Published: April 29, 2009 08:20 pm         

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Colts’ decision shows comfort, confidence

TERRE HAUTE — If you were inclined to listen to chatter surrounding the Indianapolis Colts in recent months, you probably thought it was all but certain that the team’s preseason training camp would move to Anderson this summer after 10 years in Terre Haute.

The Colts, after all, had been there before. And the powers-that-be at Anderson University, not to mention leaders in Anderson’s public and private sectors, had worked long and hard to upgrade facilities and convince the Colts that their community should serve as the new host for the popular NFL training camp.

Anderson undoubtedly presented the Colts a compelling offer, and with Terre Haute and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology not participating in a PR war for the Colts’ attention, it’s understandable that folks in Anderson thought they had it in the bag.

To paraphrase a quote from 19th century novelist Mark Twain, it turns out that news of Terre Haute’s demise as the Colts’ summer home was greatly exaggerated.

The Colts will, indeed, return to Terre Haute and Rose-Hulman’s fabulous facilities in early August for the 11th straight year. Perhaps it will be the last year. Perhaps it won’t. Whatever the long-term future of Colts camp, the summer of 2009 will find the community awash in blue once again and enjoying the presence of one of professional sports’ classiest franchises.

Interest in preseason camp will be high, as it has been in recent years as the Colts became one of the elite NFL teams. But 2009 carries additional intrigue. There is a new head coach. Jim Caldwell, a former Colts assistant coach, succeeds Tony Dungy, who retired at the end of last season. And there will be new faces. With the departure of superstar Marvin Harrison and a few other mainstays from recent seasons, football fans will be watching the team’s development at Rose-Hulman.

Our hats are off to Rose-Hulman and those in our community who worked hard behind the scenes to make the Colts’ decision to return to Terre Haute an easy one. It is a great tribute to all involved that this long tenure as a preseason camp for a premier NFL team will continue for another year.