Colts owner Jim Irsay will be honored in a private memorial on June 2 in Indianapolis, the team announced. The Colts plan for a public tribute at a future date.
Irsay died May 21 at the age of 65.
At Wednesday’s organized team activity, some Colts staffers and players wore T-shirts featuring a photo of Irsay powerlifting in his younger days.
Shane Steichen, the seventh full-time head coach Irsay hired since taking the reins in 1997, was among those honoring their late owner. Steichen said the Colts want to do something special for Irsay this season.
“I’d like to start off with [condolences to the entire Irsay family](https://www.nfl.com/news/jim-irsay-private-memorial-service-colts-owner-june-2-indianapolis?campaign=Twitter_atn) — prayers and thoughts with them during this time,” an emotional Steichen said, via NFL.com. “A lot of you guys knew Mr. Irsay really well and covered this team for a long time. I was with him for two years. Phenomenal human being. You guys know how generous he was. I told the team last week, every time I talked to him in the building, on the phone, every time, he would always tell me at the end, ‘Coach, whatever you need for this team and this organization. We’ve got you.’ That was the man he was.
“We’re going to honor this season for Jim, and we’re going to win for Jim this year.”
The Colts advanced to the playoffs 16 times after Irsay became principal owner and won two AFC Championships and one Super Bowl.
The team announced Tuesday it will wear a jersey patch for the 2025 season to honor Irsay. Reaching the postseason would honor him even more. The Colts have not made the playoffs since 2020, and they have not won a playoff games since 2018.