Jim Irsay didn’t just bring a football team to Indianapolis. He gave the city something more profound. An identity it could wrap its arms around. He inherited the Colts through a trade few remember fondly, a backroom deal that swapped the Los Angeles Rams for Baltimore’s franchise in 1972. He started as a ballboy. Worked his way through the front office. Became the league’s youngest GM by 24. And by the time he was 37, the team was his — for better or worse. He chose better.

He built patiently, deliberately. He hired Bill Polian. Drafted Peyton Manning. Brought in Tony Dungy and trusted him to build a locker room of leaders: Edgerrin James, Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday. What followed was a run of excellence that defined a generation of football in Indianapolis and redefined the city’s place in the national conversation. For a town that had always lived and breathed basketball, Jim Irsay made football matter.

And when the Colts finally climbed the mountain in 2007, winning Super Bowl XLI on a rain-soaked night in Miami, Irsay didn’t stash the trophy behind glass. He sent it across the state — to Evansville, South Bend, Terre Haute, Richmond — and even into Kentucky and Illinois, where pockets of Colts fans had long stood by. He wanted them all to touch it. Because to him, it never belonged to just the team. It belonged to Indiana.

Now, Indiana will return the gesture. The Indianapolis Colts will wear a commemorative jersey patch throughout the 2025 season to honor the late Jim Irsay, the team’s longtime owner and CEO, who passed away suddenly last week at the age of 65. The patch, announced Tuesday, features Irsay’s initials, his signature, and his trademark smiley face—an emblematic nod to the personality that made him one of the most colorful and passionate figures in NFL ownership. Seven grommets surrounding the design mirror the seven grommets on the Colts’ iconic horseshoe logo, tying Irsay’s memory to the franchise’s enduring identity.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared the first image of the patch on social media, calling attention to its symbolism. The Colts confirmed it will be worn on all player jerseys for the entire 2025 season. “Th͏e #Colts wil͏l w͏ear this patch to honor ͏lat͏e o͏w͏ner and CEO Jim Irsay. The patch͏ features h͏is ͏initials and trad͏emar͏k smiley face a͏long with hi͏s si͏g͏nat͏ur͏e.,” he wrote.

A champion for mental health awareness and a staunch supporter of Indianapolis sports, Irsay remained deeply embedded in the community until his final days. His final tweet celebrated the Indiana Pacers—proof that his heart never strayed far from home.

“He w͏a͏s more than the o͏wner of the In͏dianapolis Colts;͏ he was a t͏ransformati͏v͏e figure in our cit͏y and state,͏ ͏a passionate advocate fo͏r the community, and someone whos͏e ͏genero͏sit͏y, vi͏sion, and spirit touched coun͏tless live͏s. Jim he͏l͏ped shape our ci͏ty i͏nto ͏the sports c͏ap͏ital i͏t is ͏today, and his l͏egac͏y, b͏oth on and off the field, will continue ͏to ͏insp͏ire us an͏d g͏enerations to c͏ome,” Indiana ͏Pacer͏s owne͏r Herb Si͏mon said after the grim news hit him.

And for those who knew him best, the memories came rushing back

Peyton Manning reflects on Jim Irsay’s legacy: “I’ll be indebted”

Peyton Manning saw the changes in Indiana up close. When he arrived in 1998, the city still revolved around basketball and the 500. The Colts were struggling to stay relevant. Some years, even struggling to stay. “There was all kinds of rumors about us maybe moving to Los Angeles,” Manning said. “Jim always wanted to stay in Indianapolis. But he felt like, ‘Hey, we have this really good team. We’re fun to watch. Let’s get them a new stadium to play in.’ And the next thing you know, Lucas Oil Stadium is built,” he told ESPN.

But, Irsay made a string of decisions that changed the franchise. “All of a sudden, the Colts are beating Miami, they’re beating Buffalo, they’re winning their division,” Manning said. “And all of a sudden, hey, the Colts are for real.” It wasn’t just about the NFL team downtown. “High school football goes up,” Manning recalled. “Fans wear more jerseys to a Colts game than any other stadium out there.”

That was Irsay. Always thinking about the bigger picture. Even when it ended between Manning and the Colts in 2012, the relationship didn’t disappear. Despite their eventual parting of ways, five years after Manning retired, Irsay honored him by commissioning a statue in his name, welcoming him into the Colts’ Ring of Honor, and making sure Manning traveled to Canton, Ohio, on the team’s plane for his Hall of Fame induction.

“He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner, and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL. His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone in the Colts community. He will be missed. Jim, rest in peace, my friend,” Manning wrote in his fitting tribute to Jim. His words carried the weight of the quiet that settled over Indiana the day after Jim’s passing.