2004 Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts will remember 2003 as the year they got beat in the playoffs by a New England Patriots team whose rough play led to more stringent pass-defense rules for the 2004 season. While the Colts don't need to make excuses for the way 2003 ended, they are looking forward to a potential championship year under the guidance of star quarterback Peyton Manning. Tickets to games at the Dome will be scarce this year, so get yours now.

Colts football got its start in Baltimore. Professional football in Maryland dates to 1947, when the Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) moved to Baltimore and became the Colts.The AAFC folded and the Colts joined the NFL, but after two consecutive seasons with 1-11 win-loss records, the franchise was dissolved.

The Colts were reborn in 1953 when the NFL's Dallas Texans moved to Baltimore and took the name Colts. Owner and business executive Carroll Rosenbloom promptly engineered the biggest trade in league history -- a deal that sent five Colts to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for ten players, including defensive back Don Shula.

Following four seasons of rebuilding, the Colts captured consecutive NFL titles in 1958 and 1959 under head coach Weeb Ewbank. Baltimore's overtime defeat of the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game is regarded as one of the greatest NFL contests ever played. A year later, the Colts again bested the Giants for the NFL crown.

During the 1960s Baltimore remained a dominant power in the NFL as quarterback Johnny Unitas continued to power the team. In 1960 he became the first NFL quarterback to pass for more than 3,000 yards in one season. Shula replaced Ewbank in 1963, becoming one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history at age 33. Over the next seven seasons, he steered the Colts to four first-place finishes in their division.

The Colts enjoyed an outstanding season in 1968, winning 13 of 14 games. Earl Morrall replaced the injured Unitas and produced an MVP season, leading the league in passing while throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. The NFL-champion Colts, however, were upset by the American Football League (AFL) champions, the New York Jets, who were led by quarterback Joe Namath.

Shula left Baltimore in 1970 to take over the Miami Dolphins. His replacement, Dan McCafferty, put together the league's most powerful offense, and the team won the Eastern Division title. The Colts then advanced to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on a last-second field goal by rookie Jim O'Brien.

After having endured seven straight losing seasons from 1978 to 1984, and faced with dwindling fan support, the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Led by running back Marshall Faulk and quarterback Jim Harbaugh, the Colts reached the AFC Championship Game in 1995, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1999 wide receiver Marvin Harrison, running back Edgerrin James, and quarterback Peyton Manning led the team to the Eastern Division championship, but the Colts lost to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs.

• 1969 Super Bowl III Lost to New York Jets, 16-7
• 1971 Super Bowl V Defeated Dallas Cowboys, 16-13