Since the Baltimore Colts Marching Band was established in 1947, the group has continued to operate regardless of whether the city even had a professional football team. The group has actually survived the loss of football franchises twice (1951-52, and 1984-1996), and the marching band continues to have an important place in Baltimore’s football landscape.
The future of the band came under the most uncertainty in 1984 when the Colts left for Indianapolis. But current band President John Ziemann led a mission to keep the group together until pro football returned to Baltimore, and those efforts were chronicled in the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary, The Band That Wouldn’t Die.