The Pittsburgh Colts are the oldest minor-league professional football team, located in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, that is still in existence. They are currently members of the

Gridiron Developmental Football League The Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) is a low-level american football minor league based in Memphis, Tennessee, using the franchise model. , the league has 63 teams. The GDFL plays a playoff format similar to NCAA tournament, as 16 ...

(GDFL). The team was founded in 1979 by head coach Edward G. Brosky, a member of the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

1976 national championship team. The Colts initial run lasted from 1979 until 1987, when the team took a four-year hiatus. In 1981, the team advanced to the national championship game located in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, to play against the Twin City Cougars, who later became the

Oakland Invaders The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The team can trac ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. The team also briefly disbanded after the 2000 season due its board of directors and coaching staff have become the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Ironmen, a new professional indoor football team set to begin competing in February 2001. Brosky also played as a

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

football player while playing

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

, until then-Panthers coach

Johnny Majors John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...

found out and ended Brosky's moonlighting. When he left Pitt, Brosky continued to play for semi-pro teams in the area. He started the Colts when those other teams folded. Since 1979, Brosky has either played for or coached the Colts. In 2004 Lisa Horton became the first woman to throw a touchdown pass in a North America Football League game

History

The Colts were founded in 1979 by owner and coach Edward G. Brosky. At the time the Colts played in the Keystone Oaks area. The team was a member of the professional American Football Association in that league's final 1983 season. From 1988 to 1996 the Colts played in Stonefield Northpark and from 1997 to 2000 played in Duquesne. Recent Locations include, Uniontown, Chartiers Valley and Carlynton. The Colts were previously members of the American,

North American Football League The North American Football League (NAFL) was a proposed american spring football minor league. In 2014, the league announced it was to begin play for the 2016 season; however, there have been no further announcements that the league has met an ...

, and Regional American Football League before Edward Brosky formed the Grassroots Football League in 2009. The Colts played in the Semi-Pro Football League from 2010 to 2014 before joining the Gridiron Developmental Football League for the 2015 season. They also played at Chartiers Valley for the 2015 season. In the mid-1990s, Brosky struck a deal with the

Northgate School District Northgate School District is a diminutive, suburban, public school district located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It serves the boroughs of Bellevue and Avalon, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Co ...

. It was during this time that two notables were linked with the team;

WTAE-TV WTAE-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by Hearst Television since the station's inception, making this one of two stations that have been built and signed on ...

field reporter Sheldon Ingram played in the defensive backfield while future music video director Matt Dilmore served as the team's official announcer. The Colts draw talent from the area high schools and local colleges including:

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

, Bethany College,

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System o ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

Robert Morris College Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...

Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock University, formally Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (The Rock or SRU), is a public university in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. SRU is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The university ...

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

, and

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

in Virginia. The Colts describe themselves as a "throwback team" based on a strong work ethic and personal values. The team has been in several communities throughout its history. Most recently the team played at Ambridge High School. The Colts have interacted with the community they are in through numerous youth activities, visiting children's hospital, and having community events downtown. The Colts joined the Pennsylvania Football League (PFL) in 2017.

2007–2009

2007 season

The Colts played the 2007 season at two fields:

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

and Moon Stadium Home Game Dates:June 16( Home opener vs. North Coast Vikings), June 23, July 7, July 14, July 28, August 11. Games played: June 9: Pittsburgh Colts 33, Rochester Renegades 6

2008 season

The Colts played their 2008 Season at South Stadium in Pittsburgh's SouthSide *6/14/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Penn-Ohio Tigers: Win 30-20 *6/21/2008 Pittsburgh Colts At Detroit Seminoles: Loss 58-8 *7/5/2008 Pittsburgh Colts At Rochester Renegades: Win 34-0 *7/12/2008 Pittsburgh Colts At Penn-Ohio Tigers: Win 20-12 *7/19/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs New Castle Thunder: Loss 14-10 *7/26/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Mon-Valley Mayhem: Win 41-20 *8/2/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Jackson City Bears:Win 56-0 *8/9/2008 Pittsburgh Colts AT Mon-Valley Mayhem:Win 6-0 *8/16/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Beaver County Warriors:Loss 14-10 —GFL Championship-- *8/25/2008 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Penn-Ohio Tigers:Win 11-9 -Game won on a last second field goal *Did not advance to the RAFL playoffs by team decision due to too many injuries

2009 season

The Colts play the 2009 season at Ambridge high school Stadium *5/14/2009 Pittsburgh Colts At Mon Valley Mayhem: Win 69-1 *5/30/2009 Pittsburgh Colts At Pittsburgh Blue Devils: Win 37-6 *6/13/2009 Pittsburgh Colts At Canton Hurricanes: Win 28-12 *6/20/2009 Pittsburgh Colts At Erie Invaders: Win 28-0 *6/27/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Erie Invaders: Win 42-12 *7/4/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Cleveland Cobras: Loss 30-22 *7/11/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Mon Valley Mayhem: Win 14-0 *7/18/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Crestview Renegades: Win 22-12 *8/1/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Steel Valley Warriors:Win 37-6 Playoffs *8/8/2009 Bye *8/15/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Lake Erie Invaders:Win 38-0 Championship *8/22/2009 Pittsburgh Colts Vs Cuyahoga County Spartans:Win 26-14

Season by season

Recent Seasons

*2009- (10-1) Grassroots Football League Champions *2008- (7-3) Grassroots Football League Champions/Chose not to advance because of the amount of injuries *2007- (15-1) Grassroots Division Champions/ Lost in 3rd Round of NAFL Playoffs to Kane County Eagles *2006- (10-3) Grassroots Division Champions *2005- (13-1) Grassroots Division Champions *1981- Participated in American Football Association's National Championship Game

Television appearances

The Pittsburgh Colts alongside a number of

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

free agents took part in the filming of an episode of Shaq Vs. During the episode of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

show,

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

competed against

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

in a game of 7 on 7. The teams were a mix between the Free Agents and Colts and the game was won by Big Ben's Team 21–14. In 2005 members of the Colts have appeared in television spots, suiting up as fictional members of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in a commercial for the

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a $23billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds, 800 clinical locations including outpatient sites and do ...

References

External links

Regional American Football League
{{Pennsylvania Sports American football teams in Pittsburgh Semi-professional American football American football teams established in 1979 1979 establishments in Pennsylvania