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While appearing on ESPN’s NFL Live, Colts’ Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning reflected on Jim Irsay’s impact.
While appearing on ESPN’s NFL Live, Colts’ Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning reflected on Jim Irsay’s legacy and the shift that the city of Indianapolis made into being a “football town.”
“When I got there, Indiana basketball, [auto] racing, the Indy 500 — that was it,” Manning said via ESPN. “I think football was the third sport. Maybe not. Golf might’ve been in there. And all of a sudden, because of the commitment Jim made to winning … he goes out and hires Bill Polian, who had rebuilt the Buffalo Bills, had started the Carolina Panthers as a new franchise, takes them to the NFC Championship [Game], then he drafts Edgerrin James, obviously re-signs Marvin Harrison, who’s already there. And next thing you know, the Colts all of a sudden, ‘Hey, the Colts are beating Miami, they’re beating Buffalo, they’re winning their division. And all of a sudden, hey, the Colts are for real.”
Irsay took over ownership of the Colts in 1997. The Colts had made the playoffs during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, but before that, struggled to get over the playoff hump with just one other appearance between the 1984 and 1994 seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.
But from 1999 through 2010, the Colts would miss the playoffs only once and would go on to win two AFC Championship games during that span, along with a Super Bowl in 2006.
“Right before your eyes, Indianapolis became the biggest football town,” added Manning. “High school football goes up. Fans wear more jerseys to a Colts game than any other stadium out there. And that was [because of] Jim’s commitment. That was his commitment to the city that he was going to bring them a winner once he took over, and he did.”
Manning concluded by saying:
“I’ll be indebted for what he did for me, giving me my start,” Manning said. “And certainly, [we] parted ways. But five years later, after I retire, he dedicates a statue in my name and puts me in the Ring of Honor and insisted that I fly to Canton, Ohio on the Colts’ plane.
“He cared about his community, he cared about his family, but he loved the Colts, he loved the horseshoe as he called it, and I think that’s a great legacy.”
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