Indianapolis Colts Owner & CEO Jim Irsay this year embarks on his 53rd season with the organization. His affiliation with the Colts dates back to 1972 when his father, Robert Irsay, acquired the team. His passion for winning and emphasis on sustained success has molded Indianapolis into one of the most successful and historic franchises in the NFL. In addition to his commitment to winning on the field, Irsay and his family are recognized as leaders in the community, spearheading multiple philanthropic endeavors throughout Indiana.

Colts Leadership

Irsay grew up with the Colts and talks sentimentally about his years living with the team during summer camp, riding the team bus and watching every game. After graduating from Southern Methodist University with a degree in broadcast journalism, he joined the franchise and worked in virtually every department, from ticket sales to public relations to football operations. When the Colts arrived in Indianapolis in 1984, Irsay was named general manager at age 24, the youngest to ever hold that job. In 1995, he took the helm of the franchise, becoming sole owner in 1997.

Over his many years with the team, winning always has been a priority for Irsay. Going into his 29th season as the leader of the Colts, Indianapolis has earned 10 division championships, two Super Bowl appearances and the team's fourth world championship with a victory in Super Bowl XLI.

From 2000-09, the Colts produced 115 regular season wins, which at the time was the most in a decade for any NFL club. Indianapolis also set an NFL record with 23 consecutive wins from 2008-09. What's more, the team's general man- ager, head coach and starting quarterback from that historic era – Bill Polian (2015), Tony Dungy (2016) and Peyton Manning (2021) – all were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Over the span of four seasons from 2012-15, the Colts won 16 consecutive games within the AFC South, also an NFL record.

A hallmark of Irsay's stewardship was the 2006 season, when the Colts won Super Bowl XLI with a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. Following its triumphant return to Indianapolis, the team was welcomed by a raucous crowd lining down- town streets in below-freezing temperatures and filling the old RCA Dome. Irsay responded by sending the Lombardi Trophy on a 50-stop, 3,130-mile tour throughout Indiana, giving fans an opportunity to see, touch and take pictures with the iconic trophy. That fall, he also 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 thou- sands who witnessed 10 finalists take their chance to pick one of five treasure chests that contained a ring inscribed with "Colts Fan."

All eyes were focused on Indianapolis in 2012 when Super Bowl XLVI came to town, and Irsay and following the team's Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears. the Colts were instrumental in leading the Super Bowl effort for the city. Largely regarded as one of the most successful Super Bowls ever, the event generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact, as well as worldwide exposure, for the city and state. All told, the Colts played in two Super Bowls (XLI, XLIV) and hosted a Super Bowl (XLVI) in a span of just six years (2007-2012). In 2017, Irsay hired Chris Ballard as general manager, who in six seasons has utilized both the NFL Draft and free agency to build the Colts roster. Since then, the Colts have produced 15 Associated Press All-Pro selections, 20 Pro Bowl selections, the 2018 "Defensive Rookie of the Year" and the 2018 "Comeback Player of the Year."

In 2023, Irsay and Ballard hired former Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen as head coach, igniting a new era of Colts football. Under Irsay, Ballard and Steichen, the Colts will continue their commitment to building a strong and exciting team, primed to compete this season and into the future.

NFL Leadership

A strong advocate of the NFL's history, tradition and principles, Irsay is an active team owner. In the 1980s, he was one of four NFL executives (including Pro Football Hall of Famers George Young and Bill Polian) appointed by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to design the league's modern day salary cap, which still governs player earnings in the NFL today. Irsay has served on the Executive Committee of the Management Council, the Pro-College Relations Committee, the Super Bowl Advisory Committee, the Realignment Working Group and the Working Club Executive Committee that authored the NFL's collective bargaining agreement in 1993. He currently chairs the league's Legislative Committee and is a member of the finance committee.

Colts in the Community

Irsay also oversees the team's extensive community and philanthropic efforts. Under his leadership, the Colts have been committed to inspiring and uniting people in their home city and state by helping build a healthy, inclusive and compassionate community through meaningful outreach, projects and partnerships. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Irsay jumped into action and personally led a community fundraising drive, raising more than $1.3 million in less than 48 hours to provide emergency meals to people in need. Irsay also helped fund e-learning materials and resources for local students, led a fundraising drive for Indianapolis' community centers and purchased thousands of protective masks for use by frontline workers.

Over the past several years, Irsay also has reemphasized the franchise's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the way the club operates internally and in the community. To that end, Irsay created two coaching fellowships – the Tony Dungy Diversity Fellowship and the Harriet P. Irsay Fellowship for Women in Football – to identify and develop talented people of color and women as future football coaches in the NFL and other levels. In addition, the team works with players, coaches, staff and community stakeholders on efforts to battle racism, provide more access to educational and economic opportunity and bring people from all walks of life together in support of dialogue and positive change.

Irsay and his family also launched Kicking The Stigma, an initiative to raise awareness about mental health disorders and remove the stigma often associated with these illnesses. Since starting the effort in late 2020, more than $24 million has been committed to expanding mental health treatment and research and raising awareness in Indiana and beyond.

The Irsays have been honored to support projects such as the Irsay Family YMCA, the downtown Colts Canal Playspace, Riley Hospital for Children, Wheeler Mission Center for Women & Children, Indiana University's Irsay Institute and Irsay Family Wellness Center and dozens of other important community initiatives. What's more, the team also engages and connects current and former Colts players with charitable, off-the-field efforts, such as playground builds, book drives, tree plantings, school and hospital visits, neighborhood cleanups and youth football clinics, helping them leave a legacy of service to the community.

The Jim Irsay Collection & The Jim Irsay Band

Although football has been the focus of Irsay's professional life, he has a personal passion for rock music, American history and pop culture, which led him to assemble a collection of historic and culturally-significant artifacts over several decades that together make up The Jim Irsay Collection. The collection is highlighted by musical instruments and items owned by some of the greatest artists in music history, including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Prince, Sir Elton John, James Brown, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, Les Paul, Janis Joplin, David Gilmour, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and other music icons.

Outside of music, the collection includes an 1823 William J. Stone printing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the first facsimiles of the final signed document; renowned author Jack Kerouac's original 119-foot On the Road scroll manuscript; the original manuscript for Alcoholics Anonymous' Big Book, the organization's founding document; Muhammad Ali's championship belt awarded after the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" and his boxing shoes from the 1975 "Thrilla' in Manilla;" artifacts and signed documents from numerous U.S. Presidents; artifacts from women's suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony and Secretariat's saddle from its 1973 Triple Crown wins.

An active philanthropist, Irsay transformed his collection into a "traveling museum" and has hosted free exhibitions in Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Boston with more stops planned for the future. He also regularly loans artifacts to museums, nonprofits and other organizations for display and research across the country and around the world.

Irsay's love of music also led him to form The Jim Irsay Band, an all-star band featuring some of the greatest musicians in the world, including Kenny Aronoff on drums (Paul McCartney, John Mellencamp, The Rolling Stones), three-time Grammy® nominee Billy Branch on harmonica, Tom Bukovac on guitar (played on more than 700 albums with major artists), Mike Mills on bass & vocals (R.E.M.), Danny Nucci on guitar & saxophone (actor, Titanic, The Rock), Michael Ramos on keyboards (Mellencamp, Patti Griffin, Paul Simon), Carmella Ramsey on violin, mandolin & vocals (Reba McEntire, Olivia Newton-John), five time Grammy® nominee Kenny Wayne Shepherd on guitar & vocals, and Mike Wanchic on guitar (Mellencamp).

The band has toured the country along with The Jim Irsay Collection and has featured appearances by legendary guest performers, including Indiana's own John Mellencamp, Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills & Nash), blues pioneer Buddy Guy, Ann Wilson (Heart), John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Kevin Cronin (REO Speed- wagon), Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), country music superstar Vince Gill, Indianapolis' own John Hiatt, four-time Grammy® nominee Robert Randolph and Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band).