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The Indianapolis Colts on Monday announced details involving the ownership transition from Jim Irsay, who died May 21, to his three daughters.
The official announcement confirms what was already largely known.
The team said Carlie Irsay-Gordon will become owner and CEO, serving as the team’s principal owner, but all three daughters will share leadership duties for the club.
Casey Foyt will become owner and executive vice president, while Kalen Jackson will become owner and chief brand officer, as well as president of the Indianapolis Colts Foundation.
All three sisters have served as Colts vice chair/owner since 2012. The Colts said the transition “is pursuant to longstanding plans set forth by Jim Irsay,” and is effective immediately.
Irsay-Gordon, 44, is involved in every aspect of the organization, but largely focuses on football operations, as well as internal digital and social media content and production. She joined the Colts as vice president in 2008 and holds a degree in religious studies from Skidmore College and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Argosy University.
She is involved in multiple committees within NFL ownership, including those focusing on the league’s media assets, its strategic capital fund, and the security and fan conduct committee. She also manages the Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellowship and Harriet P. Irsay Fellowship for Women in Football programs.
Irsay-Gordon lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Zach Gordon, and three children.
Jackson coordinates the family’s philanthropic and community work, and she leads the Kicking the Stigma initiative focused on raising awareness about mental health disorders. The campaign, which has also been embraced by several other NFL teams since launching in 2020, has committed $31 million to various organizations and initiatives focused on mental health access, recovery and research programs.
Among those was the creation of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University, Jackson’s alma matter. The center is focused on researching and addressing stigmas related to mental health challenges. Jackson and her husband, Boyd, live in Indianapolis with their two daughters.
Foyt, who helped coordinate the first regular-season NFL game to be played outside North America, in London in 2007, manages community relations and marketing for the Colts. She graduated from Indiana University with a degree in sports marketing and helped revamp the Indianapolis Colts Women’s Organization. Foyt, her husband, Anthony, and their five children live in Carmel.
The Colts are one of the few NFL franchises under sole family ownership. In 1972, Robert Irsay, who previously owned the Los Angeles Rams, acquired the Baltimore Colts in a franchise trade with Carroll Rosenbloom. After operating for 12 years in Baltimore, Robert Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis in 1984. Jim became sole owner when his father died in 1997.
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Good luck to the three sisters!
We can only hope they have outgrown the normal sibling rivalries, and also hope they can take the Colts to greatness!
Even though they had effectively been running the Colts organization for several years, in deference to their late father, the status quo seemed to be followed with their father having the final say.
One has to think they will now put their own stamp on the team’s composition, so changes are probably coming. Maybe Ballard will finally be held accountable for the rosters he builds every year which produce +/- .500 results…..i.e. consistent mediocrity!!
Maybe under their leadership we can win more than one Super Bowl if we get another talent like Peyton Manning.