Indianapolis Colts announce ownership transition as late Jim Irsay passes franchise to children

The Indianapolis Colts announced the details of their team ownership transition Monday, following the death of former owner and CEO Jim Irsay. The succession plan set the groundwork for the Irsay family to retain ownership of the franchise. Irsay’s three daughters have been in line to step in as owners and top executives. Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson will begin new roles, effective immediately, after they held vice chair/owner positions since 2012.

Irsay-Gordon becomes the Colts’ owner and CEO and serves as the team’s principal owner. Irsay previously indicated that his daughters are on equal footing, though, and the other two will continue to share leadership duties. Foyt now holds the title of owner and executive vice president, and Jackson becomes owner and chief brand officer and president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.

Foyt was the first of Irsay’s daughters to join the Colts’ front office. She has been heavily involved in the team’s marketing and community relations operations since her arrival in 2007. Irsay-Gordon began as vice president the following year and led the franchise’s business operations when her father entered a rehab facility in 2014. Jackson has been integral in the family’s community and philanthropic efforts since she joined the front office in 2010.

It has long been the family’s intention to retain ownership over the long haul. Before he inherited the franchise from his father in 1997, Irsay said to The Indianapolis Star, “We’re keeping 100% of the team that I’m passing on to my children.” Robert Irsay purchased the Colts in 1972, moved the team from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 and passed it on to his son, Jim, in 1997. The Colts remain one of the few NFL franchises under sole family ownership.

Irsay oversaw a sustained period of success during his reign as team owner. The Colts made 16 playoff appearances across his 28 years in the ownership position, and they tallied 10 division titles, four AFC title game appearances, two trips to the Super Bowl and one Super Bowl victory.

Irsay passed “peacefully in his sleep,” the family announced on May 21. Tributes poured in from across the league honoring the beloved longtime owner, who previously served as the Colts’ vice president and general manager from 1984-96.