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SMU alum put brand on Colts
Former Mustangs walk-on linebacker respected in NFL
11:00 PM CST on Friday, February 2, 2007
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
khairopoulos@***BANNED-URL***
Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, grew up with the franchise since his father purchased it in 1972.
But Irsay is also a Mustang.
Irsay, whose Colts play the Chicago Bears in Sunday's Super Bowl, is a 1982 graduate of SMU with a degree in broadcast journalism.
Irsay, 47, was also a walk-on linebacker under Ron Meyer for the 1978 season.
Dave Marshall, a former SMU defensive tackle, met Irsay in the weight room during spring practice in 1978.
"I thought he was just another guy trying to make the team," Marshall said. "He worked as hard as anyone on scholarship."
The two developed a friendship that stretches to today.
Irsay invited Marshall to work out with him that summer at the Baltimore Colts' camp * a memory Marshall still cherishes.
Irsay has flown Marshall's family from East Texas up for games in recent years.
Irsay's walk-on career was cut short because of a chronic ankle injury, Marshall said.
But Irsay's apartment near campus became a popular spot to gather and watch football and boxing.
Irsay, a music devotee, always had a guitar handy and sometimes quoted Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
After graduation, Irsay began working for the Colts in earnest, becoming general manager in 1984 after Robert Irsay infamously moved the team to Indianapolis under the cover of night.
Though Jim Irsay reportedly has had to overcome an addiction to painkillers and is viewed as eccentric by some, his success in running the small-market Colts is widely lauded. Marshall said Irsay is generous and loyal.
Irsay established an SMU scholarship for Indiana students in the fall of 2006.
When the Colts won the AFC Championship last month, he was presented with the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The late Hunt was also an SMU alumnus.
"I know what he's [Irsay] poured into that organization," Marshall said, "and what it means to him."
Former Mustangs walk-on linebacker respected in NFL
11:00 PM CST on Friday, February 2, 2007
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
khairopoulos@***BANNED-URL***
Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts, grew up with the franchise since his father purchased it in 1972.
But Irsay is also a Mustang.
Irsay, whose Colts play the Chicago Bears in Sunday's Super Bowl, is a 1982 graduate of SMU with a degree in broadcast journalism.
Irsay, 47, was also a walk-on linebacker under Ron Meyer for the 1978 season.
Dave Marshall, a former SMU defensive tackle, met Irsay in the weight room during spring practice in 1978.
"I thought he was just another guy trying to make the team," Marshall said. "He worked as hard as anyone on scholarship."
The two developed a friendship that stretches to today.
Irsay invited Marshall to work out with him that summer at the Baltimore Colts' camp * a memory Marshall still cherishes.
Irsay has flown Marshall's family from East Texas up for games in recent years.
Irsay's walk-on career was cut short because of a chronic ankle injury, Marshall said.
But Irsay's apartment near campus became a popular spot to gather and watch football and boxing.
Irsay, a music devotee, always had a guitar handy and sometimes quoted Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
After graduation, Irsay began working for the Colts in earnest, becoming general manager in 1984 after Robert Irsay infamously moved the team to Indianapolis under the cover of night.
Though Jim Irsay reportedly has had to overcome an addiction to painkillers and is viewed as eccentric by some, his success in running the small-market Colts is widely lauded. Marshall said Irsay is generous and loyal.
Irsay established an SMU scholarship for Indiana students in the fall of 2006.
When the Colts won the AFC Championship last month, he was presented with the Lamar Hunt Trophy. The late Hunt was also an SMU alumnus.
"I know what he's [Irsay] poured into that organization," Marshall said, "and what it means to him."