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Jim Irsay took over as owner of the Indianapolis Colts in 1997 and he was in charge of the team for nearly 30 years before passing away on Wednesday at the age of 65.
During his time as team owner, Irsay got to witness several historic moments, including the team’s 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Although that was an iconic moment for the franchise, it wasn’t Irsay’s favorite.
The Colts owner was asked about his favorite moment during an interview on NFL Network a few years ago, and he went all the way back to a moment that he witnessed during his second full year as owner: Peyton Manning’s first start in 1998.
After watching the Colts go 3-13 during his first season as owner, Irsay wanted to improve the roster quickly and he was able to do that, thanks in large part to the fact that the Colts had the No. 1 overall pick in 1998, a pick they used on Manning.
Five months later, Manning was on the field for a Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins, a game that would give Irsay a memory that would last a life time.
“When Peyton Manning took the field as a rookie in his opening game,” Irsay said when asked about his favorite moment. “I think Peyton has meant so much.”
Irsay said that Manning essentially bridged the gap between two Colts eras: the Johnny Unitas era, which ended in 1972, and the Manning era, which started in 1998. In between, there were a lot of lean years for the Colts.
“[Manning] helped transform us from those great, great years with Unitas and those things, to what we are now,” Irsay said. “He meant so much in his dedication to the craft and being such a great players.”
When Manning was drafted in 1998, there was actually a debate that year about who the Colts should take between Manning and Ryan Leaf. According to Irsay, the Colts were always leaning toward Manning.
“Peyton and Ryan Leaf, that was a real debate,” Irsay told Fox 59 in 2023. “But we saw Peyton as being the right guy, myself, [Colts general manager Bill Polian] and Jim Mora. With Peyton and Ryan, you just learn certain things. The quarterback position is more than arm strength and stuff on paper from the combine. Peyton had all the right stuff. If you polled the league, half of the league would have taken Ryan Leaf. They don’t say it now. [Chargers general manager] Bobby Beathard, Hall of Fame general manager, took him. No one knew.”
The Colts drafted Manning on April 18, 1998 and he ended up making his first start for the team on Sept. 6 of that year, a memory that Irsay fondly remembered for his entire life.
