947–50)
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|
| Founded | 1947 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1950 |
| Based in | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| 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) |
| Owner(s) | Abraham Watner (1947–50) |
| Mascot(s) | horse (with football helmet) jumping over goal posts, horseshoe on helmet |
| Home field(s) | Municipal Stadium (1947-1949), Memorial Stadium (1950) |
Green, Silver, White
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name , they were members of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 and then joined the National Football League (NFL) for one season before folding. They were one of the least successful teams in the AAFC and NFL both on and off the field, winning only 11 games in their history. In 1953, Baltimore was granted an expansion team that revived the Colts name; this team is now the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts' origin is with the Miami Seahawks, one of the charter franchises of the AAFC. After playing a single disastrous season the Seahawks were confiscated 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.
The All-America Football Conference had initially intended to place a team in Baltimore in its opening 1946 season, but its prospective owner, retired boxer Gene Tunney, was unable to secure a stadium deal. Needing an eighth team to balance the schedule, AAFC officials granted a franchise to a group of Miami-based boosters, and the Miami Seahawks were born.
From the first, the Seahawks were beset with problems. They were a weak team with a difficult schedule in by far the smallest market in the league. They drew little fan support and accumulated debts of up to $350,000, which owner Harvey Hester could not afford to repay. League commissioner Jim Crowley expropriated the franchise, and the AAFC covered its overdue travel and payroll costs.
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