The Downtown Canal turned Colts blue this week as mascot Blue kicked off the 2026 NFL season with a splash — literally — and an assist from Indianapolis firefighters who hoisted him into a ladder truck basket for a trick-shot challenge that didn't exactly go his way. Blue attempted close to 107 trick shots from bucket to basket on September 9, a nod to the NFL's 107th season, but the basket proved to be a stubborn opponent.
The annual dyeing of the Downtown Canal is part of the “Turn the Canal Blue” tradition marking the start of another Colts campaign, and in September 2026 it doubled as the franchise's 43rd season in Indianapolis since the team relocated from Baltimore in 1984, according to WIBC. Past kickoffs have seen Blue zip around the canal fountain on jet skis, but this year's event featured a direct partnership with the Indianapolis Fire Department, which dyed the water and set up the aerial ladder trick-shot attempt, the station reports.
It was Station 13's A Shift that spent the day with Blue, according to a post from the Indianapolis Fire Department on X. The department, which posts under the handle ifd_news, closed out its message with its longtime slogan, “Our Family Serving Your Family,” alongside a farewell to the mascot: “We love you Blue!”
by the way was pretty cool. The basket however, was not very cooperative. His consolation prize was time well spent with IFD and a cool turnout coat with his name on it. We love you Blue! #GoColts #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/MsEsIeOEoy
— Indianapolis Fire Department 🚒 (@IFD_NEWS) September 10, 2026
A Rough Day in the Bucket, But a Coat to Remember
Per the same account, Blue's trick-shot attempts from the fire truck's elevated basket didn't go smoothly — the post itself called the basket “not very cooperative.” Still, the department framed the mascot's day as a win overall, noting his consolation prize was quality time with IFD crews and a personalized parting gift.
Blue received a turnout coat with his name stitched onto it, a gesture that carries more institutional weight than it might appear. Indianapolis Fire Department general safety orders require that customized turnout coats be assigned to designated riding positions and worn during all field operations and official department public activities, according to the department's own operations manual. Handing Blue his own coat effectively made him an honorary member of the crew, at least for a day.
The Mascot's Own Growing Trophy Case
Blue is no stranger to accolades of his own. In June 2026, he was named NFL Mascot of the Year for the fifth time in his career, adding to previous wins in 2016, 2019, 2023, and 2025, according to the Colts mascot's Wikipedia entry. He entered his 21st season with the franchise this year, and back in 2020 he became just the second NFL mascot ever inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Indiana, an interactive museum in the northwest corner of the state.
Blue's history with the franchise stretches back two decades. He made his official sideline debut on September 17, 2006, during a 43-24 Colts win over the Houston Texans at the RCA Dome — a season that ended with the franchise's first Super Bowl title since moving to Indiana, per the same Wikipedia account of the mascot's career.
A 165-Year-Old Department Behind the Stunt
The fire department that hosted Blue traces its roots back to a municipal ordinance in November 1859, when firefighters initially earned a salary of $300 a year before the department fully motorized its fleet and retired horse-drawn apparatus by 1921, according to the Indiana Historical Society. Today it's the largest fire department in the state, operating 43 fire stations across a 278-square-mile service area with 43 engines, 22 ladder trucks and more than 1,200 sworn personnel serving Marion County, according to FireRescue1.
The department has also been reworking how it runs itself behind the scenes. In January 2026, IFD detailed a multi-year administrative restructuring that replaced closed-door executive goal setting with data-driven operational accountability across its 49 departmental facilities, the same FireRescue1 report notes.
Blue's canal dunk and ladder-truck cameo came just days before the Colts open their regular season. The team is set to host the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, September 13, kicking off the NFL's 107th season overall, according to WIBC's report on the kickoff festivities.
