The Colts today announced a promotional campaign to mark the team’s upcoming 40th season in Indianapolis, including a commemorative logo that will be worn as a jersey patch for the 2023 season opener.
This is, by my count, the fifth milestone patch that the Colts have worn over the years. All have been worn since the team’s move from Baltimore to Indy, and most have celebrated the team’s tenure in Indy, although one was about the entire franchise’s lifespan. All have been celebrating a milestone season, not a milestone anniversary. Here’s a rundown of the four previous patches:
1993: 10th Season in Indianapolis
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2002: Franchise’s 50th Season
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2013: 30th Season in Indianapolis
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2018: 35th Season in Indianapolis
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In addition, the Colts page over at SportsLogos.net includes a logo marking the 20th season in Indy, although it wasn’t worn on the uniform (which is too bad, because it’s probably the nicest design of the bunch):
Additional info on the team’s 40th-season celebration can be found here.
I’ve always loved the 20 year patch and thought some version of it would look great as a secondary logo for them.
Hard to believe they’ve been in Indy for 40 years now, and that is many years more than their time in Baltimore. I’ve only known them as the Indianapolis Colts, but in my youth it was always talked about how they had recently left Baltimore in the middle of the night. Even though I never knew them in Baltimore for some reason my mind associates them with Baltimore as much as with Indianapolis.
I can’t believe the Mayflower trucks moved out of Baltimore 40 years ago!
The Colts have a game at Baltimore this season. Maybe they’ll add a Mayflower truck to the patch for that game.
They are going to be wearing this patch when they play AT the Ravens.
The team says it’s just for the season opener, which this page also says now.
It sad to watch the shoulder stripes shrink as the years went on.
It still blows my mind that the Colts and Ravens still insist on wearing the old Vapor Elite/Untouchable/Whatever jersey template from 10+ years ago. The sweatbox look won’t die!
Not to be a stickler – actually, that’s what we’re all here for- but the Indiana shaped 20 year logo for the Colts looks like an artist’s rendering of the state and less like a geographical representation.
I agree, needs to be taller
This is just a 3-D view, with the north tilted backward (I don’t know how else to say this).
BTW, I too lament the truncation of the shoulder stripes nowadays. It just looks dumb, and there’s no reason for it.
Like the patch…loved the blue facemask era!
This team has looked great no matter what they wear…blue/white/gray facemasks, blue/white/gray pants, blue or white helmets. Not sure which era I liked best.
It still seems weird they’re in Indy, even though they’ve spent more time there.
I saw the print version over on sportslogos.net and it looked like the font and the size of the years and the size of the horseshoe differ between patch and print version. Am I right or do I need new glasses?
I was going to college in Baltimore when the Colts snuck out in their Mayflower trucks. I was a Washington fan and didn’t care that much about the Colts, but there’s still a little part of me that has never forgiven them or John Elway for the underhanded way that they left town.
I’m kind of curious how Mayflower feels about the fact that after 40 years, people still remember exactly which moving company the Colts used. I rarely see anybody refer to that move without specifically mentioning Mayflower. I wonder if that’s a good association for them or not.
I can’t believe it’s been 40 years. How can I be that old?