Jim Irsay, Owner and CEO
When Jim Irsay moved into the position of franchise owner in 1997, he set in place a plan to build a winning team. To Indiana’s great delight, that plan worked. Just 10 years later, the Indianapolis Colts brought home the state’s first NFL World Championship and the Lombardi Trophy.
Over the last 10 seasons (2002-2011), the team has posted the NFL’s second-best regular season record with a 111-49 mark. During that span, the Colts reached the playoffs in nine straight years (2002-2010), won seven AFC South Division titles, and reached two Super Bowls, including the Super Bowl XLI victory.
Following a disappointing 2-14 season in 2011, Irsay knew it was time for a change. He started his new plan by hiring a new general manager, Ryan Grigson, and a new head coach, Chuck Pagano.
“While change is not ever easy, sometimes it’s the best way to move forward and reclaim greatness,” Irsay said.
Those important hires were welcomed by fans. Grigson is widely respected around league circles and boasts a significant track record with 13 years of NFL experience in the personnel field. He has been part of teams that have made the playoffs on nine occasions, including three trips to the Super Bowl between the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. Pagano brings 28 years of coaching experience, including 10 in the NFL. Last season, he served as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, one of the top defenses in the league, following three years as the team’s secondary coach.
As he enters his 41st NFL season, Irsay has built Indianapolis into a model franchise with several records and accomplishments:
Under his leadership since 1997, the Colts have ranked fourth in the NFL with 146 victories and have accumulated 11 playoff appearances while winning eight division titles, five consecutively in the AFC South (2003-2007) as well as the 1999 AFC East crown.
In 2010, the club won the AFC South and tied the NFL record with a ninth consecutive playoff berth.
In 2009, the Colts became the only NFL team to post seven consecutive seasons with 12 or more wins and became the third team to open a season with 14 consecutive victories. That year, Indianapolis also earned the NFL’s best record and home-field playoff advantage en route to an AFC Championship and a Super Bowl XLIV appearance. It was the second title appearance for the team in four seasons.
The team closed the 2000-2009 decade with 115 regular season victories, the most in NFL history. The club set another league record with 23 consecutive regular season victories from 2008-2009.
In 2008, the team opened Lucas Oil Stadium, one of America’s finest venues. Indianapolis has won 21 regular season games, two playoff outings and an AFC Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium for its most treasured asset: Colts fans. Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the sporting world’s crowning event, Super Bowl XLVI, bringing worldwide attention to Indianapolis and Indiana, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact during a two-week period in February of 2012.
A hallmark of Jim Irsay’s tenure of stewardship was the 2006 season, when the Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl XLI, with a 29-17 victory over Chicago. Following its triumphant title return, the team was welcomed by a raucous crowd lining downtown streets and filling the RCA Dome. Irsay responded by sending the Lombardi Trophy on a tour throughout Indiana. The 50-stop, 3,130-mile tour gave fans an opportunity to see, touch and have pictures taken with the trophy. That fall, he created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to compete for one of five authentic Super Bowl rings. The effort raised more than $225,000 for charity and entertained thousands who witnessed the 10 finalists take their chance to pick one of five treasure chests that contained a ring inscribed with, ‘Colts Fan.’
Irsay joined the Colts’ staff in 1982, upon graduation with a degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Methodist University. He was named vice president and general manager in 1984, when the team moved to Indianapolis. Irsay served in that capacity until taking the role of senior executive vice president, general manager and chief operating officer in April of 1996. In January of 1997, he assumed sole ownership of the team and has served as its owner and CEO since that time.
An active and participating owner, Irsay chairs the league’s Legislative Committee and serves on both the Finance Committee and the Super Bowl Advisory Committee. He also has served on the Executive Committee of the Management Council and the Pro-College Relations Committee. Additionally, Irsay was a member of the Realignment Working Group and the Working Club Executive Committee that authored the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement in 1993.
Irsay and his wife, Meg, oversee the Colts’ extensive contributions program. In their home city and state, the Irsays are active supporters for programs that address domestic violence, children with disabilities and their families, environment, cancer research and contemporary dance.
Although football has been the focus of Irsay’s professional life, he is a music aficionado who collects rare guitars (including Jerry Garcia’s Tiger and one of George Harrison’s guitars) and an Americana fan who collects rare historical documents, including Jack Kerouac’s original manuscript of On The Road. Currently the Kerouac manuscript is on display in Paris, in conjunction with the worldwide premiere of the newest film version of On The Road.
Jim and Meg have three daughters, Carlie Irsay Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Irsay, as well as four grandchildren. All three daughters represent the next generation of ownership for the Indianapolis Colts as each was promoted to the position of vice chair/owner in March of 2012.
In reflecting on the franchise at this point in time, Jim Irsay remarked, “I see a bright future for the Indianapolis Colts and our many fans. We are excited and energized about the changes and can’t wait to take the field this season. We have the best fans in the NFL and our goal is to resume our position as one of the most consistently ‘best’ teams in the league.”
Jim Irsay, Owner and CEO
When Jim Irsay moved into the position of franchise owner in 1997, he set in place a plan to build a winning team. To Indiana’s great delight, that plan worked. Just 10 years later, the Indianapolis Colts brought home the state’s first NFL World Championship and the Lombardi Trophy.
Over the last 10 seasons (2002-2011), the team has posted the NFL’s second-best regular season record with a 111-49 mark. During that span, the Colts reached the playoffs in nine straight years (2002-2010), won seven AFC South Division titles, and reached two Super Bowls, including the Super Bowl XLI victory.
Following a disappointing 2-14 season in 2011, Irsay knew it was time for a change. He started his new plan by hiring a new general manager, Ryan Grigson, and a new head coach, Chuck Pagano.
“While change is not ever easy, sometimes it’s the best way to move forward and reclaim greatness,” Irsay said.
Those important hires were welcomed by fans. Grigson is widely respected around league circles and boasts a significant track record with 13 years of NFL experience in the personnel field. He has been part of teams that have made the playoffs on nine occasions, including three trips to the Super Bowl between the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. Pagano brings 28 years of coaching experience, including 10 in the NFL. Last season, he served as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, one of the top defenses in the league, following three years as the team’s secondary coach.
As he enters his 41st NFL season, Irsay has built Indianapolis into a model franchise with several records and accomplishments:
Under his leadership since 1997, the Colts have ranked fourth in the NFL with 146 victories and have accumulated 11 playoff appearances while winning eight division titles, five consecutively in the AFC South (2003-2007) as well as the 1999 AFC East crown.
In 2010, the club won the AFC South and tied the NFL record with a ninth consecutive playoff berth.
In 2009, the Colts became the only NFL team to post seven consecutive seasons with 12 or more wins and became the third team to open a season with 14 consecutive victories. That year, Indianapolis also earned the NFL’s best record and home-field playoff advantage en route to an AFC Championship and a Super Bowl XLIV appearance. It was the second title appearance for the team in four seasons.
The team closed the 2000-2009 decade with 115 regular season victories, the most in NFL history. The club set another league record with 23 consecutive regular season victories from 2008-2009.
In 2008, the team opened Lucas Oil Stadium, one of America’s finest venues. Indianapolis has won 21 regular season games, two playoff outings and an AFC Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium for its most treasured asset: Colts fans. Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the sporting world’s crowning event, Super Bowl XLVI, bringing worldwide attention to Indianapolis and Indiana, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact during a two-week period in February of 2012.
A hallmark of Jim Irsay’s tenure of stewardship was the 2006 season, when the Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl XLI, with a 29-17 victory over Chicago. Following its triumphant title return, the team was welcomed by a raucous crowd lining downtown streets and filling the RCA Dome. Irsay responded by sending the Lombardi Trophy on a tour throughout Indiana. The 50-stop, 3,130-mile tour gave fans an opportunity to see, touch and have pictures taken with the trophy. That fall, he created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to compete for one of five authentic Super Bowl rings. The effort raised more than $225,000 for charity and entertained thousands who witnessed the 10 finalists take their chance to pick one of five treasure chests that contained a ring inscribed with, ‘Colts Fan.’
Irsay joined the Colts’ staff in 1982, upon graduation with a degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Methodist University. He was named vice president and general manager in 1984, when the team moved to Indianapolis. Irsay served in that capacity until taking the role of senior executive vice president, general manager and chief operating officer in April of 1996. In January of 1997, he assumed sole ownership of the team and has served as its owner and CEO since that time.
An active and participating owner, Irsay chairs the league’s Legislative Committee and serves on both the Finance Committee and the Super Bowl Advisory Committee. He also has served on the Executive Committee of the Management Council and the Pro-College Relations Committee. Additionally, Irsay was a member of the Realignment Working Group and the Working Club Executive Committee that authored the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement in 1993.
Irsay and his wife, Meg, oversee the Colts’ extensive contributions program. In their home city and state, the Irsays are active supporters for programs that address domestic violence, children with disabilities and their families, environment, cancer research and contemporary dance.
Although football has been the focus of Irsay’s professional life, he is a music aficionado who collects rare guitars (including Jerry Garcia’s Tiger and one of George Harrison’s guitars) and an Americana fan who collects rare historical documents, including Jack Kerouac’s original manuscript of On The Road. Currently the Kerouac manuscript is on display in Paris, in conjunction with the worldwide premiere of the newest film version of On The Road.
Jim and Meg have three daughters, Carlie Irsay Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Irsay, as well as four grandchildren. All three daughters represent the next generation of ownership for the Indianapolis Colts as each was promoted to the position of vice chair/owner in March of 2012.
In reflecting on the franchise at this point in time, Jim Irsay remarked, “I see a bright future for the Indianapolis Colts and our many fans. We are excited and energized about the changes and can’t wait to take the field this season. We have the best fans in the NFL and our goal is to resume our position as one of the most consistently ‘best’ teams in the league.”
