Indiananoplace Factoids

[The Gipper]

Factoids regarding Indy:

 

 

 

1. The Browns lead the all time series with the Colts, 13-11, but are only 4-7 vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

 

 

 

2. Browns/Colts postseason results:

 

1964 Browns 27 Colts 0 NFL title game

 

1968 Colts 34 Browns 0 NFL© title game

 

1971 Colts 20 Browns 3 playoff game

 

1987 Browns 38 Colts 21 playoff game

 

 

 

3. Last game played between the two team was won by the Colts 13-6.

 

 

 

4. Colts career leaders:

 

Passing: Yards and TDs: Payton Manning 44,499 and 325 (second is Unitas)

 

Rushing: Yards and TDs: Edgerrin James 9226 and 64 (Lenny Moore 2d with 63 TDs)

 

Receiving: Marvin Harrison: 14,422 yards and 127 TDs

 

 

 

5. The Browns and Colts have an intricate intertwined history including:

 

 

 

A. The original "Colts" franchise was the AAFC team that joined the NFL with the Browns in 1950. But that team went defunct after one year.

 

 

 

B. The current "Colts" franchise was born of the dregs of the 1952 Dallas Texans...who also only lasted one year in the NFL (and who played their final home games in the Akron Rubber Bowl. The players from those Texans were awarded to the new Colts which were owned by Carroll Rosenblum.

 

 

 

C. After these Colts won the so called "Greatest Game ever played", i.e. the 1958 NFL title game won in the first over NFL OT game, they won again in 1959, but lost the 1964 NFL title game to the Browns. Four years later they exacted some form of revenge by beating the Browns 34-0 in the 1968 title game. Those Colts were 13-1 and some media types proclaimed them "the greatest pro football team ever". OOPS. They lost Super Bowl III to the Jets.

 

 

 

D. Then in 1970 the Colts, the Browns, and the Steelers together agreed to relocate to the AFC when the NFL/AFL merger was fully finalized.

 

 

 

E. In an ominous omen in 1972 Rosenblum "traded" even up the Colts for the Los Angeles Rams with LA air conditioner salesman Robert Irsay. Though Irsay's team had some early successes in the mid-70s with Bert Jones at QB, thereafter they became one of the worst run, most inept teams in football. (Recall that John Elway refused to play for Irsay even though the Colts drafted him first overall....Elway forced the trade to Denver).

 

 

 

F. Irsay then moved his team in a snit to Indianapolis in the cover of night in 1984. His moved opened up the City of Baltimore so that a decade later Art Modell duplicated Irsay's move and accepted that city's 75 million dollar bribe to move there.

 

 

 

G. Notwithstanding Irsay's move to Indy, it didn't make him any more capable of running an NFL team. The Colts floundered in Indy until Jimmy Irsay took over control of the franchise in the late 90s and the Colts drafted Payton Manning. They have now been one of the better teams in the league for nearly a decade.

 

 

 

6. The Colts were the first pro team to have cheerleaders and to have a marching band.

 

 

 

7. The "Colts" name is actually an honorific to the popular Maryland horse racing scene. Many thought it would be more appropriate for the Colts to change their name (as Bud Adams did with the Oilers). Robert Irsay was too ignorant and stubborn to do that.

 

 

 

8.The only person currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have played for the "Indianapolis Colts" is Eric Dickerson. Of course a number of Baltimore Colts are in the HOF, and a few sure fire future HOFers play for these Indy Colts (Manning, Harrison).

 

 

 

9. "Indianapolis" literally means "The City of the Land of The Indians".

 

 

 

10. Indianapolis has had little of historical significance occur there, nor did it have much of a real identity beyond being the home of the Indianopolis 500. So, as a result the city fathers went on a concerted effort to make Indy the home of amateur sports. It lured the NCAA to move its HQ there. It also lured the National Federation of High School sports to locate there. It holds NCAA tournaments and Olympic sports there.

 

 

 

11. Though Indianapolis proper is the 13th largest city in the US, the metro population is only 23rd. Compare to Cleveland which is only like 33rd in population as a city, but is 15th in metro population.

 

 

 

12. Indianapolis is also the HQ of Kiwanis International.

 

 

 

13. Otherwise, Indy doesn't have much else of interest. ....though it was the setting for the sitcom "One Day at a Time".

 

 

 

14. Famous people from Indianapolis: Joyce DeWitt, Brendan Fraser, Viveca Fox, Benjamin Harrison, David Letterman, Greg Oden, Oscar Robertson, Dan Quayle, Clifton Webb, Kurt Vonnegut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lumbergh]

11. Though Indianapolis proper is the 13th largest city in the US, the metro population is only 23rd. Compare to Cleveland which is only like 33rd in population as a city, but is 15th in metro population.

 

As of 2007, Indianapolis is 33rd and Cleveland is 25th in metro area population.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_Unit...atistical_Areas

 

[listercat]

Indianapolis is an OK town

 

When Lister Jr first began football (4th grade) the Colts had his team (along with a couple others) make the trip from Columbus to Indi during the preseason. We first went to the race track; then downtown where the kids ate with the Colts officials in a 'pregame' meal and then were able to practice on the field of the RCA Dome prior to the game. It was really a good time! I have this cool pic of Lister Jr catching a pass in the endzone with his jersey on which was much too large for him at the time.....man has the time flown