The Pirates, along with Sacramento, were assigned to the Western Division, while the Colts and Pirates were assigned to the Eastern Division. The most successful US club was Baltimore, who had to drop the moniker "CFL Colts" in the midst of the season due to a legal disagreement with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The team was renamed the "Baltimore Stallions" for their final season.
The CFL began planning for its expansion into Europe in 1980, and the first franchise was granted permission to enter the United States. The Ottawa Rough Riders became the first American team when they started playing exhibition games against Canadian teams in August 1980. The first regular season game took place on July 30, 1981, when the Rough Riders defeated the BC Lions 16-15 at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. The final game of the season for both teams was played the next day with the Lions defeating the Riders 33-12.
The Birmingham Stallions were the first African-American team in the CFL, but they only lasted one season before being replaced by another black team, this time called the Jacksonville Bulls. The Bulls went 0-10 in their only season before the league decided not to renew their contract.
There have been many attempts to get an NFL team back in Baltimore over the years, but none have succeeded as of 2014. The city is now home to the Baltimore Ravens football team.
They compete in the American Football Conference's (AFC) South Division of the National Football League (NFL). The organization began play in 1953 as the Baltimore Colts, with the club based in Baltimore, Maryland; following the 1983 season, the franchise relocated to Indianapolis. The Colts have won two NFL championships - in 1959 and 1970 - and have appeared in nine NFL Finals.
Colts' fans can take pride in the fact that their team has never been defeated by an opponent in regular season game played in its own stadium. The record is 10-0-0-0. The only loss came at Frank Clair Stadium in 1956 when they were beaten by Pittsburgh 20-7.
The Colts have also never lost a playoff game played at Lucas Oil Field. Their record is 5-0.
The franchise has had many great players come through the door over the years including Johnny Unitas who was drafted number one overall by the Colts in 1955. He went on to become one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He led the Colts to two NFL Championships in 1959 and 1970. He died in January 2008 at the age of 60 after being shot several times in his head during a robbery attempt. Another great player for the Colts was wide receiver Raymond Berry who had over 11,000 yards receiving in his career from 1973 to 1982.
The Colts of Baltimore The Baltimore Colts were an American football professional team headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The inaugural Baltimore Colts franchise, it played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 before joining the National Football League (NFL) for one season before dissolving. The team's first two seasons were successful on and off the field, with the club winning or tying for first place in its division each year. However, financial problems led to the dismissal of head coach Weeb Ewbank after the 1948 season, and the franchise then fell apart.
During their time in the AAFC, the Colts competed against the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers for attendance supremacy. The two teams drew nearly 1 million fans over the course of their rivalry, which lasted until the end of the 1949 season when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. The Baltimore franchise is most famous for having had Johnny Unitas as a quarterback during its first two seasons; however, he only appeared in four games during that period because of injury. The team's final game was a 14-7 loss to the New York Giants in the championship game of the 1949 AAFC Playoffs.
Unitas went on to have a very successful career with the San Francisco 49ers, earning five consecutive Most Valuable Player awards between 1955 and 1959. He died at age 45 after suffering a heart attack while playing golf in October 1973.
The Baltimore Ravens currently represent the city in the NFL.
The Baltimore Colts The organization began play in 1953 as the Baltimore Colts, with the club based in Baltimore, Maryland; following the 1983 season, the franchise relocated to Indianapolis. Carroll Rosenbloom established an NFL club to Baltimore in 1953 and held it until 1972, when he sold it to Robert Irsay. Irsay continued to operate the team as owner until moving it to Indianapolis in 1984.
Irsay then sought to move the Colts to Los Angeles, but that effort failed. In 1999, Irsay sold the team to Steven Biscotti and Adam Davies, who operated it under the name Irsay Enterprises. In 2001, the team was purchased by Mr. Biscotti's brother, Christopher, who retained that status through at least 2014. The Biscotti family has a long history of involvement in the entertainment industry; among other things, they own part of the film studio Paramount Pictures.
Mr. Biscotti died in April 2017 at the age of 43. His brothers, Chris and Steve, have continued to run Irsay Enterprises.
The Baltimore Colts played their first game on September 19, 1953, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. They lost 10-7 to Boston. From 1953 to 1972, they played their home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.
The squad is regarded as one of the worst in NFL history, both on and off the field (lowest franchise winning %). During its only season, the squad was stationed in Dallas, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Akron, Ohio. In 1953, the league relocated the franchise to Baltimore, where it began play as the Colts. The Texans finished with a record of 4-60-1.
Dallas entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1950. Tex Schramm, who also served as the team's coach, decided to name the new franchise after the Texas oil fields. However, when the season ended, the team had only won two games. He then resigned as head coach to take over as general manager of the Detroit Lions. The next year, they improved their record to 8-62.
In 1952, the team moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania, and became the first NFL team to play a regular season game outside of the United States. They finished the season with a record of 2-10.
In 1953, the team moved again this time to Akron, Ohio, where they spent the last half of the season playing against second-tier teams. They finished with a record of 0-10-1.
After these poor performances, the NFL decided to relocate the franchise to Baltimore.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
