When the Colts Belonged to Baltimore: A Father and a Son, a Team and a Time

I am a "Baltimoron" who grew up during the era that William Gidea describes in "When The Colts Belonged To Baltimore." My youth football coaches were Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche, two "Dads" on the field with their sons and the rest of us, all neighbors and friends. On Saturdays, we played six-on-six tackle football; on Sundays, everyone went to Memorial Stadium to see my coaches play professional football. I was a good friend with Ernie Marchetti, Gino's son, and after every game (we never lost in four years), we were treated to an all-you-can-eat "winner's meal" at either Gino's or Ameche's, two fast-food chains the Gildea discusses in this book. We entered the restautants from the rear, still in uniform, and sat on milk crates as we devoured our hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. It was an era never to be repeated; this is a book I cherish, because it is not only William Gildea and his Dad who lived it, but so did the rest of us who lived in Baltimore when we belonged to the Colts. Gildea is am empassioned writer, one of the best, who captures the essence of a place and time, however, if you lived anywhere but Baltimore in the late 1950's and 1960's, you should read this book to know that professional sports did not always transcend life; there was a time when life transcended professional football, in Baltimore.

I'm not a Colts fan, I've never been to Baltimore, and I grew up ten years too late for the 1950s but this is still the best football book I've ever read. Much of it is down to William Gildea's engaging writing style and his ability to seamlessly blend interview with reminiscence. This book isn't so much about the Colts as it is about growing up in Baltimore during the 1950s - which, for me, only strengthens its appeal. With books like this and John Eisenberg's "Cotton Bowl Days," George Plimpton's "the smaller the ball, the better the literature" axiom is, at long last, under threat. Can't recommend this strongly enough.

This is a book that evokes memories of a golden era in America and American sports when men played professional football for the love of the game. To those who loved them, the Baltimore Colts of the late 50's and 60's were a gallant and mythical team that resonated with names like Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Alan "The Horse" Ameche, "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan, and Weeb Ewbank. William Gildea has captured, in a wistful reminiscence, these men and that time...a time when the players were an integral part of the community and the community shared a deep and abiding emotional attachment to the team. This was professional football before free agency, player strikes, owner lockouts, and team relocations. Like Mr. Gildea, my father introduced me to the Colts when I was a small boy. Like Mr. Gildea, my father instilled an appreciation for the men with the horseshoes on their helmets who won with quiet humility, lost with defiant grace, and personified determination, hard work, and team loyalty. My father and I had never been within 2,000 miles of the city of Baltimore, yet through television on Sunday afternoons, we felt the Colts were our team, too. Sadly, the Baltimore Colts have been forever consigned to memories. In this book, you can relive those memories and once again hear the names of the legends and the prideful roar of a city echo across the years...

I can`t tell you how much this book brought back so many memories for me. I grew up in Westminster Md., but moved to Baltimore after the war and as hard as it is to believe, I lived 2 doors from the author on Maine Ave, but never did our paths cross. My memories of the Colts extend back to the lst training days at Western Maryland College. Most of the players came into our jewelry store. George Shaw. Bert R., Alex Hawkins, Big Daddy L., and of course Weeb E. I sold him a complete set of Gorham silver for his daughter. But my best friend was Freddy Shubach, Equipment Mgr. who doubled in the ticket office in the winter. I ended up with 14 during the glory years, I truly would like to talk to Mr Gildea about so many aspects of his wonderful book.

William Gildea is a stellar author who really portrays what football was like in the 1950s. He shows how the Colts went from bottom to top. He talks about how football was associated with his family and how he never missed a game. Gildea wrote the best sports book I have ever read.