Breaking news:As a matter of urgency, Due to Complicated and much struggle among Members of the Co-owners of Colts football on who to become the next CEO,The family of the deceased have Suspended the position of CEO Until further Notice…
Like many of you, longtime Indianapolis Colts team owner Jim Irsay, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 65-years-old, was the only owner I’ve ever really known for my favorite team—having assumed ownership of the franchise back in 1997.
As such, I wanted to take a bit of time to reflect on his saddening passing before writing.
Jim Irsay had his fair share of personal demons, especially having battled addiction earlier in this life, but by all accounts, he was a kind, generous, and quirky soul, who preferred to be regarded as more of a ‘steward’ of the Colts franchise than some sort of snooty owner.
He came with his own eccentricities, especially as it related to collecting rare musical artifacts or even more recently, starting his own band, ‘The Jim Irsay Band,’ that made him a bit of a ‘rock star’ compared to some of his fellow team owner colleagues. His goal was to help share these historic musical pieces and his band’s music, featuring legendary rock ‘n roll icons, with the general public through traveling showings and concerts.
As a random aside, I was interning with the Indiana Sports Corp during Super Bowl XLVI and volunteered as an ‘usher’ for the Jim Irsay rock ‘n roll collection at the Indiana State Museum, I held a door open for Jim Irsay, and he said thank you!)
When you hear all of the heartfelt stories since his passing about his giving—and giving when he wasn’t even obligated to, and it’s easy to understand that what Irsay gave to the Indianapolis community and state of Indiana was far more than just a pro football team.