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BEST NFL RECORDS, PAST 10 YEARS

Having continuity under center and in the front office are some of the key ingredients to an organization’s success on the field.

Over the past 10 years, four NFL teams have posted a winning percentage of .600 or better – led by the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (115-45, .719). The Colts’ 115 wins set an NFL record for the most wins in a single decade in league history, topping the 114 wins by the San Francisco 49ers of the 1990s. During that span, four-time AP Most Valuable Player PEYTON MANNING (right), has started every game at quarterback for the team, leading the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI and a berth in Super Bowl XLIV.

“The most wins in a decade is really something,” says Colts President BILL POLIAN. “To think you can win more games in a decade than the legendary San Francisco 49ers, coached by BILL WALSH, I almost can’t come to grips with that.

“To think you have eclipsed a record that that great team – with JOE MONTANA and JERRY RICE and STEVE YOUNG and all of those players – set is absolutely amazing. I almost can’t get my arms around it, but it’s a monumental achievement and one I hope people in Indianapolis will remember for a long, long time.”

The teams with the best regular-season records over the past 10 years (2000-09):

TEAM-W-L-T-PCT.-PLAYOFF BERTHS-SUPER BOWL BERTHS

Indianapolis, 115, 45, 0, .719, 9, 2
New England, 112, 48, 0, .700, 7, 4
Pittsburgh, 103, 56, 1, .647, 6, 2
Philadelphia, 103, 56, 1, .647, 8, 1
Green Bay, 95, 65, 0, .594, 6, 0

HARRIS POLL: PRO FOOTBALL AMERICA’S FAVORITE SPORT BY FAR
America’s favorite sport? Once again, professional football claims the top spot!

For more than four decades, according to The Harris Poll, the NFL has been the most popular sport in America.

In its most recent survey (released 2/1/10), Harris – the pioneer in market research – reveals that pro football is the favorite sport of more than one-third of people (35 percent) – an increase of four percent over last year. That is more than the combined total of the next three professional sports – baseball (16), auto racing (nine) and men’s pro basketball (five).

In addition, professional football has gained in popularity more than any other sport since 1985 with an 11 percent increase in popularity over the past 25 years (from 24 to 35 percent). Pro football moved ahead of baseball as the fans’ favorite for the first time in 1965.

The third favorite sport in the survey was college football at 12 percent, meaning that football is the favorite sport of 47 percent of America’s sports fans.

Following are the five most popular sports according to The Harris Poll:

RANK-SPORT-PERCENT

1, Pro Football, 35
2, Baseball, 16
3, College Football, 12
4, Auto Racing, 9
5, Men’s Pro Basketball, 5