The Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis was a successful effort by the then - owner of the Baltimore Colts ( Robert Irsay ) to move the American football team from Baltimore , Maryland to Indianapolis , Indiana . The team began play as the Indianapolis Colts for the 1984 National Football League ( NFL ) season . The Colts ' move was completely unannounced and occurred in the early hours of March 29 , 1984 , after years of lobbying for a new stadium to replace the inadequate Memorial Stadium . The franchise 's move continues to embitter many Baltimore natives decades afterward , and would have a lasting impact on the NFL , including another controversial relocation twelve years later that resulted in Baltimore receiving its current NFL team , the Ravens .

Question: who owned the colts when they left baltimore
Answer: Robert Irsay