WESTFIELD, Ind. – As the Colts arrived at training camp on Tuesday, they did so without the larger-than-life presence of Owner & CEO Jim Irsay, who died in May.
Irsay attended his first Colts training camp in 1972 as a ballboy and was deeply involved in the organization long before he assumed sole ownership of the team in 1997. And before the Colts begin practice on Wednesday at Grand Park, general manager Chris Ballard took a moment to begin his pre-training camp press conference on Tuesday to address the legacy Irsay left.
"I cared deeply about him," Ballard said. "It's going to be a big loss, not only for the Indianapolis Colts, but for the National Football League. He was unique. He cared about the game — the game of football. He'd always tell me, 'Chris, we take care of the game, and the game will take care of everything else.' He was right.
"He was charismatic, he was very quirky and unique, as you all know. He loved the city of Indianapolis. He loved this city. He's very prideful in this city, he's prideful in the horseshoe. It's a big loss, not only for the organization, but for the league. He cared about the history of the league."
Irsay, in the 1980s, was one of four architects of the modern day salary cap; in the 1990s, he helped create the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Irsay held influential positions on several important NFL committees, and was one of the few club stewards who could bridge the gap between the league's founding fathers – like the Chicago Bears' George Halas – and its current collection of owners.
"You see where the NFL is today as a league, and how big it is, but you forget the owners back in the mid-70s, early 80s, it was tough sledding and they had to struggle," Ballard said. "And I think it gave him a great appreciation for where we are now and the growth, but also the history — he never wanted to lose that. He never wanted to lose the history of the league. I think that's why his relationship with players was so special."
Ballard also emphasized how remarkable Irsay's giving spirit was.
"People have no idea — like, you have no idea how giving a man he was," Ballard said. "Look, we're all flawed, we all have our demons, but man, he had as giving a soul as anybody I'd ever been around. I feel very fortunate to have worked for him, and he hired me, and always grateful, extremely grateful."
The Colts in June officially transitioned ownership of the club from Irsay to his three daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon (Owner & CEO), Casey Foyt (Owner & Executive Vice President) and Kalen Jackson (Owner & Chief Brand Officer and president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation).
"Going forward, he passed on to his daughters that same sense of community, to cherish the history of the game and to carry that forward," Ballard said. "I think all three of them are going to be outstanding.
"... They'll do things differently and they'll do things their way, but also with their father on their minds, I think, the whole time."
