"Will be a special day": Colts fans react as late owner Jim Irsay set to be inducted into Ring of Honor prior to week 1 game

The opening game of the regular season will be an emotional one for Indianapolis Colts fans. On Friday, it was announced that their late owner Jim Irsay will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor as the team prepares to face the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 7.

“Will be a special day, I’ll be there. Now the team needs to end the week 1 curse and win this one for Big Jim," tweeted @ColtsFanPo.

“This is a fantastic move,” another fan said.

"Happy birthday @JimIrsay," one fan said.

This announcement on Friday came on what would have been Irsay’s 66th birthday. The Colts haven’t won their regular season opener since 2013 over the Oakland Raiders (21-17). Irsay died in his sleep on May 21, 2025.

He took over as owner from his late dad Robert who bought the team in 1972 and passed away in 1997. Both Irsay’s will now be in the team’s Ring of Honor.

Fans had nothing but respect for the late owner.

“A great owner from a fan’s perspective, always spent money and earnestly wanted to see the team win. Glad he got a ring,” one fan said.

“Legend,” another fan said.

“That game is gonna be SPECIAL, in more ways than one,” one fan said.

Upon his father’s death in 1997, Jim Irsay became the youngest NFL owner in league history at that time at the age of 37. During Jim’s tenure in the owners box the team won 10 division titles, made the playoffs over a dozen times and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one.

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Irsay kids committed to building a winner

Since Robert purchased the team, the Colts have been a family affair and that will continue despite Jim’s sudden passing. His daughter Carlie Irsay-Gordon will be among the new principal owners moving forward along with her sisters Kalen Jackson and Casey Foyt.

“Winning is great, but I would even take it a step further in saying we’re really committed to being the best," Irsay-Gordan said to Fox on Friday. "And if we’re the best, we will win games.”

“We are so proud to continue our dad’s legacy, beginning with carrying out his foremost wish, to keep the Colts in our family,’’ Irsay-Gordon said.

"We want our fans to know that we’ve spent decades in our family business learning every aspect of our organization under our dad’s leadership,” she added.

The Colts are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020 when they lost out in the Wild Card Round to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 9, 2021 (27-24).