Top 50 Indianapolis Colts
The Baltimore Colts first took the field in 1953 following the collapse of the Dallas Texans, most of whom joined the new team in the Mid-Atlantic Coast.The late 50’s were good to Baltimore, as they would win back-to-back NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959. They would win a third one in 1968, though that is one best forgotten. This was the year that they lost Super Bowl III to the New York Jets thus rendering the ’68 NFL Title essentially meaningless.
Baltimore would however rebound two years later and win Super Bowl V.
The team would controversially relocate to Indianapolis prior to the 1984 season however for years they were not a bona fide Super Bowl contender for years…until Peyton Manning was drafted.
Manning would take the Colts to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI and providing the first title following the move to Indianapolis.
This list is up to the end of the 2024 regular season.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics and post-season accolades.
When the Colts packed up and moved to Indiana in 1984, few imagined that an eighth-round longshot out of LSU would end up defining perimeter defense in the Hoosier State for the next thirteen years. Eugene Daniel didn't just earn a roster spot as a rookie flyer—he seized the starting cornerback role with a fierce, physical edge that made him…
When Tom Moore and Peyton Manning sat down to design the most lethal hurry-up offense of the modern era, they needed a tight end who moved like a slot receiver and ran routes with surgical precision. Enter Dallas Clark. Drafted 24th overall out of Iowa in 2003, Clark arrived in Indianapolis perfectly tailored for the Colts' No-Huddle attack, flexing out…
When the Indianapolis Colts selected an overlooked linebacker out of FCS-level South Carolina State in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, critics questioned whether his small-school dominance would translate to Sunday football. Shaquille Leonard spent his entire rookie campaign silencing those doubters, earning the nickname "The Maniac" from teammates for his relentless sideline-to-sideline pursuit and instinctive playmaking that…
When a blockbuster three-team, ten-player trade rocked the NFL in October 1987, Eric Dickerson brought his iconic goggles, upright stride, and unmatched big-play explosiveness to the Hoosier Dome. Fresh off setting unbreakable rushing benchmarks in Southern California, the SMU star hit the ground running in Indiana, racking up 1,011 rushing yards in just nine games to power the Colts to…
Drafted in the 14th round of the 1954 NFL Draft out of South Dakota, Ordell Braase took the scenic route to professional football stardom, working through military service and roster cuts before finally breaking into the Baltimore lineup in 1957. Once he arrived, the patient defensive end proved a master of longevity and technique, evolving from a trusted situational reserve…
When the Baltimore Colts drafted Alex Sandusky in the 16th round (184th overall) out of tiny Clarion University in 1954, nobody expected a longshot prospect from a small Pennsylvania college to lock down a starting offensive line spot for over a decade. Armed with low-center-of-gravity leverage, brute physical strength, and exceptional mobility, Sandusky shattered expectations by seizing the starting right…
Long before pop culture knew him as the towering Moses Hightower in the Police Academy film franchise, Charles "Bubba" Smith struck genuine fear into opposing backfields as an imposing gridiron force. Selected first overall in the 1967 NFL Draft out of Michigan State, the 6-foot-7, 265-pound defensive end possessed a rare blend of length, explosive speed, and brute power that…
When the Indianapolis Colts spent the 18th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on Ryan Kelly, they weren't just looking for a starting offensive lineman—they were searching for the anchor to stabilize an offense haunted by pre-snap pass protection issues. Arriving from the University of Alabama with three BCS/CFP National Championship rings and a Rimington Trophy to his name,…
Standing 6-foot-7 with a range that redefined off-ball linebacker play in the late 1960s, Ted Hendricks arrived in Baltimore as a second-round pick out of Miami (FL) in 1989 and immediately earned his iconic nickname: "The Stork." With his towering height and immense wingspan, Hendricks transformed Don McCafferty's defense, using his frame to disrupt short passing lanes, smother sweep runs,…
The Indianapolis Colts used the fifth overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft on USC standout Duane Bickett, betting on a 6-foot-5, 251-pound athletic marvel who could redefine the right outside linebacker position. The move paid immediate dividends; Bickett stepped into the starting defense on day one and took the league by storm, amassing 141 tackles and 6.0 sacks to…
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing a massive 288 pounds, Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb took one of the most improbable paths to professional football stardom in NFL history. Never attending college, Lipscomb honed his physical craft while serving in the United States Marine Corps before breaking into the league with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1953. After…
Long before specialized rosters ruled professional football, Bert Rechichar stood out as the ultimate multi-phase weapon in the early days of Weeb Ewbank’s Baltimore Colts. Selected 10th overall in the 1952 draft by Cleveland, Rechichar arrived in Baltimore in 1953 and quickly became a starter in the secondary. Known throughout the league as a bone-jarring, physically imposing safety, his instinctive…
