Jim Irsay, Indianapolis Colts owner, dies at 65

Jim Irsay, the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, died on Wednesday, the team said in a statement. He was 65.

"Jim's dedication to 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," the team said.

A cause of death was not immediately given, but the team said Irsay died "peacefully in his sleep" on Wednesday afternoon.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay speaks during a Ring of Honor ceremony during halftime of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in Indianapolis. AJ Mast / AP

Irsay, the son of former Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay, spent much of his young life around the team, including serving as a ball boy during games.

"Some of Jim's fondest memories came from his youth working training camps in Baltimore and growing relationships with players, coaches, and staff whom he considered his extended family," the Colts said. "He worked in every department before he was named the youngest general manager in team history in 1984 when the Colts arrived in Indianapolis."

That move from Baltimore to Indianapolis, carried out suddenly by Robert Irsay in March 1984 to avoid having the team be seized by the city of Baltimore, would remain a lingering sore spot for former fans in Maryland.

"Jim's love and appreciation for the NFL in addition to its history, tradition, and principles influenced him to become a steward of the game throughout his 50-plus years in the League," the team said.

Jim Irsay took over sole ownership of the team after his father's death in 1997. Under his leadership, the team drafted Peyton Manning No. 1 overall in 1998. Widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, he helped deliver the Indianapolis Colts their first and thus far only Super Bowl title in 2006.

"I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay's passing," Manning wrote on Instagram Wednesday. "He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL. His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten."

Irsay was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of driving under the influence, with police saying he had several bottles of prescription medication on him at the time. Prosecutors alleged at the time he had tested positive for multiple opioids. He would eventually plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was subsequently suspended by the NFL for six games and fined $500,000.

Irsay had recently been in a wheelchair following two separate surgeries. One was to fix an issue that affected his left leg, quadriceps and back that stemmed from a fall in his bathroom that impacted his nerves, leading to lingering numbness, CBS affiliate WTTV reported. He then had surgery in mid-May to take care of a serious hematoma, according to WTTV.

Irsay did not speak to reporters during the recent NFL Draft as he usually did.

His story is one of a kind. As a teenager, he tossed footballs with MVP quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Bert Jones. He relied frequently on the lessons he learned from rubbing elbows with some of the game's most important owners — Al Davis, Lamar Hunt, Wellington Mara and Art Rooney — as they worked through the 1982 players' strike and the implementation of a salary cap.

And he presided over the greatest quarter-century of Colts football thanks to Manning, quarterback Andrew Luck, Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian and Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy.

Irsay handled everything from ticket sales to public relations as he rose through the organization even watching No. 1 overall pick John Elway force a trade to Denver in 1983.

When he took over as owner following his father's death in 1997, things were different. The arrival of Manning helped Irsay — and the Colts — create a passionate local following that hadn't previously existed but still remains strong today.

It wasn't always easy, either. When a 55% inheritance tax threatened his hold on the team, the younger Irsay found enough cash to keep the family business. And when his most prominent players were about to cash in during free agency, Irsay often ponied up top dollar to keep them.

But football was only part of Irsay's story.

He spent millions buying the original manuscripts to Jack Kerouac's generation-defining novel "On The Road" and Alcoholics Anonymous' "Big Book" and routinely made them available to the public.

His ever-expanding musical collection included instruments and items from The Beatles, James Brown, Prince, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Johnny Cash and Jerry Garcia; signed Presidential documents; an original "wanted" poster for John Wilkes Booth; a 1953 Jackie Robinson bat; Muhammad Ali's title belt from the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle;" even the saddle from Secretariat's triple crown wins.

Irsay also befriended singers such as Stephen Stills and John Mellencamp, took inspiration from the lyrics of Bob Dylan and revered the writings of Hunter S. Thompson, the self-described "Gonzo journalist."

"It's a lot of fun to have these pieces, and guitars are always kind of the most interesting, in some ways, because you can play them, unlike a book, a manuscript or a painting," Irsay said during the summer of 2016. "You can play them, and they can become four-dimensional."

But Irsay also had his struggles.

He was a recovering alcoholic and his professional successes couldn't insulate him from a constant battle with painkillers. In a November 2023 interview with HBO Sports, he acknowledged he had been to rehab at least 15 times and once accidentally overdosed.

The low point may have come in March 2014 when he was arrested near his home in Carmel while driving erratically. When officers searched the car, they found nearly $30,000 in cash and numerous bottles of prescription pills. Five and a half months later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000.

Irsay described the absence as heartbreaking.

"I couldn't even imagine how hard that was," former Colts punter and now talk-show host Pat McAfee said after the suspension ended. "You're talking about a guy who's been around the Colts his entire life, who personifies the Horseshoe."

Still, he was wise enough to allow Polian almost free rein to construct a team that won a then-record number of regular-season games in a decade (115).

Aside from the images of Irsay wearing a tie wrapped around his forehead on a magazine cover, tossing footballs in a suit, or his utterances on Twitter, he was a shrewd businessman with a big heart.

When the Colts won the Super Bowl, he even sent a ring to two-time rushing champ Edgerrin James, who had left in free agency before the championship season.

"The guy grew up with this team," then-coach Chuck Pagano said in January 2015. "He's got so much insight and so much knowledge. He's a football man through and through. It runs through his veins and he's got so much wisdom to share with all of us. He makes a huge impact."

Click here to read article