Stampede Blue
The Indianapolis Colts have five former players named among the 26 modern-era semfinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026: running back Frank Gore, defensive end/outside linebacker Robert Mathis, quarterback Philip Rivers, placekicker Adam Vinatieri, and wide receiver Reggie Wayne.
Both Gore (2015-17) and Rivers (2020) had short stints in Indianapolis, and will be most remembered for their playing days elsewhere where they had the vast peak of their success and spent a much longer period of time. Gore as a workhorse running back for the San Francisco 49ers, and Rivers as the longtime starting quarterback with the Chargers franchise. That being said, both were memorable Colts, even for their limited time in Indy.
In the instance of time here, I will highlight the three players from the five that will be most remembered as Colts:
Originally a 2003 5th round pick of the Colts, the undersized, yet tenacious 6’2”, 245 pound pass rusher went on to become one of the best hidden gems of Hall of Fame Bill Polian’s distinguished tenure in Indianapolis.
Largely teaming up with Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney, as one of the best pass rushing duos of all-time, Mathis would become a Super Bowl XLI Champion, NFL First-Team All-Pro, 5x NFL Pro Bowl, and member of the Colts Ring of Honor. He finished his 13-year NFL career with 538 tackles (408 solo), 123.0 sacks, 1 interception, 18 passes defensed, 52 forced fumbles, and 17 fumble recoveries (3 returned for a touchdown) during 192 games (121 starts). His 52 forced fumbles are the most recorded in NFL history.
The undisputed greatest kicker in NFL history is a man who needs no introduction, as he was already Canton-bound (with that arch nemesis we won’t mention here) before joining the Indianapolis Colts franchise in 2006.
During his lengthy 24-year NFL career, where he largely aged like a fine wine until he couldn’t physically kick anymore, Vinatieri would become a 4x Super Bowl Champion, 3x NFL First-Team All-Pro, 3x NFL Pro Bowler, member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, and is the NFL’s all-time scoring leader (2,673 total points). He converted 599 of his 715 field goal attempts (83.8%) and 878 of 898 extra point attempts (97.3%). Perhaps most importantly though, he’ll be regarded as the most clutch kicker there ever was and likely ever will be.
One of the greatest wideouts in Colts franchise history, Wayne was remarkably consistent featuring smooth route running, incredibly sure-hands, and sometimes, even a flare for the dramatic. Nothing about Wayne was overly spectacular from an elite speed or athleticism standpoint compared to his peers by any means, but the total package of everything was highly impressive and incredibly consistent. He was truly a sum of his parts, much like Jerry Rice in that regard.
He was “Mr. 3rd down” as a popular target for both former franchise quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck to help move the sticks...
