Former Colts Coach Tony Dungy Remembers Jim Irsay

INDIANAPOLIS — Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy recalls Colts owner Jim Irsay as being a “compassionate” man.

The team announced that Irsay passed away “peacefully in his sleep” Wednesday afternoon at 65 years old. He had been the sole owner of the Colts since 1997 following the passing of his father Robert Irsay.

Dungy, who was head coach of the Colts from 2002-2008 and won the team’s lone Super Bowl while in Indianapolis in 2007, said Irsay’s death was a gut punch.

“Something that was unexpected and obviously a very sad moment for our family as well as all the Colts family,” said Dungy. “Just hard to believe.”

Dungy described the environment that Irsay created for the team and the city as like a brotherhood. The connection between ownership, the players and staff, and the fans, was one that was hard to compete with in all of sports.

“I remember the first time he called me and talked about his vision for the Colts and the city of Indianapolis and what he wanted to accomplish,” Dungy said. “He wanted us to be good, obviously, but he wanted to connect with the fanbase. He wanted to impact the city. He wanted to win, but do it the right way.”

And win is what they did. As head coach, Dungy went 85-27 during his time in Indianapolis and ran the AFC South division for five consecutive seasons beginning in 2003.

“He wanted to the team to be successful,” Dungy said about Irsay. “But more than that, he wanted to do it in Indianapolis. He wanted to connect. His one passion was getting a new stadium so the team would be able to stay there. I think Lucas Oil Stadium was his dream. And the fact that it’s doing so much now and housing so many events that bring people into the city, not just for the Colts, but for all sports fans and all Indianapolis people, for that matter.”

Away from the field, Dungy described the former Colts owner as someone who wanted to do things out of the goodness of his heart. Irsay’s impact on the city of Indianapolis cannot be understated.

“Jim was one of the most compassionate people that I have ever known,” Dungy added. “He did so many things behind the scenes for not only our players and our staff, but for the city and for individuals that people would never even hear about. He just did them under the radar, just taking care of so many people, giving donations to groups, people who needed it, really just reaching out to everyone and that’s what I’ll always love about him.”