Peyton Manning: Jim Irsay made Indy a football town

For years, Indianapolis was associated primarily with things other than pigskin. In 1984, that changed.

The Colts came to town. And, once Jim Irsay inherited the franchise following the passing of his father, Bob, the Colts made their move toward the top of the NFL.

Appearing this week on ESPN’s NFL Live, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning explained how Irsay made Indy a football town.

“When I got there, Indiana basketball, [auto] racing, the Indy 500 -- that was it,” Manning said. “I think football was the third sport. Maybe not. Golf might’ve been in there. And all of a sudden, because of the commitment Jim made to winning . . . he goes out and hires Bill Polian, who had rebuilt the Buffalo Bills, had started the Carolina Panthers as a new franchise, takes them to the NFC Championship, then he drafts Edgerrin James, obviously re-signs Marvin Harrison, who’s already there. And next thing you know, the Colts all of a sudden, ‘Hey, the Colts are beating Miami, they’re beating Buffalo, they’re winning their division. And all of a sudden, ‘Hey, the Colts are for real.’”

The moment happened in 1999, Manning’s second season. The lumps he took as a rookie (when the Colts went 3-13) helped him and the Colts explode into contention in his second season — and flipped their final record to 13-3. The next year, they went 10-6.

Then came the “playoffs?!?” season of 2001, which resulted in a 6-10 finish and the firing of Jim Mora (who turns 90 today) and the hiring of Tony Dungy.

Off they went. 10-6, 12-4, 12-4, 14-2, 12-4 (and a Super Bowl win), 13-3, 12-4, 14-2 (and a Super Bowl appearance), and 10-6.

The wheels came off when Peyton Manning missed 2011 (2-14), but with Andrew Luck they had three straight 11-5 seasons.

“Right before your eyes, Indianapolis became the biggest football town,” Manning said. “High school football goes up. Fans wear more jerseys to a Colts game than any other stadium out there. And that was [because of] Jim’s commitment. That was his commitment to the city that he was going to bring them a winner once he took over, and he did.”

Along the way, the RCA Dome inched toward obsolescence. It was time to play the stadium politics game. Irsay found the solution in Indy that his father couldn’t find in Baltimore.

“There were all kinds of rumors about us maybe moving to Los Angeles or whatnot,” Manning said. “Jim always wanted to stay in Indianapolis, but he felt like, ‘Hey, we have this really good team. We’re fun to watch. Let’s get them a new stadium to play in.’ And the next thing you know, Lucas Oil Stadium is built.”

For those whose NFL fandom firmly existed when the Colts were in Baltimore, the sudden arrival of Indianapolis on the football scene took some getting used to. It’s now impossible to think of pro football without thinking of Indiana — especially since along the way the Colts’ presence brought the Scouting Combine to town. Where it’s been ever since, and where it should permanently remain.