1986 Indianapolis Colts season

34th season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Indianapolis Colts 1986 3–13 5th AFC East Rod Dowhower (fired on December 1, 0-13 record)Ron Meyer (interim, 3-0 record) Jim Irsay Robert Irsay Hoosier Dome Did not qualify 3 C Ray Donaldson T Chris Hinton P Rohn Stark Colts seasons The 1986 Indianapolis Colts season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and third in Indianapolis. The team finished the year with a record of 3 wins and 13 losses, placing last in AFC East division. The Colts did not win a game until week 14, when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons.Sheeley, Glenn; ‘Rope-a-dope: Falcon blunders give Indianapolis first victory’; Atlanta Constitution; December 8, 1986, p. D1 Prior to that, at least one sportswriter had theorized that the Colts wanted to finish with an 0–16 record, believing that they needed a franchise quarterback; as it turned out, Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde was the consensus overall top pick in the forthcoming draftVierria, Dan; ‘Colts May Need a Win, but They Need Vinnie Even More’; Sacramento Bee, November 16, 1986, p. C4 (although there were fears that he, like John Elway in 1983, would refuse to play for the team if they drafted him).Kaufman, Ira; ‘Will Testaverde, like Elway, Spurn Colts’; Seattle Times, November 23, 1986, p. C5 The Colts’ record, which included wins in their final two games, ended up not being the worst in the league; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with a 2–14 record and got the first pick (which they would eventually use on Testaverde). Rod Dowhower entered the season in his second year as head coach, after having replaced Frank Kush in 1985. After the 0–13 start for the team, he was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer, who had himself been fired by the New England Patriots in 1984 and had not coached since. Meyer would lead the Colts to all three of their victories in 1986. The Colts' 12–36 (.250) record from 1984 to this season marks the worst 3-year stretch for the franchise since moving to Indianapolis. After the season, Karl Baldischwiler decided he had played his final NFL game. Offseason Draft 1986 NFL draft 1986 Indianapolis Colts 1 4 Jon Hand Defensive end Alabama yes 2 47 Jack Trudeau Quarterback Illinois yes 4 86 Bill Brooks Wide receiver Boston University yes 5 117 Scott Kellar Nose tackle Northern Illinois yes 5 124 Gary Walker Center Boston University 7 171 Steve O'Malley Defensive tackle Northern Illinois 7 172 Chris White Placekicker Illinois 7 190 Tommy Sims Defensive back Tennessee yes 8 198 Trell Hooper Defensive back Memphis State 9 228 Bob Brotzki Tackle Syracuse yes 10 266 Peter Anderson Guard Georgia 12 309 Steve Wade Defensive tackle Vanderbilt 12 326 Isaac Williams Defensive tackle Florida State Personnel Staff 1986 Indianapolis Colts President and Treasurer – Robert Irsay Vice President and General Manager – Jim Irsay Assistant general manager – Bob Terpening Director of player personnel – Jack Bushofsky Director of pro personnel – Clyde Powers Head coach – Rod Dowhower/Ron Meyer Assistant head coach – Tom Lovat Offensive coordinator/Running Backs – Billie Matthews Quarterbacks – John Becker Receivers – Chip Myers Offensive Line – Tom Lovat Assistant Offensive Line – Keith Rowen Defensive coordinator – George Hill Defensive Line – John Marshall Linebackers – Rick Venturi Secondary – George Catavolos Special Teams – Keith Rowen Strength and Conditioning – Tom Zupancic Roster 1986 Indianapolis Colts  7 Gary Hogeboom  5 Blair Kiel 10 Jack Trudeau y 20 Albert Bentley 44 Owen Gill 32 Randy McMillan 34 George Wonsley 80 Bill Brooks wide receiver y 85 Matt Bouza 88 James Harbour 86 Walter Murray gridiron football y 81 Pat Beach LS 84 Mark Boyer 83 Tim Sherwin 72 Karl Baldischwiler T 74 Bob Brotzki y T 71 Kevin Call T 74 Roger Caron American football G 53 Ray Donaldson C 75 Chris Hinton T 63 Mark Kirchner American football G 66 Ron Solt G 79 Harvey Armstrong DE 68 Willie Broughton NT 90 John Haines American football DE 78 Jon Hand y DE 94 Scott Kellar y NT 99 Donnell Thompson DE 57 Dave Ahrens ILB 50 Duane Bickett OLB 98 Johnie Cooks OLB 92 Jeff Leiding y OLB 59 Orlando Lowry OLB 93 Cliff Odom ILB 58 Glen Redd ILB 40 Pat Ballage y SS 31 Leonard Coleman CB 38 Eugene Daniel CB 23 Kenny Daniel CB/FS 25 Nesby Glasgow SS 29 Dwight Hicks FS 21 John Holt American football CB 35 Tate Randle FS  4 Dean Biasucci K  3 Rohn Stark P 62 Peter Anderson y American football G IR 47 Dextor Clinkscale S IR 56 Lamonte Hunley LB IR 55 Barry Krauss LB IR 36 Dameon Reilly y WR IR 88 Robbie Martin WR IR 45 Tommy Sims American football y S IR 64 Ben Utt G IR 60 Gary Walker American football center y C IR Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 7 at New England Patriots L 3–33 0–1 Sullivan Stadium 55,208 2 September 14 at Miami Dolphins L 10–30 0–2 Miami Orange Bowl 51,848 3 September 21 Los Angeles Rams L 7–24 0–3 Hoosier Dome 59,012 4 September 28 New York Jets L 7–26 0–4 Hoosier Dome 56,075 5 October 5 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–35 0–5 Candlestick Park 57,252 6 October 12 New Orleans Saints L 14–17 0–6 Hoosier Dome 53,512 7 October 19 at Buffalo Bills L 13–24 0–7 Rich Stadium 50,050 8 October 26 Miami Dolphins L 13–17 0–8 Hoosier Dome 58,350 9 November 2 Cleveland Browns L 9–24 0–9 Hoosier Dome 57,962 10 November 9 New England Patriots L 21–30 0–10 Hoosier Dome 56,890 11 November 16 at New York Jets L 16–31 0–11 Giants Stadium 65,149 12 November 23 at Houston Oilers L 17–31 0–12 Astrodome 31,792 13 November 30 San Diego Chargers L 3–17 0–13 Hoosier Dome 47,950 14 December 7 at Atlanta Falcons W 28–23 1–13 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 30,397 15 December 14 Buffalo Bills W 24–14 2–13 Hoosier Dome 52,783 16 December 21 at Los Angeles Raiders W 30–24 3–13 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 41,349 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings References See also History of the Indianapolis Colts List of Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry Indianapolis Colts Category:Indianapolis Colts seasons Baltimore Category:Long stubs with short prose