The Indianapolis Colts are an NFL football franchise. They were founded in 1953, but they played in Baltimore until 1984, when they made a very controversial move to Indianapolis. They have won three NFL Championships and two Super Bowls, making them among the teams with the greatest number of hardware.

The Colts have been among the most successful teams of the last decade. In fact, they won more games (115) than any other team in the league from 2000-2009. http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/01/07/nfl-standings-for-the-decade-colts-patriots-are-the-best-lion/ Led by quarterback Peyton Manning, who arrived from the University of Tennessee in 1998, the Colts have made the playoffs ten of the last eleven years. They have won six division titles since 2003 (coming in second only in 2008), and they won the Super Bowl in 2007 (following the 2006 season).

After defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional playoff and the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game, the Colts were a wide favorite in Super Bowl XLIV, which was played on February 7 in Miami. However, after storming to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, they couldn't hold on and eventually fell to the New Orleans Saints, 31-17.

While they don’t quite have the legacy of the Chicago Bears or the Green Bay Packers, the Colts are among the most history-laden teams in the NFL. The Baltimore Colts were founded in 1953, although the team has roots going back to the Dayton Triangles, a founding member of the NFL that began to play competitively in 1913. They moved to Indianapolis in 1984, in a highly unexpected, controversial switch. They won NFL Championships in 1958, 1959, and 1968, as well as Super Bowls (the successor to the NFL Championship game) in 1971 and 2007.

The two best players in the Colts’ history are arguably the two best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL: Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning. Unitas, who played with the Colts from 1956-1972, helped define the role of the modern quarterback, and won four titles. Manning, who still leads the team, has a slew of records and is likely to break virtually most of the most important career marks before he retires. In addition to the two QB’s, the team has also employed legendary players like Art Donovan, Eric Dickerson, and Marshall Faulk, as well as historic coaches Don Shula and Weeb Eubank.

The Colts are also known for having participated in the so-called Greatest Game in Ever Playedhttp://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3742033, in which they defeated the New York Giants with an overtime touchdown to win the 1958 NFL Championship.

• 2008-09— Lost in Wild Card to the San Diego Chargers

• 2007-08—Lost in Divisional Playoffs to the San Diego Chargers

• 2006-07—Won Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears

• 2005-06—Lost in Divisional Playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers

• 2005-06—Lost in Divisional Playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers

• 2004-05— Lost in Divisional Playoffs to the New England Patriots

• 2003-04— Lost in AFC Championship to the New England Patriots

• 2003-04— Lost in AFC Championship to the New England Patriots

• 2002-03—Lost in the Wild Card to the New York Jets