Robert Irsay

Robert Irsay (March 5, 1923 – January 14, 1997) was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League (NFL)'s Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise from 1972 until his death in 1997. He was the father of former Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Biography Early life and education

Robert Irsay was born on March 5, 1923, in Chicago, the son of Charles Israel and the former Elaine Nyitrai, Jewish immigrants from Hungary. The family name was changed to Irsay in 1931, when Bob was eight years old.

Despite Ron dropping out of college to attempt to save the family business, Acord Ventilation went into rapid decline immediately after Bob's departure, going out of business less than three years later. His last-minute $19 million bid for the Rams was $2 million more than that of future Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse. Irsay's majority share in the Colts was initially 51%, with Willard Keland of Racine, Wisconsin, owning the rest. He additionally announced the appointment of Joe Thomas as Baltimore's new general manager, succeeding Don Klosterman who accompanied Rosenbloom to Los Angeles. While stalking the Colts sideline during the second half, he voiced his preference for Bert Jones as the starting quarterback over Marty Domres by asking Schnellenberger about when he was going to make such a change. Schnellenberger's sarcastic reply resulted in his postgame dismissal. Irsay had first gone to the press box to inform Thomas that he was the new head coach, and then to the locker room to announce his actions to the Colts players, before breaking the news to Schnellenberger in a heated discussion in the coaches' office. Middle linebacker Mike Curtis voiced the players' displeasure by saying, "This just tears me up. In defense of Irsay, he's a nice guy, an emotional guy. He doesn't know a lot about football, but sometimes you lose control in an emotional situation."

Irsay's verbal abuse of his players after a loss in a final preseason match to the Detroit Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome on September 2, 1976, led to head coach Ted Marchibroda's resignation three days later on September 5. Marchibroda was also at odds with Thomas over player personnel decisions. He was rehired two days later on September 7 after offensive and defensive coordinators Whitey Dovell and Maxie Baughan threatened to quit and the players considered boycotting practice, all in support of Marchibroda.

Irsay's dysfunctional relationships with certain players in contract disputes as well as with his coaches, only ensured the Colts' on-field woes in the ensuing years. He was accused of bad faith bargaining and racial discrimination by running back Lydell Mitchell who was eventually sent to the San Diego Chargers on August 23, 1978. Defensive end John Dutton contended that Irsay had spread "too many lies" about him and sat out the early part of the 1979 campaign while demanding a trade. He added, "I don't think he cares about the team, it's just a toy to him." Dutton was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys on October 9, 1979. Irsay also continually second-guessed Marchibroda.

Moving the Colts

On January 20, 1984, Irsay appeared drunk before the Baltimore media and exclaimed, "This is my team!" He reiterated that, despite problems, the rumors that he was moving the team were untrue. With negotiations over improvements to Memorial Stadium at an impasse, one of the chambers of the Maryland state legislature passed a law on March 27, 1984, allowing the city of Baltimore to seize the Colts under eminent domain, which city and county officials had threatened to do. Irsay claimed the city promised him a new football stadium, something they denied, saying that poor attendance had precluded the option of a new stadium. The next day, fearing a dawn raid on the team's Owings Mills headquarters, Irsay accepted a deal offered by the city of Indianapolis.

Indianapolis mayor William H. Hudnut III contacted John Burnside Smith, then CEO of the Mayflower Transit Company, who arranged for fifteen trucks to pack the team's property hurriedly and transport it to Indianapolis in the early hours of the morning of March 29. An ecstatic crowd in Indianapolis greeted the arrival of its new NFL team, and the team received 143,000 season ticket requests in just two weeks.

Baltimore was without a National Football League team until another controversial move in 1996, when Art Modell brought the personnel of the Cleveland Browns there to become the Baltimore Ravens.

Personal life

He married Harriet Pogorzelski on July 12, 1947, at Temple Sholom in Chicago, with Rabbi Louis Binstock officiating. According to Irsay, who is not a reliable narrator for details of his own biography, he had a second Catholic wedding to Pogorzelski, the daughter of Polish immigrants.

Bob and Harriet Irsay had three children – Thomas, Roberta, and Jim. Roberta was killed at age 14 in a 1971 automobile accident on I-294 outside Chicago.

Death and legacy

Irsay suffered a stroke in November 1995 and was in intensive care at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital for several months. After his release he developed pneumonia, heart and kidney problems, for which he was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He died in Indianapolis on January 14, 1997. He is interred at Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum in Section 88, Lot 5 at the coordinates .

After Irsay's death in Indianapolis on January 14, 1997, the Colts were inherited by his son, Jim. Bill Polian handled the day-to-day operations of the team as vice-chairman until his dismissal after the 2011 season. Polian was succeeded as vice chair by Jim Irsay's three daughters — Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson — who are each part owners and vice-chairs of the team.

Irsay was the first person inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor, being so memorialized on September 23, 1996.