Colts wouldn't let new receiver Hakeem Nicks wear No. 88

Hakeem Nicks wore No. 88 during his five seasons with the Giants. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI)

The Indianapolis Colts have not issued the jersey number 88 to any player since future Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison's career came to an end in 2008, but they have not yet officially retired the number.

The player that wore No. 88 before Harrison was Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, who played nine seasons with the team in Baltimore, so there is plenty of history with the number in the Colts organization.

Since the number was not retired, free agent signee Hakeem Nicks was hoping that he could carry over his No. 88 from the New York Giants to his new team after agreeing to terms with the Colts in March, but he was not allowed to choose the number.

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“Everybody knows I love those eights on my chest, but we’ll have to see how that pans out,” Nicks said upon signing with the Colts last month, according to the Indy Star.

Instead of getting his wish, Nicks was issued No. 14 for his tenure in Indianapolis.

Raymond Berry’s 82 and Gino Marchetti’s 89 among others up in the rafters.

Reggie Wayne

's No. 87 could also eventually be retired, making it only a matter of time until the Colts run out of numbers in the 80s to hand out.