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I don't think Houston Texan fans hold a huge grudge against the Titans or Baltimoreans hold this huge grudge against the Colts.
They most certainly do. When the Colts play at Baltimore, they don't even display the Colts nickname, or refer to them as the Colts. Just Indy or Indianapolis.
the Colts and Browns ..... although both have replacement franchises and the Browns were able to keep their history it definitely stings them, especially since the ravens have had a good amount of success while their expansion team has struggled
Baltimore is still bitter about it after receiving the ravens and were downright toxic on the subject before that
the northstars moving was another big one and I'd probably put that one 3rd .... it stung losing the pro team, but they are so tied into college and youth hockey as well that it took a little bit of the bite out of it, not to mention there was some pre-move animosity ..... i think them moving to Dallas was more insulting than them just moving ....... definitely still devastating, but probably a touch less than the 2 above
As a sonics fan I know a lot of us still have no use for the NBA
My life was no longer worth a darn when the Houston Mavericks moved to Carolina and became the Cougars.
Seriously, I was just a toddler when that happened. But I was enraged when the Oilers left Houston for Tennesee. Drove me to become an Oakland Raider fan instead.
They most certainly do. When the Colts play at Baltimore, they don't even display the Colts nickname, or refer to them as the Colts. Just Indy or Indianapolis.
Used to work for a Baltimore based company. They certainly do hold a grudge. They dispise the Indy franchise. The Titans are the Texans most hated rival (other than the occasionally played Stars to the north).
Cities dont foget. When Dallas stars play the Wild the fans are jacked with anger...and beer.
They most certainly do. When the Colts play at Baltimore, they don't even display the Colts nickname, or refer to them as the Colts. Just Indy or Indianapolis.
The last several years of the Baltimore Colts were painful to the fans and the city and embarrassing as well. From when they were relocated from Dallas in 1953 (originally called the Texans) up until the late 1970's they were one of the hallmark franchises in the NFL. Johnny Unitas had something to do with that of course, but it went beyond him.
The Colt players, particularly the retired ones had a special relationship with the city itself. A good number of retired players stayed in the area and done well financially. Alan Amache and Gino Marchetti are two that come to mind who got into the restaurant business and were extremely successful.
What started the slide was the strange transaction where Caroll Rosenbloom and Robert Irsay traded franchises, something that, to the best of my knowledge never happened before with any professional sports franchise Irsay had bought the LA Rams franchise earlier in the decade and apparently this swap had been discussed between the two for some time. What aggravated the fans further was how the Colts were slowly run into the ground after winning Super Bowl V. Joe Thomas was the general manager around that time and he done some very strange things to that club, like having five head coaches in six years (including himself in the 1974 season). And something happened to that club that before never would have thought to have been possible. They couldn't draw. After Bert Jones brought some hope to that club (and also a couple division titles in '76 and '77), the club slowly descended downward and stayed there. The last home game of the 1978 season against the Buffalo Bills brought 25,415 fans. By the 1980 season it got worse, with the final home game of that season against the Kansas City Chiefs drawing 16,941.
By 1981 quarterback Bert Jones wanted out. In 1978 and 1979 he was banged up and only played in 8 games in those seasons. I remember an article in the Denver Post when Baltimore came in to play the Broncos in week 3 of the 1981 season. Bert wanted to play for Denver, slammed the Colt organization in the paper, so he sent a message to the Bronco organization through the media that he wanted to be a Bronco. By 1982 he was a Los Angeles Ram. His situation regarding his injury, and his contract situation created a pretty ugly divorce.
And by 1983 the last few homes games drew only 20 to 25,000 per game. Management basically dismantled what was once a proud franchise-twice.
And the end result was watching ESPN's Sportscenter watching semis pull away from Memorial Stadium in early 1984. This being 26 years ago, this is what most Colts fans remember most of all. It was indeed a sorry way to go out.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 08-13-2010 at 07:51 PM..
Reason: addition, spelling
DoubleHH, the Colts leaving town in the middle of the night, in about 7 loaded Mayflower Moving semi's was a shock to the city.
Lots of guys gave up on football, their hearts ripped out by that sudden departure. I think you wrote the story in another thread, about how the mayor threatened to take the team by eminent domain, or something like that, and the owner panicked and fled within a day or two.
The Baltimore Colts Marching Band practiced for years afterward, ever hopeful of a return. Sad situation for the fans. Devastatingly so.
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DoubleHH, the Colts leaving town in the middle of the night, in about 7 loaded Mayflower Moving semi's was a shock to the city.
Lots of guys gave up on football, their hearts ripped out by that sudden departure. I think you wrote the story in another thread, about how the mayor threatened to take the team by eminent domain, or something like that, and the owner panicked and fled within a day or two.
The Baltimore Colts Marching Band practiced for years afterward, ever hopeful of a return. Sad situation for the fans. Devastatingly so.
And who could forget Baltimore's brief stint in the CFL? Even though the team was successful, it was sad to see how desperate the city was to fill the void left by the Colts (even going so far as trying - unsuccessfully - to name the team the "CFL Colts").
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