Jim Irsay was a complicated man.
Son of a billionaire, and later a billionaire himself. College football player. Indianapolis Colts general manager, and later Colts owner himself. Classic rock enthusiast. Memorabilia collector. Family man. Philanthropist. Football fan. Social media personality. Recovering addict.
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Woven through Irsay’s many complications was a common thread: He cared.
He cared deeply about the Colts and the people — players, coaches, executives and office workers — who devoted themselves to the team. Countless stories have been shared since Irsay’s May 21 death about both little niceties and life-changing gifts that he bestowed upon members of his Colts family.
This thread of humanity ran through his relationship with the community as well. With his band of famous rockers, Irsay made a habit of putting on a free concert at Lucas Oil Stadium before the start of each football season. He also financed a YMCA in downtown Indianapolis, where numerous other contributions not only deepened the Colts’ roots but also helped people from various walks of life.
Irsay’s heart for giving was fully displayed one day during the Colts’ summer training camp at Anderson University when he pulled out his checkbook on the spot and handed Anderson icon Carl Erskine a generous donation for Special Olympics.
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The Colts trained in Anderson for the first several years after Bob Irsay, Jim’s father, moved the team from Baltimore to Indy in 1984.
The team eventually left for better facilities at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, but returned to Anderson for summer training camps from 2010 through 2017 under the younger Irsay. AU had built a wellness center and upgraded other facilities, drawing the Colts back.
Irsay could frequently be seen on the sidelines during camp and was fond of tweeting enthusiastic messages about the team on Twitter/X.
A true fan at heart, Irsay was the rare NFL team owner who truly relished interactions with his team’s fans and wanted so badly to win more Super Bowls for them.
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Irsay talked openly about his substance addictions and efforts at recovery. In recent years, the Colts initiative “Kicking the Stigma” broke new ground, bringing mental health into the bright spotlight cast by the NFL.
Yes, Irsay was a complicated man. Above all, his heart of caring will be manifest far into the future in Indianapolis, Anderson and all across the Hoosier State.
And whenever a fan of the blue-and-white raises the rallying call “Go Colts!” if you listen closely enough, you’ll hear the spirit of Jim Irsay ringing through.