Professional football in Maryland goes back to the late 40s, when the Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) moved to Baltimore and became the Colts. In 1948 quarterback Y. A. Title won the league’s passing championship as Baltimore tied for the Eastern Division crown. A year later 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 made 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 assembled the league’s top offense both years, with teams starring four future Hall of Fame members. The passing combination of Johnny Unitas to receiver Raymond Berry became one of the most celebrated in league history. Lenny Moore was one of the National Football League’s (NFL) most durable running backs, and guard-tackle Jim Parker anchored a superb offensive line. Linemen Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti, also future Hall of Fame members, led a tenacious defense that held 16 of 26 opponents, including Baltimore’s two championship game foes, to twenty one or fewer points in 1958 and 1959. Baltimore’s overtime defeat of the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game is regarded as one of the greatest National Football League (NFL) contests ever played. A year later, the Colts again got the better of the Giants for the National Football League (NFL) crown. During the 1960s Baltimore remained a dominant power in the National Football League (NFL) as Unitas continued to power the team. In 1960 he became the first National Football League (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. In 1964 Baltimore recorded a club-record 12 victories, and Unitas collected the second of his three most valuable player (MVP) awards. Although they were favored in the NFL Championship Game, the Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns. Buy Indianapolis Colts Tickets.