(Reuters) – Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who inherited the National Football League team from his father in 1997 to become the NFL’s youngest club owner, died on Wednesday at the age of 65, the team announced on social media.
During his long-time association with the team Irsay also became the youngest general manager in Colts franchise history when he was named GM in 1984 after his father, Robert Irsay, moved the team to Indianapolis from Baltimore.
“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family, were unsurpassed,” the team posted on X.
According to the statement, Irsay died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday afternoon, less than a month before his 66th birthday. No further details about the circumstances of his death were given.
The Colts chalked up a lengthy string of division titles under Irsay and claimed the first Super Bowl victory for Indianapolis in 2007 when they beat the Chicago Bears 29-17.
They returned to the Super Bowl in 2010 but lost to the New Orleans Saints.
The Irsay NFL dynasty dates back to 1972 when Robert, who made his fortune as a heating and air-conditioning contractor, acquired the Los Angeles Rams for $12 million then immediately traded franchises with then-Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom.
The younger Irsay grew up around the Colts and worked his way up in the organization from on-field ball boy and ticket office clerk to ultimately becoming general manager when his father relocated the team to Indianapolis.
By the time he assumed ownership of the team as chairman and chief executive officer at 37 he was the youngest franchise owner in NFL history.
The following year the Colts acquired quarterback Peyton Manning with the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft and went on to become one of the league’s most dominant teams of the 2000s.
“He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL,” Manning wrote on social media.
“His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten.”
An avid fan of rock ‘n roll music, Irsay amassed a multi-million dollar collection of music and sports memorabilia, including Kurt Cobain’s 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar, for which he paid nearly $5 million, and a Jackie Robinson home run bat.
His final public message to fans was a note of support to the Colts’ NBA counterparts, the Indiana Pacers, who were facing the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Go PACERS. Good luck to Herb, the entire @Pacers organization, and our city!” Irsay wrote on X, hours before his death was reported.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Portland, Oregon, additional reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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