Colts Chief Operating Officer Commemorates Jim Irsay

The Indianapolis Colts are still reeling as a franchise after losing their 28-year beloved former owner Jim Irsay one week ago at 65. Irsay has been recalled through several stories and memories by players, coaches, and NFL personalities of all sorts.

Another unique take on Irsay came from former public relations coordinator and current Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward. This was brought by way of Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, who detailed Ward's comments in a piece highlighting the legacy of Irsay.

Ward shared how Irsay elevated his last name and removed the notion set by his father and former Colts owner Robert Irsay. Jim's father, Bob, was quite the personality, but in the opposite way from his son.

Bob was known for having a short temper, being difficult to work with, and meddling too much in his team's on-field business from the front office, leading to disastrous seasons while Jim was the vice president and general manager.

Breer goes into a bit more detail on the reputation of Bob during his time running Indianapolis.

"Bob Irsay’s reputation back then couldn’t have been worse. Best known for moving Baltimore’s beloved NFL team in the dead of night on a fleet of Mayflower trucks, the elder Irsay was well-known for being difficult to work for, abusive and a bit of a drunk."

When the younger Irsay took over the team in 1997 as the Chief Executive Officer, everything changed for the franchise and local community. Irsay immediately began to remedy the negative reputation and feel that his father Bob set.

Ward recalled the early days working with the Colts under Bob and interesting comments from his son about what would be to come in the future.

“Our first few years in Indy, his dad rarely gave back to the community,” said Ward. "Jim talked about that with me and said, one day I’m going to make up for this. When he took over the franchise, he made up for it quickly.”