List of Indianapolis Colts head coaches

Tony Dungy is a former head coach of the Colts. He led them to their second Super Bowl victory in Miami (XLI).

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are a member of the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). In 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore franchise. Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team, and was awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization. The team was known as the Baltimore Colts for 31 seasons before moving to Indianapolis in March 1984.[1]

There have been 19[a] head coaches for the Colts franchise. Keith Molesworth became the first coach of the Baltimore Colts in 1953, but he was reassigned to a different position with the team following the season.[2] In terms of tenure, Weeb Ewbank has led the team for more games (112) and more complete seasons (nine) than any other head coach. He led the team to two of their NFL championships. Four Colts head coaches; Ewbank, Don Shula (3), Ted Marchibroda, and Tony Dungy have been named coach of the year by at least one major news organization. Ewbank, Shula, and Dungy are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1978, 1997, and 2016 respectively.[3][4]

Six times in Colts history there were interim head coaches. In 1972, Don McCafferty was fired five games into the season.[2] John Sandusky was named as the interim head coach for the rest of the season, during which he led the Colts to a 4–5 record, but he was not made the permanent coach the next year. In 1974, head coach Howard Schnellenberger started off the season 0–3 and was fired. Joe Thomas assumed the duties of head coach and finished the season at 2–12.[2] In 1991, the Colts started off 0–5 and Ron Meyer was fired as head coach. Rick Venturi was named as the interim for the final 11 games.[5] In 2005 Tony Dungy was forced to miss one game due to personal issues. Jim Caldwell was named as the one game interim.[6] In 2012 offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was named as the interim head coach indefinitely after Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia four weeks into the 2012 NFL season.[7] Arians led the Colts to a 9–3 record – the record being credited to Pagano – and made the playoffs. Following a 3–5–1 start, Frank Reich was fired and on November 7, 2022, the Indianapolis Colts named Jeff Saturday as the team's interim coach for the rest of the season, during which he led the Colts to a 1–7 record. He was not made the permanent coach the next year.

## Key

[edit]

# | Number of coaches

|

GC | Games coached
W | Wins
L | Losses
T | Ties
Win% | Winning percentage
00* | Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
00^  | Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player
00†  | Spent entire professional NFL head coaching career with the Colts

## Coaches

[edit]

Note: Statistics are accurate through the end of the 2023 NFL season.
#  | Image  | Name  | Term  | Regular season  | Playoffs  | Awards  | Reference

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GC  | W  | L  | T  | Win%  | GC  | W  | L
Baltimore Colts
1  |  | Keith Molesworth†  | 1953 | 12  | 3  | 9  | 0  | .333  | –  | –  | –  |  | [8]
2  |  | Weeb Ewbank*  | 1954–1962 | 112  | 59  | 52  | 1  | .527  | 2  | 2  | 0  | AP NFL Coach of the Year (1958)[9]
UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1958)[9] | [10]
3  |  | Don Shula*  | 1963–1969 | 98  | 71  | 23  | 4  | .725  | 5  | 2  | 3  | AP NFL Coach of the Year (1964, 1968)[9]
Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1964, 1968)[9]
Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year (1968)[9] | [11]
4  |  | Don McCafferty | 1970–1972 | 33  | 22  | 10  | 1  | .667  | 5  | 4  | 1  |  | [12]
5  |  | John Sandusky†  | 1972[b] | 9  | 4  | 5  | 0  | .444  | –  | –  | –  |  | [13]
6  |  | Howard Schnellenberger†  | 1973–1974 | 17  | 4  | 13  | 0  | .235  | –  | –  | –  |  | [14]
7  |  | Joe Thomas†  | 1974[c] | 11  | 2  | 9  | 0  | .182  | –  | –  | –  |  | [15]
8  |  | Ted Marchibroda | 1975–1979 | 74  | 41  | 33  | 0  | .554  | 3  | 0  | 3  | AP NFL Coach of the Year (1975)[9]
Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1975)[9]
Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year (1975)[9]
UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1975)[9] | [16]
9  |  | Mike McCormack^  | 1980–1981 | 32  | 9  | 23  | 0  | .281  | –  | –  | –  |  | [17]
10  |  | Frank Kush†  | 1982–1983 | 25  | 7  | 17  | 1  | .300  | –  | –  | –  |  | [18]
Indianapolis Colts
–  |  | Frank Kush†  | 1984 | 15  | 4  | 11  | 0  | .267  | –  | –  | –  |  | [18]
11  |  | Hal Hunter†  | 1984[d] | 1  | 0  | 1  | 0  | .000  | –  | –  | –  |  | [19]
12  |  | Rod Dowhower†  | 1985–1986 | 29  | 5  | 24  | 0  | .172  | –  | –  | –  |  | [20]
13  |  | Ron Meyer | 1986–1991[e] | 71  | 36  | 35  | 0  | .507  | 2  | 0  | 2  | UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1987)[9] | [21]
14  |  | Rick Venturi | 1991[f] | 11  | 1  | 10  | 0  | .100  | –  | –  | –  |  | [22]
–  |  | Ted Marchibroda | 1992–1995 | 64  | 30  | 34  | 0  | .469  | 3  | 2  | 1  |  | [16]
15  |  | Lindy Infante | 1996–1997 | 32  | 12  | 20  | 0  | .375  | 1  | 0  | 1  |  | [23]
16  |  | Jim Mora | 1998–2001 | 64  | 32  | 32  | 0  | .500  | 2  | 0  | 2  |  | [24]
17  |  | Tony Dungy*  | 2002–2008 | 112  | 85  | 27  | 0  | .759  | 13  | 7  | 6  | Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (2005)[9]
Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year (2005)[9] | [25]
18  |  | Jim Caldwell | 2009–2011 | 48  | 26  | 22  | 0  | .542  | 4  | 2  | 2  |  | [26]
19  |  | Chuck Pagano†  | 2012–2017[g] | 96  | 53  | 43  | 0  | .552  | 6  | 3  | 3  |  | [27]
20  |  | Frank Reich | 2018–2022[h] | 74  | 40  | 33  | 1  | .547  | 3  | 1  | 2  |  | [28]
21  |  | Shane Steichen†  | 2023–present  | 17  | 9  | 8  | 0  | .529  | –  | –  | –  |  | [29]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Although Bruce Arians was named as interim head coach during the 2012 season, he was not credited with the team's record while in charge.
2. ^ John Sandusky was the interim head coach for nine games during the 1972 season.
3. ^ Joe Thomas was the interim head coach for 11 games during the 1974 season.
4. ^ Hal Hunter was the interim head coach for the final game of the 1984 season.
5. ^ Ron Meyer was the interim head coach for three games during the 1986 season.
6. ^ Rick Venturi was the interim head coach for 11 games during the 1991 season.
7. ^ During the 2012 season, Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. Bruce Arians was the interim head coach for 12 games, while Pagano underwent treatment. Arians led the team to a 9–3 record and won the AP NFL Coach of the Year for 2012. However, the record was credited to Pagano.
8. ^ Originally, Indianapolis intended to hire Josh McDaniels as their head coach for the 2018 season. Though the Colts and McDaniels had verbally agreed to terms for a contract, McDaniels backed out of the agreement a day before his official introduction as head coach to return to his position as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. As such, Frank Reich was hired instead.

## References

[edit]

General

* "Indianapolis Colts History". CBS Sportsline. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
* "Hall of Famers by Franchise". Pro Football Hall of Fame Official website. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
* "Indianapolis Colts Coaching Records and History". DatabaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2008.

Specific

1. ^ "Indianapolis Colts". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
2. ^ a b c "Baltimore Colts: Historical Moments". Baltimore Colts. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
3. ^ "Coach Ewbank Laid To Rest". CBS News. November 18, 1998. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
4. ^ "Don Shula: NFL Coaching Legend". Nationwide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
5. ^ "Indianapolis Colts: Historical Moments". Indianapolis Colts. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
6. ^ "Dungy's son, 18, found dead in Tampa suburb". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
7. ^ "Chuck Pagano battling leukemia". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
8. ^ "Keith Molesworth". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "NFL Coach of the Year Award". HickokSports.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
10. ^ "Weeb Ewbank". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
11. ^ "Don Shula". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
12. ^ "Don McCafferty". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
13. ^ "John Sandusky". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
14. ^ "Howard Schnellenberger". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
15. ^ "Joe Thomas". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
16. ^ a b "Ted Marchibroda". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
17. ^ "Mike McCormack". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
18. ^ a b "Frank Kush Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
19. ^ "Hal Hunter Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
20. ^ "Rod Dowhower". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
21. ^ "Ron Meyer". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
22. ^ "Rick Venturi". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
23. ^ "Lindy Infante". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
24. ^ "Jim Mora". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
25. ^ "Tony Dungy". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
26. ^ "Jim Caldwell Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
27. ^ "Chuck Pagano Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
28. ^ "Frank Reich Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
29. ^ "Shane Steichen Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Indianapolis Colts

* Founded in 1953
* Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
* Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana

Franchise|

* History
* in Baltimore
* relocation to Indianapolis
* Players
* Quarterbacks
* Coaches
* Seasons
* Draft
* First-round draft picks
* Ring of Honor

Stadiums|

* Memorial Stadium
* RCA Dome
* Lucas Oil Stadium

Culture|

* Carroll Rosenbloom
* Robert Irsay
* Jim Irsay
* 12th Man
* AAFC Colts
* Baltimore Colts Marching Band
* Blue
* Cheerleaders
* Elway to Marino
* Parks and Recreation

Lore|

* Dayton Triangles
* The Greatest Game Ever Played
* 1970 AFC Championship Game
* Ghost to the Post
* Move to Indianapolis
* Immaculate Deflection
* Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle
* Deflategate
* Colts Catastrophe
* Snowvertime
* Minneapolis Miracle II

Rivalries|

* Houston Texans
* New England Patriots
* Brady–Manning rivalry
* Tennessee Titans

Division championships (16)|

* 1968
* 1970
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1987
* 1999
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2009
* 2010
* 2013
* 2014

Conference championships (7)|

* 1958
* 1959
* 1964
* 1968
* 1970
* 2006
* 2009

League championships (5)|

* 1958
* 1959
* 1968
* 1970 (V)
* 2006 (XLI)

Retired numbers|

* 18
* 19
* 22
* 24
* 70
* 77
* 82
* 89

Media|

* Broadcasters
* WFNI-AM
* Bob Lamey
* Jim Sorgi

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Indianapolis Colts head coaches

Formerly the Baltimore Colts (1953–1983)

* Keith Molesworth (1953)
* Weeb Ewbank (1954–1962)
* Don Shula (1963–1969)
* Don McCafferty (1970–1972)
* John Sandusky (1972)
* Howard Schnellenberger (1973–1974)
* Joe Thomas (1974)
* Ted Marchibroda (1975–1979)
* Mike McCormack (1980–1981)
* Frank Kush (1982–1984)
* Hal Hunter # (1984)
* Rod Dowhower (1985–1986)
* Ron Meyer (1986–1991)
* Rick Venturi # (1991)
* Ted Marchibroda (1992–1995)
* Lindy Infante (1996–1997)
* Jim Mora (1998–2001)
* Tony Dungy (2002–2008)
* Jim Caldwell (2009–2011)
* Chuck Pagano (2012–2017)
* Bruce Arians # (2012)
* Frank Reich (2018–2022)
* Jeff Saturday # (2022)
* Shane Steichen (2023–present)

# denotes interim head coach

* v
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* e

NFL head coaches

American Football Conference

| AFC East| AFC North| AFC South| AFC West

|
|
|

* Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
* Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
* Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots)
* Robert Saleh (New York Jets)

* John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
* Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
* Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
* Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

* DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
* Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
* Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
* Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans)

* Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
* Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
* Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders)
* Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers)

National Football Conference

| NFC East| NFC North| NFC South| NFC West

|
|
|

* Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
* Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
* Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
* Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)

* Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears)
* Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
* Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
* Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

* Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons)
* Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers)
* Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)
* Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

* Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)
* Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
* Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
* Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks)

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