RARE: Colts leave Baltimore overnight. - Baltimore Colts The Long Goodbye VHSrip March 1984 

Baltimore's "offer" was eminent domain, no wonder Irsay got out of town

I have a lot of old stuff like this, I have had a VCR since 1983 and recorded tons of sports among other things; will be posting more soon.

how does this not have more views this is a f'in gem of history, amazing upload

Love this piece of history, thanks for posting!!!

Irsay was really a trend setter for today's NFL owners "You build me a new venue or I'm going somewhere else"

I can *NEVER* forget that. Like Modell, Irsay was in the crosshairs of angry fans' wrath. Both will always be on the side of infamy.

It's been almost 35 years now & I STILL cannot get used to saying "Indianapolis Colts."

Thanks! This is a rare glimpse at a strange episode in nfl history.

Hmmm, play in a dump with empty seats in a city trying to take the team away from you by imminent domain - OR - move to a city with a brand new stadium offering you a 20 year free lease. Gee, I can't imagine why the Colts moved.

Ironically enough, as part of Indianapolis deal, the city gave him 10 years of guaranteed sellouts which meant he wasn’t forced to put a winner there.

As a Sonics fan from Seattle, I unfortunately can relate to the pain and betrayal Colts fans felt back in '84. I'm glad Baltimore eventually got a football team back though.

I grew up in Maryland but was never a Colts fan. However I remember that night well. IIRC the only reason the Colts were caught trying to sneak out was because of reporter was driving home from work, took a detour and saw the steam from the trucks and the lights on in the building.

I don't blame Irsay for leaving Baltimore, they had every chance to keep them in Baltimore and the city did not step up. Memorial stadium was a dump. Things were moving forward in the NFL and teams were getting new stadiums and financial support from cities they resided in.

Keep in mind the Orioles in 1983 just won the World Series. Jim Palmer's last in his career and had been part of all three titles (1966, 1970, 1983) and the beginning of The Iron Man (Cal Ripken Jr)

It was a very good kept secret to keep their move quiet, but it won't work today to 24-7 social media cycle.

17:25. That's a damn cool t shirt for 1983. I didn't even know Logo 7 was around way back then.

4 dislikes wtf im uploading a new in sync audio version shortly .......

"Too bad." Ouch.

The rumors of the Colts leaving town started in 1979

at least you got the ravens

I’ll never forget seeing Irsay on tv saying “It’s not your team, It’s my team.” That about says it all.

Hard to believe it's been 32 years since the Colts moved to Indianapolis!!!!

It's amazing how much more sympathetic Indianapolis seemed to be toward Baltimore than Baltimore would be just 11 years later toward Cleveland.

Being a life-long Denver Broncos fan and native, I would be devastated. Thank goodness for the success of the Ravens. Them Irsays are crazy. Glad Elway didn't want to play for them.

remember like it was yesterday....walked out of high school that day.....upset about colts and that we went to school despite the snow......

This is why Mayflower is the least popular moving company in Baltimore.

And yet eleven and a half years later, they accepted a deal to take someone else's team from them. Who knows how things would be different if the Colts had stayed in Baltimore? Perhaps, if they had left the history of the Colts and the name in Baltimore, there wouldn't be a Ravens franchise there.

Good thing it all had a happy ending for Baltimore/Indianapolis/Cleveland Seattle on the other hand

Wish we could've kept the history and name atleast

That began a curse that has hounded the Colts to this day, despite winning a Super Bowl 34 years later.

Got another one coming soon related to this one; just have to VHSrip it. It is when the Browns come to Baltimore and It was around 1995; I will post that soon. I also have uploaded the team we had in the CFL at the time "The Baltimore Stallions" winning the Gray Cup here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qw5I3DVszwM.html With the Baltimore Colts gone and no NFL football team, Baltimore got a CFL football team named the Stallions in 1994. The team played only two years but won the CFL equivalent of the SUPER BOWL in both seasons. Once the Browns were moving to Baltimore; the team was disbanded. The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Owner: Jim Speros Head coach: Don Matthews Location: Baltimore, MD Founded: 1994 Home field: Memorial Stadium Color: Royal blue, silver, black and white

The Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1995, where they changed their name to the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns returned to Cleveland as an expansion team in 1999.

Interesting! I never knew that Irsay was the previous most despicable sports team owner in the area.

Things were going on from Jan- Mar 1984 as the video shows

"I have not any intention of moving the g-d team. If I did, I would tell you about it. Okay?" - Bob Irsay

They had to "sneak out of town" because they got win that the team was going to be seized

As much as i loved the Baltimore Colts. They were playing in an outdated relic of a stadium. The City of Baltimore & The State of Maryland representatives thought Irsay was talking out his rear end. Well that swift kick in the rear was Irsay's midnight exodus. Yes it was sad what he did. But it took that painful lesson to bring Camden Yards to existence .

They were threatening to leave over 4 years the city did nothing to make things better. They had to pay the Orioles rent and share their revenue with them and the Orioles didn't have to share nothing with the Colts. I don't blame them for leaving at all the city had time to make things better and they didn't so the Colts left.

thanks for posting this video. Agreed, Baltimore should have been able to retain the name and history.

It's also amusing to hear references to "bringing football into the modern era".

Really? The Hoosier Dome looked far from being finished. 14:55.

Indianapolis Colts fan here. I definitely understand the hatred the people of Baltimore feel for Robert Irsay. The guy was a drunk and was a garbage owner who never put a good team on the field here in Indy. When he died his son took over and hired the right people and got out of the way for the most part. I also feel the Colts name should have stayed in Baltimore. But, government officials in Baltimore are partially to blame for the Colts leaving. Memorial Stadium was falling apart for years and the previous Colts owner tried to negotiate with the city. He got sick of dealing with it and traded the Colts for the Rams. I think Irsay did Baltimore dirty with HOW he moved the team but Baltimore could have prevented this from happening and a lot of the comments here don't mention that at all 🤔

Isn't it interesting that both of Baltimore's teams were once called the Browns?

Wait a sec, America once actually made t shirts?? Damn

Charger fan here I feel the pain.

I remember when this happened, I'll still take the Ravens, we had to lose in order to gain.

Johnny unitas said it perfectly

Baltimore and Cleveland share one thing in common, they both had heartbreaking relocations. But the difference between them is that Baltimore was nice enough to give Cleveland their history and name back, but Baltimore didn't get the same treatment. Indianapolis rarely, if ever, acknowledges their past and it's sad if you ask me. If Peyton Manning was never drafted by the Indianapolis Colts they would have been one of the most irrelevant, unsuccessful franchises in NFL history. The city of Baltimore definitely made the Ravens their own, but deep down I think lots of older fans wish they had just been the Colts the whole time. Johnny Unitas is a football legend and he was the face of that city, arguably that entire state too and he sounded the most disappointed by that whole scandal.

Simple. Don't try to seize a man's personal business via eminent domain. Baltimore forced Irsay to move the team or lose it.

40 years of Indianapolis Colts

I'm a Baltimore fan(from Pennsylvania) but get your facts straight. The move was 20 years in the making. Both the Orioles and Colts were disguised with Memorial Stadium as far back as the 60's. When Baltimore became aware of the complaints they proposed to build a multipurpose dome similar to the Astrodome in Houston, down where the current stadiums are now. However they soon withdrew the plan on the excuse that they didn't have the money and wouldn't replace what they considered a memorial to fallen soldiers (facade of Memorial Stadium) A 1972 study of Memorial Stadium sided with the owners. No skyboxes, obstructed views, poor location, poor plumbing, parking and concessions under control of the Orioles even for Colts games, the 2 p.m. kickoffs, and the horseshoe shaped bowl (took fans sitting on the 50 yard line away from the action) were among issues addressed. Yet Baltimore made little, if any effort, to remodel and upgrade the stadium. Threats of relocation came from both the Colts and Orioles shortly after this with the Colts being sold to Robert Irsay in 1972 and the Orioles to Edward Williams in 1979. Talks between the owners and the city produced little results and never mentioned a new stadium for either team. Even in 1984 the mayor made it known a new stadium wasn't going to be built. Once the Colts left the fear of the Orioles relocating to Washington D.C. (where Williams had his law office) became very real and the need for a new stadium to save the Orioles became a top priority. Even then Annapolis was slow to pass a bill to fund a stadium. It was only the smart thinking of the Colts marching band playing at the State House that the new stadium, now known as Camden Yards, passed. Baltimore treated the owners like crap and paid the price. Not siding with the Colts but holding Baltimore responsible for their actions. They're lucky they have teams today.

A tragedy, sponsored by Toyota. Somehow, that fits. I remember well watching on TV in New England the Mayflower trucks trying to sneak out of the headquarters in the middle of the night. We couldn't believe it, but then we remembered who the owner was.

The Mayflower Move

Al Davis leave Oakland move to Los Angeles became Los Angeles Raiders in 1982 followed by Robert irsay leave Baltimore move to Indianapolis became Indianapolis Colts in 1984 and last but not least bill bidwill leave St Louis move to Phoenix became Phoenix Cardinals in 1988 those are the greatest moves the franchise relocation in NFL history of all time the 80s

The colts left by the cover of darkness.....The Colts' Band proceeded by the light of day.

There is a good doc on Disney plus about the move. And the colts band getting screwed. But yeah. The colts were cowards for leaving like they did. Especially over night with out giving the town any notice. The Band was lucky to get there uniforms back because they were at the cleaners lol. So they hid them in a cemetery and hid them in a mausoleum. Lol. Later on the Baltimore Ravens were nice enough to allow the band to play for them all these years later. They got new uniforms and everything.

When you don't have a mind (Irsay) it's hard to make it up.

Memorial Stadium was turning into a dump should be glad Orioles didn't leave town also

Worse than the Colts leaving, local politics closed my recreation center in North West Baltimore in the early 1980s.

Even if the Colts didn’t leave for Indianapolis, what would Baltimore do with two NFL teams?! It most like would have to be like the Jets and Giants, there would be no other choice.

In 1983 Colts had many crowds of 25000 or so

There's so much I could say about Marge Blatt 5:55, the human Pall Mall. When public relations backfires.

i was 3 when this happened i started watching the nfl when i was 10 and eventually i found out about this

Chargers move equally as bad, only they went to a rival sports city of San Diego, LA to become a SECOND TEAM.

They made the man hell of a better deal than Baltimore. Shame we didn’t get to keep the team’s history and colors

In the end all cities involved came out okay.

Thank goodness the Packers stayed in Green Bay instead of moving to Milwaukee...The Packers have too much of a long, rich football history in the city of Green Bay to move anywhere else, having been started by Acme meat packing company employees in the late 1800s as a sandlot football team known as the Acme Packers...I also like that the Packers had invested in renovations, expansions and retrofits to their stadium to make it a year-round attraction for their fanbase. Instead of being owned by one person, the Packers are owned by a collective of shareholders. I worked at the Packers Pro Shop at Lambeau Field in high school, and it's amazing to see all the merchandise with the Packers logo plastered all over them beyond the usual range of hats, T-shirts and jerseys!

The NFL returns to Los Angeles of both the Rams '16 & Chargers '17

No wonder he was called “Turnoff” should have changed his last name to “Turndown” because he was turning down the reporters questions.

Crazy in the 1980's u can just camp out and go to someones hotel room and interview him.

Raw deal, the BALTIMORE Colts put the NFL on the map. Devil on earth, Irsay's own mother quote.

15 vans taking 15 different routes

Sad day.

Of all relocation, this was the worst. Baltimore Colts should still exist.

INDIANAPOLIS IS THERE RIGHTFUL HOME NOW 💙💙💙

Baltimore had a goofy rule about 2 pm(eastern) start times that's one reason

This would make a good movie.

saying that Baltimore should have kept the lago in Baltimore no because Bob Irsay owned the team so he technically owned the lago

Cleveland kept the Browns logo . Why was the Irsay clown allowed to keep the Colts logo?Maby the nfl can fix that as well as the officiating problems

Man! I theses nos·tal·gia jiggles music intro from baltimore channel 2 back in the late 80's!😂😂😂😂🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

28:17 dayum.... The news outlets would be under heavy fire for using that R word if the Colts move happened in the 2000s onward!

what baffles me is the nerve of Indianapolis to keep the Colts name.

It's all good that Baltimore let there team leave. I love my Baltimore- Indianapolis Colt's 🏈🏈🏈

They would've gotten a new stadium like the ravens but the owner was a lunatic

Well, Baltimore. You First Rejected Irsay's Demand for a New Stadium and then passed a Measure denying that chance, You then tried to Take the Colts Away from Irsay which forced him to make the move to Indianpolis. If You Hadn't Screwed Over Your Own Damn Team and Just Gave Them a New Stadium and Not Threaten to Take That Team Away, I'll Betcha The Colts would still be in Baltimore. But Hey You've Learned and Got the Ravens (Although You Had To Take That Team From Cleveland).

Must stink to have the best player ever in your franchise history.....to have a statue outside of someone else's stadium

Ravens (old Browns) fans see this

I live in Baltimore

Well we waited 12 years to get back in NFL team with the Ravens, and 5 year we won our first of Super Bowl. I was 6 at that time, before the Ravens I was a Cowboys/49ers fans but when the Ravens came I came a fan since day one

2007

Cry 😭💔

You can’t say goddamn on the air. Don’t worry. Nobody’s listening anyway.

I wonder what would have happened if the Colts went to a different state it would have been interesting if they did come to Arizona keeping in mind that everything that happened would happen if they got the same player's that won the superbowl in Indianapolis

Baltimore had the last laugh, though. Baltimore has won two Super Bowls since then and the Colts only won one.

Every Hoosier still celebrates this as our state's arrival!

The Colts belong in Indianapolis. That is where Peyton Manning played.

The Ravens will never receive the legacy of the Baltimore Colts, nor should they, because not only does the Colts organization own the rights and intellectual property, but they have already established their own history and identity. Technically the city of Baltimore does own that history, it just won't be recognized by the NFL. History was made there in Baltimore and no amount of money can take that geographical history from one place to another. I understand Baltimore fans were hurt by the move, but the city was to blame for that in the beginning, and once Irsay had started the moving process, it was too late. The city of Baltimore knew a move was potentially coming, it was how it was executed that took everybody by surprise.

They tried to take The Colts from Irsay!!!! He’s not the villain

The fans of Baltimore seem to vividly remember the pain of losing the Colts, but they don't appear to have any problem with the way they acquired the Ravens. That really says a lot about people way beyond pro football. It says that they're hopelessly terrible. Nice.

Why is the audio so out of sync? Is anyone else having that problem?