1988 Indianapolis Colts season

36th season in franchise history

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A ticket for a September 1988 game between the Colts and the Cleveland Browns.

The 1988 Indianapolis Colts season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and fifth in Indianapolis. The team finished the year with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and tied for second in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England based on better record against common opponents (7–5 to Patriots' 6–6). At the start of the season, Ron Meyer demoted quarterback Gary Hogeboom to back up, and promoted Jack Trudeau to starter, which prompted Hogeboom to demand that he be either traded or released.^[1]

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1988 Indianapolis Colts draft
3	76	Chris Chandler *	Quarterback	Washington
4	104	Michael Ball	Cornerback	Southern
5	129	John Baylor	Defensive back	Southern Mississippi
9	243	Jeff Herrod	Linebacker	Mississippi
10	270	O'Brien Alston	Linebacker	Maryland
11	297	Donnie Dee	Tight end	Tulsa
12	308	Aatron Kenney	Wide receiver	Wisconsin–Stevens
12	327	Tim Vesling	Placekicker	Syracuse
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

**1988 Indianapolis Colts staff**
	Front office President and treasurer – Robert Irsay Vice president and general manager – Jim Irsay Assistant general manager – Bob Terpening Director of player personnel – Jack Bushofsky Head coaches Head coach – Ron Meyer Assistant head coach – Tom Lovat Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – John Becker Running backs – Leon Burtnett Receivers – Chip Myers Offensive line – Tom Lovat Assistant offensive line – Keith Rowen			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – George Hill Defensive line – John Marshall Linebackers – Rick Venturi Secondary – George Catavolos Special teams coaches Special teams – Keith Rowen Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Tom Zupancic

Roster

**1988 Indianapolis Colts final roster**

	Quarterbacks 17 Chris Chandler 7 Gary Hogeboom 12 Ricky Turner Running backs 20 Albert Bentley KR 29 Eric Dickerson 34 George Wonsley Wide receivers 86 Roy Banks 87 Mark Bellini 85 Matt Bouza 80 Bill Brooks 49 James Pruitt 83 Clarence Verdin PR Tight ends 81 Pat Beach 84 Mark Boyer 88 John Brandes LS 48 Donnie Dee		Offensive linemen 62 Brian Baldinger T/G 71 Kevin Call T 69 Randy Dixon G 53 Ray Donaldson C 75 Chris Hinton T 60 Dan McQuaid T 65 Joel Patten T 64 Ben Utt G Defensive linemen 79 Harvey Armstrong NT 72 Byron Darby NT 75 Jon Hand DE 90 Ezra Johnson DE 73 Joe Klecko NT 99 Donnell Thompson DE		Linebackers 97 O'Brien Alston OLB 50 Duane Bickett OLB 54 Jeff Herrod ILB 55 Barry Krauss ILB 56 Orlando Lowry OLB 93 Cliff Odom ILB 56 Fredd Young ILB Defensive backs 31 Michael Ball CB/S 38 Eugene Daniel CB 21 John Holt SS 28 Chuckie Miller CB 39 Mike Prior FS 26 Craig Swoope SS 27 Keith Taylor CB/S 42 Willie Tullis CB Special teams 4 Dean Biasucci K 3 Rohn Stark P		Reserve lists 36 John Baylor CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Glen Collins DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 37 Chris Goode CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 47 Freddie Robinson S (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 10 Jack Trudeau QB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad NONE 47 active, 5 inactive Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	Houston Oilers	L 14–17 (OT)	0–1	Hoosier Dome	57,251
2	September 11	Chicago Bears	L 13–17	0–2	Hoosier Dome	60,503
3	September 19	at Cleveland Browns	L 17–23	0–3	Cleveland Stadium	75,148
4	September 25	Miami Dolphins	W 15–13	1–3	Hoosier Dome	59,638
5	October 2	at New England Patriots	L 17–21	1–4	Sullivan Stadium	58,050
6	October 9	at Buffalo Bills	L 23–24	1–5	Rich Stadium	76,018
7	October 16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 35–31	2–5	Hoosier Dome	53,135
8	October 23	at San Diego Chargers	W 16–0	3–5	Jack Murphy Stadium	37,722
9	October 31	Denver Broncos	W 55–23	4–5	Hoosier Dome	60,544
10	November 6	New York Jets	W 38–14	5–5	Hoosier Dome	59,233
11	November 13	at Green Bay Packers	W 20–13	6–5	Lambeau Field	53,492
12	November 20	at Minnesota Vikings	L 3–12	6–6	Metrodome	58,342
13	November 27	New England Patriots	W 24–21	7–6	Hoosier Dome	58,157
14	December 4	at Miami Dolphins	W 31–28	8–6	Joe Robbie Stadium	45,236
15	December 10	at New York Jets	L 16–34	8–7	The Meadowlands	46,284
16	December 18	Buffalo Bills	W 17–14	9–7	Hoosier Dome	59,908
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 4

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	7	0	0	6	13
• Colts	3	9	0	3	15

Date: September 25
Location: Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors (dome)

Scoring summary

Q1	MIA	Hampton 39 yard pass from Marino (Reveiz kick)	MIA 7–0

Q1	IND	Biasucci 50 yard field goal	MIA 7–3

Q2	IND	Biasucci 34 yard field goal	MIA 7–6

Q2	IND	Biasucci 41 yard field goal	IND 9–7

Q2	IND	Biasucci 51 yard field goal	IND 12–7

Q4	IND	Biasucci 25 yard field goal	IND 15–7

Q4	MIA	Stradford 8 yard pass from Marino (two-point failed)	IND 15–13

^[2]

Week 9 vs Broncos

Week Nine: Denver Broncos (4–4) at Indianapolis Colts (3–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	10	0	13	23
Colts	21	24	3	7	55

at Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

Date: October 31
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 60,544
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

IND – Eric Dickerson 12-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 9:41. Colts 7–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 11-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 5:39. Colts 14–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 1-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 0:16. Colts 21–0.

Second quarter

IND – Dean Biasucci 31-yard field goal, 13:22. Colts 24–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 41-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 11:47. Colts 31–0.
DEN – Steve Sewell 2-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick, 9:54. Colts 31–7.
IND – Bill Brooks 53-yard pass from Gary Hogeboom (Dean Biasucci kick), 7:08. Colts 38–7.
DEN – Rich Karlis 27-yard field goal, 1:00. Colts 38–10.
IND – Clarence Verdin 40-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Dean Biasucci kick), 0:22. Colts 45–10.

Third quarter

IND – Dean Biasucci 27-yard field goal, 6:34. Colts 48–10.

Fourth quarter

IND – Albert Bentley 4-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 11:49. Colts 55–10.
DEN – Vance Johnson 7-yard pass from Gary Kubiak (kick failed), 6:07. Colts 55–17.
DEN – Steve Sewell 48-yard pass from Gary Kubiak (Rich Karlis kick), 5:39. Colts 55–23.

Top passers

DEN – John Elway – 15/27, 158 yards, TD
IND – Chris Chandler – 10/13, 167 yards, TD

Top rushers

DEN – Ricky Nattiel – 1 rush, 29 yards
IND – Eric Dickerson – 21 rushes, 159 yards, 4 TD

Top receivers

DEN – Steve Sewell – 6 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD
IND – Bill Brooks – 3 receptions, 108 yards, TD

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Buffalo Bills⁽²⁾	12	4	0	.750	7–1	10–2	329	237	L1
Indianapolis Colts	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–5	354	315	W1
New England Patriots	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–5	250	284	L1
New York Jets	8	7	1	.531	3–5	6–7–1	372	354	W2
Miami Dolphins	6	10	0	.375	0–8	3–9	319	380	L1

Awards and records

Eric Dickerson, Led AFC (tied), Touchdowns, 15 TD's ^[3]

External links

NFL Films – 1988 Indianapolis Colts – "A Test of Character" on YouTube

References

^ "Jack Trudeau replaced Gary Hogeboom as the starting quarterback... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-15.
^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 447

v t e Indianapolis Colts
Founded in 1953 Played in Baltimore (1953–1983) Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
Franchise	History in Baltimore relocation to Indianapolis Players Quarterbacks Coaches Seasons Draft First-round draft picks Ring of Honor
Stadiums	Memorial Stadium RCA Dome Lucas Oil Stadium
Culture	Carroll Rosenbloom Robert Irsay Jim Irsay 12th Man AAFC Colts Baltimore Colts Marching Band Blue Cheerleaders Elway to Marino Parks and Recreation
Lore	Dayton Triangles The Greatest Game Ever Played Ghost to the Post Move to Indianapolis 1995 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle Deflategate Colts Catastrophe Snowvertime Minneapolis Miracle II
Rivalries	Houston Texans New England Patriots Brady–Manning rivalry
Division championships (16)	1968 1970 1975 1976 1977 1987 1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2013 2014
Conference championships (7)	1958 1959 1964 1968 1970 2006 2009
League championships (5)	1958 1959 1968 1970 (V) 2006 (XLI)
Retired numbers	18 19 22 24 70 77 82 89
Media	Broadcasters WFNI-AM Bob Lamey Jim Sorgi
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: South Division
Category

v t e Indianapolis Colts seasons
Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

1988 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Buffalo	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Indianapolis	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	Phoenix	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay