May 21 (UPI) — Jim Irsay, the principal owner of the Indianapolis Colts since the death of his father in 1997, died Wednesday. He was 65.
During his 38-year tenure, the Colts won Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007, in Miami Gardens, Fla., defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17. The Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7, 2010, also at the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins.
“We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner & CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon,” Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said in a statement released by the team. “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.”
When his father moved the franchise to Indianapolis from Baltimore in 1984, he became general manager at 24.
“Jim’s generosity can be felt all over Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the country,” Ward said. “He made philanthropy a daily endeavor.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke said in a statement: “We were deeply saddened to learn of Jim Irsay’s passing today,” Goodell said. “He spent his life and career in the National Football League. Starting as a teenager as a Colts’ ballboy, he learned every position in the organization before assuming leadership of the Colts approximately 30 years ago. Jim’s Colts won the Super Bowl, hosted another and built Lucas Oil Stadium.
“He led with integrity, passion, and care for the Colts’ players, coaches and staff, and his courageous work in support of mental health will be a lasting legacy. Outside of football, he was a talented musician and built an extraordinary collection of historical and musical artifacts that he shared with people across the country.”
pic.twitter.com/cwqnUmDUn3— NFL (@NFL) May 22, 2025
Irsay-Gordon, his eldest daughter, has been the most involved in team operations and took her father’s place during his NFL suspension in 2014 after his DWI arrest. He also is survived by daughters Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson; his ex-wife and his daughters’ mother, Meg Coyle; and 10 grandchildren.
He was hospitalized after first responders found him unresponsive in his bedroom on the morning of Dec. 8, 2023. Police characterized it as a suspected overdose.
On Jan. 9, 2024, the Colts said in a statement that he was being treated for a “severe respiratory illness.”
Irsay didn’t attend the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fl.a in March and was not believed to be present at last month’s NFL draft.
He became the principal owner at 37 years old after the death of his father, Bob. He became the youngest owner at the time.
Irsay was a member of the NFL’s finance committee and chaired the legislative committee.
Before being the top executive with the Colts, he was among four executives appointed by then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in the 1980s to design what became the league’s salary cap.
Peyton Manning was the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback in both Super Bowl appearances.
Two years after losing to the Saints in the Super Bowl, Irwin reasedl Manning, the first overall pick in the 1998 draft who is considered the greatest player in team history. Manning was signed by the Denver Broncos and led that franchise to a Super Bowl championship in 2016 and retired.
“I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay’s passing,” Manning said in a statement posted on Instagram. “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. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone in the Colts community. He will be missed. Jim, rest in peace my friend, #18.”
In 1953, the Colts franchise was established in Baltimore and Robert “Bob” Irsay took over in 1972. They joined two other NFL teams, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers , to join those in the American Football League to form the American Football Conference 1970 merger.
With threat of eminent domain from the city of Baltimore, the franchise moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night on March 29, 1984, with Mayflower moving trucks. Indianapolis was actively seeking an NFL team as the city had built a domed stadium, originally called the Hoosier Dome, then named the RCA Dome. Since 2008, the Colts’ home is the larger Lucas Oil Stadium.
Baltimore regained an NFL team with the relocation of the Cleveland Browns and became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.
Like his father, Jim Irsay struggled with alcoholism.
“Those 12 steps have literally saved hundreds of thousands or millions of lives,” Irsay told ESPN last year. “My grandfather died in 1927, eight years before AA was founded. And there was no hope for him. They would just stick people in sanitariums back then.
“Because of those 12 steps, I’ve been able to bridge the dam of generations and say, ‘Stop! No more!’ These families won’t be broken apart and destroyed by all the strife that goes on.”
