The Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and were met with much fanfare, with the team receiving over 143,000 requests for season tickets in just two weeks. Frank Kush remained the head coach of the team and quarterback Mike Pagel started eight games during the season, both members of the Baltimore Colts. However, as in Baltimore, the Colts were unable to find much success and finished the season with a 4–12 record and a fourth place record in the AFC East. The 1984 team also had the fewest offensive yardage of any NFL team that season. Kush quit the team in December 1984 and was replaced by Hal Hunter who was eventually replaced by Rod Dowhower in 1985. Dowhower fared little better than his predecessor did and the Colts posted a 5–11 record, once again for fourth in the AFC East, in 1985. The Colts entered 1986 once again with Dowhower as head coach, but started the season with a 0–13 record, with many believing that the Colts would become the first team to have an imperfect season since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dowhower was fired with three games left in the season and was replaced by Ron Meyer. The Colts won their first game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons in week fourteen and finished the season with three straight wins to post a final record of 3–13.
This was a new beginning for this football team and they would start to improve each and every year.
This was a new beginning for this football team and they would start to improve each and every year.