The Indianapolis Colts received shocking news on Wednesday that longtime owner Jim Irsay had passed away at 65 years old. The Colts broke the news on social media, confirming that Irsay “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Wednesday afternoon. One of his former colleagues made a great tribute to him following the news of his sudden death.
Legendary Colts head coach Tony Dungy posted a heartfelt message on social media Thursday morning to honor Irsay.
“When I got the news last night that Jim Irsay had passed away in his sleep it was devastating to me. The Bible says in many places that tomorrow is not promised to us but I wasn’t ready for this,” Dungy posted on social media, along with a photo of himself and Irsay celebrating a Super Bowl victory.
Irsay took over the Colts in 1984 as vice president and general manager. He then became the owner of the franchise in 1997 after taking over for his father, Bob.
Irsay helped facilitate one of the most important draft picks in franchise history shortly afterwards. The Colts drafted QB Peyton Manning with the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Dungy and Irsay were both on the Colts when they won the Super Bowl in 2007 with Manning leading the offense. Manning posted his own statement about Irsay's passing on Wednesday.
“Jim was one of the kindest, most compassionate people I have ever known,” Dungy continued. “He was awesome to me and my family. He was a blessing to his players and staff. But more than that he had a heart for people and for the city of Indianapolis. He loved people and did so many things for others—more things than you could imagine.”
Irsay was known to have a longtime respiratory illness that he battled for multiple years. It is currently unclear whether the illness was related to his death in any way.
“I miss him already. He was a special man and I couldn’t have worked for a better owner,” Dungy concluded.
Irsay will always be remembered as a legendary NFL owner. He is survived by his three daughters and 10 grandchildren.