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July 30, 2009

Alan Faneca -your sure you know enough about him..

Filed under: legacy, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 10:48 pm

Alan Joseph Faneca, Jr.  so are you sure that you know enough about him , about his life , his early life ,  his present life ,lol if you don’t just follow me , i would be introducing you as much as i can , also after this you will be so welcome to come to vist my home , its about nfl jerseys..

(born December 7, 1976) is an American football guard for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 26th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football for Louisiana State.

A five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Faneca won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.
Early years
He attended John Curtis Christian Middle School and later Lamar Consolidated High School in Texas. He also lettered in track. He was an All-Greater Houston, Orlando Sentinel All-South, and Touchdown Club of Houston player of the year. At age 15, Faneca began having seizures, which were later diagnosed as epilepsy. [1] He started on medication to control it and was able to continue playing football.
College career
Faneca attended LSU and was redshirted in 1994. He was voted the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year by Knoxville News Sentinel in 1995. In 1996 he was selected as a second-team All-American. He was one of three finalists for 1997 Outland Trophy won by Nebraska’s Aaron Taylor He started his last 36 games at LSU and allowed only one sack in his last season. He had 210 pancake blocks in his collegiate career. He returned to school in 1999 and earned a degree in management entrepreneurship.
Pro career

Pittsburgh Steelers
He was picked by Pittsburgh in the first round (26th overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft. He saw limited playing time at first but injuries to fellow Steelers Will Wolford and Jim Sweeney allowed him to get his first start against the Cincinnati Bengals. He earned the Joe Greene Award as the team’s top rookie.In 1999 against the Cleveland Browns he was having a bad season debut before leaving the game at halftime, after suffering a left ankle injury late in the second quarter of the game and played the rest of the first half after sustaining the injury but did not play during the second half.

Against Baltimore Ravens he returned from his ankle injury but was replaced in the second half by Roger Duffy.One of his best games on the Season was against the Cincinnati Bengals helping to pave the way for Jerome Bettis first 100-yard game of that season.Against the Carolina Panthers helped pave the way for Bettis season-high 137 yards rushing and the Steelers second highest rushing performance of the season.

In 2000, Faneca helped the Steelers rank fourth in the league in rushing one of only 10 teams to compile more than 2,000 yards rushing in 2000.He had his best season to date when he was named a starter in the 2002 Pro Bowl his first selection to the squad, and also was named All-Pro by the Associated Press and also earned several other postseason honors, including All-Pro by The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Football Digest, and was named to Pro Football Weekly’s-All-NFL team .He had an offseason surgery on his right wrist and missed some playing time during the teams preseason .In 2002 season was named to Pro Football Weekly’s All-NFL and All-AFC team…also selected to the USA Today Sports Weekly’s All-Pro team was voted to his second consecutive Pro Bowl In 2003, he switched positions from left guard to left tackle due to injuries, but helping Running back Amos Zereoue to get three 100-yard performances in the season.

He has helped running backs Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley, and Willie Parker set individual and team rushing records. He helped the Steelers reach Super Bowl XL in Detroit, in which Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. He helped spring Parker to a 75-yard touchdown run that is currently the longest run in Super Bowl history.In 2007 Season he helped QB Ben Roethlisberger to perfect passer rating of 158.3 and Najeh Davenport to 123 rushing yards in Week 16 at St Louis Rams .He led way for Willie Parker 105-yard rushing performance in Week 10 against the Browns was the key to Steelers ground attack rolling for 205 yards in Week 3 vs. San Francisco 49ers and helped 206-yard rushing effort in season opener at Cleveland

In 2007, Alan Faneca was voted to the Steelers 75th Anniversary All Time Team by Steeler fans.
New York Jets
On March 1, 2008 the New York Jets signed Faneca to a five-year, $40 million contract, with $21 million in guarantees. The contract made Faneca the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history (a distinction quickly overtaken by rookie Jake Long). [2] Faneca is expected to provide veteran leadership to a left side of a Jets offensive line that includes three former first round picks from 1999 and 2006, D’Brickashaw Ferguson , Nick Mangold and Damien Woody.
Personal
Faneca married Julie Kuchta of Virginia Beach. They met as freshmen at LSU. They have one daughter, named Anabelle. Off the field he hosted “Bid for Hope” charity auction with his wife in Pittsburgh, with all proceeds benefiting “A Glimmer of Hope,” a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that supports breast cancer research. Does extensive work with Epilepsy Foundation of America and has participated in podcast called “Speaking Out for Epilepsy” after being diagnosed with epilepsy. Faneca lives in Thibodaux, LA.

thank you for your time , i think after all this you do have a better understandin about him, and you would like to check nfl jerseys out, thank you again ,  you have a nice day…

Stephen Orr Spurrier -wuu who is this guy ..

Filed under: legacy, touching story — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 12:45 am

Stephen Orr Spurrier hey yo who is this awesome guy , no doubt  no matter what he has done , how far he has gone , there is always more to know about him.again of course you are welcome to NFL Jerseys

(born April 20, 1945) was a college and professional football player, and is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. He was a two-time All-American quarterback, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player. Spurrier is best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1966, and for coaching the University of Florida Gators football team to six Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships and one National Championship (1996).

Playing career
Spurrier was a three-sport letterman in high school, starring in football, basketball and baseball at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee.[2] In three years as the starting pitcher for Science Hill, he never lost a game and led his team to two consecutive state championships. He was an all-state selection in football, basketball and baseball, and a prep All-American quarterback.

After graduating from Science Hill, he played quarterback for coach Ray Graves at the University of Florida,where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966.[6] In addition to being a stellar passer, he gained notoriety by waving off the starting place-kicker and booting a 40-yard field goal to defeat Auburn 30-27 in a key game during his senior season.[7] Spurrier finished his three-year, 31-game career as Florida’s starting quarterback having completed 392 of 692 attempts, with 4,848 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 442 yards rushing.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Spurrier in the first round of the 1967 National Football League (NFL) draft.[Spurrier played for the 49ers for nine seasons, mostly as a back-up, before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expansion team for his final season in 1976. He played his best game as an NFL quarterback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1973, when he completed 31 of 48 attempts for 320 yards.During his ten-year NFL career, Spurrier played in 106 games, completing 597 passes in 1,151 attempts, for a total of 6,878 yards and 40 touchdowns.[12]
Coaching career
After retiring from the NFL, Spurrier began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida in 1978, but he was not retained by the new Gators head coach, Charley Pell, when Pell took control of the program the following season. In 1979, he coached the quarterbacks at Georgia Tech under Pepper Rodgers, and worked as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator at Duke University from 1980 to 1982.[14] In 1983, Spurrier received his first head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL), where he compiled an overall record of 35-21 in three seasons before the USFL dissolved. In 1987, Spurrier accepted the head coaching position for the |Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Before he arrived in Durham, Duke had become the perennial cellar-dweller of the ACC. Spurrier proceeded to lead his Blue Devils to levels of success the team had not known in over 25 years, including Duke’s first bowl game appearance since the 1960 Cotton Bowl, and a tie for the 1989 ACC championship, Duke’s first since 1962.[16] After-back-to-back winning seasons, Spurrier was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1989.
Florida Gators
On December 31, 1989, Spurrier accepted the head coaching job at the University of Florida, his alma mater. He inherited a team on NCAA probation for the second time in five years, and a football program that had never won an officially recognized Southeastern Conference (SEC) football championship in 57 seasons of SEC play.[18] Spurrier successfully steered the program away from the previous scandals and captured the Gators’ first officially recognized SEC title in 1991.[19] Under Spurrier, the Gators won the SEC title in four of the next five years, and represented the SEC East in the first five SEC Championship Games.The 1996 team captured the Gators’ first-ever National Championship with a 52-20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, avenging the Gators’ sole regular season loss in which Florida State upset Florida 24-21 in Tallahassee.

The 1996 National Championship notwithstanding, Spurrier’s finest moment as a coach may have been the Gators’ 1997 game against the previously undefeated and national title game-bound Florida State Seminoles. Spurrier used a two-quarterback offense, rotating quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise in and out of the game, confusing the Florida State defense and its veteran coordinator, Mickey Andrews, and giving Spurrier more time to counsel his quarterbacks on the sidelines without having to use time-outs. Florida upset the heavily-favored Seminoles 32-29.

THAT IS ALL FOR HIM ,DUDE THANK YOU WELCOME TO NFL HERSEYS

Significantly, Spurrier is credited with changing the way the SEC played football. Spurrier employed a pass-oriented offense (known in the sports media as the “Fun ‘n’ Gun”) in contrast to the ball-control, rush-oriented offenses that were traditionally played in the SEC. His innovative offensive schemes forced many coaches in the SEC to change their offensive and defensive play-calling.
 

Spurrier stands on the sidelines during the Gamecocks’ November 15, 2008 game against FloridaThroughout the 2004 football season, various sources openly speculated about Spurrier coaching for a college team somewhere in the Southeast.[50] The University of Florida had announced that they would be looking for a new coach when Spurrier’s successor at Florida, Ron Zook, was fired after three seasons,[51] but after the Gators’ athletic director, Jeremy Foley, said that Spurrier would have to go through the interview process like anyone else, Spurrier removed his name from consideration to coach the Gators. Rumors began circulating that Spurrier was considering the University of South Carolina. On November 22, South Carolina coach Lou Holtz officially announced his retirement. In his speech, Holtz hinted that Spurrier would replace him. The next day, months of rumors were put to rest as Spurrier was introduced as South Carolina’s new head coach, signing a seven-year deal that paid him $1.25 million per year.

In 2005, his first season as the Gamecocks’ new head coach, Spurrier led his South Carolina football team to several notable successes. The Gamecocks, who were not expected to have a winning season by most pundits, rattled off a five-game SEC winning streak for the first time in school history. Included among those victories were historic wins at Tennessee (16-15)—-the program’s first win in Knoxville—-and against then 12th-ranked Florida (30-22), who South Carolina had not beaten since 1939.The Associated Press named Spurrier the SEC Coach of the Year, and the Gamecocks finished the 2005 season with a 7-5 record and a trip to the Independence Bowl.

Two days prior to South Carolina’s 2006 season opener, Spurrier announced that he would kick off the athletics department’s capital campaign with a $250,000 donation over five years. Spurriers’ Gamecocks opened the 2006 season with a 15-0 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, where he was 0-2 while coaching the Florida Gators. With the victory, he reached 150 wins for his college coaching career. On September 30, Spurrier was inducted into the Gator Football Ring of Honor in a pre-game ceremony in Gainesville. Later in the season on November 11, Spurrier returned to “The Swamp” to face off against his former Gators team, which was then ranked 6th in the BCS rankings. Trailing 17-16, the Gamecocks had a chance to win with a 48-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game.
However, Ryan Succop’s kick was blocked as time expired in a repeat of an earlier blocked extra-point attempt. In the final game of the regular season, Spurrier led the Gamecocks to victory over in-state rival Clemson at Death Valley. Trailing 28-14 in the third quarter, South Carolina scored 17 unanswered points to lead 31-28. With 8 seconds left in the game, Clemson’s field goal attempt missed wide left as USC celebrated their first victory over Clemson in five years. On December 2, amid speculation he was a candidate for head coaching jobs at Miami and Alabama, Spurrier received a contract extension through 2012 and a raise from $1.25 million to $1.75 million annually.[61] Spurrier and the Gamecocks went on to defeat the Houston Cougars in the Liberty Bowl on December 29, to finish the season 8-5. All five 2006 losses were to ranked opponents. Spurrier became the first coach in USC football history to take a South Carolina team to a bowl game in both of his first two seasons as head coach.

During the 2007 football season, Spurrier’s third as USC head coach, the Gamecocks got off to a quick start, chalking up a 16-12 win over SEC East rival (and 11th-ranked) Georgia in Athens, in the second game of the season, as well as beating previously undefeated (and 8th-ranked) Kentucky 38-23. South Carolina climbed to 6th in the Associated Press Poll and BCS rankings, but the Gamecocks could not sustain their winning streak, however, and lost their final five games of the season. The 6-6 (3-5 SEC) season record marked Spurrier’s first non-winning season since his first season at Duke in 1987.

The Ladies Clinic
A popular tradition, started during the Sparky Woods era at USC, occurs on the last Saturday of July when the University of South Carolina athletics department hosts the annual “Steve Spurrier Ladies Football Clinic.” Only female fans are invited to attend the clinic where USC football coaches and players discuss the X’s and O’s with fans who want to understand the game better. All attendees get a tour of the USC football facilities, and finish the day running onto the football field at Williams-Brice Stadium through the players’ tunnel into the artificial smoke and theme music of Also sprach Zarathustra, the same way the team does during the season. The event is hosted by Spurrier and his wife Jerri.

While a University of Florida student, Spurrier was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity (Florida Alpha Omega chapter), and was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame, the UF Athletic Hall of Fame, and Florida Blue Key leadership honorary.

Spurrier married his college sweetheart, the former Jerri Starr, on September 14, 1966, during his senior year at the University of Florida. They have been married for 43 years, and have four children together–Amy, Lisa, Steve, Jr., and Scott, as well as seven grandchildren.[67] Spurrier’s younger son, Scott, plays wide receiver for the Gamecocks,and his older son, Steve, Jr., is currently the Gamecocks’ receivers coach.

Jacksonville Jaguars-tell me its ur favourite..(B)

Filed under: Team, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 12:19 am

Jacksonville Jaguars-tell me its ur favourite

no doubet we should keep it up ,  cuz this is your favourite team, no other reasons..repeatly your so welcome to check our goods out nfl jerseys

2000–2002
These were the most disappointing years for the new franchise, due primarily to salary cap problems. In the 2000 season, veteran quarterback Mark Brunell and young running back Fred Taylor led the squad through a painful 7–9 season. The only highlights of the 2000 season were two wins over their division rival, the Cleveland Browns. The next two seasons in Jacksonville had worse records of 6–10 through the 2001 and 2002 seasons. This was mainly due to salary cap problems, meaning the team could not afford to keep a lot of talent. Coach Coughlin admitted that the team actually had more talent in its first year (1995) when it only won 4 games. This would be the last season he would coach the team.

In a very classy act, he took out a full page ad in the Florida Times Union thanking the city of Jacksonville for “eight great seasons”. Though despised by some of the fans, he drafted great talent such as Tony Boselli, Tony Brackens, Fred Taylor, Donovan Darius, John Henderson, Marcus Stroud, and David Garrard.

In 2002, the NFL split up the two leagues into 4 divisions, sending the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC South. This would put them in the same division as Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Houston.
Jack Del Rio era (2003–present)

2003–2005
In 2003, the Jaguars hired Jack Del Rio as head coach. Del Rio was a linebacker during the late 80s and early 90s before retiring. He was formerly the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator, bringing the team’s defensive ranking from 30th to second. The Jaguars selected quarterback Byron Leftwich with the seventh pick of the NFL draft. The Jaguars had high hopes for their new quarterback. The team had many failures and heatbreaking moments, ending the 2003 season at 5–11 and missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Despite resolving their salary cap problems, the team’s rebuilding was clearly taking longer than expected.

The 2004 season, the tenth season of the Jaguars franchise, resulted in a winning record of 9–7 with road victories against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome. The Jaguars’ defense was a strong suit, as it included two Pro Bowl players, defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Byron Leftwich enjoyed a solid year in 2004, helped by strong performances from holdovers Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith. Unfortunately, Taylor sustained a season-ending injury at Green Bay. The very next week the Jaguars fell to the Houston Texans, which would ultimately eliminate them from playoff contention. This denied them an opportunity to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium.

The 2005 Jaguars hoped to challenge the Colts for the division title. However, due to their scintillating 13-0 start, including two victories against the Jaguars, the Colts easily clinched the AFC South title. With a 12–4 record, the Jaguars earned a wild card and their first playoff appearance since 1999. Among these 12 wins were a 23–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 9, 2005 and a 23-17 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 16, 2005. While the Jaguars managed to win key games in 2005, nine of their final ten games were against opponents with losing records. Though these games were wins, key players Byron Leftwich, Mike Peterson, Akin Ayodele, Paul Spicer, and Rashean Mathis were hurt during this stretch. The Jaguars ended the season losing 28-3 to the two-time defending champion New England Patriots on January 7, 2006 in the AFC wild card playoff round.
2006
Main article: 2006 Jacksonville Jaguars season
Jacksonville looked like a team on the rise coming off of their 12–4 season, and was considered a playoff contender entering the season. But injuries plagued the team. Reggie Hayward, Greg Jones, Donovin Darius, Byron Leftwich, and Mike Peterson all suffered season-ending injuries. Marcus Stroud, Matt Jones, Paul Spicer, and Fred Taylor also faced injuries during the season. The team started off 2–0, defeating the Dallas Cowboys earning the NFL’s highest winning percentage on opening days at .750 with a record of 9–3), and shutting out the defending champs Pittsburgh Steelers. But the team lost its next two games, and suffered embarrassing losses to the Houston Texans over the course of the season (Surprisingly, Jacksonville has struggled against the Texans since Houston entered the league in 2002). They missed the playoffs with an 8–8 record, but there were some positives. Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars’ second round draft pick, was one of the most surprising rookie sensations. He averaged 5.7 yards a carry, the highest in the league, and tied for 3rd in the NFL with 16 touchdowns. This season was also the first year the team played without their standout wide receiver Jimmy Smith as he decided to retire. His production was missed for the next few years as the Jaguars struggled to find an adequate replacement.
2007
Main article: 2007 Jacksonville Jaguars season
On April 28, 2007, the Jaguars used their first-round pick (21st overall) to select Florida safety Reggie Nelson, after passing on Notre Dame Quarterback Brady Quinn twice. The pick of Reggie Nelson filled a void as veteran free safety Deon Grant went to Seattle to play for the Seattle Seahawks, since Jacksonville was unwilling to match Seattle’s contract offer. On June 15, 2007, the Jaguars released longtime strong safety Donovin Darius, who had seen diminished playing time in recent years due to mounting injuries. This was seen by many as a cost-cutting measure. On August 31, 2007, the Jaguars announced that long time back-up quarterback David Garrard would start for the team, ahead of former 1st round draft pick, Byron Leftwich who was released in the team’s final roster cuts. Garrard led the Jaguars to an 11–5 record and the playoffs. On January 5, 2008, the Jaguars defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-29 to win their first playoff game in almost 8 years and their first road playoff win since 1997. It was also the first time in the 50+ year history of the Steelers that they had been beaten twice at home by the same team in the same season. However, in the Divisional round, the Jaguars fell to the as of then undefeated New England Patriots; the teams were tied at halftime, but the Patriots pulled ahead and won 31–20. Tom Brady completed 22 of 24 passes in this game, being pressured by the Jaguars’ defense only once, on the first play. This game more than any other gave the Jaguars’ front office a strong desire to upgrade the pass rush.

The team’s offense in 2007 was definitely a run-first offense, with Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor putting up a lot of yards. The Jaguars had a lot of success passing the ball early on, but later in the season it was shown that if a talented defense sold out to stop the run, the Jaguars were not enough of a threat passing the ball to do that alone. Garrard, however, was shown to be an accurate passer in 2007, throwing only 3 interceptions and a few nice long passes. The Jaguars concluded that they needed to work on improving their receiving corps to add balance to the offense.
2008
Main article: 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2008 season began with high expectations for the Jaguars. The team acquired free agent wide receiver Jerry Porter and rookie defensive ends Quentin Groves of Auburn and Derrick Harvey of Florida to address the team’s most glaring holes. Journalists including espn.com’s Kevin Seifert predicted the Jaguars were poised to make a Super Bowl run.[10]

However, the Jaguars failed to live up to those expectations, struggling to a 5-11 finish, the franchise’s worst record since 2003. The team’s struggles were in part, the result of a rash of injuries to the team’s offensive line. The Jaguars lost starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams for the season within the first quarter of the opening game. Tackle Richard Collier’s career ended in early September when he was brutally attacked and shot 14 times.[11] Center Brad Meester missed the first two months of the season and guard Chris Naeole, signed to the roster mid-season in response to these injuries, was injured in pregame warmups before playing a single snap. Against teams with smaller defensive linemen, the 2008 Jaguars offense resembled the 2007 offense, because the line was able to dominate. An example is the 23–21 victory in Indianapolis against the Colts that saw David Garrard drive the Jaguars into field goal range in the final minute and Josh Scobee boot the game winning 51-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining. Another example would be the Jaguars’ performance against the Broncos. However, the Jaguars struggled mostly, especially in the second half of the season as evidenced by a 19–21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals who entered the game with an 0-8 record.
Team colors and mascots

THE rest would be something about its logo
The day after the NFL awarded the expansion team to Jacksonville, a triumphant Wayne Weaver held up the Jaguars’ proposed silver helmet and teal jersey at the NFL owners’ meeting in Chicago. The team’s colors were to be teal, gold, and silver with black accents. However, this jersey and helmet design, with a gold leaping jaguar, created controversy. Ford Motor Company, parent of the automaker Jaguar, believed that the Jaguars’ logo bore too much resemblance to the automaker’s logo. Though no lawsuit was brought to trial, an amicable agreement was ultimately reached where Jaguar would be named the official car of the Jaguars, and the Jaguars would redesign their uniforms.

The new logo was a snarling jaguar head with a teal tongue, which Weaver said was his wife’s touch. He also claimed that the teal tongue came from “feeding Panthers to our Jaguars” — an obvious jab at their expansion brethren. During the Jaguars’ first ever preseason game teal-colored candies were handed out to all the fans who attended, turning their tongues a teal color just like on the logo.

In 2009, Weaver announced that he wanted to ‘clean up’ the team’s image. This meant the elimination of the full-body crawling Jaguar logo, the clawing Jaguar, and the two previous wordmarks which bent the text around these logos. speaking of the logos i m sure you would like to check NFL Jerseys out..

 

thats all for this thank you for your time , and enjoy your day !

July 29, 2009

Jacksonville Jaguars-tell me its ur favourite..(A)

Filed under: Team, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 11:52 pm

The Jacksonville Jaguars  duno what do  you know about this great team before you read it , how many games you were there to witness its vitory, never mind , let’s go through all its vitory again , also your so welcome to our homepage , it is about nfl jerseys

are a professional American football team located in Jacksonville, Florida. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Jaguars, along with the Carolina Panthers, joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995.

The club has played all of its home games at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The stadium is located near the St. Johns River. The team headquarters is also located in the stadium. The Jaguars practice during the season and training camp in the stadium and on adjoining fields.

History

Pre-franchise history of football in Jacksonville

Every year the city hosts the Gator Bowl, an annual civic highlight traditionally accompanied by parties, ceremonies, parades and other events leading up to the game. The annual Florida-Georgia game is also played in Jacksonville.

The Gator Bowl stadium was built out of steel trusses during the Great Depression and was frequently built onto, with the final addition of the reinforced-concrete west upper deck coming in 1982. The stadium hosted short-lived teams in both the World Football League (Jacksonville Sharks/Express) and the United States Football League (Jacksonville Bulls) and the occasional NFL exhibition game. The city also hosted the American Football League All Star Game in 1967 and 1968. The city briefly attempted to lure the Baltimore Colts, whose owner Robert Irsay famously landed a helicopter in the stadium as thousands of Jacksonville citizens urged him to move the team there. City leaders also attempted to get the Houston Oilers to move to Jacksonville at one point in the late 1980s. Great efforts were made to lure the Oilers, including the creation of a “Jacksonville Oilers” banner and designation of a specific section of the Gator Bowl as a non-alcohol, family section for proposed home games.
Franchise history

1989–1994
In 1992, the NFL announced that it would add two new teams, originally in time for the 1993 season. The league had not expanded since the 1976 season with the addition of Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; with the sport growing the NFL felt the time was right to add additional franchises. Five cities were ultimately chosen as finalists for the two new teams: Charlotte, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; and Jacksonville. From the beginning, Charlotte and St. Louis were considered the heavy favorites, with Baltimore also a strong possibility. Though not as strong a bid, Memphis was still considered an outside possibility, as the NFL did not have a presence in the area.

For many reasons, Jacksonville was considered the darkest horse in the field. Florida already had two NFL teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played about a four-hour ride away, and the Miami Dolphins. Any expansion team would also have to compete with Florida’s three major college football teams — Florida State, Florida and Miami - and the Georgia Bulldogs. Jacksonville was also the smallest television market in the running and the only city not ranked in the top 50 Nielsen markets.

However, the biggest potential obstacle for the Jacksonville bid was nonstop turmoil and conflict surrounding the potential ownership group. It had formed even before the NFL announced its intentions to expand, in 1989. The group called itself Touchdown Jacksonville! and placed its formal application with the NFL in 1991. The original ownership group included future Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer and political kingmaker Tom Petway. In 1991 this group confidently announced that it would call its team the Jacksonville Jaguars. After some defections and mutinies, the group came to be led by J. Wayne Weaver, shoe magnate and founder of Nine West.

From the time Touchdown Jacksonville! came to being, it faced several challenges. In April 1993, the NFL indicated to Jacksonville officials that additional renovations to the Gator Bowl would be needed.[1] After several weeks of negotiations, and at least one breakdown, an agreement was reached that capped the city’s liability for construction and was sent to the City Council for approval. However, on July 21, 1993, the Council failed to approve the financing package, dooming the bid. Deposits on season tickets were refunded, and Touchdown Jacksonville!’s offices were shuttered.[2]

Largely due to being underwhelmed by the remaining suitors, the NFL and others encouraged Jacksonville interests to revisit the issue and resurrect their bid. About a month later negotiations between the city and Touchdown Jacksonville! resumed, and a slightly revised aid package was approved by a solid majority of the City Council. Officially back in the race, Jacksonville officials were energized, indicated by a drive to sell club seats that resulted in over 10,000 seats being sold in 10 days. The Jaguars also gained a high-profile investor when former NFL star player Deron Cherry signed on as a limited partner.

After Charlotte was unanimously granted the 29th franchise on November 1, the NFL announced they would name the 30th franchise on or before November 30, 1993. By this time, conventional wisdom was that St. Louis would get the 30th franchise. In fact, T-shirts of the “St. Louis Stallions” (the proposed new team name) briefly went on sale at some St. Louis area sporting goods shops. However, it was not meant to be.

At 4:12 p.m. (EST) on the afternoon of November 30, Jacksonville was announced as the winning franchise.[3] The next evening, 25,000 fans celebrated at the Gator Bowl as season ticket sales were kicked off. Within ten days, the Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville’s daily newspaper) announced sales had passed the 55,000 seat mark (Incidentally, the three other finalists all eventually became the home of a relocated franchise: the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed the Baltimore Ravens and Memphis would briefly serve as the home of the former Houston Oilers in 1996 before the team moved into its new stadium in Nashville and was renamed the Tennessee Titans).

After the Gator Bowl game on December 31, 1993, the old stadium was essentially demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure; all that remained of the old stadium was the west upper concourse and a portion of the ramping system. The new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (known as Alltel Stadium from 1997–2006) opened on August 18, 1995 with a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams (In 1994 and 1995, the Florida Georgia game rotated between the schools’ campuses; the game returned to itsneutral-site in Jacksonville in 1996; the 1994 Gator Bowl was played at Florida Field in Gainesville, NFL
Tom Coughlin Era (1995–2002)
1995: Inaugural Season
Main article: 1995 Jacksonville Jaguars season
 
In 1995, along with the Carolina Panthers, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as the first expansion teams in almost 20 years. Both teams participated in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft, with the Jaguars taking Steve Beuerlein, who quickly lost his starting job to Mark Brunell, with the first pick. The Jaguars finished their inaugural season with a record of 4–12. Both the Jaguars and the Panthers (7–9) broke the previous record for most wins by an expansion team (3) set by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968. The inaugural season featured many of the players who would lead Jacksonville into the playoffs in the team’s next four seasons, including quarterback Mark Brunell (acquired in a draft day trade from Green Bay), offensive lineman Tony Boselli (drafted with the 2nd pick overall in the 1995 NFL Draft) running back James Stewart (also drafted in 1995), and wide receiver Jimmy Smith (signed as a free agent).

The team played its first regular season game at home before a crowd of 72,363[4] on September 3, 1995, a 10-3 loss against the Houston Oilers. The team picked up its first win in Week 4 as the Jaguars defeated the Oilers 17–16 on October 1 in Houston. The next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars earned their first home win by defeating the eventual AFC Champions 20-16. The team’s other two wins came in a season sweep of the Cleveland Browns including a Week 17 24–21 victory sealed by a Mike Hollis 34-yard field goal[5] in the Browns’ final game before the team relocated to Baltimore and was renamed the Ravens.
1996: “Jacksonville, do you believe in miracles?”
Main article: 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars season
Jacksonville’s 1996 season was a marked success. They won six of their last seven games of the season and finished with a record of 9–7. The credit for this midseason turnaround probably lies in the demotion of wide receiver Andre Rison in favor of Jimmy Smith after a game against the St. Louis Rams in which Brunell threw 5 interceptions. The interceptions were blamed on Rison and he was benched. In the team’s final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons, needing a win to earn a playoff berth, the Jaguars caught a bit of luck when Morten Andersen missed a 30 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining that would have given the Falcons the lead. The Jaguars clinched the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

Their first playoff game was against the Buffalo Bills at Buffalo, a game the Jaguars won 30-27. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos, who had dominated the AFC with a 13-3 record. The upstart Jaguars were not intimidated by the Broncos or their fans, and they largely dominated from the second quarter on. A late touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to Jimmy Smith gave the Jags a 30-20 lead. They held on to win in a huge upset, 30–27, in a game that many people still consider the franchise’s finest hour. Upon their return home, the Jags were greeted by an estimated 40,000 fans at the stadium. Many of these fans had watched the game on the stadium JumboTron displays and had stayed into the early hours of the morning when the team arrived. In the AFC Championship Game, the Jaguars acquitted themselves very well, playing a tight and close defensive game in a hostile environment for over three quarters before finally losing 20-6 to the New England Patriots on the road. Their fellow second-year NFC expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, also got to the conference championship (in the NFC), where they lost 30-13 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
1997–1999: Playoffs, Division Champions and the end of a run
Main article: 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season
In 1997, the franchise’s third season, the Jaguars and the Steelers both finished the season with an 11-5 record, tops in the AFC Central Division. Pittsburgh won the division in a tiebreaker as a result of having higher net in division games than Jacksonville.[7] As a result, the Jaguars settled for 2nd place in the division, a Wild Card berth and the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs. The Jags postseason would end quickly as they fell in their first game, a 42–17 defeat against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. The Broncos, led by Terrell Davis, ran at will against the Jaguars, rushing for 5 touchdowns and over 300 yards.
In 1998, the Jaguars again finished 11-5 and won their first AFC Central Division title. The team became the first NFL expansion team to make the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of play. In the wild card round, the Jaguars hosted their first home playoff game, a 25–10 win over the New England Patriots. The team’s season ended the next week in the Divisional Round as the New York Jets defeated the Jaguars 34–24.

Main article: 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars season
In 1999, the Jaguars compiled a league best 14-2 regular season record, the best record in franchise history. The team’s two losses were to the Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars won the AFC Central Division for the second straight year and clinched the #1 seed in the AFC. The Jaguars hosted the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional playoffs, a 62–7 victory in what would be Dan Marino and Jimmy Johnson’s last NFL game. Jacksonville’s 62 points and 55-point margin are the second most ever in NFL playoff history, and Fred Taylor’s 90-yard run in the first quarter is the longest ever in an NFL playoff game.

The Jaguars’ bid for a Super Bowl title came to an end the next week in the AFC championship game. The Jags fell at home to the Titans 33–14 in a game that the Jaguars led 14–10 at halftime, before allowing 23 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The Jaguars finished the 1999 season 15–3, with all three of their losses coming against the Titans (the only time in NFL history that a 3-loss team had all of its losses to one team). The loss marked the end of an era that saw the Jaguars make the playoffs in four of the team’s first five years and would be the team’s last playoff appearance until the 2005 season.

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Jeff Saturday-Center, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE HIM

Filed under: legacy, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 11:17 pm

Jeffrey Bryant Saturday , Be4 this , i think lots of you guys would like to know where can i have the stuff that shows me a fans of him, of coufse you could come to nfl jerseys(born June 8, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American football center for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at North Carolina. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Football League Players’ Association.

Entrance into the NFL
Saturday attended Shamrock High School in Georgia. He played college football at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he started 37 games at center and earned multiple conference awards.

He went undrafted in the 1998 NFL Draft, but the Baltimore Ravens signed him as a free agent on April 27, 1998, only to waive him on June 12, 1998. The Colts signed him as a free agent on January 7, 1999, and he has remained with the Colts ever since.
NFL career
In his rookie season, Saturday backed up starting guard Steve McKinney, and earned his first NFL start at left guard on November 21, 1999, against the Philadelphia Eagles. After only two regular season starts in 1999, Saturday started all 16 regular season games of the 2000 season at center for the Colts. Over the following seasons, Saturday remained the team’s starting center, appearing in 85 consecutive games before sitting out two games with an injury in December 2004. He remains a fixture on the Colts’ offensive line, which has given up the fewest quarterback sacks among all NFL teams in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons.

He was selected to his second NFL Pro Bowl in 2006, and started for the AFC squad. In his first eight NFL seasons with the Colts, Saturday appeared in 121 regular season games, starting 112 of them. He also appeared in 13 playoff games, starting 12 of them. He passed the ball once during a game in 2004, but his attempt fell incomplete. His career passer rating stands at 39.6.

On February 26, 2009, Saturday signed a three-year $13 million dollar contract with the Colts including a $7.45 million dollar signing bonus.
2007 playoffs
Though the Colts won at least 10 regular season games for five consecutive years under Head Coach Tony Dungy, the team could not get to the Super Bowl, losing in the AFC Playoffs from 2002 to 2005. The 2006 Colts went 12-4 in the regular season but expectations were low in the playoffs as the team only earned a three-seed in the AFC. Nonetheless, on January 21, 2007, Saturday helped the Colts win the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots when he recovered a teammate’s fumble in the end zone and scored a touchdown. In that same game, the Patriots’ left guard Logan Mankins also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery, making that game the first in NFL playoff history to have two offensive linemen score touchdowns in the same game.

 It was also the first playoff game in which an offensive lineman and defensive lineman (Dan Klecko) from the same team scored a touchdown. Saturday also provided the key block on the game-winning touchdown run by Joseph Addai, pancaking Vince Wilfork, with quarterback Peyton Manning naming Saturday’s play “The Block.”[2] Two weeks later, he helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears.
Honors and awards
Saturday was voted onto three Pro Bowl teams in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and for those seasons he was named to the Associated Press NFL All-Pro First Team. Saturday also received the “Tuesday Morning Quarterback Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP Award” from ESPN columnist Gregg Easterbrook in January of 2007.

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Antonio D. Gates -all the crush on him

Filed under: legacy, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 5:55 am

Antonio D. Gates no doubt you know a lot about him , and i’ve  never been more sure you would like do know everything about him , so if you do ,follow meeee.. surly you can visit our homepage to get more imfor about nfl jerseys , cuz it means you are one of his fans

(born June 18, 1980 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after giving up playing basketball after college. He attended college at Kent State.

College career
Before his rookie season of 2003, Gates had not played organized football since his senior year at Central High School in Detroit. While there, Gates led Detroit Central High School to a Class A state championship in basketball as a senior, and was a first-team all-state selection in football and basketball.

After high school, Gates was recruited by Michigan State to play linebacker. Gates wanted to play both football and basketball, but then coach Nick Saban wanted him to play only football. Basketball was his favorite sport, so after his first semester he transferred to Eastern Michigan University to play basketball. He played there for part of a season, subsequently ended up playing at two junior colleges, and then finally landed at Kent State University in northeast Ohio. Coming out of junior college, Gates originally committed to Fresno State, but he immediately flipped to Kent State when his former high school coach, Oronde Taliaferro, was hired as an assistant. Gates spent two seasons as the Golden Flashes starting power forward and led the team to a MAC championship and the Elite Eight in 2002 and to the MAC championship game the following season. Gates was Second Team All-MAC as a junior and a First Team All-MAC and an Honorable Mention All-American selection as a senior.

NFL career

San Diego Chargers
After being told by scouts that he was too much of a “tweener” (6′4″) to make the NBA, Gates arranged a workout in front of NFL scouts. As many as 19 teams were believed to have contacted Gates about a try out. Gates chose to work out first for the San Diego Chargers. Recognizing his enormous potential, the Chargers immediately signed him to a contract as an undrafted free agent.

After finishing a solid 2003 rookie season in which he caught 24 passes for 389 yards and two scores, he was picked by many experts to have a breakout season in 2004. That year, only his second season in the NFL, Gates became quarterback Drew Brees’ favorite target, finishing the season with 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns. On December 19, Gates tied the NFL season record for touchdowns by a tight end (13) in a 21–0 win over the Cleveland Browns, and he went on to break that record in an overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on December 26. Gates was selected to the 2005 Pro Bowl and caught a TD pass from Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning to help the AFC to a 38–27 victory. Additionally, Gates was on the receiving end of a 33 yard pass from teammate Drew Brees in a flea-flicker play selected by fans online.

On August 23, 2005, after holding out for a contract extension, Gates inked a six-year deal worth up to $24 million with the San Diego Chargers. Because of his holdout, Gates was suspended one game the home opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Gates went on to have another stellar season, catching 89 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the Chargers missed the playoffs by a slim margin.

With the departure of Drew Brees during the offseason, it was assumed that Gates would suffer a decline in production in 2006 with first-year starter Philip Rivers at the helm. Gates had a relatively quiet start to the season, but he finished the year strongly and ended up with 924 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He caught two touchdown passes on December 10 against Denver to help the Chargers clinch their division.

his story
Antonio Gates admits he made his share of mistakes growing up.

He said he was involved in drugs, performed poorly in school, got kicked out of school and was involved in his share of fights. Now, he’s one of Detroit’s success stories as an all-pro tight end for the San Diego Chargers.

And his rags-to-riches story is sure to resonate with the nearly 400 youth football players who will participate in the second annual Sound Mind, Sound Body camp that runs through Saturday at Wayne State.

“Whenever I go out there on Sundays, a little bit of Detroit remains with me,” Gates said during a telephone interview from San Diego. “I think of my brother and sisters. I think of what I went through to get to where I am, and I am very appreciative of everything.”

The camp is expected to attract some top speakers, including Lions linebacker Larry Foote (Detroit Pershing, Michigan) and Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

And of course, Gates, who says it’s important the kids hear his story and realize he walked a similar path they’re on right now.

“I think it means more hearing it from me as opposed to someone who grew up in the suburbs and really didn’t have any trauma in their lives,” Gates said. “I mean, I went through what a lot of these kids are going through now. It was rough. So I think it means a lot hearing that story from me.”

Mr. Consistency
We always hear stories about certain teams and players “showing up” for games. Well, Warren’s Ryan Gatto always “showed up.”

Gatto recently graduated from Warren Cousino High without missing a day of class in 13 years — that’s kindergarten through 12th grade. He carried a 3.8 grade-point average and played football and baseball at Cousino.

So, when you talk about athletes showing up, think of Gatto
2008
Gates has said he is leaning toward having surgery to repair a dislocated left big toe that slowed his performance during the playoffs. Gates said he will decide whether to have surgery or not. “There is higher chance I’m going to have surgery.” said Gates. Gates also pulled out of his 5th Pro Bowl selection because of his injuries alongside his teammate LaDainian Tomlinson. Gates finished the season with 60 receptions for 704 yards and 8 touchdowns.

On February 23, 2008, Gates said he would have foot surgery to fix the injury that has hurt him in the final part of the season. He would face a 4-6 month recovery time. He seemed questionable for Week 1 and even sounded worried about his status for Opening day. However, he made it and has played every game so far. He said his toe was bothering him some during the first half of the season, but it certainly wasn’t too visible when looking at the stats he has so far. Now he has stated his toe is completely healthy and he will play at 100%.
Facts and records
Since 2004, only Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss, and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens have caught more touchdowns than Gates.
In 2005 and 2006 Antonio Gates was selected as the NFL’s All-Pro tight end.
Gates also holds the single season touchdown reception record for tight ends with 13.

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July 26, 2009

Cam Cameron- if you know him..

Filed under: Team, legacy, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 11:49 pm

Malcolm  Cam  Cameron if you know him

 (born February 6, 1961 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina) is currently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. He was previously head coach of the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, and head coach at Indiana University. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced Cameron as the new offensive coordinator on January 23, 2008.

Playing career
A multi-sport athlete, Cameron was an All-American quarterback at Terre Haute South Vigo High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. He won the 1979 Trester Award for mental attitude as a guard on the high school basketball team which went to the state finals three years in a row. He played football and basketball at Indiana University under coaches Lee Corso and Bob Knight, respectively until a knee injury ended his playing career. As an undergraduate he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He graduated from Indiana in 1983 with a degree in business.
Coaching career beginnings
Cameron spent the first ten years of his career at the University of Michigan, where he learned from long-time Wolverine coach Bo Schembechler. After two years as a graduate assistant, he became Michigan’s youngest assistant and was responsible for tutoring quarterbacks and receivers. He coached many future NFL players, including Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Todd Collins, Amani Toomer, Derrick Alexander and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard.. Cameron served as an assistant at Michigan alongside future head coaches Lloyd Carr, Gary Moeller, Les Miles, and Mike DeBord. His fellow graduate assistant was Mike Trgovac, who is currently the defensive line coach of the Green Bay Packers, after serving six years as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.
Professional coaching beginnings
Cameron was the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins between 1994 and 1996. He is credited with guiding quarterback Gus Frerotte to his only Pro Bowl appearance in 1997, and also played a key role in the development of Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green[2].
Return to Indiana
Cameron returned to his alma mater to serve as the head coach for Indiana University in 1996, a position he held through 2001 where he won less than one-third of his games with a record of 18-37. During 2001, Cameron coached quarterback Antwaan Randle El who was named a 2001 first-team All-American and the Hoosiers averaged 435.3 yards per game.[citation needed
Back to the NFL

San Diego Chargers
From 2002-2006, he served as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. In 2004, San Diego scored 446 points, third-highest in the NFL that year and the third-most in team history. Following the 2004 campaign, Sports Illustrated named Cameron its Offensive Assistant of the Year. In 2005, the Chargers averaged 26.1 points per game - good for fifth in the NFL in that category. In 2006, the Chargers offense amassed a team-record 494 points while paving the way for league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson to break the single-season touchdown record. In addition to Tomlinson, Cameron had the opportunity to work with Pro Bowl quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, as well as All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates in San Diego.
Miami Dolphins
Cameron was interviewed for a number of head coaching jobs, including the Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams vacancies following the 2005 season but was not hired. Cameron also interviewed for the head coaching jobs with the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons in January 2007 but Miami was the only club that made an offer.

His 2007 Dolphins lost 13 consecutive games to start the season, before beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime on December 16 for their first and only win. The Dolphins ended the 2007 season in last place in the AFC East with a 1-15 record, the worst record in the NFL that year.[3][4] On January 3, 2008, Jeff Ireland, the General Manager of the Miami Dolphins, announced the firing of Cameron.
Baltimore Ravens
On January 23, 2008 Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced Cam Cameron as the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator.[6] Early in the season Cameron worked with Harbaugh to institute the “Suggs package,” a two quarterback offense featuring Joe Flacco and Troy Smith. Coincidentally, Cameron received his only NFL head coaching win against the Ravens in 2007.
Personal
Cameron was born on February 6, 1961 in Chapel Hill, NC and currently lives in Baltimore Maryland with Missy, his wife, and four children. Cameron credits Tom Harp, an assistant under Earl Blaik at the U.S. Military Academy and former head football coach at Cornell, Duke and Indiana State, as being the earliest and most important influence on his desire to get into coaching.

some news about him

The Miami Dolphins have fired coach Cam Cameron after less than a year, the Miami Herald reports. Most of his coaching staff is gone, too, after a 1-15 season that also cost the general manager his job. “We needed someone in place who shared the same philosophical compatibilities we shared,” said new GM Jeff Ireland. “We weren’t completely sold that he did.”

The decision follows meetings Tuesday and today between Cameron and Bill Parcells, the successful former coach recently enlisted to run football operations. The team may now be considering Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano and Arizona running backs coach Maurice Carthon. “We’ll have a broad range of candidates. We’ll look into every possibility,” said Ireland, who was hired yesterday.

 

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Marvin Daniel Harrison-what do you know about him

Filed under: Team, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 10:27 pm

Daniel Harrison-what do you know about him, if  you don’t really then just follow me..

Marvin Daniel Harrison (born August 25, 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Colts with the 19th pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse. and is widely regarded as one of the best wide recievers of all time

Early years
Harrison attended Roman Catholic High School in Center City, Philadelphia, where he was a four-sport standout in football, basketball, soccer, and tennis.
College career
As a 3-year starter at Syracuse University playing with Donovan McNabb, Harrison set a national record with 2,718 career receiving yards and ranked second in school history with 20 receiving touchdowns to Rob Moore.

Professional career
Harrison was selected by the Colts with the 19th selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, a selection which was obtained in a trade that sent Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons. Harrison has gone on to become one of the more productive receivers from that draft class, surpassing fellow wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Eric Moulds, Amani Toomer, Muhsin Muhammad, Terrell Owens and others.

In 2002 Harrison broke Herman Moore’s single season receptions record by 20 receptions. He finished with 143 catches, and he also had over 1,700 yards receiving. In December, 2006 Harrison became just the fourth player in NFL history to record 1000 receptions, joining Jerry Rice (1549), Cris Carter (1101), and Tim Brown (1094). He is also one of only seven wide receivers in NFL history to reach 100 touchdowns.

During a 2007 game against the Denver Broncos, Harrison injured his knee while attempting a block and was lost for the season, making only a small appearance in their lone playoff game that season. It marked only the second time Harrison had missed regular season action due to injuries and the first since 1998.

On December 14, 2008 in a game against the Detroit Lions, Marvin Harrison caught his 1,095th career reception, passing Tim Brown for third all time. He passed Cris Carter to become second on the all-time NFL reception record list with 1,102 receptions during a 23-0 Colts victory over the Tennessee Titans on December 28, 2008.

Following the 2008 NFL season, Marvin Harrison asked for and was granted his release by the Indianapolis Colts. Despite rumors of interest by numerous teams, Harrison is currently a free agent and has yet to sign on with any team.

Harrison was involved in one of the most infamous blunders in the history of the NFL playoffs. In a 2003 wild card matchup against the Denver Broncos, Harrison caught a 20 yard pass from Peyton Manning across the middle. Deltha O’Neal, former cornerback for the Broncos, had forgotten to touch Harrison down, and Harrison stood up and continued running, eventually scoring on a fifty-yard touchdown play. Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was infuriated with O’Neal and the rest of the Broncos defenders that were around Harrison, who helped clinch victory as the Colts went up 28-3. Indianapolis would eventually win 41-10. Harrison would finish that game against Denver with 7 receptions for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns, in his finest post-season performance to date.

NFL records
Holds the NFL record for receptions in a single season with 143, set in 2002. *
Currently Harrison is averaging 84.7 receptions per season, which is second to the all time record held by Sterling Sharpe who averaged 85 receptions per season. He had previously been averaging 93 per season until 2007, where he missed the majority of games with a knee injury, resulting in a 20 reception season.
Most receptions in a 2 season period (252, 2001-2002).
Most receptions in a 3 season period (354, 2000-2002).
Most receptions in a 4 season period (469, 1999-2002).
Most receptions in a 5 season period (563, 1999-2003).
Most receptions in a 7 season period (731, 1999-2005).
Most receptions in an 8 season period (826, 1999-2006).
Only player to 50 or more receptions in his first 11 seasons in NFL history.
Only player to have 4 consecutive 100 or more reception seasons in NFL history.
Only player to have 4 consecutive seasons with at least 1,400 receiving yards in NFL history.
Only player in NFL history to have 12 games with 8 or more receptions in a single season in 2002.
Only player ever in the history of the NFL to have six double digit reception games in one single season in the 2002 regular season.
Only player ever in the history of the NFL with 16 career games with at least 10 receptions.
Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the record for most receptions between a Quarterback and a Wide receiver with 965 receptions.
Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record in receiving touchdowns between a QB and WR with 114.
Harrison trails only Jerry Rice in 1,500 or more receiving yard seasons. He has 3 such seasons, Jerry Rice had 4.
With 59 career 100 yard receiving games, Marvin Harrison now ranks #2 all time behind Jerry Rice and his 76 career 100 yard receiving games.
Marvin Harrison is in second place for the most consecutive games with a reception with 204, and is now only behind Jerry Rice who had 274.
Second-fastest player to achieve 100 receiving touchdowns.
Only player with eight straight 1,000 yards or more and 10 or more receiving TD’s.
Only player with eight straight seasons with at least 82 receptions.
On December 18, 2006, Marvin Harrison and Indianapolis Colt teammate Reggie Wayne became the only NFL wide receiver tandem to catch 75 receptions and 1,000 yards in 3 straight seasons. The game was on Monday Night and was played against the Cincinnati Bengals.
On December 10, 2006, made his 1000th reception against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is among only 5 players in NFL history to have over 1000 receptions. The other 4 being Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, Isaac Bruce and Tim Brown. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in just 167 career games.
On December 28, 2008, Marvin Harrison moved into second place for most receptions all time, trailing only Jerry Rice, with 1,102.

Personal life
Harrison is currently being sued by Dwight Dixon, the victim of a shooting outside Chuckie’s Garage, a Philadelphia business owned by Harrison, on April 29, 2008.[2][3] On January 6, 2009, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham announced that police have confirmed that it was Harrison’s gun that fired shots at Dixon but they had been unable to determine who pulled the trigger.[4] The Philadelphia District Attorney also stated that she was not going to pursue charges in this case due to conflicting witness statements. Dixon was convicted of filing a false report with the police for this incident on January 28, 2009. He was sentenced to 6 months probation. Dixon’s attorney is reportedly seeking a new trial as the conviction violates Dixon’s parole in an unrelated case

 

thank you for your patience,hope you have a better understanding of him.

Indianapolis Colts-like it , then go for it(c)

Filed under: Team, nfl jersey — Tags: , — sportsboy @ 10:00 pm

Indianapolis Colts-like it , then go for it..yea surely we should move on

Baltimore moves on
Understandably, fans in Baltimore were heartbroken. In elections that year, city voters repealed Question P by a measure of 62 percent to 38 percent. However, the amendment’s author Hyman Pressman remained as an elected City Comptroller for 28 years (7 terms in a row) until retiring in 1991[21]. The team’s move triggered a flurry of legal activity, which ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court and bills were filed in both the U.S. House and Senate seeking to block the move. In December 1985, a U.S. District Court judge threw out the lawsuit which sought to return the team to Maryland. Later, representatives of Baltimore and the Colts organization reached a settlement in March 1986 in which all lawsuits regarding the relocation were dismissed, and the Colts would endorse a new NFL team for Baltimore.

Nonetheless, many of the prominent old-time Colts (many of whom had settled in the Baltimore area) were bitter and chose to cut all ties to the relocated Colts team. Most notable and vocal among them was Johnny Unitas, who declared himself solely as a player for the Baltimore Colts until the day he died, with his estate defending that stance to this day. However, the NFL officially recognizes his achievements and records as the history of the Colts organization and as such are attributed to the current Colts organization and not any subsequent NFL team in Baltimore.

In a bit of irony, Baltimore did eventually land another NFL franchise in a manner similar to Indianapolis. Almost a decade later, on November 6, 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to move the Browns team to Baltimore after a stadium dispute. The decision, which involved secret discussions with the state of Maryland, also triggered a flurry of legal activity. Ironically, Modell had previously been staunchly against the relocation of sports teams, having heavily criticized Irsay’s move in 1986.

Modell originally intended to take the Browns name with him to Baltimore. However, many Cleveland fans, refused to give up the city’s NFL franchise name. Finally, representatives of both cities and the NFL reached a settlement on February 9, 1996. It stipulated that the Browns’ name, colors, and history of the franchise were to remain in Cleveland. Modell would be allowed to take his players and organization to Baltimore, but it would be technically regarded as an expansion team.

This was in contrast to the Colts, whose ownership did not grant the city of Baltimore the rights to the Colts’ name, history, or colors after they moved to Indianapolis. Therefore, the new Baltimore team was named the Ravens after a fan vote.

The Colts’ final game in Baltimore was played on December 18, 1983 against the Houston Oilers. The Colts won 20-10. The Oilers would thirteen years later, play their final game before moving to Tennessee against the Baltimore Ravens at Memorial Stadium. The Colts would not play a game in Baltimore until 1997. The new Baltimore team had a chance to stop the Indianapolis Colts on their way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since moving. However, the Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens 15-6 in the division playoff round on their way to winning Super Bowl XLI.
The Indianapolis Colts

1984–1995
In 1984, the Colts’ first season in Indianapolis, Jim Irsay was named general manager of the team. Frank Kush was head coach - until the final game when he was replaced by Hal Hunter. Prior to the start of the season the team received 143,000 requests in two weeks for season tickets. The Colts had two first-round draft picks in 1984. They chose Leonard Coleman and Ron Solt. Coleman could not reach an agreement with the Colts until early in 1985, and spent 1984 playing in the U.S. Football League. Other notable picks that year included Kevin Call in the 5th round and Eugene Daniel in the 8th. The Colts finished the 1984 season with 4 wins and 12 losses.[16] Rod Dowhower was named head coach in 1985, but after two losing seasons, Dowhower was replaced by Ron Meyer in December 1986.[16]

In 1990, the Colts traded Chris Hinton, 1989 first-round pick Andre Rison and draft picks to the Atlanta Falcons for the first pick of the 1990 draft so they could choose Indianapolis native and quarterback Jeff George. Eric Dickerson, after boycotting training camp and refusing to take physicals, was placed on the non-football injury list for six weeks. He was subsequently suspended four weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and forfeited $750,000 in wages and fines. The team finished the season 7-9.[16] Rick Venturi succeeded Meyer as coach on October 1, 1991. The team finished the 1991 season an NFL-worst 1-15.

Following a 4-12 season in 1994, running back Marshall Faulk was drafted second overall and linebacker Trev Alberts fifth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. In March, Jeff George was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Despite going undefeated in the preseason the Colts opened the regular season with an all-time low attendance of 47,372. The Colts finished 8-8 - out of the playoffs.Quarterback Jim Harbaugh became the starting quarterback in Week 3 of 1995 and ended the season as the NFL’s top-rated passer. He led the “Cardiac Colts” to a 9-7 season and a trip to the playoffs. In the playoffs, the underdog Colts defeated the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. But, in the AFC Championship Game, they lost a heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-16 when a last-second Hail-Mary pass was dropped in the end-zone by Aaron Bailey.
1996–2001
 

Marvin HarrisonWide receiver Marvin Harrison was selected by the Colts with the 19th pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, a pick that was obtained in a trade that sent George to the Falcons. In February, in another unpopular move, and despite the success of the 1995 season, the Colts offered Marchibroda only a one-year contract deal which he turned down. Marchibroda, whose 73 career victories with the Colts tied Shula, was replaced by Lindy Infante. Also in February, Robert Irsay’s wife, Nancy, and his son, Jim, filed petitions seeking guardianship of his estate while he remained incapacitated from a stroke he had suffered the previous November. The Colts finished 9-7, despite being plagued with injuries, and again made the playoffs. They lost, again to Pittsburgh, in a 42-14 thrashing.[16]
On December 21, 1997, the Colts lost to the Vikings and finishing the season 3-13. The very next day, Bill Polian was hired as President to try and turn the team around. Polian was general manager of the Buffalo Bills from 1986-1993. “When Bill Polian was promoted to the GM position, the Bills were suffering from back to back 2-14 seasons and fan interest was at an all-time low. Polian had expertly put the pieces together that would make the Bills a “championship caliber team,” appearing in an NFL record, 4 straight Super Bowls. Because of his accomplishments, Bill Polian won the NFL Executive of the Year Award twice, in 1988 and in 1991. Polian then became general manager of the Carolina Panthers from 1994-1996. He tried to create the quickest Super Bowl winner in history, and nearly did so, building a team that went to the NFC Championship game in only its second year of existence
The Peyton Manning Era
As the Colts GM and President, fired Infante and in turn hired Jim Mora to coach the team. Polian opted not to keep quartback Jim Harbaugh, who had led the team to the AFC Championship game following the 1995 season. Instead, he decided to build through the draft as the Colts would have the top overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft; with it, the Colts drafted University of Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning, the son of New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning, with the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.

 

Peyton ManningThe Colts’ first-round draft pick in the 1999 NFL Draft was running back Edgerrin James, a surprise to many who thought they would take Ricky Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner. Two days before the draft, Faulk was traded to the St. Louis Rams. Third-round pick, Brandon Burlsworth, was killed in an automobile accident in Arkansas on April 28. James caught on quickly and Manning and Marvin Harrison clicked as a potent passing combination. In October, Steve Muhammad’s wife died as did the baby she was carrying when she went into premature labor following a car accident. After her death it was revealed that 10 days before the accident Muhammad had been arrested for battery on his pregnant wife. The Colts finished the season 13-3 - in what was the greatest one-year turnaround in NFL history - and won the AFC East. They hosted Indianapolis’ first ever playoff game but were defeated by the eventual AFC Champion Tennessee Titans 19-16. At 13-3 In winning the division title, Manning, James and Harrison earned Pro Bowl honors, while kicker Mike Vanderjagt won the NFL scoring title.

 

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne was selected with the 30th pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. The 2001 season was a major disappointment. However, Manning (4,131) and Harrison (109) had outstanding yardage and reception seasons. The team finished 6-10, managing only two wins in its last nine games. And, as in 2000, the defense took the brunt of the criticism. It ranked No. 30 in total yards allowed, tied for No. 26 in generating takeaways and No. 31 in points allowed. But the defense wasn’t the only problem. The special teams’ performance was often really bad and Peyton Manning was plagued by turnovers. The team was also hurt by injuries throughout the season, the most serious occurring on October 25, when running back Edgerrin James tore his ACL in the sixth game of the 2001 season, and while backup Dominic Rhodes proved a capable starter in becoming the first undrafted rookie to rush for over 1000 yards, the loss of James and a defense that gave up the most points in a season of any NFL team since 1981 proved too much to overcome. Mora was fired with one year remaining on his contract, reportedly due to a disagreement with general manager Bill Polian over defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

2002–present
 

Indianapolis Colts Former Head Coach Tony DungyThe firing of Mora led to the hiring of head coach Tony Dungy, the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Irsay was so committed to bringing Tony Dungy aboard that he, not Polian, initiated the contact. Late on January 19, 2002, Irsay phoned Dungy at his home in Tampa: “I just wanted him to know from the start that there was no other coach on the planet I wanted to coach my football team,” Irsay said. “Not Steve Spurrier. Not Bill Parcells.”[23]

Defensive end Dwight Freeney was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 11th overall selection in the 2002 NFL Draft. The Colts finished the season with a 10-6 record, earning a wild-card slot in the playoffs. In that game however, the Colts were humiliated with a 41-0 shutout at the hands of the New York Jets. Marvin Harrison had a stellar year, breaking several club and NFL records, but Edgerrin James was hampered by injuries most of the season. Manning threw 19 interceptions, most of them in games the Colts went on to lose. In a troubling pattern, the Colts repeatedly squandered the first half of a game, often falling so far behind that despite second half rallies, they could not overcome the deficit. Freeney set an NFL rookie record in 2002 with 9 forced fumbles, three of which occurred in a single game against former Syracuse football teammate, Donovan McNabb.

 

Dwight FreeneyThe Colts finished the 2003 season 14–5 - and won the AFC South with a regular season record of 12-4. Manning was named co-MVP of the NFL, along with Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. In the playoffs, Manning and the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 41–10, then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, at Kansas City, 38–31. However, in the AFC title game at New England, the Patriots defense was all over the Colts. Manning threw only one touchdown pass and was intercepted four times. The Patriots won the game 24–14 putting an end to the hopes of the team and the fans that this was the season the Colts would go all the way.

Safety Bob Sanders was selected in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. The 2004 season ended almost exactly the way the 2003 season had, with the New England Patriots pummeling the Colts, in the cold at Foxboro, and knocking them out of the playoffs. After a year in which the offense broke numerous team and league records, the Colts could manage to score only one field goal in their final game, losing 20-3. For the second year in a row, Manning was named the league’s MVP and his 49 regular-season touchdowns broke a record that Dan Marino had held since 1984, which was broken by Tom Brady of the Patriots with 50 touchdown passes in 2007. The wide receiving trio of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley each had at least 10 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards for the season - also a league first. Edgerrin James ended the season ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,548 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. And although questions continued to surround the defense, Freeney led the league with 16 sacks.

 

On January 15, 2006, the Colts were eliminated in the divisional round by the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 21–18. Trailing 21–10 late in the game, the Colts regained possession and put 8 points on the board to make it 21–18. After a Jerome Bettis fumble on the goal line, Nick Harper picked up the fumble and almost ran it back, but was tackled at the 40 yard line by Ben Roethlisberger. The Colts then drove down the field, only to have Mike Vanderjagt miss a 46-yard field goal attempt wide right.

The Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens 15-6 in the division playoff round, thanks to kicker Adam Vinatieri’s five field goals and another impressive defensive showing. They played the New England Patriots at home in the AFC title game for the rights to the Super Bowl; it was the Colts’ third conference championship game in the Indianapolis era. The game marked the first time that the AFC title game was played in a domed stadium. After trailing at the end of the first half, 21–3, the Colts stormed back, defeating the arch-rival Patriots for the third consecutive time. With a final score of 38–34, the 18-point comeback was the largest ever in an NFL conference championship game, and tied the record for the fourth largest NFL postseason comeback.

 

White House ceremony honoring the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts.The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 on February 4, 2007 in Dolphin Stadium, after overcoming a rocky start that saw the Bears’ Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and Manning threw an early interception. Rain fell throughout the game, for the first time in Super Bowl history, significantly contributing to the six turnovers committed by both teams in the first half. Manning was awarded the Super Bowl MVP after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, caught by Wayne.

In 2007, the Colts finished 13-3, winning a club-record fifth straight division title and becoming the first NFL team with five consecutive seasons with 12+ victories and became one of four NFL teams to open three consecutive seasons with 5-0 starts in topping Tampa Bay, 33-14. Indianapolis joined Green Bay (1929-31), Minnesota (1973-75) and St. Louis (1999-2001) with three straight 5-0 starts. And then becoming the first team in 76 years to start three consecutive seasons with 7-0 starts. Peyton Manning (288) broke the club record for career touchdown passes held by Johnny Unitas (287), while Tony Dungy notched his 74th win to break the franchise record he had shared with Don Shula (73) and Ted Marchibroda (73). The club fell in the Divisional Playoffs to the San Diego Chargers, 28-24. Dungy became the only coach in Colts history to post 10+ wins and earn playoff appearances in six straight seasons.

The 2008 season was the Colts’ inaugural season playing at the newly-completed Lucas Oil Stadium. It was the first season that the Colts did not win the AFC South title. After a 3-4 start on the season, the Colts went on a nine-game winning streak and finished the season at 12-4 and earned a wild card berth in the playoffs. They extended their league mark with six consecutive 12+ victory seasons. The club became the first in NFL history to win at least seven consecutive games in five consecutive seasons. Manning won his third NFL MVP award, butIndianapolis fell in the Wild Card Playoffs in overtime at San Diego, 23-17.

Tony Dungy retired on January 12, 2009 and on January 13, Jim Caldwell who had been named his successor previously, was formally announced as the new head coach.

yea thats all for indiannapolis colts..and i d0 hope you will like lt thank you !

Indianapolis Colts-like it , then go for it(b)

Filed under: Team, nfl jersey — Tags: , , — sportsboy @ 9:41 pm

Indianapolis Colts-like it , then go for it

yea in this canto , we would like to talk more about indianapolis colts..hope you enjoy it..

1970–1983
Prior to the 1970 season, Rosenbloom, Art Modell of the Browns, and Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to have their teams join the ten AFL teams in the AFC as part of the AFL-NFL merger giving each conference an equal amount of teams, and divisions. The Colts win the Eastern Division while posting an 11-2-1 record. During the season the Colts would get revenge for Super Bowl III, by beating the New York Jets, who were now a division rival. In the Divisional Playoffs the Colts defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 17-0 at Memorial Stadium. The Colts then defeated the Raiders 27-17 to advance to the Super Bowl.

In Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys, the Cowboys jumped out to a 6-0 lead on 2 field goals before the Colts tied it on a 75-yard pass form Unitas to John Mackey. However the Colts had the PAT blocked and the game remained tied. The Cowboys would jump out in front again and went into the 4th quarter holding a 13-6 lead into halftime. Earl Morrall relieved an injured Unitas in the 2nd half the game as the two teams kept fumbling the ball back-and-forth in a game that got the nickname blunder bowl as both teams combined had 11 turnovers. Baltimore would tie the game midway through the final period on a 2-yard plunge by running back Tom Nowatzke. With less then 2 minutes left Cowboys RB Dan Reeves fumbled the ball setting up the Colts in Dallas territory. Baltimore would win the game on a 32-yard field goal from Jim O’Brien with 5 seconds left.

Following a 1-4 start in 1972, McCafferty was fired. The Colts would go 4-5 in their final 9 games under John Sandusky to finish with a 5-9 record, their first losing mark in 16 years. Following the season Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers. However, Unitas would not leave without coming off the bench his final game at Memorial Stadium. Leading the Colts on a 55-yard Touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter to help beat the Buffalo Bills 35-7. Memorial Stadium gave the legend a standing ovation as a small plane flying overhead carried a banner reading “Unitas We Stand.”[4] After a 4-10 season in 1973 and a 0-3 start in 1974, head coach Howard Schnellenberger was fired and replaced by Joe Thomas. The Colts would not perform any better under Thomas compiling a miserable 2-12 season.

Under new coach Ted Marchibroda the Colts would get off to a 1-4 start in 1975. However, the Colts would start winning as quarterback Bert Jones, and runningback Lydell Mitchell came of age and led the Colts on a 7 game winning streak. The Colts would go on to win their last game of the season to claim the AFC East with a 10-4 record. However, in the Divisional Playoffs the young Colts were no match for the Steelers in Pittsburgh, suffering a season ending 28-10 loss. Marcibroda resigned as head coach but was re-hired for the 1976 season. The Colts would go on to have a stellar season led by Jones who won the NFL MVP by passing for 3,104 yards. The Colts put together a solid season and win the AFC East with an 11-3 record. However in the Divisional Playoffs the Colts were defeated again by the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-29. In 1977, the Colts were again defeated in the Divisional Playoffs by the Oakland Raiders, 37-31. Following the 1979 season, Marchibroda was fired and replaced by Mike McCormick..

After two losing sasons, McCormick was fired and Bert Jones was traded to the Los Angeles Rams..In 1982, attendance begins to dwindle at Memorial Stadium as the Colts struggle during a season interrupted by a 2-month strike. Actually the strike provided relief for the Colts, as they possibly avoided one of the worst seasons in NFL history. The Colts would go winless while tying 1 game in a 9-game season.With the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft the Colts drafted quarterback John Elway.

 However, Elway refused to play for owner Robert Irsay and threatened to play minor league baseball or in the newly formed USFL. Fearful the Colts would get nothing for his rights the Colts traded Elway to the Denver Broncos.. On December 18, 1983, unbeknownst to the team or fans, the Colts played their final home game (against the then Houston Oilers) in the city of Baltimore. 27,934 fans showed up, 516 more fans than the crowd that had turned out for their first home game in 1947.
Ownership’s discontent
 

Memorial Stadium in Baltimore

Memorial Stadium with 33rd Street in the foregroundAs far back as November 1971, Carroll Rosenbloom announced that the Colts would not return to Memorial Stadium when their lease ran out following the 1972 season and that he was not interested in negotiating with the city anymore. He wanted out of Baltimore for a few reasons — money, problems with Baltimore Orioles ownership, a running feud with the Baltimore press, and his new wife’s desire to move to the West Coast. Will Keland, a real estate investor was originally slated to buy the Colts from Rosenbloom. However, Keland could not generate enough funds necessary to purchase the team. His golfing buddy, Robert Irsay who was originally slated to own 1 percent of the team, did have the money available and he realized that he didn’t need Keland. On July 13, 1972, Robert Irsay became the owner of the Colts.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams for $19 million, then traded them to Rosenbloom for the Colts and $3 million in cash. The players for each team remained in their respective cities.

In 1971, Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer and the state’s governor, Marvin Mandel, created a stadium committee to examine the city’s stadium needs. Their report was a blow to Memorial Stadium. Some of the problems mentioned: 10,000 stadium’s seats had views that were “less than desirable”; 20,000 seats were out-dated bench seats that had no back support; 7,000 so called seats were actually poorly-constructed temporary bleachers that were installed for football games only. Also, there was not enough office space adequate enough for the front offices of either the Orioles or Colts, much less both teams combined.

Both teams had to share locker rooms, the upper deck of Memorial Stadium did not circle the field, ending instead at the 50-yard line, thousands of potential seats (and added revenue) were missing. Any expansion plans for the stadium had usually mentioned less attractive (and less expensive) end-zone seats, not upper deck seating. And the number of bathroom facilities in Memorial Stadium was deemed inadequate.

Maryland’s planners came up with an ambitious project. Nicknamed the “Baltodome”,the original plan was to create a facility near the city’s Inner Harbor known as Camden Yards. The new stadium would host 70,000 fans for football games, 55,000 for baseball and 20,000 as an arena for hockey or basketball. For an estimated $78 million, the city would build a facility that would have kept all parties; Orioles owner Hoffberger, Colts owner Irsay, the Stadium
Complex Authority, Baltimore Mayor Schaefer and the state’s governor, Marvin Mandel happy.
But the proposal did not receive support to pass the Maryland legislature, in spite of the fact that assurances that contributions from taxpayers would be limited strictly to city and state loans. Stadium Complex Authority chairman Ed Rovner issued an important statement about the project, “A major consideration in Mr. Irsay’s trading of franchises was the city’s firm commitment to proceed with these plans.” But on February 27, 1974 Maryland’s Governor Mandel pulled the plug on the idea. New Colts owner Robert Irsay was willing to wait. “I’m a patient man. I think the people of Baltimore are going to see those new stadiums in New Orleans and Seattle opening in a year or two around the country, and they are going to realize they need a stadium … for conventions and other things besides football.”

But Hyman Pressman, Baltimore’s comptroller, was against the use of public funds to build a new complex. During the 1974 elections, Pressman had an amendment to the city’s charter placed on the fall ballot. Known as Question P,[7] the amendment called for declaring “the 33rd Street stadium as a memorial to war veterans and prohibiting use of city funds for construction of any other stadium.” The measure passed 56 percent to 44 percent, and the same jingoistic ideas that had been used to upgrade the then Baltimore Stadium (Originally built in 1922) in the late 40s and rename it Memorial Stadium, effectively destroyed any chance of a new, modern sports complex being built in Baltimore.

Although the Colts made the playoffs for three straight years from 1975-77, there had still been no progress made on a new park for the team. Robert Irsay first spoke with Phoenix, Arizona in 1976 and then Indianapolis, Indiana in 1977 about the possibility of relocating his team to one of those cities. In 1979 Irsay began shopping the Colts around in earnest, talking first to officials from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, Memphis, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida[8] where he visited the Gator Bowl packed with 50,000 cheering fans trying to convince him that Jacksonville would be the best home for the Colts. That same year Irsay presented Maryland’s Governor Harry Hughes with a request for $25 million in renovation to the dilapidated 64,124 seat Memorial Stadium. Irsay’s request for $25 million in improvements was decreased to $23 million by the Maryland legislature. The plan added more seats (but none of the revenue-generating skyboxes), improving the plumbing and would’ve given both teams better office space. The plans approval was contingent on both the Colts and Baltimore Orioles signing long term leases. The Orioles challenged the requested football improvements and refused to sign anything more than a one year lease. Irsay also refused to sign long term. As a result, the funds and improvements never came.

Relocation to Indianapolis
 

RCA (Hoosier) Dome

RCA (Hoosier) Dome InteriorUnder the administration of mayor Richard Lugar and then continuing with William Hudnut, Indianapolis was making a serious effort to reinvent itself into a ‘Great American City’. In 1979, Indianapolis community leaders created the Indiana Sports Corp. in order to attract major sports events to central Indiana. The next year, Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut appointed a committee to study the feasibility of building a new stadium that could serve primarily as a boon to the city’s convention business and, secondarily, as a lure for an NFL team . In 1982 construction on the Hoosier Dome (later renamed the RCA Dome) began. Deputy Mayor David Frick, who would later lead the negotiations with the Colts and then go on to become chairman of the Indiana state commission that would oversee construction of the RCA Dome’s replacement, Lucas Oil Stadium, would say that the RCA Dome was a key to changing the city’s image. “Sports was an element in our game plan to change the image of the city back in the late 1970s, early 1980s,”.

In February 1983, after relations between Irsay and the city of Baltimore had deteriorated significantly, Baltimore Mayor Schaefer asked the Maryland General Assembly to approve $15 million for renovation to Memorial Stadium. The legislature did not approve the request until the following spring, after the Colts’ lease had expired,[13] and only half of that $15 million would go towards improvements that the Colts were seeking (The other half for the Orioles’). However, Baltimore reportedly did offer Irsay a generous $15 million loan at 6.5%, a guarantee of at least 43,000 tickets sold per game for six years, and the purchase of the team’s Owings Mills training facility for $4 million.

Despite numerous public reassurances that Irsay’s ultimate desire was to remain in Baltimore, he nevertheless continued discussions with several cities hungry for an NFL franchise (New York, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Birmingham, Jacksonville and Memphis) eventually narrowing the list of cities to two, Phoenix and Indianapolis. A real estate group in Phoenix, Arizona along with Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt and other top Arizona officials, had secretly met with Irsay early in January. Preliminary talks seemed promising, another meeting was scheduled. But when word of a second scheduled meeting leaked out and was reported by the Baltimore media on the Friday before the Super Bowl, Irsay canceled. Meanwhile, Indianapolis and local real estate developer Robert Welch, were lobbying the NFL to bring an expansion team to the city, with Welch as team owner. Welch had also had personal discussions with New Orleans Saints owner John Mecom about buying the team and moving it to Indianapolis. In January 1984, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced that expansion had been put on hold. As a result of that announcement, Indiana Pacers’ owner Herb Simon contacted Colts officials in order to take negotiations between the club and Indianapolis to the next level. Mayor Hudnut then assigned deputy mayor David Frick to begin secret negotiations with Colts counsel Michael Chernoff. On February 13, Colts representatives came to town to look at the Hoosier Dome construction. Colts owner Robert Irsay visited on February 23.

“He (Irsay) was visibly moved,” former deputy mayor Dave Frick said commenting on Irsay’s reaction to entering the brand new domed stadium. “Emotionally, he was making the move.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, the situation worsened. Eventually, the Maryland legislature intervened and on March 27, one of its chambers passed legislation giving the city of Baltimore the right to seize ownership of the team by eminent domain (An idea first floated in a memo written by Baltimore Mayoral Aide Mark Wasserman). Robert Irsay said that his move was “a direct result” of the eminent domain bill and[10] Colts counsel Michael Chernoff would say of the move by the Maryland legislature “They not only threw down the gauntlet, but they put a gun to his head and cocked it and asked, ‘Want to see if it’s loaded?’ They forced him to make a decision that day”.

Phoenix businessmen withdrew their offer the morning of March 28 and Irsay called the Indianapolis Mayor that afternoon and began serious negotiations in order to move the team before the Maryland legislature’s other chamber could pass similar legislation. The city of Indianapolis offered the Colts owner a $12,500,000 loan, a $4,000,000 training complex, and the use of the brand new $77.5 million, 57,980 seat Hoosier Dome.

After Irsay agreed to the deal, the Indianapolis Mayor called John B. Smith, his friend, neighbor and chief executive officer of Mayflower Transit, and 15 trucks were dispatched to the team’s Owings Mills, Maryland training complex at 2:00 AM on March 29 because it was feared the franchise would be seized early the following morning. Workers loaded all of the team’s belongings and the trucks left for Indianapolis. By 10:00 AM, the Colts were completely gone from Baltimore

 Each of the Mayflower trucks took a slightly different route on the way to Indianapolis. This was done to confuse the Maryland police, who could’ve been called on to put a stop to the move. Once each van was at the Indiana state line, it was met by Indiana state troopers, who escorted each van to the Colts new home in Indianapolis. Later John Moag, Jr., chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, stated in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee responsible for the Fan Freedom and Community Protection Act: “It was the failure of our local (Baltimore) and state elected officials in Maryland to provide the Colts with a firm proposal for a new stadium that led Mr. Irsay to accept an offer from Indianapolis to play in a new dome in that city.“

Baltimore’s Mayor Schaefer, who claimed to have been promised a call by Irsay if the team was to move (but never received one), appeared on the front page of the Baltimore Sun in tears. After the Colts left, he placed the building of a new stadium at the top of his legislative agenda.

Indianapolis Mayor Hudnut held a press conference March 29 to announce an agreement had been reached and the team was on its way to Indianapolis. The deal was sealed March 30 with approval by the Capital Improvement Board, which operated the Hoosier Dome. Two days later, 20,000 new Colts fans cheered as Mayor Hudnut Proclaimed March 29, 1984, “one of the greatest days in the history of this city.”

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