Thirty years ago on a fateful snowy night in March of 1984, a Mayflower moving van was photographed pulling away from the Baltimore Colts training facility in Owings Mills. The van was transporting the Colts NFL franchise to Indianapolis and leaving Baltimore without a professional football team.
As my time at The Baltimore Sun comes to a close, I was asked to encapsulate the 30 years (half my life) in a few paragraphs – which is impossible. If added together, I’ve spent years at a variety of stadiums, arenas and gyms around the country, with an up-close view of sports history. I’ve covered World Series, Super Bowls, Final Fours, Stanley Cup Finals, etc., and I’ve been paid to be there — what a job! My career in Baltimore lasted longer then Cal Ripken Jr.’s, and I have thousands of photos to prove it.
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the night the Colts packed up and moved to Indianapolis, a dark chapter in Baltimore sports history. Speculation about what would happen to the Baltimore Colts had been mounting for weeks as behind closed doors owner Robert Irsay was finalizing plans to relocate the team.
More →
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above