A part of the AFC South, the Colts have two NFL championships under their belt. One in Baltimore and another in Indianapolis. The Colts started out brilliantly in their search for glory. Stationed in Baltimore, the Colts produced mesmerizing artistry to win an NFL championship in Super Bowl 5. Then came the decline. After winning Super Bowl V, the 80’s saw their magic virtually fade away. The lions stopped roaring and it showed. Dubious performance sheets: 2-14, 0-8-1, and much more followed. Baltimore began loving its child less,- and its child, the Colts, started to drift away from Baltimore.

Owner Robert Irsay’s attempt to get the Baltimore Stadium restructured fell flat as officials were scared of a poor crowd. This disturbed Irsay, and he started seeking fresh places for settling the NFL franchise. It was then that Indianapolis came into the picture. Indianapolis had built the Hoosier Dome and readied itself to let the NFL expand within its territory. Mayors Richard Lugar and William Hudnut did not leave a single stone unturned to forge the relation between the city and the Baltimore Colts. Thus got fashioned the name, “The Indianapolis Colts”.

Even with Indianapolis, the story of the Colts has been more of an up and down thing. They struggled all through the 80’s but kept giving intermittent hope to its many followers. This way the battle continued. Just when we thought the team wouldn’t ever again make it to the level it once was, the Indianapolis Colts did it in style in the year 2006 winning the Super Bowl by defeating the Chicago Bears.

The Indianapolis Colts have never been short on individual brilliance. They acquired the services of Quarterback Peyton Manning in 1998, seeking a reversal of fortune , and the young boy did it for them. Coming from a back to back 3-13 season, Peyton converted it to a 13-3 sheet and helped the Colts triumph in the AFC south. In this context, the support of Edgerrin James can’t be belittled. His runs down the flank at lightning speed helped Peyton in mobilizing resources as a quarterback.

Fans kept getting greedy, with Manning, Marvin, and others, the Super Bowl was what they started looking for. Post-seasons were not to be enough by any means. Since then fans have become intensely hopeful. The 2004 show was no blur and 2006 had been really special.

On February 4, 2007 at the Dolphin Stadium in Miami, the Colts vanquished the Chicago bears 29-17 in what has been one of their sweetest moments. The occasion was Super Bowl 41 or XLI. In a rain-hit game, as many as six turnovers were witnessed from both sides in the first half. Peyton Manning got awarded as the MVP. Manning completed 25 out of 38 passes for 247 yards.

The win was historic as Indianapolis became first Dome Team to win the coveted trophy in an outdoor stadium. Tony Dungy’s fate is also worth noticing. He became only the third man in AFC history to secure the prize both as a player and a head coach.

To take the football crowd further, Indianapolis has built a retractable roof stadium named Lucas Oil Stadium. It was officially opened on the 14th of August this year. It takes place of the RCA Dome as the home field of the Indianapolis Colts. The retractable roof and windows add the new wave component of playing indoors as well as outdoors. Its name comes from the oil company Lucas Oil that had bought the naming rights for a whopping $ 121 million. The stadium sports an anachronistic, retro look. This is in tune with Indianapolis’s liking for a historic look to the field.