The Greatest Colts Of The Indy Era

MARSHALL FAULK
RB | INDY CAREER: 1994--98
HIGHLIGHTS: Rookie of the Year (1994)
FEW RUNNING BACKS have started with more flash. Faulk, the No. 2 pick in the 1994 NFL draft, spent his first five seasons in Indy piling up numbers: 297 receptions and 42 rushing touchdowns. In 1998 he finished with 2,227 total yards (1,319 rushing and 908 receiving).

MIKE PETERSON
LB | CAREER: 1999--2002
HIGHLIGHTS: 528 tackles, seven interceptions, 27 double-digit-tackle games
A FLASHY and aggressive linebacker, Peterson led the Colts in tackles in 2000 and '02. He became a starter as a rookie and held that job until he left for Jacksonville in '03.

JEFF HERROD
LB | CAREER: 1988--96, '98
HIGHLIGHTS: AP All-Pro honorable mention (1990, '92)
OVER HIS 10 seasons in Indianapolis, Herrod was a constant force at linebacker. A ninth-round pick in the 1988 draft, Herrod started 13 or more games in eight seasons. He led Indy in tackles seven times.

DUANE BICKETT
LB | CAREER: 1985--93
HIGHLIGHTS: AP Defensive Rookie of the Year (1985), Pro Bowl selection (1987)
THE HARD-HITTING linebacker was the first defensive player in Indianapolis history to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl. That came in 1987, when Bickett led the Colts with 113 tackles, eight sacks and 10 QB pressures. And he did it in 12 games.

BOB SANDERS
FS | CAREER: 2004--
HIGHLIGHTS: Pro Bowl selection (2005)
AT 5'8" AND 206 pounds, Sanders has the size of a sportswriter but plays far bigger than his frame. His return from an injury to his right knee gave the Colts a strong presence in the secondary. Sanders had a team-high eight tackles in the playoff win against the Ravens. Says Dwight Freeney, "He's a human cannonball."

ROHN STARK
P | CAREER: 1982--94
HIGHLIGHTS: Franchise records: 45.9 yards per punt in '85, 225 punts inside the 20
ARGUABLY the best punter of his era, Stark averaged 43.8 yards per punt with the Colts. He had a team-record 15 games in which he averaged 50 or more yards.

CHRIS HINTON
LT | CAREER: 1983--89
HIGHLIGHTS: Six-time Pro Bowl selection
ACQUIRED IN the John Elway deal, Hinton (above) helped the Colts rebound in 1983 to go 7--9, the best turnaround for a winless team. Only Jim Parker appeared in more Pro Bowls among Colts offensive linemen.

RAY DONALDSON
C | CAREER: 1980--92
HIGHLIGHTS: Four consecutive Pro Bowl selections (1986--89)
A RENOWNED run blocker, Donaldson (below) was the first African-American center to start a game in NFL history. He played in 184 games, the fifth most in franchise history.

EDGERRIN JAMES
RB | CAREER: 1999--2005
HIGHLIGHTS: Franchise records: 9,226 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns
JAMES, Eric Dickerson and Clinton Portis are the only players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,500 yards in each of their first two seasons. A two-time NFL rushing leader, James gained at least 100 yards in more than half his games with Indy. The Colts were 70--26 when he played.

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

THE ALLTIME COLTS TEAM
From Harrison to Hinton, Indy's Colts have made their mark in the NFL