Jim Irsay's impact can be felt all around Indianapolis as city celebrates big sports weekend
Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half of an WNBA basketball game, Thursday, May, 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Colton Herta drives into the first turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay raises the Vince Lombardi trophy during a rally in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay raises the Vince Lombardi trophy during a rally in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half of an WNBA basketball game, Thursday, May, 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Colton Herta drives into the first turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay raises the Vince Lombardi trophy during a rally in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. The Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Mark Miles strolls around downtown Indianapolis, he sees Jim Irsay's influence everywhere.
From the trademark sports facilities to the towering J.W. Marriott hotel to the Pan Am Plaza currently under construction, he's not sure any of it could have happened without the assistance of the longtime Colts owner who helped this small Midwestern town shed its image as Indiana No Place and emerge as Indiana Some Place.
Advertisement
So as Indy steps into a new role, the mega center of a jam-packed Memorial Day sports weekend, the longtime local sports executive is saddened Irsay won't be here to enjoy the results of his efforts. Irsay died Wednesday in his sleep at age 65.
'It's incredibly sad, it's a big ache in my heart," Miles said Thursday. ' He had such a huge heart. He cared so, so much about the people in this community. I don't care what day it was, it was going to be a horrible loss but this weekend is sort of emblematic of what he helped build and I'm sorry he missed it."
Miles, the CEO and president of IndyCar and Penske Entertainment, has had a front-row seat to Indy's evolution — and Irsay's influence — for decades.
The Indy native has seen the city thrive under the glare of two NBA All-Star Games, the CFP national championship game, and dozens of other national and international championships.
Advertisement
But this is the kind of weekend only Irsay may have envisioned when he first came to town in March 1984.
Caitlin Clark, the WNBA's top draw, and the Indiana Fever will host defending league champ New York in front of a sold out crowd Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, an estimated 350,000 fans — including a sold-out grandstand for the first time since 2016 — will fill Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the world's largest single-day sporting event, the Indianapolis 500. Then on Sunday night, the NBA's Indiana Pacers will face the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
And it wasn't just Miles who saw it.
'He was more than the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, he was a transformative figure in our city and state, a passionate advocate for the community, and someone whose generosity, vision and spirit touched countless lives,' Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon said in a statement. 'Jim helped shape our city into the sports capital it is today, and his legacy, both on and off the field, will continue to inspire us and generations to come.'
Advertisement
Miles saw the passion almost from the moment he and his wife welcomed the Irsay family to Indianapolis following the Colts' infamous midnight move from Baltimore.
From that moment, Miles sensed a commitment from Irsay to his new hometown — acknowledging Irsay never even threatened to move the Colts as they pressed for a new stadium during the early 2000s.
As president of the 1987 Pan American Games organizing committee, Miles had Irsay on his side for an event that helped Indianapolis expand its international reach beyond racing. And after spending more than a decade as CEO of the Association of Tennis Professionals, he returned to lead the city's Super Bowl 46 organizing committee.
'We would never have had a Super Bowl without Jim Irsay, without the Colts or Jim Irsay's passion or commitment to getting it here and that never really wavered," Miles said.
Advertisement
But perhaps the greatest tribute to Irsay will be found on the city's streets this weekend.
Prior to the Colts' arrival, the downtown was a virtual blank slate — devoid of hotels or restaurants and only one sporting venue, Market Square Arena.
Today, celebrities and sports fans will fill thousands of hotel rooms, visit dozens of restaurants and bars and make the short downtown strolls to see Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field, home of the city's minor league team, and maybe even the Irsay Family YMCA.
Yes, Indy has come a long way — and the locals know why.
'To have his death heading into this epic sports weekend has us pausing to reflect on just how categorically he changed and enhanced the city's skyline for the better based on his generosity, his actions and his advocacy,' said Chris Gahl, Visit Indy executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "So, it's fitting and also very hard to celebrate a weekend like this, knowing he recently passed and his last tweet was about cheering on another major sporting team in the Indy way. That's the culture he helped put in place in our city.'
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
39 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Connecticut town's schools are investigated for transgender athlete policies
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — A school system in Connecticut is under investigation by the Trump administration over its transgender athletic policy, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed Tuesday, adding a new flashpoint in the national debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports. James Demetriades, the mayor of Cromwell, said the town's school system could lose nearly $1 million in federal funding if the department determines it's in violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal assistance. The mayor, a Democrat, said Monday that the school district would be ineligible for the state's athletic conference if it didn't allow student athletes to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. He said the district is currently following 'all applicable state and federal law as well as the rules for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.' 'We don't know why Cromwell was targeted for this action,' Demetriades said in a statement on Facebook. He said the investigation also includes restroom and locker room usage. The head of the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, Craig Trainor, said in a statement that the investigation was looking at whether the district's policies were 'depriving girls and young women of equal athletic opportunities.' U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon added that, 'This Administration will fight on every front to protect women's and girls' sports.' A community of more than 14,000, Cromwell is about 20 minutes south of the capital, Hartford. A rally in support of transgender youth was planned Tuesday evening at Cromwell High School. In 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term, the Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into Connecticut's policy that allows transgender high school athletes to compete as the gender with which they identify. It followed a complaint filed by the families of three girls, who said they were discriminated against by having to compete in track events against two athletes who were identified as male at birth, including one at Cromwell High School. A federal appeals court in 2022 dismissed a challenge to Connecticut's policy. It was later revived and the case is still pending. It could be ready for a trial in 2026. Days after taking office for his second term, Trump signed an executive order titled ' Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which states that all funds from educational programs 'that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,' will be rescinded. In his post, Demetriades asked state officials to help hold the town harmless from liability and intervene if Cromwell is sued by the Department of Justice. In March, the Department of Education opened an investigation into Portland Public Schools, Oregon's largest school district, over allowing a transgender athlete to compete on a high school girls' track-and-field team.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers-Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final by the numbers
during the third period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) skates over to accept the Prince of Wales Trophy following Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (C) and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, right, pose with the Prince of Wales trophy at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. They advance to the Stanley Cup finals. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) speaks to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) Edmonton Oilers general Manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch speak to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) Edmonton Oilers general Manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch speak to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) during the third period of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov (16) skates over to accept the Prince of Wales Trophy following Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (C) and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, right, pose with the Prince of Wales trophy at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. They advance to the Stanley Cup finals. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) speaks to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) Edmonton Oilers general Manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch speak to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers meet again in the Stanley Cup Final, a cross-continental showdown of the NHL's last teams left standing. The Panthers are aiming to be back-to-back champions, while Oilers captain Connor McDavid is looking to hoist the Cup for the first time in his dominant career. Game 1 is Wednesday night at Edmonton. Advertisement Here's a look at the series by the numbers: 11 This is the 11th rematch in the final in league history and the first since Pittsburgh and Detroit in 2009. Edmonton and the New York Islanders also had one in 1984. Each of those series saw the result flip from the previous year. The other two rematches since the expansion era began in 1967 were Montreal sweeps of Boston in 1977 and '78 and St. Louis in '68 and '69. 3 The Panthers are in the final for a third consecutive season, matching cross-state rival Tampa Bay's trio of trips from 2020-22. The Lightning won back to back on their first two runs, then lost their third to Colorado. Advertisement Since Paul Maurice was hired as coach and Florida acquired Matthew Tkachuk in a trade in the summer of 2022, the team has won 10 of 11 playoff series. 51 McDavid and longtime running mate Leon Draisaitl lead all scorers in the playoffs with 26 and 25 points, respectively. This is their seventh playoff run together and the sixth year in a row. Since their postseason debuts in 2017, McDavid has 143 points and Draisaitl 133, first and second of all players in that time. All that is missing is the Stanley Cup. 2.11 Sergei Bobrovsky has again backstopped the Panthers to the final, going 12-5 with a 2.11 goals-against average and .912 save percentage through three rounds. Advertisement Counterpart Stuart Skinner lost his starting job after allowing 11 goals in Games 1 and 2 of the first round and only got it back in the second when Calvin Pickard was injured. Since returning to the net, Skinner is 6-2 with a 1.73 GAA and a .931 save percentage. 2,543 The 2,543 miles (4,092 kilometers) between Sunrise, Florida, and Edmonton, Alberta, is — for the second year in a row — the longest distance between finalists in NHL history. It's a roughly six-hour flight each way for the teams, which will be especially challenging going back to western Canada for Game 5 without an extra travel day after Game 4. ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bruno Fernandes turns down lucrative Al Hilal offer to stay at Man United
MUNICH (AP) — Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has turned down a proposed move to Saudi club Al Hilal because he wants 'to play at the highest possible level.' Fernandes confirmed Tuesday that he had received an 'exciting offer' from the Riyadh-based club to switch after what was a disappointing season for United. 'They waited for me to think about my future, because I said only if Manchester thought it was the time to move on, that I'd be willing to do so,' Fernandes said through an interpreter. 'I talked to the gaffer, Ruben Amorim, and at the time he asked me not to go. I then talked to Man United. They said they didn't want to sell me. If I wanted to go, I could, but they didn't need the money, they didn't need to sell me.' Media reports suggested Al Hilal was prepared to pay 100 million pounds ($135 million) to take the 30-year-old Fernandes from United while offering him a wage of 700,000 pounds ($946,000) per week to play for the Saudi Pro League team, which will compete in the Club World Cup this month in the United States. 'It was a very exciting offer,' Fernandes said. 'The president of Al Hilal, he was very nice to me. He talked to my manager but then I talked to my wife and as a family we wanted to see what I wanted to do. She asked me, what do you want to do with your future?' Fernandes last year signed a contract extension to stay at Old Trafford until June 2027. This season did not go as planned as the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing 15th in the Premier League, while United also endured the heartbreak of losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. 'We had goals and we didn't meet them,' said Fernandes, a key figure for United since his arrival in January 2020. He said it would have been easy for the family to make the move to Riyadh, and for him to adjust to the team with Portugal teammates Rúben Neves and João Cancelo already playing for Al Hilal. 'I'm used to them, but I want to play at the highest possible level," Fernandes said. "I want play for major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most. And for better or worse, I'm still very passionate about football. This is how I see football. This is how I see my life and my future, and I'm happy about the decision I made.' Fernandes was speaking as a Portugal player before the team's Nations League semifinal against Germany on Wednesday in Munich. The winner of that game will face either France or Spain in Sunday's final.
