Who was Jim Irsay’s father Robert Irsay and how did he die? All we know about the Colts owner

The late Jim Irsay was the son of former Colts owner Robert Irsay, who remained the top boss of the team for 25 years until his demise in 1997. The club he initially acquired for $14 million, according to The Sun, has a value of over $4.8 billion as of 2024, per Forbes.

Bob, who preceded his son as the team's owner, has been etched in NFL history for moving the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Robert Irsay was 73 when he died while facing significant health struggles towards the end of his life. In November 1995, he suffered a stroke and was rushed to an emergency room at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Bob spent months recovering but developed pneumonia in August 1996. He had to be admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, per the LA Times. Bob was discharged in September but was hospitalized again after two months due to a “heart rhythm disorder.” According to the LA Times, Robert Irsay was allowed to return to his home in December.

The Colts owner has been in and out of the hospital multiple times since he suffered a stroke. According to UPI, Robert Irsay was admitted to Indiana Medical Center, where he died of heart and kidney failure on January 14, 1997. After his death, Jim Irsay succeeded him as the Colts owner until May 21, 2025, when he passed away at his Carmel, Indiana, home.

Robert Irsay acquired the Colts in 1972 and moved them to Indianapolis in 1984

The Colts was originally based in Baltimore, Maryland, with the original owner being Carroll Rosenbloom. Robert Irsay (born Robert Israel), who sold his well-established ventilation and air condition company in 1971, bought Los Angeles Rams in the following year from Dan Reeves. In the same year, he traded Rams for Colts, and remained its principal owner until his death.

While the team was initially based in Baltimore, it moved to Indianapolis in March 1984. The speculations of the move started emerging in January, with the reports of a tussle between Irsay and the city of Baltimore regarding the improvement of Memorial Stadium, per History.com. Amidst the rising tensions and negotiations, Bob stated that the team isn’t moving away (via Baltimore Sun),

“I have not any intentions of moving the goddamn team. If I did, I will tell you about it, but I'm staying here.”

There were reports of a deal between the city of Phoenix and the Colts, but it seemingly fell through. According to History.com, the Maryland state legislature intervened in March 1084 by passing legislation allowing the city of Baltimore to seize the team's ownership.

Meanwhile, Robert Irsay struck a deal with the city of Indianapolis and finalized the famous, or rather infamous, transfer within 24 hours. Former Colts assistant coach Rick Venturi explained (via Colts Audio Network’s The Move Ep. 3: Mayflower) in July 2024,

“The reason for the stealth, the reason for the immediacy – Baltimore was going to try to block Bob from leaving. And they were going to try to block him with the legal concept of eminent domain. Which essentially says that the community owns the franchise and you can't move it.”

He continued,

“And he, I guess felt, and his legal people felt that maybe they could do that. And so he was going to get out of dodge before it was going to get to the house. So that was the reason for the stealth and immediacy of it."

Remarking on the team’s overnight transfer to Indianapolis, Robert Irsay was quoted as saying in 1984 (via Colts.com),

“The greatest thrill I've had in football was on April 2, 1984, when I walked into the Hoosier Dome with Mayor (Bill) Hudnut in front of all those fans. It is my intention for the Colts to be a vital contributing member of the greater Indianapolis community.”

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Bob Irsay was a Chicago native born to Jewish immigrant parents in 1923. During World War II, he served in the United States Marine Corps and later worked for a Chicago-based mechanical contracting company before founding his firm.

Robert Irsay was married to Harriet P. Irsay (died in 2008) for 38 years, between 1946 and 1988, and shared three children with her, including Jim. Bob later married his second wife, Nancy, who died at 65 in 2015.

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