To give you some background information about how the Ravens came about, seeing that it is the height of the football season, there are a few things you should know...

The team was named Colts in honor of Baltimore's rich history with racing, and breeding of horses. The Colts would incur moderate success in the rival league before becoming one of 4 teams to join the NFL in 1950.

In the 1957 season, Johnny Unitas' first full season as starting QB, the Colts got off to a 3-0 start, and were a factor all year in the race for the Western Division Title. After losing 3 in a row, the Colts responded by winning 4 in a row, and sat at 7-3 with the Western Title with in their grasp. However, the Colts would lose their final 2 games of the season and at 7-5, 1 game out of a 2-way tie for the title.

For more highlights and historical moments, check out http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/balticolts/baltcolts.html

Skipping ahead many years, no one could have imagined such a surprise...

On December 18th 1983 the Colts had played their final game in Baltimore. Almost after the season ending win at Memorial Stadium, Colts owner Robert Irsay began talking to other cities about moving the club. On February 13th he toured the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. The Colts also spoke to officials in Phoenix, as the Maryland legislature tried to use eminent domain laws to force the franchise to remain in Maryland. On March 28th Phoenix dropped out of the bidding, at Irsay called up officials in Indiana saying he was on the way. However, he kept the move secret until just after midnight when by cover of darkness on a cold snowy night he used Mayflower moving trucks to pack up the Colts offices, and relocate them in Indianapolis.

By the time anyone realized what had happened it was too late to stop. The NFL feeling they could not win in court did not fight the move, as Maryland put up a futile fight before the Colts agreed to support Baltimore getting an expansion team. The city of Baltimore would fail in several attempts at landing a NFL franchise, and even entered the CFL, before landing a new NFL franchise named the Ravens in 1996. However, the Irsay family would not relinquish the name Colts, as they once promised. Many Colt legends were angered by the move including legendary QB Johnny Unitas who refused to acknowledge the franchise for the rest of his life.

Football can give you memorable moments, but not all of them are good. Fans can recall the thrill of Superbowl victory, but they can also remember and maybe never forget the broken-hearted, angry, and sad moments in that happened to their hometown team.

That being said, this article explains the reasoning behind why the Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis

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A moving van carrying the Baltimore Colts' equipment leaves Baltimore for Indianapolis in the middle of the night March 19, 1984. Robert Irsay, who was forever scorned in Baltimore for sneaking his team out of town, died Tuesday Jan. 14, 1997 , a year after having a stroke. He was 73. Lloyd Pearson/The Baltimore Sun