INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay, who had led the team since 1997 and presided over one of the storied franchise’s greatest eras, died Wednesday.
“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed.”
“I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay’s passing,” Manning posted to social media.
But he balanced those official roles with a public persona that contradicted what one might expect from a billionaire NFL owner.
From strumming his guitar and belting out a tune with the Jim Irsay Band to his unpredictable posts on social media, Irsay was unquestionably his own man.
INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Irsay, the manager of the Colts since 1997, passed away on Wednesday. He oversaw one of the team’s most illustrious periods. He was sixty-five.
Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said in a statement issued by the team, “We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner and CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon.”. Jim’s generosity, commitment to the community, love for his family, and enthusiasm for the Indianapolis Colts were all unparalleled. “,”.
Ten grandchildren, Irsay’s ex-wife and his daughters’ mother, Meg Coyle, and his daughters Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson, survive him.
His oldest daughter, Irsay-Gordon, is regarded as the most active team member and replaced her father when he was suspended from the NFL in 2014 following his arrest for DWI.
“Today’s news of Jim Irsay’s passing devastated us. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that Jim was a friend and a man who was devoted to his family, the game, the Colts, and the city of Indianapolis. His brave efforts to promote mental health will live on as a lasting legacy. He led with honesty, passion, and concern for the Colts’ players, coaches, and staff. dots. I want to express my deepest sympathies to Jim’s numerous NFL friends as well as to his daughters and their families on behalf of the entire NFL. “,”.
Irsay was hospitalized in December 2023 after first responders discovered him unconscious in his bedroom; police described the incident as a suspected overdose, raising concerns about his health. Following weeks of Irsay’s absence from the public eye, the Colts released a statement the following month stating that he was receiving treatment for a “severe respiratory illness.”. “..”.
Irsay hadn’t been spotted much recently, but he had made a few public appearances in the year since those incidents. Both this week’s league meeting in Eagan, Minnesota, and the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in March were missed by him, and he was not thought to have been present at the NFL draft last month.
Before their first game against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday, he had taken to social media to express his support for the Indiana Pacers and their owner, Herb Simon, writing, “Go PACERS.”. “Best of luck to Herb, our city, and the entire @Pacers organization.”.
Among those grieving Irsay’s passing was Peyton Manning, a quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and regarded by many as the best player in Colts history.
Manning wrote on social media, “I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay’s passing,”. “I will always be grateful to this owner for providing me with my NFL debut; he was a very generous and enthusiastic man. There was nothing like his passion for Indianapolis and the Colts. He left a lasting impression on the players who played for him. His family and the entire Colts community are in my prayers and thoughts. We shall miss him. My friend Jim, may you rest in peace. “.
After his father, Bob, passed away and a legal battle with his stepmother was resolved, Irsay took over principal ownership of the Colts at the age of 37. He was the NFL’s youngest owner at the time, but he would go on to become one of its most powerful leaders while leading the team.
Irsay had served as the legislative committee’s chair and a well-known member of the NFL’s finance committee. He was actively involved in league affairs even before taking over as sole proprietor in 1997. In the 1980s, then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle assembled a team of four executives to create the salary cap that would eventually be implemented by the league.
However, he counterbalanced those official responsibilities with a public image that defied expectations for a billionaire NFL owner. Irsay, who was always outspoken and eccentric, became known for his colorful personality among his peers, who usually try to stay out of the spotlight.
Irsay was certainly his own man, whether it was through his erratic social media posts or his strumming guitar and singing along with the Jim Irsay Band. During Colts training camp practices, he would frequently give out wads of $100 bills to fans. He was also known to hold fan trivia competitions on social media, with the winners getting Colts tickets or even free tickets to Super Bowls or road games.
Irsay was an NFL lifer, and his team was his most valuable asset in a time when NFL owners are becoming more and more involved in a wide range of other industries. As a child in Baltimore, he had spent so much time in the league that he had cherished memories of hanging out in the locker room and rubbing shoulders with quarterback Johnny Unitas.
Perhaps because of that viewpoint, Irsay’s appreciation for the NFL’s founders was always evident. He was among the few league owners who had a presence in both the past and the present.
He once remarked, “I was taught by those that came before me,” with the names of renowned owners following. “Dan Rooney, Lamar Hunt, and Wellington Mara dot. and even Halas, George. I learned how to be a good steward from it. “.
Irsay presided over a successful and productive time for the Colts. Since Irsay formally took over as owner, Indianapolis has become the sixth-winning NFL team. That triumph came after a protracted period of ineffectiveness during which the Colts had the eighth-highest number of league losses from the time Bob Irsay relocated the team to Indianapolis in 1984 until the younger Irsay took over.
Under Irsay’s leadership, the Colts made it to two Super Bowls and, following the 2006 season, won Super Bowl XLI. A picture taken that evening in February is arguably the most iconic image of Irsay. 4. In 2007. It shows him enjoying the franchise’s greatest moment in a generation while holding the Lombardi Trophy high in his right hand and ignoring the rain.
Irsay missed out on another Super Bowl victory, but he spent a lot of the years that followed wishing for it. He has stated time and time again in recent years that he felt a run that would end in numerous titles was about to begin, only to have that dream crushed by numerous setbacks.
In 2019, he casually mentioned that the Colts had not won a division title since 2014, which made the idea of winning three consecutive titles absurd.
“When I said three in a row, that’s because how can you get up and go to work without accepting wanting to be the absolute best? No other thinking makes sense to me,” he countered. “,”.
Though reality frequently had different ideas, Irsay was nothing if not a dreamer. The greatness of Tom Brady, Manning’s neck injury, and Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement all contributed to Irsay’s failure to fulfill his dreams.
Irsay played a key role in one of the franchise’s most challenging choices in 2012. He finally decided to cut ties with Manning, the first overall pick in the 1998 draft. One of the most amazing roster moves in league history resulted from the team’s financial situation and an uncertain future due to a neck injury.
“It was a tough day here of shared pain between Peyton, myself, the fans — everyone,” Irsay said in a tearful joint news conference with Manning. Up until that point in his career, Manning had played exclusively for Indianapolis. “Neither of us wanted it,” he said. “.
Later, Irsay recollected the hours following the Colts’ victory. One pick in the 2012 draft on the last day of the 2011 season, which made it possible to choose Luck and virtually guaranteed Manning’s release.
In 2014, he said to NFL . com, “I just broke down in tears in front of my daughters.”. “Because of the sentiment that that era is over. And I instinctively knew it was over. “.
Being a well-known collector was one of Irsay’s greatest interests outside of his team and family. He transformed what was once merely a costly pastime into a brand over time, establishing the Jim Irsay Collection, a well-known traveling exhibit. From Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from “Rumble in the Jungle” to what many think is the world’s greatest collection of vintage guitars, it contains over 500 of the most unusual objects in existence.
Irsay made significant investments in the collection; estimates of his expenses over the previous 20 years put them well into the tens of millions of dollars. He would do anything it took to get something he truly wanted. Irsay once defeated Ed Glazer, a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in an auction for an Elton John piano that brought $915,000. Irsay told ESPN last year that he turned down a more than $1 billion buyout offer for the collection from an unnamed Middle Eastern guy.
The “Big Book,” the manuscript that became the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous, was, crucially, Irsay’s most cherished item in the collection. The item spoke to Irsay on a deeper level than other pieces in the collection because of his decades-long battle with addiction.
Irsay told ESPN, “Those 12 steps have literally saved hundreds of thousands or millions of lives.”. “Eight years before AA was established, in 1927, my grandfather passed away. Additionally, he had no chance. In the past, they would simply place people in sanitariums.
“I’ve been able to say, ‘Stop! No more!’ and bridge the dam of generations because of those 12 steps. All the ongoing conflict won’t tear these families apart and destroy them. “.”.
A well-known alcoholic, Irsay’s father is remembered by many for having a fiery temper. The younger Irsay was frequently unable to overcome his own vices despite witnessing the difficulties caused by his father’s drinking.
Irsay claimed to have visited a rehab facility at least fifteen times in an interview with HBO Sports in November 2023. It is thought that one of those incidents occurred following his arrest for drunk driving in Carmel, Indiana, in 2014. Later that year, Irsay entered a guilty plea to a single misdemeanor count and received a one-year probationary sentence.
Through their “Kicking the Stigma” fundraising campaign, which Irsay continuously supported, the Irsay family led an initiative in recent years to address addiction and mental health issues. His prior battle with addiction stoked his enthusiasm for the cause, and his reputation within the league facilitated connections with funders.
The Irsays have used Kicking the Stigma to provide $31 million in grants to organizations working in the mental health and related fields.
Going forward, Irsay’s daughters are anticipated to become the new owners of the Colts. Both have played active roles in the organization for years and were granted ownership titles in 2012. It’s unclear how much of the team—if any—was given to the daughters and what effect possible estate taxes might have had.
However, Irsay has always made it clear what he wants. He made it clear what he intended to do when he took over from his father.
“We’re keeping 100 percent of the team,” he declared, adding, “and I’m doing it with my kids.”. “..”.
