Peyton leaves and he asks for you and your staff to drive him to the airport. No way. He actually traded the Los Angeles Rams for the Baltimore Colts. You'd been with the team at that point for 20 years. The Indianapolis Colts were going to the Super Bowl and they were going to try to pull it apart. Sure enough, that held up pretty damn good.
What was that moment like winning the Super Bowl with this special team? From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between, this is Get In, the show focused on the Hoosier State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Did you know that Indiana has been a hub for sports innovation for over a century, starting with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where pioneers tested gamechanging tech like seat belts and antilack brakes? That forward-thinking spirit is still in overdrive today, and Sports Tech HQ is at the center of it. They're on a mission to scout the most groundbreaking sports tech that is shaping the future of sports and to bring those innovators right here to Indiana.
Guess what? It's working. Sports Tech HQ already has 38 companies in its collective that call Indiana home. With 16 relocating from around the world in just the past year, home to a worldclass sports infrastructure, Indiana provides the perfect foundation for entrepreneurs to advance innovations that can change the game for fans, athletes, and teams. Sports Tech HQ is the leading global hub for an industry that is projected to reach 100 billion dollars by 2030. Discover how these companies are driving the future of sports through Indiana's robust ecosystem of partners at stthq.
org. Today I'm joined by John Scott, football archavist for the Indianapolis Colts. Now John started with the team back in 1979 and worked his way up to VP of equipment operations. He has been the behind-the-scenes glue of the Colts organization for decades. He played a pivotal role in the secret move from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 and has since become the unofficial guardian of Colts history, helping preserve decades of team memorabilia and digitizing archives dating back to 1947. Today, we're going to be talking about the move from Baltimore to Indie, the draft pick that changed everything in 1998, and a few of John's favorite memories over his 40 plus years with the Colts organization.
John, welcome to the show. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, I mean, I'm really excited about this one. I feel like the number one trivia question uh like if there's Colts trivia or sports trivia around the Colts, it's always like what city was were the Indianapolis Colts located in before they came to Indianapolis? The Baltimore Colts, right?
That's like the easy piece. But I'm excited to dive into like really what that move entailed, what that meant for the city of Baltimore as well as the city of Indianapolis and just learn a little bit more about I mean the decision-m that went into moving a team from the East Coast to the Midwest. The stadium that we had in Baltimore, it was called Memorial Stadium. It was a very very old old stadium. It was built in the 1920s of all things and then it was repurposed. Um, a lot of extra seats were added and that happened in the early 50s.
We also shared that stadium with the Baltimore Orioles. Oh, a football and baseball stadium. Correct. So, so a lot of use, a lot of people coming in and out of there. Wow. Correct.
Correct. And and when you do share it with the baseball team, the games in September, half of well, a quarter of the field is infield. So that's a equipment manager's nightmare at times, especially if it rain with cleats. So you you have grass on one portion and then um you know the infield dirt on the other. So always a challenge. What yard line would that have been at?
About the 30 yard line and in. So the 30 yard just add like some a patch of dirt on that. Correct. Holy. Okay. So, and they they shared all the way up through 1984.
Yeah. Until we moved. And then So, you you joined the organization in 79 full-time officially, I think you said 1982. Yes. So, you had two full years in Baltimore. Uh well, I guess for starters, like did you always want to work in professional sports?
Like, is that always your goal? Yeah, you know, it was it was always a dream, I guess, maybe not a goal, but a dream that did come true. So it then became my goal to try to do the best I can with the organization being, you know, so lucky to be an equipment manager. You know, there's only 32 teams. So yeah, I mean that's that's a coveted job. Well, thank you.
Yeah, it is. So one day, two years into your I mean you're you're pretty low man on the totem pole kind of. It's like you're two years into your career. You're the assistant equipment guy in Baltimore. How do you find out that the team is moving? night before the day we moved, uh, I lived at an apartment that overlooked the complex, so I'm really close.
So, it's about 11 o'clock that night, my phone rings and it's Jim Ersce. Jimmy Ers as he was called back then on the other end. How old is Jimmy at the time? Uh, let's see. He would have probably been in his early 20s, 25, 26. Okay, so 25, 26 year old Jimmy Ersce calls you up at 11 p.
m. What does he say? Johnny, I just talked to my dad. We're moving the team. And it was like a surreal moment for me. It's like, oh my gosh.
I said, you know, which which city are we moving to? And he said, Indianapolis. And I said, when? And then he said, tomorrow. And I'm going, oh my gosh, how am I going to get this done? And he said, here's the thing about it.
The uh the city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, they're trying to take over my dad's team through what's called eminent domain. So that was the reason why we had to do it very quickly and it was going to be the next day. So I got up early early the next morning, got into work, couldn't tell anybody, shut the doors to the equipment room and just started packing everything I could. When I think about what goes into moving a team like it it is like you know the headquarters or the whatever, but you're like moving all the equipment and the stuff. Exactly. Oh my gosh.
So you get this call. Could you sleep that night before? uh maybe an hour. Was the state trying to take the team because you were thinking of moving they or what was the cause of of that? Yeah, I think that was the whole idea. Ownership found out about that and you know calls were made.
It it came down very close to Phoenix, Arizona or certainly in Indianapolis. Other team other cities that were looked at were Memphis and Jacksonville, but to be honest with you, I thought we would, you know, get the improvements on the stadium and I thought we'd always been in Baltimore. So is a real, you know, shock that this is really going to happen. Did the public know that there was like a little bit of uh tension between the team and the city? You know, there always had been there always had been um even back to 1972 um when Bob Ers bought the team. Prior to that, um the owner was Carol Rosen Bloom and even Carol wanted to have improvements done back in 1972.
Did the city own the stadium? Yes, the city owned the stadium. Okay, I got that. except a lot of people don't know that Robert Ersce uh when he bought the team, he actually bought the Los Angeles Rams first and then you'll never see a transaction like this before or again. He actually traded the Los Angeles Rams for the Baltimore Colts. Can't make that up.
It actually happened. Where are the Urses originally from? Chicago. They're from Chicago. Correct. And uh they're like, you know, they get to the point where they want to buy an NFL team.
Mhm. He buys he buys the the LA Rams, correct? And then who does he trade with? Carol Rosen Bloom, owner of the Baltimore Colts. What was the thought process there? Well, Carol Rosen Bloom there again was trying to get out of Baltimore and he always um you know loved the Los Angeles area.
He was actually from New York. That was Bob Ers's way of getting a team and um you know becoming one of those special owners. And they just trade they trade an NF. No, no players were traded. No coaching staff was traded. It was simply Bob Ersy now is owner of the Baltimore Colts.
Carol Ros and Bloom, owner of the Los Angeles. Yeah. You'll never see that again. Correct. Like that's just like I'm just imagining, you know, like who and it's just like it's unfathomable because of the valuations now and the this that and the money and the, you know, but it's like yeah, back then I like Baltimore, you like Los Angeles. Let's make a let's make a flop.
I know. Pretty amazing. Wow. Okay. So, and what year was that? Uh, 1972.
So, 72. So, then 12 years later, it's like time to put the rubber to the road legitimately. And like what does that look? You're packing up all this stuff. Do you have semiis? Like, do you have moving trucks?
What is what does the actual process of moving a team in the middle of the night look like? Sure. Well, for me, you know, I was lucky enough to find out early um because there was so much, you know, football equipment. So, find out early. You They said you were moving tomorrow. That was early.
Most people most people found out, including the coaching staff, not the head coach, he did know. But the other coaching staff, everyone else, um, that was going to make the move to Indianapolis, they found out that day. I just was lucky enough to find out a little bit in advance. It's like you roll up like you're the assistant linebacker's coach. You roll up to work and they're like, "Pack your bags. We're headed to Indie."
Yeah. Well, they didn't find out till later in the afternoon. Wow. Coaching staff. What was So, this is 1984. What was the front page of the Baltimore?
Is it the Times? What's the newspaper? Um, well, it would Baltimore Sun, but they they were unaware of this move either. That's why it was all very secret. So, I mean, well, once they realized, I'm sure they were a front page headline like Colts dip out of town or whatever the next day. But actually, the trucks that particular day, they didn't come till um probably 8 o'clock at night.
So, I had I had that portion of the day to try to get things ready and then um moving vans um from I think it was Hogan Mayflower here in town. I think that was the name. Oh, yeah. Yeah. 14 or 15 um moving trucks started pulling into the to our complex in Baltimore and then you knew it was really going to happen. So, um, the doors, you know, opened, trucks were backed up, and they had movers that they picked up that day from the Washington DC area, and these were just mostly like college guys that just found out.
They weren't even told where they were supposed to be going. So, they showed up and and they helped me, you know, start loading boxes, you know, into the van. And, you know, that's kind of how the whole thing started. So like what was the hardest piece to like what was like the most did everything go like I mean like was were there any crazy things or was like do we really need and yep it's going with us. Yeah it seemed like everything except was on the wall you know shelves that type of thing we didn't take but the damnedest thing about it is um that night when the movers and of course most of my stuff was already packed. I'm looking at these movers and it was a cold night that night and they they had, you know, winter jackets on, that type of thing.
And as I'm looking at these guys, honestly, it looked like they were getting bigger and bigger and I'm going, "What is going on?" And I saw one of the movers and underneath his jacket there was a shirt and I could see where it said Baltimore. And I knew that these guys were from DC. They they had to be fans, right? Well, come to find out what they were doing, they'd grab boxes. They'd go out on the loading dock.
I'm still in the building. They'd take off their jacket. They'd put on a jersey or a t-shirt or whatever, layer after layer, and then put their winter jacket back on and then come in and grab another box. In other words, they were ripping us off. Yeah. Did you call them out on it?
I did. I did. So, you make them take all their stuff off. Well, I got with the foreman involved. I told him, "Hey, something's going on here." You know, sure enough.
And how old are you at the time? Uh, let's see. I was 26. Are you the one that's like leading this thing? Yeah. Like there's nobody.
So, so I told the guy, I said, "Hey, you know, what are we going to do here?" He said, "Hey, give me 10 minutes. Let me talk to these guys." So, I was I told, "All right, I'll be back in 10 minutes." So, I was thinking there'd be, you know, a few shirts. I come back in the middle of the locker room.
There's a pile of jerseys and and sweatpants and shirts and it was all there. And then they were told, you know, you can't take anything. So after that I kind of you know watched out on the loading dock as well as in the locker room make sure nothing else happens. Yeah. Then you just do you get in a moving truck there and No. Okay.
So they take all the stuff. Correct. And then how long do you have to like Well, I stayed there until everything in my room was done. I did help the trainers a little bit with some of their things. By now it's, you know, well into, you know, the next day. It's probably 2:00 in the morning.
Jim Ers uh came downstairs because he was upstairs packing up his his office and he said, "Hey, um are you guys are you almost done to me?" And I said, "Uh, yeah, I'm just about done." He said, "Well, listen, uh you're going to be flying with me in his dad's private plane the next morning, so we need to go and get some sleep. The only problem is I don't want to go back to my house because, you know, there's been death threats and everything else on on my family." and he said, "I think the best thing for us to do," and and he had moved um his his wife and his two young daughters down to Florida, um you know, because of what was going to go on. So, it was decided that um you know, we'll go to my apartment and sleep that night.
So, just a sleepover you and Jim are saying. Well, yeah. And and the funny thing about it is, you know, the press, they knew me a little bit, but they certainly knew, you know, the son of the owner. So, we're thinking, well, how are we how am I going to get him out of here because we're going to have to go through the you know, the front door and everything. And Jim hopped in the passenger seat of of my car. I threw a blanket over Jimmy and I proceeded to go outside the gate.
Of course, there's, you know, press, there's fans, you know, not happy fans. They're cursing at me and everything. I'm just the equipment guy. They did not know that I have the owner's son next to me here. So, we got out of the gate and sure enough went back to my apartment, slept for a couple hours and then got on his dad's plane and um landed in Indianapolis. What about like all your stuff at your apartment?
Yeah, I had to come back um I didn't you I wasn't married at the time so I didn't have a lot of stuff. Um but uh came back like a week later and I I just imagine if any company, you know, like whether it's a professional sports team or the local plumbing joint or like hey we're picking up and if you like do you have an option? It's like if you want your job you have to go to Indie or if you or you could kick rocks like what is how do you like communicate that in a way where people still come to work and you know show up. Not the entire um departments all all went with us. Um, and that was a much simpler time, much simply, I think, six coaches on on the, you know, so six coaches and how many staff? Like what was the total amount of people that ended up going from Baltimore to Indianapolis?
I don't have an exact count. Um, certainly all the players goes without saying. Um, there was probably 20 of us. That's 25. Not very many. Pretty lean team.
Yeah. And and some of the folks were um not going to be a part of, you know, the move as well. So, it was a tough time, you know, seeing some friends that I knew that would not be making the trip. So, there was a lot of, you know, ticked off, you know, fans and and some employees. Um, they're like, I can't like my my kids a senior in high school here. Like, I can't pick up and move to Indianapolis, you know.
Yeah. Um, how many players were rostered at the time? Let's see. It was before training camp. This squad I think was 48. 48.
And then, so 48. When you get to Indie, do is there housing? Do you have to like start talking to I mean you're probably young and finding an apartment but like yeah you know if you're the starting quarterback you're not like living in a an apartment you're like want a house somewhere. Yeah they helped us out as far as you know apartments that type of thing. Certainly the players but the staff as well. You guys get the team moved to Indianapolis.
How long of a process from like that time you got the call to like okay now I live in Indianapolis. What was that time frame? We landed in um Indianapolis. We were there you know a couple days. Um they gave our head coach Frank Kush, myself, Jim Ersce, um a tour of certainly the brand new stadium. You know, it's amazing.
You know, the new Hoosier Dome. And that's a dream come true for an equipment guy. I go from an outdoor stadium. I have to, you know, share with the baseball team to a brand new indoor stadium. From the Indianapolis side, obviously you weren't in Indianapolis at the time, but like we just built this stadium with the hopes of like, "Yep, we're going to get an NFL team." Yeah, that's correct.
Yeah. Just like hoping that Right. That is a W. Like that. Talk about taking a chance. It's like whoever the mayor was back then the capital.
Yeah. Holy hut. Yes. And it's like Yeah. We're going to build this. If you build it, they will come.
There you go. And then one night they say, "Show up with the team." That's exactly right. Now, they did show us the new stadium. I think they buttered us up because our next visit was going to be to our new uh Colts complex. Well, there was no complex.
And as we pulled up, I'm going, "What what building are we going to?" and it was Fall Creek Elementary School. We pulled up there and the plan, at least for a year, they're going to convert an elementary school to the Colts NFL complex. And like I said, I think they were buttering us. Yeah, you know, seeing that. So, we took a tour of that and they said, "Okay, well, the cafeteria, that's going to be where the player locker room is, the equipment room, the training room, the gymnasium would now be the weight room."
And for meeting rooms, it was all going to be the first and second graders uh classroom. So, as I'm walking and seeing this, okay, this is going to be the classroom for the uh, you know, the offensive line. And I appear and it was just a funny vision. You look in this room and there little tiny desks, you know, for these giant, you know, football players. Of course, they, you know, they got the correct ones, but just the vision, you know, it's like, what are we doing? And so, they're they're taking you around the tour.
Had you ever been to Indianapolis before? I had not. So, like what was your immediate thought and and like I mean you're kind of just holding on for dear life a little bit like doing whatever has to be done. I mean you're a 26 27 year old time but you have you're working through your dream of working in the NFL working with a professional sports team. Um but what was your thoughts about picking up your life and moving to Indie? Wasn't married at the time and you know I grew up in Michigan so that's pretty close.
You know East Lancing and Indianapolis are about four hours apart. So, um, you know, I still had friends and everything in that area. Okay. So, yeah. And is that where your family your family was up in East Lancing, too? Uh, they were My parents had um actually retired.
They were actually living in um Virginia close to one of my brothers. So, you were in Indie. You're getting ready for that. How'd that first season go? It was a struggle. You know, we were a very, very young team.
Our first seven games, we won two and lost uh five. And so, that's a that's a tough start. And then I do remember our best year, our best game that year, the Steelers came in and they were pretty good team and we were we were down at halftime. We made it close and um now we're with just seconds left, we're we're hoping for a prayer and our our our quarterback Mike Pagel, he rolls out to the right. He throws a pass that definitely should have been intercepted, but the defensive back for the Steelers, he bobbles it up in the air and it goes to another. It bobbles up near like a hot potato and our wide receiver Ray Butler.
He just catches it in the air and he goes 54 yards, scores a touchdown, we win the game. So, pretty exciting for, you know, for us and certainly the fans. You know, that was our first win. End of the season. We were four and 12, though. That's that's a tough And I bet people in Baltimore were excited to see the team struggle.
You know, it's like they're they're because it's I mean, I'm sure they're disappointed. Like I mean just like in my lifetime the Ram like St. Louis the city of St. Louis was really upset about losing their NFL team. So that's like the comparison I have like what were the feelings and I mean how long have you lived in Baltimore before? Yeah just those year and a half two years.
So two years in Baltimore but as you like start to meet people like what was the emot like what were the emotions of the residents of Baltimore? Yeah it really ticked off. No no no question about it. You know if you're going to do it why do it in the middle of the night? But, you know, the imminent domain seemed to me never brought up. But, um, yeah, they were they were really, you know, pretty ticked off.
Um, pretty mad. And do you know what was being said to the Ursle family? Like, I mean, you talked about like Jimmy Hidden death threats. Yeah. Yeah. Well, probably can't repeat, but time has passed.
You know, if you really look at Baltimore, you know, guess where they got their team from? The Cleveland Browns. So, yeah. There's like a whole thing of of like you mean the Tennessee Titans came from Houston and blah blah blah. There's a lot of this that it doesn't happen quite as much anymore. Well, I mean, actually, you think of the Oakland going to Vegas and uh San Diego moving to LA and I mean that actually a decent little chunk of teams moving around there.
How long did it take for the Colts to get settled in Indianapolis and like feel like okay, we're kind of hitting our stride cuz I at first it's like it's kind of like first date, right? Like how do you become Indianapolis's team? I mean, at the time, sports in Indiana were was the Pacers, right? Like that was about it. Absolutely. Yeah.
And college basketball, you know, Purdue, IU, not I mean Oh, yeah. Because we were probably coming off of I mean, a bunch of titles from IU, right? Like we're right around that time. Sure. Yeah. Great basketball.
So, how long did it take? Yeah. To settle in and be like versus like Baltimore's team that's now here versus like this is our team. I think it probably started in 1987. Three years later. Yeah.
We went into that season. Um, it was a strike year in that year. They actually brought in replacement players for three games. No way. So, like all the teams did that. Yeah.
All the teams brought in replacement players. So, just like people that like didn't make the team, correct? In most cases. Yeah. Yeah. There's a movie.
So, good football players, they're just not good enough to make the squad. So, it's it's like but but they're all like a similar playing field, right? Because they're all backup players. And they played three games with backup players. Correct. Our team went two and one which really helped us in that run.
You know if they go and three you know we don't win the division which we did that year. Okay. So so three years at 87 the replacement players. So this is like like the Ball State backup quarterback like gets a chance in the NFL for three games maybe in some cases but most of the guys were just guys that we just you know made the last cut and and also from other teams. You know our scouting staff looked at other teams that you know let go of their players. So, but they had to get him in a hurry.
No doubt about it. And we had um one particular uh player, Mike Prior, who actually should have made the uh the squad that year. So, the other team, you know, the strike ends, um they decide they're going to keep Mike Prior, you know, on the team, and he actually beat out the defensive back who came back. So, Mike went from replacement player to starting free safety. Yeah. Ended up playing several more years for us.
played with Green Bay, won a Super Bowl ring there, you know, quite quite a career for Mike Prior. All from the NFL player strike. Correct. Who chooses that? And this is like a a little bit of a rabbit hole, but I'm interested like does the players association just like, "Yeah, now we're on strike." We had a similar strike in 1982, but it was a true lockout that first year was what the because I'm just like imagine imagine you're that defensive back and you're teetering on the like maybe you're you're on the team but like you barely beat out Mike Prior and like then you're forced to go on strike and you're like I don't want to do like maybe you did, maybe you didn't.
You're trying to negotiate money and then you come back and your job gets taken and you're like what the heck this is this strike was a ne negative for me. Exactly. Now, there were a couple of players that did go over the line. They did. And one of them being our quarterback, uh, Gary Hogaboom. So, what does the line mean?
Uh, well, they actually decided, you know what? I'm not going to go on strike. I'm going to come over, which, you know, made a lot of the other players, hey, we're a union. We got to stick together. But it wasn't just our team, other teams players that crossed the line. Yeah.
Oh gosh. Yes. Okay. So then 1987 you end up winning the division that year and that was like what maybe solidified or like brought Indianapolis together. I think the start of it. It was the start of it but then you got to you know you got to keep going and and that year also we um we traded for uh Eric Dickerson.
Jim made the trade for Eric Dickerson which was um you know kind of a crazy thing too. When did that like responsibility kind of shift to be more Jim less Robert? Like how did that work? Well, when we moved to Indianapolis, Jim was named the general manager. Okay, I got you. Nice.
Okay, so first year he was the GM first year. Welcome to the new city and you have a football team. Make it win. And that's that's Having said that, Jim always grew up in in, you know, with the with the team. You know, his dad bought it when he was 12 years old. He started of all things in the equipment room, you know, picking up jock straps as he always tells me.
And um but then he he also worked for other parts of the other departments within the organization. Worked in the ticket office, worked in scouting. So you know he being the general manager, he'd been around it all his life. So yeah, which is cool, especially now you look at it and it's just like it's Jim Ersce, you know, he he's the owner of the Colts and all the allure and everything there. Um, it's super cool to see, you know, just like the transition from picking up jog straps to, you know, uh, everything that that comes with owning the Colts. Now, uh, over the years, right, so you think of 87, that was like the first moment, but there's one hugely defining moment in Colts football lure, right, is the 1998 draft.
So, we're going to fast forward a little bit and catch us up to when the Colts famously draft uh, and get Pton Manning on the team. Correct. Yeah, it was a draft in 98 and uh a lot of good players in in in that draft uh including uh Ryan Leaf. He was a quarterback at Washington State and both quarterbacks, he and Payton were, you know, neck andneck, you know what, you know, which are we going to pick and Bill Polon and and Jim and the scouts got together and they looked at a lot a lot of film. And I remember hearing the story that Payton was brought in, you know, had a nice visit this prior to the draft. And before Payton left, he said, "Hey, uh, you know, if you don't don't draft me number one, I'm going to come back.
I'm going to kick your ass in every game that we play against you guys." As he left the building, which spoke volumes to, I'm sure, to Bill Pon and Jim. He says, "If you don't draft me, it'll be the biggest mistake." And and up to that point, Pton had been, you know, gentleman as he always is. But he said, you'll be making a mistake. And he was right.
I actually just listened to you because it was Payton versus Ryan Leaf. And like Ryan Leaf obviously has like tumultuous future that that all plays out, but he was the first ever uh Montanan to get drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. I just saw that stat which was and so he went through this whole because you know he's cleaning up his life and doing all this stuff and went through this whole big thing about how there was all that pressure on him too of like this and and Payton comes in there and I mean makes a the Colts organization makes the right makes a good choice right gets Payton on the team that is an iconic saying uh he does and he ends up I mean coming in and uh training camps in Teroot that year right uh it was actually in Anderson. Oh, in Anderson. Uh, yes. Anderson.
Okay. That was our first training camp in Anderson. And we were there and then a few years after that, we went to Rose Holman for a couple years and then it was back to Anderson. From the from the moment that Payton stepped foot in Indianapolis. What was the team's culture chemistry like before? What was it like after?
Were was the entire team on board for Payton? Like what what did that feel like? Yeah, absolutely. there again. Um, the reason you have the number one pick overall is you weren't very good the year before. So, we were there again a struggling team.
In fact, Payton's first year we went three and 13. We only won three games. Now, having said that, the following year, 1999, we went 13 and three. What do you think the biggest change from going three and 13 Payton's first year to 13 and three his second year was? you know, having a quarterback that we always want. We always had quarterbacks, but we never had an over-the-top special guy like Payton.
Um, it did help out obviously in 1999, we drafted Edger James. We in in addition to that, we already had Marvin Harrison, great NFL. Maybe you've heard of these people. Yeah. And we had Tar Glenn, our left tackle. Yeah.
And he just got into the Ring of Honor last year. Yeah. Not not that Dallas Clark last year. A couple years ago. Yeah. Okay.
I I feel like in the past two seasons, I feel like both of those two made it in the Ring of Honor or something like that. Two, three years. Uh, which is super cool. Yeah. So, you start to put together the pieces from a culture perspective. Whenever I think of Peyton Manning, I just think of like a winning competitive culture.
You talk about like being a gentleman, but also a competitor, you know, like he'll be very kind, respectful, polite, but then at the end like also be like, I'm here to win games. No question about that. Uh, so like did did it change the culture around the locker room? Yeah, it did. You know, um pretty soon, you know, um Payton being the guy that he is, he wants to have everything done the correct way and he kind of took over the the locker room that that second year. Um and other players knew, hey, you know, this guy's working his tail off.
We better do that as well. And that's like a a a a really good sign of leadership, I would say, is not only is he like, you know, telling you what to do, but he's also leading by example and doing it himself. Yes. like that guy is like, you know, first first in the like one of those first to get there, last to leave type mentalities, which especially when you're early on with his first or second years, like he's got to prove it, you know, he's got to earn these guys trust. Yeah. Obviously, as you start to put these other pieces around Payton, when did you realize that from from your perspective, the team's perspective, that this was a special group?
Like I said, we drafted Edan James in in 1999. You know, the following year, uh, we draft Rob Morris, pretty damn good player. In 2001, though, we get Reggie Wayne. The year after that, we get Dwight Freeny, and we get a new head coach named Tony Dunie. And that was uh 2002. In 2003 draft, we backed that up with Dallas Clark.
We now have an, you know, a tight end that can do it all. And then followed that up in 2004 with Bob Sanders. and you know he just takes over on the defense and now we've got a lot of the pieces and the interesting piece about that and I don't know what contract structure looked like there but it's like Payton's 98 Edge is 99 but then by the time the uh 2003 2004 comes around you're probably having to resign Payton you know and like so it's like a little bit of you're getting new pieces but it's like hey like it's all going to come together but you have to be patient. How does that work within an NFL organization of just like keeping people around a team long enough to have success? You know, you try to, you know, keep as many players as you possibly can, but there only so much money goes around. Um, so we had to make a tough decision in 2005 and 2005 team wasn't fabulous team.
Um, but we had to make the decision in 2006, do we keep Edger and James? But apparently if we kept Edgeran James we not might not be able to keep Freeny or Dallas Clark. But Edan James, what a great player. Another Hall of Famer. Well liked in the locker room and that was tough seeing him you know sign with Arizona at the time. Yeah.
And then we did draft uh an LSU running back named Joseph Adai and Joe played you know damn good for us too. But tough decisions unfortunately have to be made. It's just tough because it's all it's a business, you know, like it at the end of the day, it's a business, but it's also like fandom and and everyone's got an opinion like feelings can get hurt of players and fans. It's like little kids everywhere like no one's ever like, "That's my favorite plumber." It's like, "No, that's my favorite running back." You know?
So, as like, you know, this team starts to come together, you're what's your position at the time uh in the early 2000s? Head equipment manager. Head equipment, which I I've gotten that um title actually in back in 1982. Oh, there you go. So, you're you're the head equipment manager and obviously you get to see uh inside the locker room and like in a job that is challenging, difficult. I mean it but it's vital.
It's very very important within the organization. What was it like being in the locker room with NFL players uh where you get to see like not press conference Yeah. people but like what they're like on an everyday basis. Yeah. You get to see that they're like everybody else. everybody else.
You know, you get them out of that environment, out of the locker room where the press can go in. But when they go in the training room, you know, they can be themselves in there. They're in there to get treatment. You know, when they come into our room, um it was more of like u an area you could just kick back. You know, you're not getting treatment. You know, had great conversations with with those players.
had had a lot of great conversations with um with Pton Manning because I was always there early and the first guy in the door was always Payton Manning. So, we'd see each other and talk briefly or or longer at times. So, um that was a that was a Hey Hoosiers, let me tell you about Keller and Keller, a respected Indiana based law firm that's here for all of us from Evansville up to South Bend. They've been serving Hoosiers since 1936 and they really know what it means to fight for the community. These guys have recovered over $1 billion for their clients. Yes, that's billion with a B.
That's a serious track record of getting results. And here's something that should really make your wallet feel good. They have a zero fee guarantee. That means you don't pay a dime unless they win your case. Talk about peace of mind when you're hiring a lawyer. So, if you've been injured here in the Hoosier State, don't hesitate to call 18002 Keller to get the support and guidance you need.
They mean business. Now, let's get back into the episode. Where was the moment where like from the day one when you started working with the Colts were you like I'm not a fan I'm not like I have to be cool or were there moments where you would like be a fan a little bit you know when I started full-time in ' 82 you know being around those two training camps uh you knew that it was now a business you're you're full-time you could be you know great friends with everyone in the organization but there again you had a job to do and you have to treat everyone the same all the players the same so I was never really at that point in awe of of any of the players. You just knew them as friends and and and fellow employees over the many many years and many many uh teams that the Colts have had, you know, seasons. Who are some of the best people that were the best of the equipment staff? Barry Krauss, our middle linebacker, who was u actually a rookie back in 1979, so we go way back when he when I first started, he was a rookie.
So, he was always great with us. Really good. Um golly, I could I can name a hundred players. Okay. So, but he was probably the the first and that's because you're kind of a rookie too at that point, right? He's a rookie, you're a rookie.
You're kind of coming up together. That's pretty cool. Well, we're going to get back into the timeline because there is some special moments that happen uh throughout those early 2000s. So, Payton comes in, you start putting all those pieces together to make a run. When was the moment where like, hey, this is the team that's going to win a Super Bowl? Well, I tell you what, we were getting so close in 2002 when Tony came in.
In 2003, 2004, we could get so far, but then we just couldn't get over, excuse me, that hump in in 2005. I mean, that that team, you know, was loaded. We went 14-2 that year. Um, we had eight players on the Pro Bowl, but we came into that game at home. The Steelers came in and but, you know, we just, for whatever reason, weren't ready. They were over the top ready and a big upset happened and then we, you know, we we didn't uh And that's 200 uh 2005.
Yeah, that's 05. Okay. And what was the city like at this point? They have a really good football team, but not quite getting, you know, like not quite getting to the Super Bowl. What was the the feelings that that you all were getting from the city of Indianapolis? Sure.
Great support, you know, great support. you're winning, you know, every year for many years, at least 11, 12, 13 games, you know, and hardly losing any. So, great fan support, but then, you know, there certainly the disappointment, especially that 2005, you know, when we were at home and playing the Steelers and and we almost pulled it off were the uh ticket sales like packed out stadiums every game. Yeah, they were. Great. So, tough loss in '05, come back for the 06 season.
Ed is still on the team then. Unfortunately, after the 05 years, yeah, 2006 was our our real special year and uh and we started off well. We won nine or 10 games in a row. Then we we struggled a little bit stopping the run and then, you know, the playoffs started. Um we played Kansas City at home. They've got a great running back and we're hurting as far as a defense.
can't stop anybody, the press was saying, but we come in and forgotten the the running back's name for the Chiefs. But, um, we we we hold him to minimal yards and we beat them. Uh, the next game we have to go to Baltimore. Always a tough place to play anytime we go back to Baltimore. Larry Johnson. Yeah.
Yes. Yeah. Larry Johnson. Correct. Big running back. Very good player.
Yeah. So, you win that first game. Correct. Now, in the second round, who do you have? We go to Baltimore. We have to play Baltimore with their great defense.
with their great defense. You got to play Balt, which is like I mean the whole ethos of this podcast, right? It's like you're talking through going back to the city. Yes. Where it all started. Yeah.
And we've been back, you know, several times. Um and we actually had pretty good luck going back there. On that particular day, it was a, you know, defense on both teams played great. We ended up winning the game 15-6 and Adam Venitary scored all our points. So great by Vinnie. You know, he doesn't do that.
all time leading scorer, right? Correct. That's awesome. Yeah. So, Adam Vinitary scores all the points. You win that game.
Now, you're in the AFC Championship. Correct. Yeah. We have now we go back to to our place and we're going to play unfortunately the the New England Patriots and we'd gone to their place, you know, in the playoffs as well, but it was at their place and we lost both times. But now the thought, hey, we got them back at our place. You know, we get them right where we want them.
Right where you want them. And uh and how's that game go? Yeah. Well, not not good that that first game we are we're down at at halftime 21-3. Might have been 216. And we get in the locker room and obviously no one's happy, but Tony Dunie as he always is so calm.
So calm. And he said pretty much, "Hey, this is our time. It's our time to win. Second half, we're going to go out. We get the ball. We're going to go down and we're going to score.
Let's go." And it was a, you know, anyone else? So Tony's calm. any other players give any rah rahrah motivation you know Jeff Saturday um in the team meeting the night before and I wasn't present there apparently he gave a great speech and and other players but there again that's just players and coaches in in those meetings the night before the game so yeah and the the archavist hears stories of which what was said but like you know that's yeah it's the the team so go back out at halftime yeah so sure enough we we have a long drive we get down to the one yard line and Who scores? Payton Manning on a one-yd quarterback run. One one wheels.
The wheels on. But he's always been a runner. Yeah. Right. So, we get down score. They score again.
We come back. We're on their um very close to their goal line. The ball's given to one of our really good running backs, Dominic Rhodess, but he fumbles the ball. But he fumbles the ball into the end zone and Jeff Saturday hops on it and we score a touchdown that that way. Yeah. And then uh later on, you know, it's getting close.
Now we go up. Joe Adai, now our new running back, he scores. Now we have to hold them. We haven't been able to do it, but we've got to hold them. And they've got a guy named, you know, I hate even saying his name, uh, you know, Tom Brady, of course. I mean, who goes on to be I mean, is a legendary Hall of Fame quarterback, right?
Like they heard it so many times. But yeah, I mean at this point, how long how far into his career is like that's pretty early in his career, right? Yeah. Yeah. He won a couple Super Bowls, but u a great player without without question. But so here he goes, you know, and he's starting to march the, you know, the ball, you know, down down the field and, you know, I'm on the sidelines, you know, you know, keeping my fingers crossed, you know, it's got to be, you know, our time, you know, our time.
And at the time, um, you know, for that particular game, I'm married since, been married a long time. My wife, my Michelle, and my two daughters, Amber and Brooke, they're in, you know, the stands right behind us. My son, Ian, he's actually a ball boy for that game. Oh, that's I mean, it's like, oh, we got to win this game. You got to be the coolest dad. Have you got Oh my gosh, it was it was something else.
and uh my son Ian just happened as ball boy. You're working both sidelines and the entire area just in that particular play standing right next to me when Marlin Jackson gets that interception. Wow. How did you feel seeing that happen? Everyone's excited and for me I'm looking for a yellow flag. I'm hoping I hope there's no, you know, defensive holding or anything and then there's nothing.
It's like whoa, you know, of course the emotions flow. the the Indianapolis culture going to the Super Bowl. That one moment, right? That interception, but it's also the culmination of like you'd been with the team at that point for 20 years, right? Yeah. Yeah.
79 to I mean over 20 years. Over 20 years. And and we and in 1995, that was a special year for us, too. Um you know, we went to the playoffs uh in '95. We went to San Diego on the road and they they were the AFC champions the year before and no one had thought we were going to win but we did. We upset them.
The following game we went to Kansas City. They had not lost a game all year and in that particular game that was the coldest game I've ever been in. And we ended up, you know, upsetting the uh Kansas City Chiefs. And now we go to the AFC Championship game at the Steelers. And we played so close, so close to that game. We I thought we had it won a couple times.
It came down to a a Hail Mary from Jim Harbaugh and Aaron Bailey, our receiver. You know, it bounces off a few players. It hits him right in the belly as he's falling. All he's got to do is quickly put his hand down. That's easy to say, but it just barely goes out of his grasp, hits the ground, and we came that close. But now, many years later in that, you know, the seconds counting down and Marlin makes that interception, no flags, it finally did happen at home.
Yes, that interception sending you guys to the Super Bowl. What was the locker room like and what was the city of Indianapolis like after that? Yeah, locker room was crazy without a doubt. You know, and in the city over the top, you know, people are, I'm sure, starting to book rooms, you know, they're going to go down to Miami, you know, and and everything. You know, we have two weeks to get ready for that game. So, our first week, we're practicing, you know, at home.
Had a lot of good practices. And then the week after that, we have our practices in in Miami. From like the the equipment staff, like you have to drive a van down. How does your stuff get down there? Well, we always most of the equipment is on the charter plane. Okay.
And then some of the time um you know the trucks are are a separate truck is gone with the other trunks, that type of thing. Were you stressing cuz you're getting ready for the Super Bowl and it's like were like I'm thinking like of a player as a superstition like he really likes this kind of tape or these whatever. It's like like we can't forget that cuz like Marlin really likes this. Right. Right. Right.
Well, we do have a a big packing slip and we go over it time and time again and everything is checked off as it gets on the equipment truck and the equipment truck goes to the airport. You watch everything get on the from the truck get into the belly of the plane. Was there ever a time that something didn't make it? Knock on wood. No. Hey, that's really You took 40 years like everything you always needed was there.
That's impressive. Yeah. and and I have a have a great staff that's still there. Yeah. And and that comes with all of us working together and just a super staff. The attention to detail out of you and the staff there is incredible.
Were there any players that had superstitions particular equipment preferences? Yeah, of course. You know, some guys had their favorite t-shirt that they still had from college, you know, that type of thing. You know, other players would um in their locker, although we would have all the lockers looking the same. Certain players would when they got to their locker, they take out their jersey, their pants or socks, and actually lay it out on the floor, you know, kind of looking at their uniform. Everyone's a little bit different, you know, with with that type of stuff.
They make the little like uniform like figure, right? You can look at it. Yeah. Wow. A couple players have done that. Any Yeah.
Any uh Yeah. other superstitions or just like funny things like I we always had to have Payton's lucky socks ready to go or whatever. Yeah, he never had really um you know anything anything like that. Um yeah, the other players did. So now preparing for the Super Bowl, one week at home, one week down in Miami, game time comes around. Well, I mean what's the vibe uh going into the suit like the day before?
Sure. from like the staff and the or obviously like the players are you know hype and whatever but from like the staff and the organization side prior to um us going down with the with the team the week before I did make a trip uh down there talking with um Tony Dunie with Bill Poland our general manager he said why don't you fly down there check out the you know the field itself because they put in a brand new field every year forever every Super Bowl unless of course it's artificial turf. So, I did go down there um and I knew the the equipment guys um you know with the Dolphins and and that's where we actually practice at their facility. Super great guys. So, I went over to the stadium to check out the field and I happened to meet a gentleman named George Toma who was the um he wasn't the godfather, he was the sad father. He was in charge of the field and he'd done every Super Bowl up to that point.
Every You met George Toma, the sad father. I did. I did. Great guy. Great guy. So, I'm asking him about the field, you know, how is it, you know, because our players love to wear what we call speed shoes.
It's not um, you know, a shoe where you have to screw in the cleats or wear longer cleats because of the surface or if it was raining or snowing or whatever. And he goes, "Well, let me show you." So, he went over to the sideline. He took out this instrument, like a big augur type thing, and he took out a chunk of this sod like that. But then I looked at how thick it was, and it was like 4 in thick. I mean, really thick.
So I thought, well, you know, that's going to be a great field. And then I thought to myself, and it never rains on Super Bowl Sunday. Boy, was I wrong. Oh no. And it's Yeah. And it's a stadium.
It's ordad. It's an outdoor stadium, right? Huge facade. And it ends up raining. Yeah. Which we were surprised there again.
You you pack for everything. You pack. It's like it's South Florida and it's like even if it is, it's like it's not the heavy rain, right? It's South Florida in February. Come on. Like, so you did bring So, original thoughts like did you have like, "Okay, we're going to get them in these speed shoes."
Yeah. But it's like then with weather conditions, you're like, "Nope, we got to put them in full-on cleat." Yeah. Anytime we go on a grass game, that's always the case. Even if the forecast is 100% sunny, zero% chance of rain, we always take it just because. Yeah.
Because you never know. And it's like the one time it's like you you're like, "You know what? It's not going to rain. We're in Phoenix. It's not going to rain out here. Leave the cleats at home.
and we'll just save up some time. No, you always bring them which is I mean that's why you had such a I mean a long distinguished career in this space is don't take the shortcuts and continue to like you know the attention to meticulous attention to detail right so so you get there when is the call made about switching from speed shoes to cleats well we get there you know obviously the next day pouring down rain and I go out and I hunt my friend down George Toma I said what do you think he goes So, it's it's it's going to be good. I said, "Oh my gosh, are you serious?" Yeah. So, he cuts another piece of the turf. He said, "Here, take this in.
Show your head coach." Said, "Okay, I will." So, I got this piece of sod from the sod father. the sad father took it took it in and got with coach Dunie along with my equipment staff and we took it into we had a separate bathroom in there for the equipment staff and we told Tony he said you know kind of watch this we're going to pour water on it and then we're going to try to pull it apart and it wouldn't pull apart and he goes well that's good for us right I said yeah he goes do you think they can wear their speed shoes I said I think they can start out I think we'll be Okay. And sure enough, that field held up pretty damn good. Pretty damn good.
Wow. So, I'm not saying we it was won or lost because of that, but in the back of players might they're used to wearing those speed shoes versus Yeah. their big meat like those big. Well, and it's like I just envision this is on Super Bowl Sunday or is this the Saturday before? On Super Bowl Sunday. On Super Bowl Sunday, it's you, Tony, and my staff and my staff.
My great staff. Yeah. Yeah. So on Super Bowl Sunday, it's you, your staff, and Tony Dunie over a bathroom sink pouring water on this piece of sod seeing if the field's going to hold up. Correct. For the depending on what shoes the players are going to wear.
Yeah. Yeah. Now, we always had those, you know, seven stud is what they're called, seven stud shoes ready on the sideline ready to go. I think there was a couple players, you know, that did decide um they wanted the longer ones. Hey, that's great. Whatever works for that particular player.
But on that that particular day, those those shoes were pretty good. Majority of our guys did. So, and you're on the sideline there and it does not start out well. If memory serves me on this game, I remember watching it. This is one of the first I mean this is this is 2006. I'm at the time 9 years old.
This is like one of the first core football memories that I like really remember. I remember being a Colts fan and Deon Hester right off the jump like returns that and I'm just like, "Oh no." Right. Uh but then it I mean it all flipped from there. It was like all it felt like it was all Colts from when I remember again I'm a little kid but like I just remember being so sad and then and like the punch line is so happy from sideline what everyone coming over after that opening kickoff. Yeah.
Yeah. It was like oh my gosh. You know we we didn't you know we knew we could do it but we didn't you know think we were going to kick it to him but that decision was made and I'm sure if we were going to do it again that decision would have been different. Yeah. you know, but um that first half was close. It was very close, but in the second half, I think we held them to six points and then we got the great interception by Kelvin Hayden right in front of our sideline.
I don't know how he didn't step out of bounds, but he didn't. And he takes it back 54 56 yards for a touchdown. And at that point, wow. Now, now we were looked like we really had a chance to, you know, to finish the deal, which which we did. What was that moment like winning the Super Bowl? Oh my gosh.
With this special team. Yeah. So incredible. And of course you want to share it with your family. They're whole family's in the in the sands, of course. So I'm trying to use my cell phone and the cell phone's not working because it's soaking wet.
I was able to use one of the other cell phones from one of my other equipment guys. I was able to call my my family. I say, "Hey, see we'll see you soon." So you're on the phone with them. Yeah. uh as like the whole spiel's going on, what was your message to your team at that point?
You're the head equipment manager. What do you say to your amazing staff? Oh, what a great job they did with without question. And and uh that my my staff, I think, outworked, you know, their staff. I really do. every time there was a timeout, our guys, you know, it wasn't just two guys, it was four guys going out there with plastic clear bags that had dry towels in and and and then we got with the, you know, the Dolphins uh staffed and they had laundry service right there, washes, dryers or whatever.
So, they always had towels for us and and I I mean things like that are real important and my staff did a outstanding job doing that. Were there other So, you think about dry towels. Are there other things you have to take? maybe whether it was a Super Bowl or just throughout the season where it's like we went above and beyond. Like we were putting in extra work by giving this piece of equipment or doing this thing that like a lot of other teams might maybe not cut the corner but not go to the the lengths that you're willing to go to. For for the Super Bowl, you're you're given x amount of footballs.
So on the last two practices, um we used all those footballs and really got them worked in. Um, you take it, you know, football brand new, it's, you know, kickers definitely don't like it, but quarterbacks, every quarterback will want a football that's worn in. So, we we took a lot of um pride getting those footballs th How do you break in a football? Um, there's a brush that you use to to And so, you're just cranking with this brush on how many balls do you get? Um, well, for the game there was it's normally uh 24 footballs, but for the game in that particular one, I think there was 36. And then and then you have backup footballs.
Of course, if it rains at that those two practices, even though the uh practice was over, we stayed out there and just kind of bounced footballs back to each other. You throw it to another equipment guy bounced off just to break the balls in another another region. Yeah. Just out there, you know, they're like someone from like wherever is like looking like, man, those Colts equipment staff keep bouncing. They're not very good at playing catch. Exactly.
And as you think through up to that point, winning the Super Bowl, what were those moments within the Colts organization that you were the most proud of going into that locker room certainly and seeing that trophy in your locker room and it gets handled handed to you and then you hand it to the next guy handed I mean that like who hands you who hands you the Lombardi trophy? You know, it was so crazy everyone yelling and screaming. It might have been a trainer. It might have been a player. I can't quite I didn't care. I just had it in my hands.
You had the Lombard the Lombardi trophy in your hands. You guys had just won a Super Bowl like Oh, yeah. Kissing the trophy. I mean, you're just I mean, you're over the top happy. Yeah. Yeah.
And then we were, you know, so lucky to um you know, bring that that trophy home and you could share it, you know, with with your family just for one day, take pictures with it and everything. So, we were able to do that. Yeah. That's incredible. Yeah. Fast forward.
I know we we've been going I could literally talk to you forever. This is incredible. We're kind of getting towards the end of the show. You talk about your experience with Payton Manning. You know, you being a 6 a. m.
guy, you're in the facility. Uh I mean, everyone again knows how that story ends and he ends up parting ways. Yes. What What was the I don't know the feel of the culture of of Indian of the city even after Payton's departure uh from the team? Yeah, that that was a real that was real tough day because he came back and um had a news conference with Jim um knowing that he was going to be like he was going to be, you know, a free agent, but he came back, you know, gave this great speech, you know, to the fans and everyone. Tough speech to say he had arranged for a limo to take, you know, Pig to the airport, but he said, "No, I want the equipment guys taking me."
No way. So Payton leaves the city for the final time and he like he foregoes the limousine and he asked for you and your staff to drive him to the airport. Yeah. Yeah. Pretty special. Pretty special.
That's uh that's tough. Oh, without still gets me to this day, you know. And like it definitely speaks to him too of like Yeah. the the impact that the staff and everyone had made and the impact that he made on you guys. Yeah. And it's like you think about 6 am in there, he's the first one in.
Yeah. Like and then he wants Sean Sullivan and Mike Mays and Brian Cbrooks and John Scott to take him on his last road trip. That's a special guy. I appreciate you sharing that, uh, John. It's an it's awesome. and and the passion that you just have for Indianapolis Colts football is it's incredible.
Um I appreciate you coming on the show and sharing about I mean something that you clearly love so much. Oh, without question. Oh man, it's it's I'm a weird skinned me. I mean to to pour I mean you have to love you know at first you probably did it because you love the sport of football you know like you know football working in the NFL will be awesome but then to stay with the same organization for over 40 years to go through the ups the downs the new uh coaches different like and everyone's probably have different ways of or how they're particular about XYZ thing you know like I don't know if it's like as strenuous of like Tony liked his towels folded this way and so and so like their you know whistle hung up like this, you know, all these different things. Um, but to be willing to adapt and to just say get stuff done and to make such a big impact in the the lives of these players, man, I'm uh I'm just I'm impressed.
Yeah. Well, it's great still having those relationships, you know. Yeah. Um, as you think back through this, I mean, incredible career and now transitioning. So 2019 you semi-retired from the equipment world and got into the the archavist which is what is that role entitle and and what's like what's your big passion and focus now? Sure.
Uh I think I've always had that role it was just never given to me because all those years I did keep certain you know helmets and jerseys and footballs you know that record record setting times for players in the organization. So, all of that was always kept in off-site storage and and I was always hoping that one year, you know, we'd get, you know, a building that can house that stuff the correct way. And then sure enough, um, in 2020, a new building was built um that houses, um, all of that great football memorabilia, which we we do put it out on loan in certain areas. We've got displays at the airport, um, at the children's hospital. Yeah. um in certain things special areas where fans can see that and my hope one day is that we have a you know Colts museum that would be near you know the stadium.
Yeah. Certain teams have done that and that's on my uh wish list. Yes. Uh that definitely needs to happen especially I would say I don't know relative to the entire NFL are the Colts still are they a younger team at this point? Are they older? Like I'm just thinking through of like the O the original teams are like I don't know like how old are the Steelers or have they always been in Pittsburgh?
Like what are the oldest NFL teams? The the Steelers are old. The Packers, the New York Giants. Um of all things the um Phoenix Cardinals. The Phoenix Cardinals were at one time the St. Louis Cardinals and prior to that they were the Chicago Cardinals.
Oh. So these teams go back to Chicago moved to St. Louis moved to Arizona. Correct. Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, wow. Yeah. The Bears certainly the old Yeah. From And that that league was started in the early 1920s. Yeah. The early 1920s compared to you think when were the when was the Baltimore Colts organization founded?
19 actually there was two um Baltimore Colts teams. There was the Baltimore Colts of the All-American Football Conference and that league um was the Colts were with them from 47 to 49 and then the All-American Football Conference folded. Three teams moved from the All-American Football Conference to the NFL. That was the 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Colts. But that first year in the NFL, that Colts team was horrible. So much so that that team folded.
So that team, Baltimore Colts, the first one, it it has no relationship with our franchise. Our FR franchise started in 1953 as an expansion team into the NFL in 1953. Wow, that's an interesting piece of history. The idea of, you know, all that memorabilia going into a museum, that would be really, really cool. As you think of some of the coolest artifacts, are there a few that stick out to you? We have a lot of the helmets from the Super Bowl.
Several of the the uniforms used in the Super Bowl as well. There's special cleats, you know, that I have from Eric Dickerson and Edin James and Marshall Faulk and even Lenny Moore. All those four guys are in the Hall of Fame. And Lenny Moore being a great great player from the Baltimore Colts days. We've got a pair of his cleats that's actually going to be uh showcased at the airport which will be pretty cool with those guys running shoes. Yeah.
Was there one particular piece of memorabilia that is the most sentimental to you specifically? A couple footballs that I was given um after the game. Those are special to me. Yeah. Like game ball. Yeah.
Yeah. That happened a couple times. Oh, that like co the coach gives a speech and it's like we're giving the game ball to John. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
That's pretty cool. That'd be really really cool. Yeah. Yeah. Um a couple times. Now we're getting close to the end of the show here.
I have a couple fun questions for you, but before I get to those, when you think of 40 plus years working with the Indianapolis Colts organization, if there is one singular moment or thing that you are the most proud of, what would that be? I think getting the opportunity to be to get to be the assistant equip equipment manager back in 1982 where the URS family had enough trust in me and our general manager Ernie Corsy at the time had enough trust in me to hire me you know straight out of college and only working a year at Arizona State and then giving that opportunity to be full-time and then in that same year to be moved up to the head equipment manager of the Baltimore Indianapolis Colts. Yeah. Um that that was that was pretty neat. I had to go home and pinch myself that night, you know, wow, this is actually happening. That's awesome.
And it's been so great. And the move here, you know, has been so great. Uh met my wife and and three beautiful children. So, is your wife a hoosier? Yes. There we go.
I love Didn't even know what a Hoosier was when we came here, but all my kids are Hoosiers and so is my wife. So, and you're a Hoosier by choice, right? Yeah. There you go. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, we have a few uh segments left here. Just like some fun questions. The first one's our younger years segment. This question is brought to you by our friends or fellowship. They're a great organization here in Indiana helping develop young business leaders across the state. So, John, what advice would you give to your 22-year-old self?
Go to work every day or school every day and try to be the best person you can be. And one of the old football saying is get in there and get 1% better in your job or your schoolwork. And you do that and you'll be okay. That's spectacular. Who is the most organized neat and particular player from the Colts organization? Probably Marvin Harrison.
Marv. Yeah. Probably Marv. Yeah. Neat put together was all always neat and Okay. Uh, at Lucas Oil Stadium, what's your, if you were watching a game, not working a game, watching a game, what what's the go-to concession order at Lucas Oil Stadium?
Probably the old hot dog with mustard. I think you got to have that. Yes, sir. Um, did you have any pregame rituals as the head equipment guy for home games? I always wanted to be the first one there. I wanted to open up that locker room door and then I a lot of times when I'm the only one there, I'd put on the old um famous NFL music.
Um I I don't even know if they play that anymore, but you know, you probably know what that is. Yeah. That that that that iconic music was always great. And then on the road, um uh the training staff, equipment staff would always be the first to unlock that door. Yeah. Were there over your many, many years being around NFL locker room, were there ever any memorable pranks pulled on players?
Did you ever get roped into any of those? Yeah, I was always a part of of of some one particular one where uh this was at Rose Hullman and where you ate dinner and lunch and breakfast, it overlooked this little pond and in the middle of that little pond there was a floating dock you could swim out to. Well, just by chance, one particular player, I won't mention who, but you might be able to guess, he hired uh some of the ball boys to go out at midnight, swim out there, grab that floating dock, swim it back, and put on put the golf cart of Bill Polon, our general manager, on that floating dock, swim it back, and don't tell anybody. Well, the next day we come in and sure enough, I'm looking out there. I go, "Oh boy, what's gonna happen now? Bill's come dressed and um you know, it's floating out there and everyone's seeing it."
Bill comes in and all of a sudden, I can't find my damn you know, golf cart, you know, somebody stole it and everybody kind of knows what's going on. It was like, "Oh my god." So, you I better have that thing back, you know, in 10 minutes, you know. You know, of course, you know, we didn't say who did it or who put us up to it, but you you might you might be able to guess. Yeah. I What year is this?
200 seven, eight, something like that. 2007. Yeah. I think I might be able to guess who did that. Uh did he He might be in the Hall of Fame, too, man. Maybe.
Yeah. A little bit of a jokester. Absolutely. Did uh did Bill end up seeing it? Uh the golf cart. Yes.
Oh, yeah. Then he looked out, you know, everyone else were all eating and you can't miss it. it's out there, you know, cuz well, one of his assistants says it's out there, you know, and of course he got all red in the face and he stormed out, but now now he can laugh about it, you know. Yeah, you know, yeah. 20 years later, 10 years later, whatever it is, I can never I'm not one to lie, but I always told him I had nothing to do with it. I love it.
Hey, that's loyalty right there. Uh, final three questions I ask everyone who comes on the show all about the state of Indiana. And the first one is, what's something the world needs to know about Indiana? Golly, what a what a great place to live. And I hadn't lived here prior to 1984. What a what a great state.
Great parks. Oh, parks go to. Okay. Well, this is so we may be able to lean into that. So, this is where you get to give some love or some light to something about the state of Indiana that a lot of people don't know about, something that you love particularly. So, what is a hidden gem in Indiana?
where we currently live, my wife and I. It's uh called Heritage Lake and it's west of uh Avon. Yeah. And it's a private lake out there and we're we're lucky enough to have um our house sitting right on the on the water there which we uh we love to fish. We love to water ski and tube and have a lot of fun out there. So that's not not a lot of people know about that.
I think my uh my college football coach lived out there. Uh Coach Lynch. Yes. Yeah, he does. I think he would always talk about how great uh Yeah. Heritage Lake was.
That's a good spot. Yeah. Final question. This is where you get to share the love with someone that that we need to know about. So, who is a Hoosier that we need to keep on our radar? Someone who's doing big things.
You know, the people that work at the Children's Hospital. Yeah. They're doing great stuff. Oh my gosh, I love that. Um I do have to ask one final football question as we wrap up here. Daniel Jones came to town.
Has he been how's like that transition process been for him coming from New York to Indianapolis? Yeah, I'd like to answer that question, but uh now I'm no longer in the equipment room. You know, I certainly go in there, you know, often, but I haven't had the chance to meet him. So, yeah, a great player coming in and and we already have great, you know, players at that position, too. Ton tons of great players. It'll be great.
I just always love the culture piece where like um people coming from like New York City and they get to Indianapolis and they're like, "Oh, this isn't just corn." Like I always love like less about like the football piece. Obviously I love football, but like that's about like oh how the locker room runs or whatever, but it's like oh wow now I live I went from the biggest city in the country to Indianapolis. Definitely not the same population. But I always love to get the feedback of oh man like this is I drive places now versus doing whatever you don't know how you get around New York. But Sure.
Uh, John, appreciate you coming on. Well, thank you for having me. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing. I mean, oh my gosh, from the move from Baltimore to Indianapolis to the crazy fun years of Payton Manning uh to obviously, you know, him and his departure from the organization wrapping up. I mean, the future of uh memorabilia and the great work that you're doing, you know, as the the archavist and helping preserve these great pieces of of football history. Appreciate you.
Keep up the good work and we'll talk soon. All right, great. Thank you for having me. It was fun. Thank you for listening to this episode of Get In. If you like what you heard, make sure you leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.
This show is made possible by our friends up at Sweetwater. Whether you're looking to start a podcast or take your content to the next level, click the link in the description to see all of my gear recommendations at sweetwater. com. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at everything we're doing across the state, make sure you follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok @ Nate Spangle. Thank you so much for listening and being part of what makes the Hoosier State great.
