The 1953 Baltimore Colts season was the first season for the team in the National Football League. The Colts had a record of 3 wins and 9 losses and finished fifth in the Western Conference.

In January 1953, a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom won the rights to a new Baltimore franchise. Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team, and awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization, which lasted only one season. The new team was named the Colts after the previous team that folded after the 1950 season; Baltimore was without a team in 1951 and 1952.

The 1953 Colts have the unusual distinction of having a losing record, despite having a league-leading 56 defensive takeaways. Baltimore had a winning record after five games, defeating neighbor Washington before a capacity crowd of over 34,000 at Memorial Stadium, then lost seven straight to finish the season.

This 14" x 9.75" 1953 Baltimore Colts team photo is in good shape with only some minor paper loss and light staining on the front. A young Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti stand out in the middle of the top row of this photo.