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 Robert Irsay - Indianapolis, Indiana
N 39° 49.136 W 086° 10.579
16S E 570495 N 4407985
Robert Irsay was the longtime owner of the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
Waymark Code: WMGRP3
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 04/05/2013
Views: 10
Robert Irsay was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 5, 1923. He worked in his father heating and ventilation business before starting his own company. IN 1970 he sold his company to Zurn Industries and purchased the Los Angeles Rams for about $18,000,000. A short time after purchasing the Rams he traded them to Carroll Rosenbloom for the Baltimore Colts. Irsay will forever be remembered for the mid-night move of the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis in 1984. After a long and very bitter dispute with the City of Baltimore, Irsay with the help of Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnutt loaded all the Colts Property into 15 moving vans in the early morning hours of March 29, 1984 headed out of town arriving in Indianapolis in the late afternoon. The news was a bitter pill for the Baltimore Fans leaving them without a team until the Cleveland Browns moved to the city in 1996. The Indianapolis Colts were embraced by their new home, receiving mover than 143,000 request for season tickets. Irsay continued to oversee the day to day operations of the Colts until 1995 when he suffered a stroke. His son Jim, took over the team and still serves as its CEO. Robert Irsay died on January 14, 1997 and is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Source/Credit: ( visit link)
Description:
Robert Irsay was born on March 5, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U. S Marines in 1942 and after his military service he worked for his father’s heating and ventilation business. In 1951 he founded his own business, “The Robert Irsay Company,” which he later sold to Zurn Industries about 1970. In 1972 Irsay purchased the Los Angeles Rams football team and after a brief ownership traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom for the Baltimore Colts. In the early 1980’2 Irsay became involved in a highly public dispute with the City of Baltimore over the condition of aging Memorial Stadium. Rumors began to circulate that Irsay was considering moving the Colts. As the rumors gains strength, Irsay did little to dispel them, proclaiming to the press in January 1984, “This is my G….N Team.” With all negotiations at an impasse the Maryland Legislature passed a law on March 27, 1984 allowing the City of Baltimore to seize the Colts under a proclamation of “eminent domain.” On March 28, 1984, Irsay accepted the offer the City of Indianapolis and put the plans for a clandestine move in operation. Indianapolis Mayor, William Hudnutt contacted John B. Smith the CEO of Mayflower Transit Company and arranged for 15 tractor-trailers to be dispatched to Baltimore. In the early morning hours of March 29, 1984 these 15-tractor trailer headed out of town and the Baltimore Colts, became the Indianapolis Colts. The City of Baltimore had lost its football team and as one fan put it, “we lost our soul.” Irsay continue to be a bold and outspoken owner in Indianapolis and oversaw much of the day to day operation of the team until he suffered a stroke in November 1995. Robert Irsay died on January 14, 1997 at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Date of birth: 03/05/1923
Date of death: 01/14/1997
Area of notoriety: Sports
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m. - 6 p.m
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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