Why doesnt Indy want to remake the Colts?

[BigRedMO]

My question is to the people who want to remake the Cardinals is why does that attitude not exist in Indy?

The Colts I believe got their name because Colt Firearms in Baltimore is a very famous business strongly associated with Baltimore. Yet the Indy Colts wear the same uniform of the Baltimore Colts teams dating back as far as I have ever seen on highlight films. I would think because the Baltimore association is so strong with the team in its name (Colts), uniform and its traditions that they would have wanted them to be remade in an Indy image.

When the Colts first played in Indy they did not have good teams until Manning got there. So I just dont buy it that Indy did not or does not want a change because they are now good. Both the Colts and Cardinals have some good history. The Cards have not played in a Super Bowl but have won championships. The Colts were in one superbowl? and I think won some championships

If the Colts had moved to AZ instead of the Cards would you want their uniforms changed?

 

[Azlen]

How do you know that? Uniform/logo changes are a fact of life in sports now. How else can you make money selling throwback jerseys if they are no different from the ones you have today.

 

[BigRedMO]

I know that there has been no real change in their uniforms by watching them.

 

[jf-08]

Pantone may have more specifics, but I believe the Colts are actually thinking about updating their stuff too.

 

[Azlen]

I mean how do you know that attitude doesn't exist in Indy. I am sure you could find a group of people that would like to see it changed. It's not going to be at the forefront of their minds, but it wasn't at the forefront here either.

 

[Pariah]

I think the Colts darkened their blue a few years ago, which was the perfect amount of change for that uni, IMO. I love the colts uniforms--especially the logo.

I'm excited about the updating of the Cardinal logo because I think it retains most of the logo that came before it. I'm not very psyched about the Cards "revolutionizing" the rest of the uniforms. I love the simplicity of the red jerseys with simple white numbers.

So, to answer your question, I think the reason people aren't calling for re-vamps of the colts' unis is because they're fine the way they are.

 

[TruColor]

The Colts darkened the Blue just this past year, and went back to Gray facemasks as well...

 

[daves]

Colt Firearms was never located in Baltimore

Just for the record, Sam Colt was born in Hartford, and the company he founded has been there ever since.

But your main point - that the Colts were strongly identified with Baltimore - is accurate, since Maryland is known for its horse breeding and racing industries.

The Colts should've changed their name when they moved to Indianapolis, but like the Bidwills, the Irsays were no doubt attached to the name of their team, and until Art Modell moved the Browns, the idea of leaving a team's name behind for the former city to use again was unheard of.

Modell offered $5M to the Irsays to buy the name when he moved his team to Baltimore, but the Irsays wanted $25M, so he had to pass.

The same issues don't really apply to the Cardinals, since the team was originally named for a color, and even the newer association with the bird has no particular ties to Chicago or St. Louis. It's a generic name that works equally well anywhere.

 

[CatBoxBackFan]

The Colts History

The roots of the franchise go back to December 28, 1946, when the bankrupt Miami Seahawks of the All-America Football Conference were purchased and relocated in Baltimore by a group headed by Bob Rodenberg. As the result of a contest in Baltimore, won by Charles Evans of Middle River, Md., the team was renamed the “Colts.”

On September 7, 1947, wearing green and silver uniforms, the Colts under Head Coach Cecil Isbell (formerly an All-American player and coach at Purdue University) won their initial AAFC game, 16-7, over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The team concluded its inaugural season before a record Baltimore crowd of 51,583 losing to the New York Yankees, 21-7. The Colts finished the year with a 2-11-1 record good for a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Division.

The Colts completed the 1948 season with a 7-8 record, tying the Buffalo Bills for the division title. The Colts compiled a 1-11 slate in 1949. The All-American Football Conference and the National Football League merged in 1950 and the Colts became a member of the NFL. After posting a 1-11 record for the second consecutive year, the franchise was dissolved by the league on January 18, 1951, because of its failing financial condition.

After two full seasons without professional football, NFL Commissioner Bert Bell challenged the franchise in December of 1952 to sell 15,000 season tickets within six weeks in order to re-enter the NFL. That 15,000-ticket quota was reached in four weeks and three days.

On January 23, 1953, under the principal ownership of Carroll Rosenbloom, the NFL’s Dallas Team franchise was moved to Baltimore where, keeping the “Colts” nickname, the Texas team colors of blue and white were inherited.

 

[jerryp]

The Colts should've changed their name when they moved to Indianapolis, but like the Bidwills, the Irsays were no doubt attached to the name of their team, and until Art Modell moved the Browns, the idea of leaving a team's name behind for the former city to use again was unheard of.

Nope. The Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs. They didn't leave it for Dallas, but they did for Houston.

 

[BigRedMO]

Didnt Samuel Colt manufacture guns in Baltimore? I thought that was the case particularly in the Civil War with their six shooters. So they have had same basic unis since the 50's?Darkening the blue and changing the face masks is not drastic to me. Thanks for the info though.

I just saw the cuurent Cards logo like the Packers, Bears, Cowboys, Chiefs and others as classic logos with lots of memories for me. I kinda see the new Arizona team as an expansion team in its first year next year. Note I said Arizona team in last sentence. For me the Cards will always be the 1960-2004 teams. Instead of the new ugly logo I would just as soon have the team renamed with a completely new identity and logo, new colors etc.

 

[ajcardfan]

For me the Cards will always be the 1960-2004 teams. Instead of the new ugly logo I would just as soon have the team renamed with a completely new identity and logo, new colors etc.

Wow. Drink a beer or have sex or something. You sound a little tense.

 

[chickenhead]

My question is why the Cards gray facemasks don't shine the way the Colts do...is it just a function of the dome lighting? For some reason, they have nearly identical helmets this year, but the Cards' looked 'emptier.'

 

[8ndkorner]

Didnt Samuel Colt manufacture guns in Baltimore? I thought that was the case particularly in the Civil War with their six shooters. So they have had same basic unis since the 50's?Darkening the blue and changing the face masks is not drastic to me. Thanks for the info though.

I just saw the cuurent Cards logo like the Packers, Bears, Cowboys, Chiefs and others as classic logos with lots of memories for me. I kinda see the new Arizona team as an expansion team in its first year next year. Note I said Arizona team in last sentence. For me the Cards will always be the 1960-2004 teams. Instead of the new ugly logo I would just as soon have the team renamed with a completely new identity and logo, new colors etc.

BRM I understand your pain. I too would like the teams I grew up with to stay the same. But the atmospere has changed. Now you can't afford not to go for the money in order to futher the team and the business. The Cards, after years of holding back are now moving forward. They have a brand new state of the art stadium to play in for 15 years now. You have to have the naming rights, fans and TV interest to compete these days. It's not even the record any more. The raiders have been surviving on reputation as a thug organization for the last 5 or 6 years (with the exeption of a super bowl appearance that they were badly out classed in). Their fans still act the part even if their team sucks.
But this organization stayed put for many years. They fought the urge. But it was inevitable. With the stadium and fighting to draw Arizona fans they had to move. Give them credit. They were one of the last to make the move. Lets all hope we can live with the decision. So far I'm OK with it.

 

[JeffGollin]

Why doesnt Indy want to remake the Colts?
If I had a glorious tradition dating back to the Johnny U days, I wouldn't want to change anything either.

While the Cardinals certainly have been around for a much longer period of time than the Colts, our winning tradition (reflected by number of better-than -.500 seasons) has been far less evident.

Having said that - I like the Cardinals name and don't want it changed ever.

I like the current uniform, but could live with a change so long as the new look not look hokey, feminine or overly busy.

 

[daves]

Nope. The Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs. They didn't leave it for Dallas, but they did for Houston.

Good catch! In fact, another example of a team leaving its name behind occurred eight years earlier, when the NFL Dallas Texans moved to Baltimore to become the Colts. But in both of those cases, the teams didn't leave behind a name that was perfectly suitable for the new city; they left behind names that could only be used in the old state.

The Colts should have left their name behind, because it was more applicable to Baltimore and there was glorious history associated with it, but i guess the examples set by the Texans were not sufficiently relevant to Irsay, who didn't give a damn about Baltimore anyway, and apparently was too attached to the name of his team to care whether the fans in Indianapolis might want their own name.

 

[SuperSpck]

Here's one that I designed (lawsuit pending). It's true to the colt name and is in team colors!

 

[SECTION 11]

Here's one that I designed (lawsuit pending). It's true to the colt name and is in team colors!

You're really onto something there!

 

[BigRedMO]

The internet can be a great thing. I have researched my asertion that the Colts were linked to Samuel Colt. I apparently am wrong. Sorry for the misinformation.